The man -- Joshua Chamberlain is a fascinating and worthy topic for biography. His defense of Little Round Top turned the Battle of Gettysburg, and his subsequent bayonet charge down the slopes and into the Devil's Den awed not only his peers, but Americans to this very day.

The times -- the Civil War -- is perhaps the most important and interesting period in American history.

But it is the biographer -- Trulock -- that brings this book alive. Her accounts are well-researched, well-footnoted, and read with an insight and flow. Her account of Chamberlain's stand at Little Round Top is consistent with Shaara's The Killer Angels, and goes into about as much detail. And this is why I, and others I expect, bought this book. Trulock mixes narrative, quotes in a nice way here.

But it is not the account of Little Round Top that sets this book apart, in my estimation. It is the *rest* of the book, which places these and other events in context of his life and times. His childhood, relationship with his wife, parents, brothers, college, and post-war career are all well-told and add considerable and interesting information to this truly heroic American. Highly recommended.

In addition to providing obviously well researched and superbly written descriptions of Chamberlain's military, political and business accomplishments, "In the Hands of Providence" also gives the reader a balanced and objective look at Chamberlain's personal life. Especially enjoyable and informative are the descriptions of his relationships with his wife Fannie; his daughter Grace and son Harold Wyllys; and his brother Tom. The author does a wonderful job of allowing the reader to get to know Chamberlain the warm hearted and loving family man, as well as Chamberlain the patriot, scholar, college professor and president, military hero, and Governor of Maine.

"In the Hands of Providence" is the best modern biography of one of the most extraordinary and gifted Americans of the nineteenth century. Highly recommended!

This book gives an excellent account of Chamberlain's personal life. There is so much more to respect in Chamberlain than what was shown in Gettysburg (the movie) If you liked the movie.. it's a must that you read this book!

I really liked the fact that so many different approaches were taken, by the author, in giving us a clear picture of Chamberlain's life. She writes from a military history perspective and a more personal approach. You come away from this book having an excellent understanding of everything this man was and all that he was involved with.

I was extremely touched by the various letters written to his wife.. especially when he lay on his potential death bed in 1864. His extreme will to live, recover, and to fight on will inspire you.

If your looking for an inspiring book or a hero.. this is the book. If you enjoy history.. this is your book. You will fly through it and enjoy every minute of it. Even if your just looking for a good read... this is it. Add this to your collection! Don't mind the cost because it is well worth it.

My brother and I both read this book in high school. He did a book report on it. It is really excellent reading, and should be read by anyone who enjoys historical novels. This book was based on a true-life story.

There was one reviewer on Amazon who asserts that the photos of healing are fake. Nothing could be further from the truth. I took some of the photos that appear on the Quantum-Touch web site, (the ones showing healing scoliosis), and I can say without reservation that the extraordinary healing brought about by Quantum-Touch is nothing short of phenomenal. I have more photos of healing to share which will appear on the Quantum-Touch website as well as my own web site RebuildHealth.com.

Anyone who wants to help others will find the Quantum-Touch method to be awesomely powerful, and will find the book a wonderful source of practical information and inspiration. If anything, at 5 stars it is under-rated. I would give it 10 stars if I could. Richard Gordon did not hold back when writing this book. He gives the complete method, clearly explained, and offers many options for creating a powerhouse of healing in your hands. I regard this book as essential reading for all parents and for practitioners of all the healing arts.

One of this book's great virtues is its broad sense of historical perspective. Lindsey describes the current trend of globalization not simply as an affirmative triumph of market ideology, but as an outgrowth of the collapse of the great collectivist ideologies of the past century: communism, fascism, and even FDR-style managed capitalism. In other words, free markets advanced primarily because the state receded -- not because political leaders had converted to some capitalist orthodoxy.

Yet the collapse of state economic controls was far from total. Even though faith in central planning and top-down economic control has waned in recent years, the "dead hand" of the collectivist past -- the "accumulated institutions, mindsets, and vested interests of state-dominated economic development" -- still exerts a powerful influence on world affairs. Burdened as it is by the dead hand of the state, Lindsey shows how globalization is neither as widespread as its critics claim nor as firmly entrenched as its champions believe.

The book concludes with a discussion of the events of 9/11 that draws connections between the current terrorist threat and the broader themes explored in the book. Specifically, Lindsey explores the ideological camaraderie evidenced by the more radical elements of the anti-globalization movement -- remnants of what he terms the "Industrial Counterrevolution" -- and the anti-modernist thought embodied in radical Islam. He convincingly argues that while many of globalization's critics sell themselves as friends of the poor, they are in fact enemies of prosperity. Feeling insecure and left behind by the modern world, they seek to stop it -- a goal they must not be allowed to achieve.

Whether you're a fan of free markets or not, this book is worth your time. It's not a sugar-coated view of globalization, nor does it reject the critical role that governments have to play as the world grows closer together. It is, rather, an unflinchingly clear description of where we've been on the road to modernity and the perils that yet lie before us. I highly recommend it.

