or, possibly more correctly, the adolescent who sometimes never grows up. We all want Heaven on Earth, don't we? Too bad it's not possible. Unfortunately, the attempt to create Heaven on Earth only creates a Hell. In this important but not terribly well-known known book, Paul Hollander traces the journeys of Western leftist intellectuals as they, blinded by self-deception, journey to the hellholes of the Soviet Union, China and China, and pronounce them wonderful societies. The obvious question: why? Estranged from their own societies, they seek meaning and community elsewhere. We all need it, and we all want it, to the point where some of us imagine it when it's not there. For the leftist, their gods have evaporated, leaving them in a vacuum. They seek religious certainty, meaning and comfort in trying to create a heaven right here. But the gods of leftism have turned out to be demons. Instead of trying to change the world, they should tend to their own gardens first.

Paul Hollander is one of our best critics of the kind of foolishness that motivates intellectuals today and has done so for centuries. This book is well worth reading. It demonstrates most amply Hollander's contention that intellectuals are not characterized solely by their critical abilities and habits. Rather, as Hollander points out time and again, they are also characterized by their opportunistic use of these abilities, and by their incredible credulity. Sartre is only one case in point: his fabulous skepticism is employed to prevent himself from coming face to face with the fact that Stalin was a monster and that Marxism could neither save a nation nor prevent mass murder. Our hyper-politicized faculty on Kampus today employ the same kinds of denial and opportunistic critique to save thier silly beliefs in the beneficence of multiculturalism, in the existence of patriarchy and in the explanatory power of cultural critique. Hollander's book is a must read for anyone who needs distance from the nonsense of our postmodernists, deconstructionists and other allegedly radical dogmas of the aging flower children. All of them practice selective attention to their critical principles, scepticism for their enemies, and utter credultiy for their pals.

Bewitching history of Russian peasant women thought to be possessed by demons. Contributing to the drama--the Russian Orthodox Church, bias against women, politics, poverty, and ignorance. Of great interest.

Possessed is the first book to examine the phenomenon of demon possession in Russia. Drawing upon a wide range of sources--religious, psychiatric, ethnographic, and literary--Worobec looks at klikushestvo over a broad span of time but focuses mainly on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when all of Russian society felt the pressure of modernization.

World War II is on and Chonkin is imprisoned in this sequal to his extraordinary adventures. Chonkin figures less prominently in this sequal. I think, the major character here is the social system itself. Voinovich does not spare anyone or anything: Joseph Stalin, the Soviet military planning, and the prison system--all are criticized. Bumbling bureaucrats continue to bludner like there was no tomorrow. For example, they capture and execute an honest junior officer as a spy, while the real spy continues to work undisturbed. And the bumbling of this sort is pittance in comparison to what has just gone on--the 1937/38 terror. Most outstanding people have been destroyed on no greater basis than wild accusations and Stalin's paranoia. It turns out that the most potent weapon in the war on the cream of society's crop is a simple pencil! Write an accusation on someone who works hard in his field and has his head in the clouds, not paying attention to politics, and that person is soon arrested and executed. Given this absurd atmosphere of repression and the pressure and fear put on the government by war, Chonkin must languish in prison on suspicion of being a descendant of a noble Russian family which is trying to overthrow the government and open the gates to the Germans!

Voinovich's satire is right on target. This book is funny and educational. If you live in a Western democracy you will, at a minimum, reap one important benefit from reading this--you will appreciate even more what you have in your country today. I assigned a number of Russian writers in my Modern Russian Politics class last year, and this is exactly what the impact was. Read Voinovich--his books are humorous and different.

"Pretender to the trone" is the sequel to "The Extraordinary Adventures of Private Iwan Chonkin", and almost as funny (in a grim way)! Those who enjoyed "Iwan Chonkin" should also read this sequel. In the Russian edition I read, they were joined in one volume.

This is the best piece of literary criticism I have read on a Russian author, and definitely one of the best pieces in lit studies in general. Greenleaf is sophisticated yet remarkably clear and persuasive. And the book is not just useful for readers of Pushkin; I would argue that any lit student should read some of this, to get a sense of how genre figures into literary analysis. I loved it.

