I purchased this and several other introductory stained glass guides. This is by far the best of all of them that I purchased. It is very simple to follow, details common pitfalls and mistakes (for the most part though there are still many tricks of the trade that could've been highlighted better -- black backings for foil, how to hang and install completed panels, etc.) and includes a broad variety of up-to-date project styles. The pictures in the book are great and include projects that are intended to help the beginner build his/her skills -- and NOT as a vanity display of the authors' works (like I have seen in other texts). For me, the book tells probably 90% of what I needed to know to do stained glass-- the rest, as I've discovered, you simply have to figure out by talking with others or trial and error. One major plus for me -- this is an inexpensive book that is well worth its cost.

This book is a perfect starting point for anyone interested in stained glass as a hobby or profession. It doesn't confuse the beginner with anything too advanced, or with anything that requires unique tools or supplies. The projects range from being very simple to being quite challenging, but none are out of reach for the beginning enthusiast. The photographs are equally as impressive, giving a true representation of the complexity and potential for each project. I reference this book frequently and am always pleased that I find something worthwhile in it.

I appreciated the encouragement in this book with a sensible view on safety. Very comprehensive and demystified instructions - lovely simple clear photographs. I read the book before doing a short but excellent course in copper foiling, and it also helped me to get the most out of the course, as I knew so many of the terms and techniques beforehand. A lovely book altogether, which helped this absolute beginner to enter the magic world of stained glass here in Ireland, accompanied by some great U.S. "can do"!

This is the first book I ever read about September 11th and, quite possibly, my last simply because the authors did such and outstanding job with the interviews that I have no need to pick up another.

Never Forget is not a very long book at all and I can usually get through a book this size in about two to three days. However, the sheer horror and devastation described by many of those interviewed brought me such grief that I was forced to put it down several times, making it the most difficult book I have ever tried to get through.

Mr. Fink divides the book into three parts: events just before and leading up to the crash and how many were able to escape the towers, accounts of the NYPD and the FDNY, and the resuce and recovery accounts of many volunteers. There is also testimony of Flight 93 passengers as told by their loved ones right before the plane crashed and a few accounts of the devastation left at the Pentagon. The eyewitness accounts of the New York Police and Fire departments get a little repetitive at times when different officers give their own versions of the same stories, which to me seemed unneccesary.

The most memorable accounts in my opinion belong to civilians--those who escaped the towers and their horrifying descent down countless flights of stairs to get outside. Equally engaging is LT.Col. Ted Anderson's account at the Pentagon and those of the passengers of Flight 93 and the AirFone telephone operators, the flight attendants and the family of those lost, the volunteers and the construction workers.

Never Forget is not an easy read, but I can't imagine not doing so in order to fully understand and empathize with those who were there and needed us to listen to their stories of that fateful day.

I find these accounts of the day's tragic events and happenings to be compelling, moving and absolutely heartwrenching. As I read each individual story I somehow felt as if I were there....almost feeling the horror and pain each and every one of these people were experiencing. I cannot imagine how any human being could endure the horrific events of September 11 but, somehow, it seems they have. Some of the descriptions of events are quite graphic and horrific, but that is what happened on September 11, 2001. The Media and the Government possibly "spared" the public from some of the actual/graphic things which occurred that morning during the coverage of these events, but this book and the participants descriptions of what they lived that day do not. This book is factual and does not sugar coat it by any means. My heart goes out to each and every one of the brave and unselfish people who were able to and who took the time to sit down with Mitchell and Lois to share their feelings, and stories with us. I still say a prayer every night for all those who were involved in the multiple, murderous attacks and for their families and loved ones who have survived them. These short stories bring it all close to home...they make it very "real". God Bless them all. Carole B

I find these accounts of the day's tragic events and happenings to be compelling, moving and absolutely heartwrenching. As I read each individual story I somehow felt as if I were there....almost feeling the horror and pain each and every one of these people were experiencing. I cannot imagine how any human being could endure the horrific events of September 11 but, somehow, it seems they have. Some of the descriptions of events are quite graphic and horrific, but that is what happened on September 11, 2001. The Media and the Government possibly "spared" the public from some of the actual/graphic things which occurred that morning during the coverage of these events, but this book and the participants descriptions of what they lived that day do not. This book is factual and does not sugar coat it by any means. My heart goes out to each and every one of the brave and unselfish people who were able to and who took the time to sit down with Mitchell and Lois to share their feelings, and stories with us. I still say a prayer every night for all those who were involved in the multiple, murderous attacks and for their families and loved ones who have survived them. These short stories bring it all close to home...they make it very "real". God Bless them all. Carole Baker

