"...And you are at once free. I do not ask that you place hands on the tyrant, but merely cease to obey him, and you will see him, like a colossus, fall of his own weight and break into pieces." So begins this short classic. It reads as if written with words of fire. Astonishing clarity and moral certitude bathe the ideas expressed. There is no room for temporarizing in La Boiete; the breathtaking clarity of his ideas blew cobwebs from my mind. It was like learning to walk on two legs instead of four. Some toung in cheek references to how his rhetoric does not apply to the France of the Capetian dynasty merely add flavor and wit to his insights. Non-violent resistance and civil disobedience both trace their modern pedigrees to this work. This is a book for the ages, and it is a shame that it is not widely available in English. (Knowledge Products excerpts it on tape in their, "Giants of Political Thought" cassette series.) I wish every student could be given a copy of this book; then, our liberty would face a brighter future than now appears to be the case. -Lloyd A. Conway

"The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude" has influencedsome of the world's greatest social thinkers; from Leo Tolstoy toMohandus Gandhi to Ayn Rand. Written in the 1550s, as something of an underground tract or pamphlet by a young French student and friend of essayist Michelle de Montaigne, this short work remains a timeless expose of the psychology and inherent corruption involved in social or political power. The work has been in and out of print in English (Some of its various titles over the years were "Slaves By Choice," "Anti-Dictator," "The Will To Bondage," and "The Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude"). In North America it has been out of print for some time now, unfortunately. Since its original circulation in the early 1550s as "de la servitude volontaire ou contr'un," this short but powerful work seems to find its way back into print whenever the winds of social change began blowing toward tyranny.

"The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude," written by the young French student and friend of Michelle de Montaigne, Etienne de la Boetie during the 1550s, is now a much neglected work (in English). The work's importance and timeless quality is comparable to that of Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince." It is a very brief work of about 40 pages in length. This brevity is part of the work's power. In these few pages, the author is able to explain the origin and inherent corruption of the tyranny of all government. The work is a classic in civil disobedience; I suppose you could say it defined the term. It should be read by all who value their freedom and view tyranny -- in any form -- as an abomination.

This book was truly amazing. It closely followed the episode that aired on television, and it had a litle bit of everything for everyone--comedy, romance, action, cultural differences, suspense, and, ultimately, a spiritual message of hope, truth, and courage. It helped me reevaluate my own priorities and search for whatever courage I may have deep inside me. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves Touched by an Angel, and anyone who doesn't.

i enjoyed it very much. It showed how you can stand up for what you believe.The book and the movie gave me a new look at things.i remember in history class about the event that happen with the students protesting and frought for what they believed in,but no one wanted to listen but cause hurt and pain.The book gave a whole new outlook on them event. It has and will always have place with me in my heart. Liberty Moon is incredible she showed so much faith and heart in what she thought was wrong or right.I read the book long time ago and seen on tv awhile back so alot of things are frizzybut i do that i enjoyed and when I seen it and read it it was memorable and eveytime i get a chance to see it or read I go crazy and i feel like everytime I get that chance I feel like I'm there. i give it 10 tumbs up. love ya

In the video and the book,we now see true freedom of the spirit bringing forth new love, joy and peace.For Jean, it is pure enjoyment to see her husband again as well as her friend,George and finally, her daughter,Liberty Moon. We all hope that everyone else has that same courage like Jean.

A friend recommended Coffin's books "Story of Liberty" and "Sweet Land of Liberty" to me several years ago because I was looking for an account of American History that was not distorted and colored by recent "correct" thinking.
I was not seeking to shore up my own political ideology either, I just wanted an account that had been written closer to the time when the actual events occurred and describing not only what truly happened, but also how the contemporary authors of the time truly felt and thought while they were recording the events.
To that end, these books are so well written that I have subsequently read many of the chapters to my children, at their request! When history is fun to read, it is more memorable, and I was glad to observe my children remembering and learning from what REALLY happened and not what a prevailing political system wishes had happened as is the case in recent years as "correct" thinkers have managed to gain control of many of our publicly funded educational institutions. In many ways, you can only discover what you are first looking for, and to endeavor to make history fit modern ideals, while entirely possible, is still a disservice to future generations. Instead of looking through a filtered lens to find those of antiquity that think the way we want them to, lets all try to learn from the successes and mistakes of the past and then pass on what really happened. Finally, keep in mind these are not children's books. They are written for the adult audience and are in-depth, detailed, and accurate. However as an added bonus, I discovered that they also appeal to children precisely because Coffin is so engaging as an author.