This book received major awards from both the modern language association (MLA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies. It is best described by the citation from the MLA judges: "In a volume whose elegant style and civilized irony are a loving critical tribute to Russia's 'national poet,' Monika Greenleaf confronts Pushkin's protean nature with exhaustive comparative research, independent- minded recourse to contemporary critical theory, unfailing fairness to her scholarly predecessors, and a sharp eye for the details and patterns of Pushkin's major and minor texts. Her notion of 'self-portraiture' allows her to join readings of Pushkin's work, culture, and biography together in a subtle, persuasive whole that is sure to be a landmark in Russian studies for years to come."

This entire book is online at http://www.winfinity.com/beachwalla/rebels/rebels.htm

Check it out!

This classic book in labor history combines the highest level of historical research with riveting story-telling. It is dramatic, poetic, honest - and indispensable in understanding the wild history of the I.W.W. in the Pacific Northwest.

The entire text is available free online at ...

This classic book in labor history combines the highest level of historical research with riveting story-telling. It is dramatic, poetic, honest — and indispensable in understanding the wild history of the I.W.W. in the Pacific Northwest.

The Red Army Handbook 1939-1945 fills a number of gaps in my knowledge of Soviet units. The only other source I've had for this data is the "War in the East" study done by the staff of Strategy and Tactics Magazine. The Handbook provides info on the Red Army similar to the War Department's "Handbook on German Military Forces", but without limiting the scope of information to the latter half of WWII. I can't emphasize the presence of TO&E info from '39-'41 enough, which the histories have hinted at, but no book I've found (before now) detailed. The knowledge I've gained from the Red Army Handbook has enhanced my (re-)readings of the various histories of the Soviet-Nazi conflict. I consider the Red Army Handbook a vital and essential addition to my library.

An excellent new book on the Red Army. This volume contains detailed information on the TO&E (Tables of Organization and Equipment) for Soviet ground forces in the Second World War. The focus of the book is very tight; the changing Soviet unit organization, and Soviet army weapons. Don't look here for tactical doctrine or operational history! I do wish that there was more discussion of Lend-Lease weapons and vehicles, particularly in terms of delivery quantities and dates, and more on Soviet radios and soft-skinned transport vehicles. Nevertheless, a must-have item for Red Army affectionadoes.

Many of the experiences of the new Russian imigrants captured in this book read like short stories with a beginning, a middle, and a moral. Essentially all of the stories are compelling even when the character is not sympathetic. The human struggle to persevere in the modern world is no where better captured than in the experience of leaving everything you have ever known to start again in a new country. As these are contemporary stories, many resonate.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Well written, well structured. Extremely moving.

This book is indeed far better than the Martin Cruz Smith book of the same title. I read this once a few years ago and although I lost the book the story has stayed with me ever since. I'll be sure to try to get another copy now that Amazon.com finally lists it.

Red Square is in the same genre as 'Fatherland' - if you liked that book, you'll love this one.

When police investigators probing the supposed suicide of a deputy minister uncover evidence of massive corruption, they suddenly find themselves well out of their depth as the Kremlin elite decides to strike back to erase all evidence of its skulduggery. The authors, both of whom were born in the Soviet Union and know it inside out, use a real incident to build up a gripping picture of quite how dissolute Moscow was in the 1980s. Anyone who enjoyed Gorky Park should buy this book, which is much better

Last fall I took a class from Dr. Bruland. She is one of the greatest instructors I have ever had. Her openness, intelligence and ability to communicate led me to figure out what I believe in many areas that I had either ignored or (worse) in which I had accepted the thoughts of others as my own. It was only after completing her course that I decided to pick up one Dr. Bruland's books: "Regathering."

"Regathering" has challenged my ideas every bit as much as Dr. Bruland's class. Once more, I am struck by her honesty and openness. Once more, I have been given the opportunity to figure out exactly what I believe.

"Regathering" is a book full of testimonies. Christians from varying backgrounds discuss what they think Christ's prayer for unity among believers means not only for their lives, but also for life within their traditions.

