This is a fine overview of the three major hiking trails that criss-cross the United States. The major focus of the book is on the renowned Appalachian trail, with most of the text devoted to the AT. The Pacific Crest Trail has some useful information, though the chapters on this trail are shorter and less detailed. The Continental Divide Trail is given more sparse coverage, because the trail is not yet completed and is not attempted by very many hikers, except the very bravest souls.

This book is recommended for people who are not in the immediate stages of planning a thru hike. If you're planning on tackling any of these trails, specific books on each individual trail is the way to go. There is too much general information here for those seriously considering a hike in the near future. This book is fine as an overview and to give you a sample feel of each hike, but is less successful for one planning a hike in the coming year.

The writing is excellent and the book is riveting in sections. For all those obsessed with hiking any of the grand thru trails in America, this is an excellent and recommended resource.

Excellent book for anyone planning a long distance hike or for anyone who dreams of adventure. Provides great background information of all three trails. A must read.

For those of us out there who dream of tackling one (or all!) of the triple crown trails, this book is an awesome resource. Karen Berger is realistic and frank yet encouraging in her advice to long-distance hikers.

Berger's love of these magnificent trails is what makes this book--klike her other books, especially "Where the Waters Divide"-- shine; she obviously has a profound respect for these national treasures and realizes the importance of making others aware of them as well. It's easy to read, has some great photos, and offers shorter hikes to those less inclined to set off on a 6-month thru-hike. The book is useful as both a general hiking reference tool as well as in the planning stages, especially for the At and the PCT; it is also useful for those who wish to do shorter hikes on any of the triple crowns.

If you are riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, you MUST have this book. This is an awesome route - Mike McCoy and the gang did a great job of researching it. One comment on the writing though -- when he uses the word 'steep', he means 'extremely steep', and when he says 'extremely steep', he means 'don't even try to ride your bike up this with a fully loaded bike'. A 'respectable climb' is really a lung-buster. Just expect everything to be a little harder than he makes it sound, and then you wont feel angry because it is not as easy as he makes it out to be. I think he must have either rode it without being fully loaded, or he is a very strong man! Anyhow, if you ride the Great Divide, you will have fun.. I guarantee it.

Michael McCoy's Cycling the Great Divide: From Canada to Mexico on America's Premier Long Distance Mountain Bike Route is an essential item for those who are planning to bicycle or hike all of the Adventure Cycling route.

As McCoy notes in his well-written and informative introduction, this isn't an easy trek. Uneven terrain, adverse weather conditions, and a lack of water and essential services are often the norm.

As I found, having the book on hand better enabled me to plan ahead. For instance, my discovering that the climb over Indiana Pass would be long and difficult prompted me to begin my cycling day early, which in retrospect was fortuitious in that had I dilly-dallied, I would would have been caught in a late-afternoon snow-storm.

One the book's many strengths is that it includes a much-needed daily route synopsis. Though I am directionally challenged, I did not miss a single turn, not even in New Mexico, where many of the roads and trail heads are unmarked.

Sightseeing, points-of-interest, and photos have been included. I was often glad of this -- as I remarked to some onlookers, if McCoy hadn't pointed these things out to me, my trip would have been more of a slog than it was. For instance, if he hadn't mentioned that the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad passes through southern New Mexico, I would have missed it.

The historical information is also a plus in that it will appeal to both tenters and armchair readers. There was many an evening when (because the sun set early) I was glad I had this book on hand.

The material in this book also complements the Adventure Cycling maps. In retrospect, my trip was without incident, in part because I had both on hand.

Whether you're planning on riding the whole thing at once or just just doing a section of it, I'd strongly recommend getting this book. My wife and I rode entire length in the summer of 2000, and we carried this book on the outside of our packs in a plastic bag at all times. We referred to it at least once every day. Like in any guide-book, there are a few confusing spots, but on the whole, the author (one of the original trail planners) has done a great job. He not only keeps you on the right path, he also points out various places you should visit, gives some historic perspective, and more. The book will surely make your experience more enjoyable.

It's a nifty trick for Schmookler to synthesize a host of voices, including those with whom he presumably does not agree. But not one of his overly intelligent, articulate characters identified as a feminist or offered any gender analysis when various characters described as "human" instead of "historically male" various behavioral problems, including the use of violence to achieve political ends. This same blindness is seen in reaction to school shootings at such places as Columbine, where our "teenagers" are urged not to use violence to solve their problems. Show me one school where our daughters have armed themselves and slaughtered anyone. Virtually all such societal violence is our *sons'* problem. Schmookler ignores to the detriment of his book the gender issues involved in establishing a good order.