Paul is alive and well in my poets garden. Among the tomatoes and peppers is a living walrus who has generated a dynamic work for all time. Yes! Paul is the only surviving Beattle to make use of Beattlemania and his emotions are laid bare in this book. He still reaches out to the public today. Recently I recieved as a gift a copy of his book "Blackbird Singing" published by W. W. Norton and Company. New York, 2001. I have a passion for honest works of art and Paul McCartney authored true nirvana for my generation. He is a saint who pioneered Mass art on global scale. The lyrics and poems in his book sent me back thirty years to a happy childhood with the Fab four blarring tunes over the radio and Hi-fi. Paul has always been my favorite. In his book you'll find songs like; "Yesterday", "Hey Jude", and "When I'm sixty four"-my sentimental favorites. His poems opened a new door for me a budding poet. I read aloud, "Standing Stone" to my reverie. I think I know the true Paul more because of this timeless book. I recommend it to poetry lovers, and old baby boomers like me. This collection of lines is a hit in a life time of successes for Paul.

Paul McCartney has been my favorite musician for a long time now. His music has filled moments of my life with joy, anticipation, and wonder--al of the good things that we live for. I've had his tunes stuck in my head as I've walked through spring fields after it's been winter for a seemingly endless time. I've listened to his albums while going for drives on sunny mornings and felt the warm sunlight refracted through the windshield on my face.

Paul's music is also good for a rainy day when you can smell the wet dirt, or a foggy morning when your imagination starts to wander. Paul's music is wonderful. I always probably would have said that it's his sense of melody and chord structure that I really like.

But reading Paul's lyrics naked here, without the clothing of the music, I realize that I also really love the playfulness of the words themselves. This is a great book if you're a Beatles fan or a McCartney fan, because it'll make you come to the songs in a new way. You can see how inventive McCartney really is, not just musically, but also lyrically.

He paints with his words in much the same way that he paints with his music: in a colorful way, and when his mind is wandering, there he will go...

Great fun for any fan of music or poetry. If you like this book, you should also check out McCartney's recent book of his paintings. That one's really good, too.

Paul McCartney- true he is an Ex-Beatle, but he is also a wonderful poet and songwriter. By reading this book of poems and lyrics he has composed over the years, you will learn what it is really like to think like one of the biggest geniuses in the music business- next to John Lennon of course(who also has sensational books on the market). I would recommend this book to anyone who loves The Beatles, poetry, or both. It is certainly a book no one should live without.

Recently I have had to brush up on my C programming skills as I haven't written anything since mid 1983. This is one of two books I have found that have been most useful. Unfortunetly, I have yet to find a book on C that is all encompassing and comprehensive. This book goes a long way to meeting this. It is written in a very readable manner and can be read from start to finish as well as a refernce for specific topics. The only reason I didn't give this tome 5 stars is that it failed to meet a few of my queries (these were very specific) and I would have liked a few more example bits of code. But perhaps I am being a bit picky. I would certainly buy any future updates to this book.

I have an eight year-old copy, and when getting back into C programming after a long layoff (don't ever take a promotion to project leader if you can't keep coding), I pulled this one off my shelf (skipping K&R's book, Herb Schildt's book, and three others in my library).

It got me right back into the mindset quickly (I started with the pointers chapter, where all the action is), and helped me get the rust knocked off quick. The examples are well-explained, small and easy to test, and the progression of the book is logical and sane. Buy it and you can wait a year before needing another book on C.

I have read "C Primer Plus" and want to recommend it to everyone who has an interest in learning a computer programming language. It is written with a touch that takes away all the fears and respect concerning difficulties a beginner might have. Prata's humourous style and pedagogic approach makes it easy to get a hold of programming techniques. Until chapter 6 the style pace is moderate but then quickens. By then you have been given the means to cope with all the terms and foreign commands and you read on, eager to learn more. The Appendix-section also makes it a rather good reference as long as you keep your programming on "the home front". I strongly recommend this book. Buy it if you want to extend your knowledge!

For those of us brought up on Wyatt Earp as portrayed by Hugh O'Brian, this book is somewhat unsettling. Ms. Marks has done an evenhanded job of presenting both sides of the story. The famous gunfight at the OK Corral came about because of a series of blunders by both parties and she details them all. I enjoyed the book immensely.