*Sweet Land of Liberty* is a reprint of an 1881 young people's history of colonial America initially titled *Old Times in the Colonies*. It is an intermediary volume between Charles C. Coffin's *The Boys of '76*, the narrative of the battles of the American Revolution he published for the centennial, and his *Story of Liberty*, which chronicled "the struggles of men in England and Europe against the tyranny of emperors, kings, popes, archbishops, bishops and inquisitors". It covers the whole period from Columbus's discovery of San Salvador in 1492 to the French and Indian Wars, with chapters on the establishment of the various colonies and the major events of the era.

This volume was reprinted by religious conservatives and will be of particular interest to homeschoolers. Coffin had a "Providential view of history", believing that "the settlement of America" revealed a "design in Providence for the illumination of the ignorant, and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." As a Frenchman, I view this hopeful vision of history with more than a little skepticism, as my own country shows no sign of sharing in any divine plans for liberty on earth. And I think Coffin himself would have been much more reserved if he had witnessed the evolution of his country in the century following the publication of his book.

But even for those who do not share the author's faith in Providence, which surfaces only occasionally, this colonial history will be a delight to read, accompanied as it is by hundreds of black-and-white illustrations artfully documenting the buildings, the landscapes, the costumes, the people and the events of the period. Together with Coffin's flair for the concretization and dramatization of history, these illustrations will "take you there" just as surely as any good work of historical fiction. The only technical flaw of the book is its maps, which never seem to be at the right place or to feature the locations you are looking for, and lack the often brilliant visual design of modern maps.

As far as the text is concerned, it tends to focus mostly on the issues of freedom of conscience and popular government. Though strongly inimical to the Catholics in general and the Jesuits in particular, it is not one-sided and often plays the devil's advocate. The presentation of quakerism, for instance, helped me understand why its devotees were often targeted as the victims of religious intolerance; and the chapter on the Salem Witch Hunt, by giving the whole American and European context of the episode, made it seem much less bizarre and unexplainable than it is generally made to be. Particularly interesting are the numerous accounts of Indian atrocities, which would never find their place in a modern, politically correct textbook. In their gory detail, however, they may make the book unsuitable for younger readers.

If you loved Edward Eggleston's beautiful *History of the United States and Its People* (recently reprinted by the Lost Classics Book Company), you will certainly enjoy this volume just as much. I also recommend it as a more concrete and anecdotal supplement to the first volume of Clarence Carson's *Basic History of the United States*. And as it ends with Robert Rogers' retaliatory attack on the St Francis Indians, it can also be read as a preface to Kenneth Roberts' excellent historical novel, *Northwest Passage*, which begins with the same incident.

This book is so well written that my younger children eagerly listened as well. Charles Coffin brings history to life through this sequel to The Story of Liberty. He shows how it was God's plan for a land of freedom to lay waiting for those who would need a new beginning to express their religious freedom. The dangers were many, but the thread of purpose is evident throughout. I recommend this book to any family, especially home schooled, as a must to their study of the colonization of America.