Debating The Good Society is an impressive attempt to cut through the passions and mistrust that divide Americans and identify wisdom and ideas that guide our good society. Andrew Schmookler scrutinizes a wide range of views and attitudes - religious, libertarian, etc. - exploringing their limitations, but also looking for how they might bring us together. The vehicle for this debate is an cast of characters engaged in a broad and deep conversation. You can learn from and argue with these people. Schmookler combines imagination and intellect in ways unusual for a book like this. Debating The Good society provoked good conversation with family and friends.

Thanks for making my bedtime reading a true learning experience. I appreciate your sincerity, especially as I am a father of two toddlers. The book took a long time to read, but I hated to see it end just the same. If only most Americans would think things out to the extent that these e-mail characters do!

I appreciated the attempt to include as many points of view as possible, but I did notice some conspicuous absences. I would have liked to hear the opinion, for example, of someone on the radical left. No, I don't simply mean someone who opposed the Vietnam War thirty years ago, but someone who sees much of the current American situation as a result of corporate domination over government and the media. This theme was touched on here and there, but not represented by a consistent voice.

Perhaps even more conspicuous in its absence was the lack of a religious voice outside that of Fundamentalist Protestantism (with the exception of a liberal minister who is confused about where morality comes from and is the least confident of his position of all of the contributors). I mean, certainly there are other Christian approaches to the questions put forth besides the simplistic, Bible-has-all-the-answers one put forth by "Kenneth" and "Carl," for example, a Reformed perspective in which faith and science are seen as complementary rather than in tension. And there was not much representation of other religious perspectives at all, with the exception of one brief quote from a Muslim and some pseudo-Taoist prattle.

These exceptions do not necessarily weaken the book, however. The one thing that saddened me as I finished it was that so many Americans are unwilling to undertake this kind of exploration. Again, thanks!

BENTEEN'S SCOUT GIVES GREAT VISUAL ACCOUNT OF CONTRVERSIAL EVENT THAT IS RARELY EXPLORED IN DETAIL,USUALLY INACCURATELY. THIS BOOK IS A MUST-ADD TO ANY SERIOUS CUSTER COLLECTION.EXPLAINS BENTEEN'S ACTIONS AND ROUTE ALLOWING BETTER INVESTIGATION OF LITTLE BIGHORN DEBACLE.

Roger Darling has done such an excellent job that it makes one wish that you could saddle a horse and ride across the bluffs as Benteen and his battalion did after leaving the divide. While touring the LHB I was personally able to see where Benteen turned to the left on his scout on what appears to be pretty broken county. Darling's logical determinations finds the three lines of bluffs that Lt. Gibson and his platoon crossed including his final viewing point on the thrd bluff before returning to Benteen and the Battalion in a valley and starting the oblique to the right to join Custer. Excellent four page fold out of a detailed map of the route indicating landmarks, and the geography of the land including elevations, streams, valleys, the morass etc. Although Custer sent messengers to Benteen authorizing him to advance to the next bluff, Darling makes an excellent case that Benteen the expert soildier failed to inform Custer by courier that he found no Indians in the LBH valley to the south or that he was progressing for a return to Custer. Darling notes the land is not as rough as generaly perceived and the book continues to make one think that Benteen could have been a major contributor to Custer's final scene whether the conclusion would have been different is a major question. Short book in pages but concise detail with lots of pictures and the outstanding map.

Armour's critique of feminist theology's white bias is but a recent example. Unfortunately, her book reads more like an attack on feminist theology than a constructive extension of it. Possible positive contributions feminist theology may have to make to her project are suggested, but not followed up on. Furthermore, she takes issue with Ruether and Daly, who have not taken up postmodern thought, but does not engage Schussler Fiorenza, who has. However, as an introduction to deconstruction, the book is excellent - one of the clearest statements of the ethical bent of deconstruction. Whatever quibbles one might take with the book, it is worth the read.

This book gave me new ideas about the ancient roots of feminisim. It is my favorite book ever.

Tomás Kalmar's book is a charming combination of personal experience and erudite scholarship, written in an engaging fashion. The author's treatment of the politics of biliteracy, from the fruit-groves of the Midwest to the halls of academe, is both passionate and clear-sighted. The alert reader will also enjoy observing evidence of Kalmar's wide-ranging interests threading through the fabric of the book, notably his fondness for music and his fascination with mathematical and proto-mathematical thinking.