If you could read only one book about the OK Corral gunfight, this should be it. There is no attempt to make either group right or wrong; too often these days, one or the other group is portrayed as a set of complete bad guys, when "complete" is much too strong a word. There are a few other books that should be considered, Chaput's "Virgil Earp: Western Peace Officer", Tanner and DeArment's "Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait", and Bob Boze Bell's books on Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. All reach pretty much the same conclusions although there are some variations in viewpoint that will make the reader think (for example, Tanner's view on just who was the target at the Boarding House is intriguing). Anyway, Dr. Marks' book is well-written, with a style that is easy to follow and appreciate. It is my hope that she finds other western subjects to write about so that we may enjoy more of the fruits of her research and writing ability.

Having read copious amounts of literature on the O.K. Corral gunfight at the ripe old age of 18, I found this book to be the most conscise, the most detailed (come on, almost a whole chapter on who fired the first shot, for God's sakes!) and the most objective work written on the subject. Marks does a fantastic job of informing the wide-eyed public that these were just men desensitized to death, not the 'lawmen clad in white, atop their noble steeds' as John Wayne et.al., would have us believe. After reading this book, I find movies such as 'Gunfight at the O.K Corral' and 'My Darling Clementine' to be ludicrous! If this is the perspective you would like, by all means, read the book.. but be forwarned: Doc Holliday isn't the urbane, suave talker Val Kilmer seems to think he is, and Wyatt Earp isn't at all the straightest arrow to be shot into the West.. and..dare I say it? the McLowrey brothers being upstart citizens?(Even having relations with an Earp relative..??) Johnny Ringo actually going to Mass and being recieved as a *gasp* gentleman caller? There are two sides to every person, and Marks does a fantastic job of reminding us that everyone has a conscience. Some people are just more vocal about it than others. However, there were areas where Marks could have laid down a little law herself; that Doc Holliday fired the first shot is erroneous. After all, he was carrying a shotgun at the time, and would not have had the time to reach for his nickle-plated pistol..but, you'll learn about this stuff when you read this book.. if you want to. Then again, I'm not impressing my History teacher with this extraneous knowledge.. But, if you're as hungry for the truth to the reasons behind the political intrigue that resulted in this massacre, as myself, you'll enjoy this book: there are no flowery farewells between friends, no teary "happily ever afters"..just guys who, like Gods, killed them for their sport..

Kafkaesque: Impenetrably oppresive or nightmarish, as in the fiction of Franz Kafka.

Indeed, "The Trial" is the epitome of this adjective used to describe the haunting novels of Franz Kafka.

Breon Mitchell's translation is fantastic as it expands and clarifies the first version by the Muirs. A lengthy translators preface is included, written by Mitchell, explaining the reasoning for this new translation based on the German definitive edition. Various examples of the text (in German) are also used in the explanations of the hows and whys.

On to the story itself. Josef K. awakens one more to find that he's been arrested. He doesn't know why and is never told. His daily life is allowed to go on over the course of the year the novel takes place, while trying to understand what is happening. Throughout this process Josef begins to sink further into paranoia and guilt, with the fate of his life in the balance....

This is a deep and dense novel, with various interpretations. It's scary to realize that this could actually happen (perhaps not on this scale) and that's one of things Kafka excels at. Taking the everyday mundane and catapulting it into the realm of the absurd and nightmarish..

The leftover fragments of "The Trial" are also included after the story, adding further insight into this tragic story. It's also worth it to pick up the Muir's translation, to see the differences, and to have the original english version to keep.

A must read.

I giving the book 5 stars, because it's a really good read. Not having read any other translation, I must take other reviewer's word that it compares well. Read the other reviews, they are correct about this books quality.

Now, here's why I am mad. I read the introduction. Then I read the translator's notes. The translator is quite full of himself and his cleverness. Thus he points out the sections where he was particularly clever. In doing so, he gives away the plot, the ending of the novel, and why we should think about it the way he translated it, and not trust earlier transactions.

This should have been an afterward, not before the text. I reviewed the plot, including the ending, before reading the text. This somewhat ruined the experience for me. Skip the translator's notes, and you'll have a fine edition of Kafka's influntial novel.

