On December 6, 1917, two ships in the harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia, collided. The resulting fire soon led to a massive explosion that destroyed the ships, much of the harbor, and a good part of the surrounding city. The scope and impact of the tragedy is almost unimaginable. And yet, according to author John Griffith Armstrong, the event is largely forgotten by Canadians and almost universally unknown to Americans. That's too bad -- not only for the sake of the people killed or wounded, but also for the lessons we can still learn from the event and its aftermath today. Armstrong's book shows us why.

As the author notes early in his book, the Halifax explosion, to the extent it's been studied by historians at all, is generally approached from a sociological viewpoint that concentrates on the event's impact on the people of Halifax. Armstrong's brief is different. He analyses the effect of the explosion and subsequent investigation on the Royal Canadian Navy.

In so doing, he's created a surprisingly interesting story that, while it gets a little bogged down in the minutia of inquiry transcripts quoted at length, nevertheless develops a number of themes that are still relevant today. For example: the tendency of military and political bureaucracies to obfuscate, shift blame, and throw others to the wolves in order to protect themselves (and the difficulties military and civilian bureaucracies have in communicating with, or even understanding, one another); the dangers that result from unclear divisions of responsibility; the ease with which opportunistic politicians can manipulate and enflame public opinion; and much more.

It's also very interesting to see the developing institutional ethos of the Royal Canadian Navy, which had existed as a nominally independent body for less than a decade at the time of the explosion.

On the whole, this book is a study of bureaucracy, legal proceedings, and institutional evolution that frankly may not appeal to a lot of people. But for students of disasters, institutions, the navy, or just an overlooked chapter in Canadian history, this title has a lot to recommend it.

This book gives those who want to make themselves to be good managers an useful guideline and suggestion! It gives some proven techniques and essential skills. I think it is very useful.

I read this book about 5 years ago at JNU, New Delhi and found it to be very good at historical analysis of culure and narratives, especially seen from a women's point of view. I also liked the way it focussed on literary "genres"--and their role in the politics of conduct. I recommend it to those interested in cultural analysis, feminism, historicism, and narratology.

I have read most of Campbell Armstrongs books and each with its unique story and insight has kept me glued from start to finish. I find it hard to believe that Amazon stock so few of the titles by this author. Jigsaw was maybe not quite as good as Jig, the first in the series and the first I read but still keeps you guessing throughout and keeps your mind active trying to match the people and the situations. I will continue to read Campbell Armstrongs books for as long as he can keep writing them.

This book is great to keep in the car or in the classroom. General information is the missing link in a child's life and is important for standardized tests. Make a game of it. A great resource.

Kiss Daddy Goodnight offers a clear picture of incest and sexual abuse. There are autobiographical accounts that tug on the heart strings. This book also brings hope and healing. One of the best autobiographies of incest I have read.

The third edition of this guide to Australia's smallest mainland state shows a definite shift towards, if not the high-end traveller, at least the mid-end traveller with expanded listing of lodging and eating establishments to include more expensive options, especially in the section covering Melbourne. The coverage of the rest of the state is as exhaustive as in previous editions. While Lonely Planet refuses (or does not have the staff) to update the printed versions of their guides more than once every two or three years.

The only real criticism I have of this guide is that the author(s) clearly have animus against the current Victorian government. While everyone is entitled to political opinions, they are out of place in a guidebook, particularly in a series which includes guides to such places as Burma.

This excellent, well written ,thoroughly researched book is an interesting and compelling read. My husband bought it for me following one of his regular sojourns to Hay-on-Wye where he searches for fishing books and the likes. I had started to collect books on the Blues to compliment my small collection of Albums,C.Ds even a few 78s. and so considered this biography an aside to the mainstream of my type of music. How wrong some of your assumptions can be! Collier dissects the man his music and the age in which he lived -dispelling many of the myths and giving factual credence to certain claims made by Armstrong and others alike. So,having picked up the book,out of politeness and consideration to my dear husband (!) I starting to flick through reading an odd passage here and there and then found that I had gone back to the very begining and was hooked 'line and sinker 'on the narrative. I am in awe of the depth of research /detective work the author has made on a man whom he obviously enjoyed researching with out any hint of hero worship or sycophancy, but! when it came to the technical abilities of his subject on his cornet playing well- there the author did leave me in ignorance (and boredom)- as not being in the least musically talented I found the discriptive passages on such matters way over my head and, I imgine, that of other readers with similar omissions in their musical education!! The author surmises that some Jazz enthusiasts may denigrate Armstrongs' later performances to that of genial buffoon, all round entertainer and despise this career change for what they take to be a sell out to white entertainment. But Collier can ,having made a thorough study of the man, make assumptions based on fact and not on personal fancy or nebulous notions as some do,that Armstrong fullfilled his ambition of becoming an entertainer which he set out to become but on route became one of the most innovative and influential and skilled exponents of Jazz that the world has ever seen. As Armstrongs' popularity and adulation grew among the general public so it waned on the Jazz circuit as purists disliked the way Armstrong courted popularity. Elitists often think the artist should suffer for his art form and saw Armstrong as a traitor to this. But, when, as you do here, see the history of the man his music, his suffering , etc., all put into the context of the social backdrop that Collier does so expertly you are leftin no doubt of the sincerity of both biographer and subject matter. A great piece of literature!

Swinging, Singing Satchmo by Sanford Brown was a great reference book, especially if you have to write a report on Louis Armstrong. It is very easy to use when you have to quickly look up information. And it's also great just to read.

The Main Man by Tim C. Leedom, Harry W. Carpenter, and Linda Adams

While presenting an interesting story, the authors attempt to warn us about the danger posed to society by ultra-fundamentalist Christians. There are thus two primary levels to this work. These are the novel itself and the underlying debate between fundamentalist and rational thinking. The authors advocate the latter position. Unusual to a work of fiction is an introductory essay that outlines the main themes of this debate and the importance of myth to a culture. This in itself is worth the read. However, I do have a quibble with the essay's author. She (Karen Armstrong) suggests that there is no extra-Biblical evidence for the Kingdom of Israel. This term is unclear as it could refer to David's empire as well as the subsequent successor states of Judaea (south) and Ephraim (north - also called Israel in some Biblical passages).

The story begins as Thomas Lazlo (the protagonist), a professor at a Southern fundamentalist college, discovers some new Dead Sea scrolls that will radically alter the traditional view of Christ. The aftermath of this discovery is interwoven with a plot by fundamentalists to hasten the supposed Second Coming of Christ. Essentially this group believes that there are three signs to his return, the last being the re-construction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The only problem is that the Dome of the Rock, a sacred Moslem mosque, currently occupies the site.

How all this plays out as well as how the authors present their philosophy without being heavy-handed about it makes for a very enjoyable read. Therefore, I can, without hesitation, recommend this novel.