Lindsey's analysis shows us that globalization and the recent free-market movement is not the culture-destroying, poverty-exploiting Frankenstein monster as portrayed by the anti-trade globalphobes. However, it also isn't, as many pro-market idealists optimistically assert, a new and inevitable force that will effortlessly carry us all to the "Promised Land" of wealth and prosperity. The reality is much less rosy and clear, for as Lindsey deftly demonstrates, the current state of the world's economy is a crazy mixture of new, pro-market reforms and remnants of collectivist policies clinging desperately to a failed past. And when these policies clash, as the economic collapses in Mexico, Asia, and most recently Argentina indicate, the results are anything but nice and neat. The "solution" for these nations and others is neither the abolition of free-market policies nor the maintenance of the status quo, but rather the slow, careful, and sometimes painful move away from the proven failures of anti-market ideals to the proven results of the free market and rule of law.

The world hasn't arrived in the Promised Land, and, really, a lot of it is not even close.

But at least now we have a good map.

In the novel, the chaotic serpents have found their way into the Nexus and the remaining three worlds due to the fact that the Death Gate was opened. Once the serpents have entered the new worlds, a whole tangled scheme of possibilities now exists. The serpents are talking to Xar, Haplo, and the elves located on Arianus. The main purpose of the serpents is to spread their chaos, and feed off of people's fear.

The novel does not contain Alfred at all, and because of that, the novel lacks some punch. But, it does revive the career of Hugh the Hand. Furthermore, Bane plays an important role in this novel as well. Haplo kind of takes a dejected back seat in this novel, because anything he wants to do will tangle him into a more chaotic web woven by the serpents.

The plot in this novel is complex, yet interesting. The story is told through different viewpoints, mainly those of the dwarves, and Haplo. However, due to the apperance of the serpents, the potential chaos creates a more interesting novel. The main question is: Who is aligned with who, and for what purpose?

Although this novel contains very few Sartan, and absolutely no Alfred, this novel is needed in the series. It will be essential in creating a crescendo in the final two novels. Don't expect the same enjoyment as the previous two novels, but understand it is necessary for the whole series.

As a martial artist and stage fight choreographer and combatant, I am keenly interested in understanding the "real deal" of European swordsmanship. There is an astonishing wealth of material outlining the systematic methods for using all the weapons in the medieval and Renaissance warrior's arsenal, but many of these documents remain untranslated into English. For years, English speaking martial artists have been constrained to base their interpretation of these methods on the illustrations alone, without the benefit of the knowledge to be gained by a careful study of the accompanying text. Now, finally, efforts are under way to unlock these secrets of the sword.

This book is just one small step in what promises to be an exciting rebirth of the study of the Western Martial Arts and historical European swordsmanship.

Cheers!

Mark Rector

In 73 AD Rome, private investigator Marcus Falco shares some wine with his partner, Petronius Longus, when a worker finds the decayed hand of a human female in a nearby fountain. The sleuths see an opportunity to make a name for themselves by investigating what happened. However, the Roman bureaucratic government refuses to even acknowledge the incident for fear of rioting.

Soon, a second hand suffering from less decay than the first discovery is found in another part of the aqueduct system. As the government slowly begins to look into the matter, Marcus and Petronius begin to search for an apparent serial killer, who seems ready to murder again on the date of the next festival. However, Rome's Chief Spy Anacrites plans to add to his own glory rather than allow two intruders like his enemy Marcus and his former employee Petronius solve the case.

THREE HANDS IN THE FOUNTAINS, the latest Ancient Rome historical mystery starring Falco, is a superb tale that makes the city-state seem as if it exists today. The mystery is entertaining and fun. Married life seems to have calmed Falco down a bit, but he still remains a fresh sleuth. Lindsey Davis may be the top writer of ancient historical who-done-its.

Harriet Klausner

MacYoung makes fun of himself and is quite willing to tell how he made mistakes so that the reader can avoid making the same ones. No huge egos here, well.....maybe he has an ego but it doesn't seem to get in the way like some of the ones I have seen.

This book is described as a primer for reading cook books for martial arts. That may sound strange, but if you have never learned how to cook then the first time you pick up a cook book you will be lost because you will not know the language or the sklls needed to use it. In terms of martial arts, this book explains all the points that standard martial arts books leave off. After you read this you can look at other martial arts book and be able to tell what they are doing as well as being able to tell if they would be effective on the street or are just another "McDojo" trying to attract students.

Even experienced martial artists should enjoy this book. In fact I highly recomend that everyone who is in martial arts for the purpose of dying in bed (either of old age or in the arms of a red head- preferably both) pick this book up and confirm that what they are doing is consistant with the real combat lessons that MacYoung and his friends have paid such a heavy price to learn.

I am happy to say that what I do is consistant with what I read in this book, but there are some points I would not have been aware of had I not read it. This is the value of the book for even experienced martial artists. Some people just go through the motions and they have no meaning. This book will help add meaning to your practice IF you are doing something worthwhile. You may just find out that you are wasting your time, at which point this book may save your life by getting you out of a bad dojo before it is too late. I like to learn from my mistakes, I really like to learn from other people's mistakes- less blood on my part. Anyone who feels the same should get this book. And then they will probably do the same as I and get everything else this little maniac has published.

Please buy it.