Not until 1982 had I formed a clear idea for the meaning of the term Òkafkaesque.Ó The revelation came when I found myself trapped in the middle of Prague, KafkaÕs hometown, on a crossroad that received one way lanes from every direction. It was real and surreal and frightening and comical, but nothing dreamy about it. I knew, if I tried to get myself out of this situation, there would inevitably be a very real cop just waiting to give me a very real ticket,. And he did. He was drunk and rather shabbily uniformed. For many years in my early teens, I had KafkaÕs ÔTrialÕ on my bedside table. If you want to learn German, this is the book for you. It comes in simple and straightforward language. Kafka was a great admirer of Flaubert and his maxim to tell extraordinary things in ordinary language. So whatever KafkaÕs translators may say, Kafka does not exactly pose a linguistic challenge. Still there are differences. The Muirs' translation, prior to MitchellÕs, is still a respectable piece of late Victorian imitation furniture. But Mitchell does improve, no doubt. However the actual order of the chapters in this unfinished novel is still open to questions -- MitchellÕs editors chose to be conservative. As it stands, the ÒTrialÓ is a great step forward from KafkaÕs first novel ÔAmerica!Õ which was written under the influence of Oliver Twist. It has many scenes of burning intensity and a sensual quality, Kafka himself never matched again. However the American backdrop is cut from cardboard and not very convincing. Kafka always had a problem to convey a sense of locality if it wasnÕt his hometown. Any reader of KafkaÕs ÒCastleÓ faces the same problem, the interiors come to life vividly enough, but the geography is curiously vague. The ÒTrialÕsÓ setting is Prague, and it shows. This is perhaps KafkaÕs most guilt-stricken story. From scene to scene the shadows thicken until Joseph K.Õs providential encounter in the mystical bleakness of the Cathedral. I refuse to speculate on the meaning in all of this, however I would advise against fetching too far for an interpretation. The language is straightforward but still loaded with little pointers and puns. For instance: the protagonist (Joseph K.) has a crush on a certain Miss ÔBŸrstner.Õ This name is derived from the verb ÒbŸrstenÓ Ð German for Òbrushing,Ó which in German is also a vulgar euphemism for sexual intercourse; and this is no coincidence. There is sex all over the place: the protagonist has an affair with his attorneyÕs maid, shabbily dressed judges simply carry away women into their chambers, during Joseph KÕs conversation with the painter, you hear the painterÕs models giggle in the background. Notice the running parallel between illicit sex and dingy justice. The Viennese critic Karl Kraus had published a series of essays under the title ÒThe Chinese Wall.Ó In it Kraus attacked AustriaÕs legal system and spoke up in defence of prostitutes. Kafka knew Kraus, he attended his public readings, and he might have picked up on a phrase Kraus liked to scream at his audience. It began with: ÒBecause justice is a whore ... ,Ó (which no doubt it is.) In KafkaÕs novel the courts convene in the strangest places, in attics and lofts, under the rafters of top floors, in sub-tenancies of housing projects. This strange judicial system never allows to approach the upper echelons, but the lower charges are beggarly and sly. The whole state seems to be afflicted by an underground conspiracy, and you never know whether your friendly janitor isnÕt one of them. If it were ancient Rome, you could say the slaves are judging their masters. Joseph K. himself is a somewhat aloof and haughty character, not un-typical for a senior manager. K. works for a bank and he is a sharp dresser and moves with ease in circles of attorneys, chief administrators and CEOs. Kafka lifted out of the text the key-parable, ÒBefore the LawÓ and published it separately in a collection of shorter pieces. It is difficult to put your finger exactly on the meaning of this famous parable, but it certainly gives the entire novel in a nutshell. In the era of Stalin and McCarthy and after the horrors of the death-camps it has became fashionable to read into KafkaÕs novel a brooding indictment against oppression and persecution. I am not so sure: itÕs a tough call, because he is never told the charges, yet something seems to be expected of Joseph K., a change of heart perhaps, or a sign of redeeming humility, but K. remains unchanged, his ordeal merely infuses an ever more deepening gloom. One of the great paradigms of modern literature.

This book lays the foundation for people new to the operational side of a business. The book demonstrates and demystfies some of the myths surround e-commerce. There's good insight from prominent folks in the hi-tech industry who truly understand how to leverage the Internet.

This book was different. I like this book because, rather than just rehashing that the internet changes everything, it gave me ways to think about what might change next. And how it might impact my business. And how I might take advantage of that. I found that the examples were useful. Overall the book was easy to understand and thought provoking. I liked it. I ordered a few for my friends at other companies.