Honestly, I picked up Joseph O'Connor's 'Sweet Liberty' from Amazon because I wanted to see what kind of social commentary could possibly be written by someone with the dubious distinction of being Miss Sinead O'Connor's brother. I was ready for anything, but not the side-splitting, absolute laughter and insight with which this man looks at Irish history and the uniquely American version(s) of it. This book is better, in my opinion FAR better, than 'Angela's Ashes.' O'Connor writes with all the wit McCourt can summon and manages to be uplifting instead of depressing. I swear, there's a fabulous insight and a good laugh on every page. O'Connor writes with a style that combines intelligence and ease, as if you were having a nice long chat with your best friend and actually talking about something INTERESTING, for a change! I don't know where to begin in describing the book's best parts; there are so many of them. O'Connors recollections of his first childhood 'French Kiss' by a girl named Judy are hilarious. His stint in a Massachusetts hotel dining room next to a couple of arguing California lesbians had me nearly falling out of my chair. His journeys to the various 'Dublin' towns of the USA are each magical in their own way, and utterly bizarre. O'Connor introduces us to a number of VIPs from Irish/American history, too...and each account makes for riveting reading because O'Connor cloaks their various stories in his own lovably irreverent wit. That's the best part of this great, great read: O'Connor's commentary is laced with sharp humor but tempered with an undercurrent of genuine affection for humanity and the places he has visited. His writing is very moving at times, whether he's describing the madcap adventures when his father flies over to meet him in New York on the Concorde, or when he's recalling his two sisters and their constant car-sickness on childhood family vacations (Sinead...we never knew ye had such a weak tummy!). O'Connor sees America and does it all and laughs "with" us in the most engaging, irresistible way. You'll pee your pants. Buy this book and I guarantee you'll be up til' 2AM reading about this man's splendid adventures.

Joseph O'Connor is a gifted writer whose travelogue brought me to several bouts of uncontrollable laughter. The stories in this book contain a wonderful mix of dry wit and outrageous hyperbole, and O'Connor manages to weave in a bit of Irish-American history as well.

As it happens, laughing out loud _is_ the only exercise I get (aside from running late for work), so I'm glad I took Roddy Doyle's advice and read this book. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too.

A clue to how Irish I am can be found in the fact that, sitting down to write this, I thought this book topical as St. Patrick's Day was "coming up". The Valentine's Day decorations aren't yet out of the stores, so that may seem a little extreme. The fact that I did not set foot in Ireland until I was 22 does not seem to have significantly weakened this attachment to the country. So I am just the sort of Irish-American yahoo that prompted Joseph O'Connor to write this hilariously scathing look at the American landscape. "Sweet Liberty: Travels in Irish America" is Joe O'Connor's opportunity to satisfy a life-long curiosity. Having seen American's cartoon-view of Ireland from St. Patrick's Day parades in Dublin, he took his cartoon-view of America (from westerns and visiting tourists) and decided to investigate it. Not surprisingly, what he found was even funnier than what he thought he would find.

"Sweet Liberty" follows O'Connor as he sets off to see the 9 towns named Dublin in the US, along with some classically American (and Irish-American) landmarks - New York, Graceland, the Grand Canyon and others. The Dublins tend to be non-extraordinary rural outposts with little or no knowledge of their own history. But O'Connor turns his encounters in these towns into rolicking tales - poking fun at himself, at those he meets, at the towns, his hotels, the roads, whatever. O'Connor is funny in a way stand-ups can't be, because his humor is not at all mean-spirited. Even while he is "slagging" someone or something, you can hear the affection for it underneath.

Roddy Doyle, author of "The Commitments" and "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" (and object of O'Connor's professional jealousy), said of O'Connor that he is the man to read, "if laughing out loud is the only exercise you get." I thought he was kidding. Or at least exaggerating. But halfway through the preface, my slides were splitting. By the end of the first chapter, I was doubled over in laughter. Joe O'Connor has a brilliant dry wit and mercilessly accurate descriptions of characters - of both people and places. Having lived in Boston, I was almost brought tears, I laughed so hard at his antics there.

Clearly the more familiar you are with any given area he is describing, the funnier "Sweet Liberty" may seem. But if you are inclined to a sense of humor about any of America's geographic icons, you will find this Irishman's perspective entertaining and engrossing. If you are rather more inclined to an academic look at Irish-America, you are better off with Thomas O'Connor's "The Boston Irish" or Noel Ignatiev's "How the Irish Became White". After all, some of the Dublins weren't even named for the town in Ireland.