Allá para el verano de 1980, en el pueblo de Cobden, Illinois, los wetbacks would pick fruit at a blistering pace, pero sus patronos se mantenían suficientemente distanciados para no crear revuelos. Everyone knew que los indocumentados rendered an invaluable service to the economic stability of the fruit-pickers market, pero el zumbido tenue-yet constant-que se generaba no dejaba de ser escudriñado by those who wanted to mend the suffering and injustice. Era necesario romper la barrera del silencio. Había que legitimizar the apparent reticence among migrant mexican workers dándoles herramientas para decodificar the seeminlgy impenetrable, iron-clad English language. El inglés, entreched in legalese and exuding una supuesta legitimidad inquebrantable, trataba de silenciar al arrullo de un español de carne y hueso que día a día clamaba por su supervivencia.
Tomás Mario Kalmar, académico, músico, historiador y maestro, documenta, con suceptibilidd y tacto, what unfolded en aquellas reuniones clandestinas where two monolingual communities redescubrían la verdadera diferencia entre el abecedario y la alfabetización. Uno de los estudiantes congregados in the dimly lit basement rompió el hielo de la primera sesión al declarar que los sonidos de un alfabeto no necesáriamente tenían que corresponder con los caracetres. Había que razonar: even though English and Spanish share the same alphabet (con la excepción de la ll y la ñ), both adhere to pronunciation keys that are radically different. Bajo la tutela de Kalmar, a new language emerged. Entre lo correcto y lo incorrecto, between the sound and the written text, una comunidad de estudiantes y maestros began to write English como de veras se oía. Hence, the Cobden Glossaries emerged líricamente. Nació, luego de interminables noches de juego y debate, un tomo lírico, suntuoso, complejo, sinewy, yet veritable, dónde la palabra juellulib nestled una verdad tan significante y legítima como la oración where do you live.

The silences que Kalmar interpreta in his manifesto son aquellos silencios que dejan atrás lo clandestino para sumergirse en lo legítimo. The migrant workers yearned for legitimacy. En esa mesa redonda in which students and teachers investigaban diversos modos de encaminarse a la comunicación, existió the possibility that silence would be pricked and made to transform itself into something dynamic and resilient, en algo que puediese reintegrar y redefinir a la comunidad.

This is a great arm chair book, but questionable as an on trail guide. I just did a 300 mile through hike in Idaho/Montana. I picked up this guide, in addition to Wolf's, because it was written for northbound hikers. It's great for at home reading. For use on trail: Good parts: -Strip map style *contour* maps, a big help -Current information Bad parts: -I am virtually certain that some of this was done from a car window. Examples: -The description of how to find the spring above Pattee Creek. This is an important source, in an unlikely place on a hill side. This guide's location description boils down to 'over there some place'. -The guide misses and never notices that there is good trail leading north to the Schultz Saddle, it walks you there on a road. -The within the text mileage figures, counting sometimes from section start, sometimes from other important way point makes nice reading, but bad on trail use. This sort of information needs to be in a (boring) table, to make it unambiguous and easy to figure from. ...Tom M (PCT '94)

Mr. Morgan, in a review below, says that the book was written for armchair reading, from the seat of a car and offers as proof the trail description near Schultz Saddle. On page 151 of the guidebook the text reads in part "The Forest Service has plans to cut a trail through the trees above the road to Gibbons Pass, but that trail was incomplete when we hiked the CDT..." On page 23, the author notes, "The Continental Divide Trail is a work in progress...Significant improvements have been made in the past two years and the pace of change is accelerating as interest in the trail increases. Sections of the trail have changed since we hiked them; more will change in the future." It's great that the trail from Chief Joseph Pass to Schultz Saddle is now complete, and I've heard that further work after the fires of 2000 improved the trail even more. This book shows interim, proposed, and alternate routes for the CDT and also tells the reader which routes are depicted correctly on maps. Extremely detailed information throughout the book confirms a step-by-step familiarity with the trail. While the mileage info is accurate, I agree that the book would benefit from the addition of a table showing landmarks and miles for each segment.

Great book that is a must for any hiker thinking of doing a CDT thru-hike! My friends and I found this book most helpful in planning our hiking trips on the northern part of the Continental Divide Trail. Charts and graphs are all top-notch. ( If there is a better guide book on the Northern CDT, I would like to see it!!!) Great color photos of each trail section in the book. ( There are 32 sections with all phone numbers of close by Post Offices, grocery stores, and cafes) I highly recomend this book for all section and thru-hikers! Mad Monte PCT thru-hiker and CDT section hiker

I am afraid that I have to disagree with the majority of reviews on this site. I do not think that this book does anything for dialogue (limited as it is) between "secular"/progressive denominations such as Reform and (Ultra)-Orthodoxy.