E-Volve-or-die.com is loaded with tons of ideas to help you build your e-business and information on how to create strategies that are the most critical for e-volving towards the future. He is very connected to e-commerce management and you can tell in his writings in this book. This book goes into all different aspects of ECM in detail and is a great book for a complete overview of where e-commerce management is now and where we are heading. Recommended to all interested in e-business or just curious about the Internet Age.

You know how some books make great movies? And others are better in a book, or too complex and the movie ends up re-writing the whole story? Well, I believe that this book would make an incredibly great murder-mystery, action-packed, romance, hero/herione flick. The book seems to go from being somewhat slow in getting started to 'where did he come from?'. Unpredictable, and definantly worth reading. I hope to read more of this authors material. And I wonder if there are any others, starring Parker, previous to this story. If not, there should be. A past history on this character could really be built onto.(And as an after-thought, I don't think that the killer had dreadlocks.)

A real page turner. Mitchell really tells a great story. Lots of plot twists and surprises. I couldn't put the book down. It was especially fun seeing how Emmett Parker and Anna Turnipseed finally manage to work together despite their conflicting personalities. Mitchell makes these two characters so real, I feel I've known them for years and can't wait to see what happens to them next. Great read for Tony Hillerman, Robert B. Parker, Clive Cussler fans.

I read 'Cry Dance' and the sequels, 'Spirit Sickness' and 'Ancient Ones' in one week-end, that is how un-put-down-able I consider these books. The last one kept me up well into the night.

To comment on the much debated comparisons to Tony Hillerman: I am a great fan of the Leaphorn/Chee series, but personally, I am finding I prefer Mitchell to Hillermanm at this point. I find Mitchell's books faster paced and more complex, therefore more gripping. With Hillerman, it got too easy to guess who the bad guy was. It was always (or almost always) the white one.

With regard to the relationship between Parker and Tunipseed, I think it ads a great deal to the story and in no way detracts from the plot. This level of character development is rare in these types of books, and I find it a refreshing change. It makes them real, flaws and all, as opposed to being two-dimensional cookie-cutter crimefighters. I am looking forward to seeing how their relationship evolves in the fourth book (I hope the author has plans for a fourth book in this series, if not more!).

This book is now an A-level text for many U.K. exam boards and is wonderfully suitable for those teaching adolescents the craft of writing. Its changes in narrative position, the kaleidoscopic nature of the story as it is gradually revealed to us, the combination of old and young characters and the delightful sense of irony make it a magical book for the adolescent just beginning to realise that literature is more than linear narratives with happy-ever-after endings. Above all, it is transparently clear in style. It also makes a great accompanying-piece to Ondaatje's "The English Patient", which covers very similar themes and techniques of story-telling in a much more dense and poetic style

This book is one of those books that haunts you while you read it and long after you've finished. A gorgeously-wrought tale, told in two alternating time periods---I read it twice the same week I bought it. Like her peers, Muriel Spark and William Trevor, Ms. Lively has the ability to write humorous, quirky characters whom we are glad to spend time with. This book is romantic in the best sense. The accumulation of passion on the page is mesmerizing. I recommend it highly.

I taught this book to 15-16 year old girls for 6 years, and it was an unforgettable experience. They constantly referred to Claudia's character, the character of poor Sylvia (her sister-in-law) and the mother-daughter relationship between Claudia and her daughter, Lisa, for a year or two after they had studied the book. The philosophy in this book, though difficult to understand at first reading, is so profound as to challenge the reader constantly. We dealt with relationships, death, characters, how we influence people and they influence us: Claudia's concept of being a part of everything, and everything being a part of her. It was wonderful. I think that this book should be read and re-read until it forms part of one's own character, and congratulations to Penelope Lively for the best book she has ever written.