Several of the participants chose to remain anonymous; some give their names and backgrounds. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants all weigh in with their thoughts, fears, experiences, and dreams.

I myself came skeptically to this book. All too often, "ecumenism" has struck me as something that Churches which no longer function do to pass the time--an excuse for one more committee and some self-important busy-work. The testimonies in this book, along with the insightful commentary by Dr. Bruland have partially convinced me otherwise.

I still feel a lot of Ecumenism is misguided. Yet "Regathering" itself is a strong witness to the growth that can happen when different kinds of Christians sit down and discuss the things that bind, as well as divide them.

I give "Regathering" my highest recommendation.

Last fall I took a class from Dr. Bruland. She is one of the greatest instructors I have ever had. Her openness, intelligence and ability to communicate led me to figure out what I believe in many areas that I had either ignored or (worse) in which I had accepted the thoughts of others as my own. It was only after completing her course that I decided to pick up one Dr. Bruland's books: "Regathering."

"Regathering" has challenged my ideas every bit as much as Dr. Bruland's class. Once more, I am struck by her honesty and openness. Once more, I have been given the opportunity to figure out exactly what I believe.

"Regathering" is a book full of testimonies. Christians from varying backgrounds discuss what they think Christ's prayer for unity among believers means not only for their lives, but also for life within their traditions.

Several of the participants chose to remain anonymous; some give their names and backgrounds. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestants all weigh in with their thoughts, fears, experiences, and dreams.

I myself came skeptically to this book. All too often, "ecumenism" has struck me as something that Churches which no longer function do to pass the time--an excuse for one more committee and some self-important busy-work. The testimonies in this book, along with the insightful commentary by Dr. Bruland have partially convinced me otherwise.

I still feel a lot of Ecumenism is misguided. Yet "Regathering" itself is a strong witness to the growth that can happen when different kinds of Christians sit down and discuss the things that bind, as well as divide them.

I give "Regathering" my highest recommendation.

"Religion" is an amazing work. It is an incredibly thorough and mind opening epic that reads as entertainingly as the best of novels, while providing about ten times as much information. In a time when we are questioning the subject of world religions, this book is a much needed discourse written by a truly brilliant man who takes the reader from the basics up through very recent events.

While some may feel that the in depth study of religion would be dry and snooze-inducing, this work is anything but. It is exciting, highly educational and fills the mind with very useful information.

Its interesting style of going back and forth between the ups and downs, positives and negatives, of many of the world's religions, is enjoyable and refreshing.

Its breadth of facts and insightful data will completely satisfy and often startle you.

I highly recommend this immensely important work!

In the very beginning of his eye-opener book, Dr. Charles Meister tells us that there are two kinds of religion...the divisive and the unitive. Religion: Bane or Blessing leads the reader to an understanding of why there are religious wars and, indeed, why people of a religion are attacking and even killing people of the same religion.

We read, "Most religions profess to be revelations of divine truth. Many times the revelation is alleged to be an exclusive one from God. This assists the faith in acquiring adherents but generally builds barriers against non-adherents". This is divisive. The purest form of religion unites humans to God, and humans to humans. In short, Love!

"The dichotomy is clear. One says, because I believe in God, I hate you. The other view is, because I believe in God, I love you". If we believe that God espouses love (and I believe that is the central tenet of all unitive religious thought) then any divisiveness must come from misinterpretation or arrogance.

Religion: Bane or Blessing takes the reader on an exploration of the history of early religions, religious doctrines and religious rituals. Dr. Meister methodically and factually tells us why we are what we are. His chapter, Bill of Spiritual Rights, suggests a doctrine based on human dignity--"The belief that every human being has a unique and sacred importance. Human dignity is based ultimately on the fact that all persons are God's children. Recognition of our basic importance to God should keep down human brutality, terrorism and war".

Charles Meister is a scholar, author, World War II battlefield hero and teacher. The wisdom he brings to Religion: Bane or Blessing can improve the lives of all people by bringing peace on earth. In this reviewer's opinion, this is a book to read, and then read again; and discuss and then discuss again!