As I read I felt as if the two Rabbi's were talking at each other, and not to one another. Worse, neither of them seemed capable of directly addressing the comments, concerns or criticisms of their fellow participant. Instead they obfuscated, and used rhetoric in place of solid logic (Talmudic or otherwise). The issues I had hoped the authors would choose speak to were the fundemental assumptions upon which their understanding of Judaism was based. Instead they seemed more interested in parables/stories (which I recognize for its Yiddishekit, but it lacks substance for this dialogue)which seemed to have minimal relevance.

I do not know what book to suggest in its stead, but I personally did not find it useful as a Jew trying to sort out their religious/spiritual position, nor as an academic.

This book was apparently supposed to be a debate between an Orthodox rabbi and a Reform rabbi. Although this book was certainly easy to read, it didn't quite live up to its promise, and here's why: only one side was debating the most important issues. The Orthodox rabbi (Reinman) was simply a better debater, because rather than being enmeshed in trivia, he consistently focused on the most important theological issues separating Orthodox from Reform, such as the divine authorship (or lack thereof) of the Torah and the divine role in post-Biblical Jewish law.

By contrast, the Reform rabbi (Hirsch) gave these issues short shrift, focusing to a much greater extent on the intracacies of Israeli politics and other matters that I (and Reinman) consider relatively trivial. For example, after Reinman spent six pages trying to debunk the idea that the Torah was written by multiple authors, Hirsch responds in a paragraph or two (p. 245). Reinman wrote the perfect response to Hirsch's discussion of the obnoxious behavior of some of Israel's Orthodox politicians: "I do not know much about what goes on in Israeli politics, nor do I care to find out. Spare me." ((p. 300).

It as almost as if Hirsch and Reinman were trying to prove entirely separate points: while Reinman tries to persuade us that we should all be Orthodox, Hirsch tries to persuade us that some Orthodox Jews don't live up to their ideals and others aren't particularly good citizens. As one or two other reviewers indicated, someone who read this book with minimal knowledge would certainly be swayed towards the Orthodox point of view, precisely because Reinman focuses on the key theological issues and Hirsch doesn't.

Does this mean Reinman is right? No, only that he was virtually unopposed on some issues. I dare say that the right opponent could have given Reinman a much more difficult time. (I am not knowledgeable enough to express an opinion as to who "the right opponent" would be).

A side point: on non-theological, non-halachic issues, Reinman's position should not be considered "THE Orthodox position." For example, many Orthodox Jews are far more supportive of Israel and of Zionism than is Reinman (who seems to believe that a somewhat secular Israel is only slightly, if at all, better than no Israel at all).

Excellent book. A must read for those interested in seeing how Reform and Judaism are truly two different religions.

This poor simpleton thinks that Asia will take over the world in a few years (if not already done), yet constantly whines about why the West is not playing mother, policeman, soldier, etc. for the entire world.

This may be revolutionary somewhere, but it certainly isn't for an Indian / Asian. Typically they try to spot as many injustices as they can then beg someone else to fix it - why can't the USA do something, why can't Europe do something?

Indeed, why can't Asia do something (besides breeding more Asians).

Always stuck with what you think of how the West thinks about the world?
Need new ideas, new perspectives?
Want to know what non westerners might think and desire about how this world should and could evolve?
An absolute requirement for those wanting to broaden views, learn and realize that there's more in this world than just the West. There's also the Rest

First of all, the brouhaha over the title simply proves the author's point: Asians and Westerners view things differently.

If you care at all about the world, READ THIS BOOK. Really, it's OK. Just treat it like one of those trashy novels whose cover you need to hide in public. It's really worth it.

As an impressionable youngster I was brought up to believe that what worked for me as a kid was best for the world: a single-family home in a semi-rural setting, public schools, democracy, free speech, and so on. It took my first visits overseas to appreciate that people can really flourish in apartment dwellings. It's taken Mahbubani's book to make me realize that today's free speech and universal franchise may have been the RESULT and not the CAUSE of American middle-class prosperity.

Mahbubani's views have vital implications regarding aid to developing countries. We've seen in the news how elections by themselves have failed to stabilize unstable countries.

He also has some very ripe comments about the Western press, which no doubt explains why the book is so rarely reviewed. He argues that the press is an unchecked power both overseas and within the US -- imagine if a tinpot dictator refused to talk to the American press? Unheard of!