When ABC News assigned John Miller to the case of the Washington sniper, it should have signalled to one and all that someone at ABC believed there was an Arab terrorist angle to the case. Miller is an expert on that.
In "The Cell: Inside the 9/11 Plot, and Why the FBI and CIA Failed to Stop It" Miller (with Michael Stone and Chris Mitchell) details the way the U.S. intelligence system failed to note the signals, including Miller's own "interview" with Osama Bin Laden (OBL) in which he had to prepare written questions and was not allowed any follow-up questions.
The book starts with the strange case of Meir Kahane (disclaimer: we were friends in the late 1940s) who was gunned down in a room full of witnesses by El Sayyid Nosair, who, like his accomplices, wore a yarmulka.
The accomplices abandoned Nosair, who fled alone. On the way, he shot a Irv Franklin, a Kahane follower, and a postal inspector (a federal offense). The get-away was bungled. The red-headed giant of a taxi driver who was supposed to pick up Nosair for his get-away somehow got lost but Nosair made it to the hospital on his own for treatment of the wound from the postal inspector's bullet.
Open and shut case, no?
The homicide cops quickly caught the accomplices and raised their homes, seizing documents and other treasures that pointed to an OBL plot against New York City.
But the higher ups in the NYPD, the chief of detectives Joe Borelli in particular, called Homicide's Lt. Ed Norris to a meeting at headquarters and asked:
"Was this the work of one man?"
Norris said, "No."
Borelli ended that discussion with "You shut up. You do murders; they do conspiracies."
And so Norris's files on al Quaida sat unopened and unread from November 1990 until after Sept 11, 2001. Nosair was acquitted of first-degree murder. His co-conspirators were not prosecuted.
The whole book is full of such examples, including the erratic behavior of Mohammed Atta, which did not raise eyebrows, and the "practice run by four terrorists who tried to find out how much they could get away with on an airliner, including successful attempts to be allowed into the cockpit.
But "The Cell" is a maddening book. It drifts in and out of the voice of Miller, recounting his own experiences, using the first person voice. Sometimes this is set off by typographical devices; sometimes you suddenly encounter an "I" and wonder where the quotation began.
The book has all the earmarks of being rushed to press, with lots of editing errors. It also lacks an index and a guide to the reader on all the Arabic jaw-twister names scattered throughout the book.
The interview with OBL is full of accusations against Jews, whom OBL equates with America:
"The American imposes himself on everyone. Americans accuse our children in Palestine of being terrorists-those children, who have no weapons and have not yet reached maturity. At the same time, Americans defend a country, the state of the Jews, that has a policy to destroy the future of these children. . . .
"We are sure of our victory against the Americans and the Jews as promised by the Prophet. . . . "
But there is no hint in anything OBL is quoted as saying that it included a mad sniper in Washington.

This is the first book I have picked up on Al Quaeda, and I could not set it aside until I was finished. By beginning with the killing of Rabbi Kahane in 1990 and following with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, thwarting the Manila bomb plan, Embassy bombings, the USS Cole, and finally to the preparations for 9/11 this brings alot together. Of course, John Miller's ABC interview with Bin Laden in 1998 adds a touch. I learned alot about the Cells and gained a greater appreciation for the dangerous times we live in today. To some this could really be scary. I also gained a positive feeling towards our intelligence forces despite their past problems of "territory" and in some cases outright timidness at the higher levels. They really are on top of alot of the terrorists, but in so many cases their hands are tied behind their backs. Like alot of people I know, I had no real background to latch on to as to just why this all happened. This book may not be the absolute authority and it may be a rehash of a much that has been written, but to me it brought it together in a manner that makes some sense and reason. As much as I am sympathetic to the loss, sorrow and hurt felt by the victims and families, I wasn't interested in another book with pictures of the Towers and the stories surrounding their destruction. I needed something to bring it all into perspective. Most of all it has developed my thoughts on the real problem we face is with the cells, and Osama bin Laden is just a minor part of the whole puzzle and threat we live under today. It is these radical elements around the world in these cells that are the threats to our security, and as this book points out in bold type one of our drawbacks is America's determination to give everyone the benefit of the doubt which results in things coming together like 9/11.

Up front let me apologize for being emotional in this review, as this true account is appalling in what should have been. The book describes the evolution of the 1990s through 9/11 of Bin Laden and the Al Queda that will haunt readers forever. The authors tie events together that show the magnitude of the failure of anti-terrorism efforts under three administrations including the present one. The authors claim several opportunities to stop the terrorists were available, but not acted on, as the threat had not incredulously surpassed the "acceptable level of terrorism". That is the frightening thought that especially Clinton and Bush II (even in his first year) could have done more and saved lives. Official inactivity and incompetence (the Attorney General cut the anti-terrorism funding) and missed opportunities led to irate agents unable to overcome politics as usual under presidents from both political parties.

This book is not for those still raw, as it is quite an eye-opening saga. As the country's powers debate homeland security and claim the high ground, they should read this book first so they cannot sleep better at night. While the President vacations; the Attorney General cries security wolf; the Congress posters to gain reelection; and Clinton rewrites his place in history, perhaps each will finally understand the real goal: no future American should suffer like those who seemed to have died for no reason except politics and incompetence.

Harriet Klausner