As soon as I picked up the book I was caught up in the story. I could imagine everything perfectly. there was never a borring moment. Not every book can place you in the time period like this one could.
"I was one of the Gone."

I was kind of wondering whether or not to order this book. It sounded okay but I am picky to the style of writing the author uses. I was acually a little surprised that the book was so good. It really gives you an idea of what the charecters are like and how they think. I would recomend this book to anybody who likes a good story with alot of emotion.

Oney Judge was born on George Washington's famous home, Mt. Vernon. She had grown up there, she loved it there. On the surface, she led a good life. She was a personal favorite to the General and Lady Washington. She was treated like one of the family. Only problem was, Oney was a slave. "Taking Liberty" tells the story of Oney's childhood on Mt. Vernon and her loyalty to the family that loved her. But above all, it tells of her quest for the most basic human right, to be free.

I have often credited my love for history to Ann Rinaldi. Her books are always educational, historically accurate and above all, fun. "Taking Liberty" is her latest book, carrying on her wonderful style. Once again, I have found myself completely drawn in. Anyone, of any age, who enjoys a good story doesn't want to miss this.

In his introduction, editor Jeffrey Cramer tells us that of the more than 2 million words that Thoreau wrote in his journal, "less than twenty thousand are on the subject of slavery." Cramer has compiled an extraordinary collection of such writings in this book. In the first half of the book, we find Thoreau's eloquence on the immorality and injustice of slavery, his reproachment of the State of Massachusetts for justifying its expedient use of the Fugitive Slave Law, and his disgust with the majority of citizens who do nothing to act on their convictions. Thoreau's belief that individual action can make a difference is constant throughout his writings here and of course, emblematic of his own life. "It is not important that many should be as good as you, as that there be some absolute goodness somewhere; for that will leaven the whole lump."

In the second half of the book, Cramer includes Thoreau's writings on the broader concept of individual freedom, including the ability to be free from material comforts and societal expectations. It is here that we experience Thoreau's comfort with nature and his urging us to do the same.

I highly recommend this book.

Jeffrey S. Cramer's thoughtful compilation of primary source writings shows the complex and fascinating development of Thoreau's penetrating reflections on freedom, both political and personal. Vivid autobiographical accounts of Thoreau's activism within the Abolitionist Movement are juxtaposed with his more philosophical and poetical writings on the most timely topic of freedom. In the current, reactive political context of endangered personal rights, this book gives us much to ponder today. Thoreau's writings, along with the thought-provoking introduction of Thoreau scholar Jeffrey Cramer, are pertinent and, as always, passionate.

Don't let the small size of this book fool you! An excellent collection of and discussion of Thoreau's writings on freedom, both political and spiritual, on slavery, on the Fugitive Slave Act, and on the abolitionist John Brown. The very valuable introduction by the editor, Jeffrey Cramer, Curator of Collections at the Thoreau Institute at Walden Woods, places these writings in the context of the times and in the context of Throeau's larger corpus. A foreword by Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and the Director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for nonviolence, reminds us of the international and the modern significance of these writings. Altogether, the book is highly recommended for anyone interested in Thoreau, the struggle against slavery in mid-nineteenth century America, the political dimension of New England transcendentalism, as well as the interplay between political, spiritual and moral freedom in Thoreau's writings and the writings of transcendentalism.

This is a thorough, although somewhat wordy, review of the ACLU and it's policies. It seems unbiased, and shows clearly how the ACLU changed from a libertarian organization to a tool of the far left wing liberals. A great book for anyone doing research on or just wanting to know more about the ACLU.

I must admit this book was a gift and it sat on my shelf for over two years before I read it. I thought it was going to be a right wing slam on the ACLU. I despise books that heap invectives and use ad homieum attacks to disparage the opponents. I enjoy books that paint fair and accurate pictures of ones ideological adversary while using logic and reason to dispute their stands on issues. This book was more than fair to the ACLU and the logic used in it is very impressive.