Mahbubani believes that the public should demand the same level of integrity from their journalists that they expect of their politicians. Yet it's rare that journalists are raked over the coals for being bribed by corporations (just about every major journalist seems to have spent time on Enron's payroll as a "consultant") or for marital infidelity. Washington journalists are very good at casting the first stone when some politician is caught with his pants down, but it's rare for someone to question a journalist's integrity based on outside infidelities. Given how "access" equals "power" in Washington, Mahbubani argues that the press represents a large power bloc within the US that is largely unchecked with respect to integrity. While I find this statement a bit extreme, there is some truth to it.

Some people see Mahbubani as an apologist for the Singaporean government. It's true that his words make their government more palatable to Westerners. But it's important to consider his words, regardless of whether he's an apologist or not. Intellectuals listened to numerous fools extolling the virtues of Stalin in the '30s. Let us give this fellow a hearing, at least.

Is Mahbubani "right" or "wrong" ?? I don't know. But he provides some incredibly thought-provoking essays based on a lifetime of foreign service.

You have probably never read a book like this before. As far as I know, never before have two scholars, one evangelical, one LDS, co-written a book that carefully examines the issues that divide the two traditions without descending into name-calling and contention. Blomberg and Robinson deserve to be commended. In a field where evangelicals usually write that Mormonism is a cult that is not even deserving of the name "Christian" and where Mormons bash "born-againers" nearly as badly, it's refreshing that two deeply devoted scholars can find common ground. When I was LDS I met several Mormons who believed in Jesus, trusted in him, and were born again by any standards evangelicals cared to name; and I'm glad that at least one Baptist, Mr. Blomberg, has come to recognize this.

On the other hand, I am only giving this book three stars for the following reasons: First, it is technical and dry in places, especially when discussing theology. Second, I have nagging doubts that Mr. Robinson is representative of Mormonism as a whole, especially the Mormonism that I was once a part of. While Mr. Robinson is beyond doubt a committed Mormon in good standing with the Church and his books are published by the Church-owned press, he is far more grace-oriented than any Mormon leader I knew of; the average bishop, stake president, or apostle is much more likely to stress works and obedience to the Church than Mr. Robinson. Finally, and most importantly, there while Blomberg and Robinson find a great deal of common ground on the issues they discussed, there were many issues that they did NOT discuss, where agreement is far less likely. For me, the central issue of Mormonism is temple works. The temple stands at the heart of Mormonism, literally and figuratively. All the rest of Mormonism is geared to getting people to go to the temple where they can receive ordinances that Mormons believe can be done nowhere else and without which it is impossible to recieve the highest reward in the afterlife. As a former Mormon who has been through the temple, I found these temple ordinances to be deeply occultic, even demonic. If the temple did not exist, it would be much easier for me to consider Mormonism as a slightly unorthodox sect of Christianity. As it stands, and acknowledging again that there are many good, even born-again people in the LDS Church, I would have to say that the the divide that separates Mormonism from the gospel of Christ is wide indeed, and I wish that Blomberg and Robinson had spent some time examining this crucial issue in their otherwise outstanding book.

Great book to see the views of LDS and Evangelicals contrasted and compared. Neither pulls punches and this has been endorsed by both Evangelicals and Mormons. In a sea of anti-LDS books which have misrepresented LDS beliefs (see previous review), this book rises above it all and allows the Evangelical and Mormon to defend their own positions and clear up these problems using reasoning and scriptures. This book does not call these two groups to agree on everything, only to get a better picture of what they actually believe without having the other put words in their mouths (see previous review). I dont think the previous reviewer even read the book by his/her comments. A must read for a scholarly view of these two groups beliefs

This book is the first of its kind in the field of Mormon studies: an honest effort by a Mormon scholar and a theologian of another religious tradition to understand each other's views. While most comparative studies of Mormonism with other religions and churches tend to emphasize the distinctive and divergent points, this studies maintains a perspective and balance that acknowledges the similarities as well as the differences. It also does a great service in identifying many points which appear divergent but which in fact have great similarity, a fact that is hidden by divergent terminology about the same concepts. Most important, it lets members of each religion explain the beliefs of his own church or tradition, rather than insisting that believers in the other church believe things which most individual members in fact do not believe. This book sets a new standard for honest and informative scholarship on the Mormons and helps place that church in the context of the American Christian tradition. It should be the first in a series that compares Mormonism with Catholic, Orthodox, and non-Evangelical Christian beliefs. One suspects that a great deal of work and time went into this study by both authors--which is probably why most books examining Mormonism are so poor in comparison, because their authors are not willing to do the heavy lifting.