It's a shame the publisher is no longer printing this book. In a day and age of extremely poor role models Joe Hill is a breath of relief. These are the kinds of books that should be required reading in history and government classes. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a democrat. It's no wonder this is on the Rage Against the Machine reading list...

This book is the second volume of a two volume biography of John Quincy Adams and it is the definative study of the subject.

The book takes up in the midst of his presidency. Beemis wisely assesses Adams's presidency as a low point in his career as an American statesman. The focus of the book is career as a congressman, his one foray into the world of popular politics and he performed magnificently.

While in congress the crucial issue was slavery. Adams, like his father, detested the institution. While not an abolitionist, Adams's concern was the effect that this "peculiar institution was having on the politics of the republic.

The justification of slavery seemed to occupy the focus of the southern delgations to Washington during this period. One of the innovations designed to halt discussion was the so-called "gag order" which prevented any petition addressing the subject of slavery to be automatically tabled. While not having the reputation as a popular politician, Adams realized what was at stake by this measure. To maintain slavery, fundamental rights were being sacrificed. To this son of the revolution this endangered all that had come before. If congress could limit the right of petition, it could limit other rights granted by the constitution, something that all branches of government were willing to accept.

Luckily for the future of the United States, Adams was a stubborn fighter who relished the conflict. This book charts his efforts to overturn this measure and to make the government accountable to its citizens.

During this period Adams also defended members of Amistead revolt, fought for the establishment of the Smithsonian Instition (congress had predictably squandered the original bequest), opposed the growth of slavery. Ironically Adams's reputation was more effective as a congressman than he ever was as president. He died in 1848 denouncing the Mexican War. He was carried from the chamber of the House of Representatives by his fellow congressmen, among them Abraham Lincoln, a moment of great symbollism.

Professor Beemis again demonstrates his mastery of his subject. While a distiguished scholar of American diplomatic history, he displays a great grasp of domestic affairs that his often lacking in those who are specialists in this subject.

John Quincy Adams blends history and biography in presenting a new study of the statecraft and life of John Quincy Adams, policy-maker in the early American republic. It's recommended reading for high school and college undergraduate students, as well as any non-specialist general radeing studying early American history and politics.

I completely enjoyed this book, and I learned so much from it. It isn't just a dull and dry history book. I was absolutely fascinated and couldn't put this book down. I checked it out from the library and now I am ordering it.

When I first picked up this book it was a gimmick because I had the same name. But then I started reading and reading and reading. I just could not put it down. This book is a wonderful description of Jewish life at the turn of last century. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes a good book.

Professor Berman has taken an extraordinarily brilliant approach to reviewing Soviet law and legal systems. He sets forth the hypothesis that Soviet law's function is one of a parental role- teaching, the Soviet citizen, as would both a father and mother, the proper way to conduct one's private and public life in a socialist society. This book is a must read for any one with an interest in Soviet law and politics (and more importantly anyone interested in the the problem of from whence sovereignty derives in the soviet system).

The history of the emergence of the late codification called 'dialetical materialism' from earlier German philosophy must be one of the most confusing. This work resolves its perplexity by moving systematically from Fichte to Plekhanov and showing the stages of transformation of the Hegelian ideas of the Concept and the Universal and Particular in the Marxist legacy, as these notions directly entered the entire 'critique of political economy' that made up Marx's lifelong, much revised, and incomplete project, whose misleading end form is Capital. The root ideas of Fichte, Schelling,and the early Romantics, followed by the work of the Left Hegelian starting point constitute a genuine labyrinth and the author's trail is a rout of the dilletantes in this regard. One could express the late current distaste for the whole subject, yet the importance of this history is, and will remain, one to reckon with. One sees at a glance the dangers on all sides of the thrashing about in phantom views of the emergence of Marxism with its almost silent Hegelian echoes.

Charming. Informative. And beautifully laid-out, this is a must for lovers of Judaica, and art in general. Highly recommended.

This book was an interesting look at the organization over the past ten years. I think we all have a view of the KGB which was formed during the years of the cold war, a large, well run organization that main times was one step ahead of the U.S. This book details what happened to the KGB after the USSR turned back into Russia and the coup was put down. It details the house cleaning of the top, long time KGB officials that took place after the coup and how that is changing the focus of the organization. It also goes on to detail the new focus of the KGB from 100% focus on the U.S. and NATO to one that also takes into its portfolio internal issue as organized crime and terrorist threats. The author also does remind the reader that even though the relationship between the U.S. and Russia has increasingly become warmer; there is still a high level of focus on the U.S. by the KGB.

Overall this is an interesting book that keeps the espionage junky up to date with what is going on inside the KGB. The book will probably become dated in a few years, but it should be up to date for now. The book is well written and keeps the readers interest through out.