Smith spoke openly and candidly of the good, yes, the GOOD that the ACLU had done. Yet he also pierces the organizations veil like high a powered laser showing how from a idealistic liberty pursing start the ACLU has slid to be a schizophrenic puppet of the ultra liberal left.

Just when you begin to feel you are vindicated for holding the ACLU in utter contempt he than turns his laser beam focus on the right and shows you more than enough similarities between the religious right and the radical left to make you squirm. This book does something that so few books do today. It makes you think, not so much about how rotten or evil the ACLU is rather it makes you look introspectively into yourself, your inner psyche and how you may be more like your supposed nemesis than you wish to imagine.

ACLU The Devils Advocate FAIR ACCURATE and PENETRATING to your core

Kudos F. LaGard Smith for a job well done.

I agree with the Canadian reader who reviewed this. It's just one amazing book--factual, passionate, life-changing (on a personal as well as a societal level). Also very very funny in parts. Morgan's is such an interesting writer, much more complex than your usual feminist or political rhetoric. A whole other level. I've wanted to give many copies of this reissued edition to friends but found that it's tmporarily unavailable altough not out of print. So I hope another print run is imminent.

I first read this book about 5 years ago and it changed the way I regard myself, activism, science. Surely it is an antidote to the pop-psychology that makes millions off of people's lives without dealing with the roots of oppression. In this book, Robin Morgan instead reveals herself and her ideas about what is necessary for true change - personal and political - to occur. There is hope and wisdom here. Sex, spirituality, activism, commitment to oneself, lovers, friends & beliefs, complex social theory and the parallels between feminism and physics - all of this written with wit and the joy of revelation, revolution. Buy this book, donate a copy for your community's library and also local women's centre...

Donna J. Harroway is an important and equally exciting feminist to read on the issues of feminism, science and technology...she follows a parralel branch of theory. Although her points are often different, not as personal as Morgan, and her writing is more academic in style, her work is important companion reading.

Davies hits the nail right on the head.

Davies is best known for large volumes and trilogies, but in this small volume he covers enough ground to let the reader know the history of the theological position on religious liberty, and the difficulties in the documents dealing with it from the second Vatican council. Sometimes a touch didactic, but a very good read, nonetheless.

I think this book is definetly a good research piece. I am the 2nd generation of Cape Verdeans living here in the U.S. Unfortunetly my parents did not speak the language to us. The author made herself very knowledgable regarding our culture, struggles and thoughts through generations. My father told us how my grandfather worked on a whaling ship going back and forth from Cape Verde to the U.S. til he bought property on Cape Cod, which I continue to tell my children and nieces and nephews and they are also proud of that. The author mentions interviewing some Cape Verdeans on the Cape where some of them have last names of relatives of mine....what great lengths this author has gone with this research to get accurate data, I am very impressed. I now say I am African-American rather than the black Portuguese which I was taught from my Grandmother, however since I am fair complexed I do tell people that I am Cape Verdean American when asked what am I...complextion was another issue brought up in this book which we are very familiar with. GREAT JOB!!! I was very please to read about my culture...One day I hope I do get to visit the Cape Verde Islands.

I have read just about every piece on this subject. This bookis definitely the best researched piece to date. It refers to peopleplaces and things that I am quite familiar with. I am Third GenerationCape Verdean living here in the U.S. I have traveled to the Cape Verde Islands and I speak the language fluently. Ms. Halter... captured the very essence of this culture by detailing specific facts such as: differences in Island to Island,language accents, living conditions,resources,cultural celebrations,etc. I am quite familiar with many of the characters in her book and her research references. She speaks of the history and culture just as I have heard about it from my grandmother and grandfather. I have read other writings that I feel do not compare, simply because they are not as clear and complete as Ms. Halter's book. Her book covers the many facets of this very complex nationality in a way that is more simple to understand than any other book on this subject that I have read. This is highly important to someone who not in the least educated in this culture. I have shared my knowledge of this subject to hundreds of people along my path... END