This book is the ultimate reference to the celebrated Siege of the Alamo, February-March 1836. It is not only nourishment for the mind and imagination of every Alamo buff, but also a feast for the eyes. Alan C. Huffines has created a vivid picture of those thirteen desperate days by weaving together the accounts of actual eyewitnesses. Despite his Texan heritage, he has handled the material with utter objectivity, as seen in his treatment of the death of Davy Crockett. He also provides evidence that fifty or more Texans tried to escape the doomed fort after the Mexicans scaled the walls, only to be cut down by enemy cavalry. There are plenty of examples of Texian bravery in this book, but none of the ethnocentric cover-ups that have marred so many other Alamo studies. Among the book's many selling points are the more than 50 sketches by Gary S. Zaboly. Zaboly is not only a gifted artist, but also a widely renowned, prize-winning Alamo historian. His thorough knowledge of the weapons, equipment, and uniforms (or lack thereof) of the opposing sides, plus the Alamo and its environs, allow him the recapture important moments in the siege with undisputed mastery. _Blood of Noble Men_ will bring the modern reader as close to the fight for the Alamo -- as it actually happened and as it actually looked -- as he or she is likely to get. Bravo!

Alan Huffines has done an excellent job of putting the events of the 13 day siege in context. It is a pleasure to read and have at my fingertips a reference that allows me to easily look up the events of a certain day. His approach of using the known accounts, Anglo and Hispanic to tell the story and guiding the reader through those accounts with his footnotes is informative and entertaining.The artwork by Gary Zaboly is superb, giving viewpoints of the siege never illustrated before. Gary has the ability to see things most of us dont and luckily for us he has the talent to draw those scenes so they can be shared with all. In my opinion this is an excellent book for both the most dedicated of Alamo historians as it is for those just discovering this Texian saga.

Of all the books I have read about the Alamo battle, "The Blood of Noble Men" is the one which I find most engrossing. Alan Huffines' book derives its excitement from two sources: the words of the men (and women) who were actually there, and the vivid drawings by Gary Zaboly. Huffines gives us a day-by-day chronicle of the siege and fall of the Alamo which is constructed almost entirely from excerpts from first-hand accounts by Texians and Mexicans, soldiers and civilians. After a brief introduction to each chapter devoted to a single day's events, the participants speak for themselves. Sometimes the excerpts are only a sentence long, sometimes several paragraphs. Occasionally, multiple accounts from the same witness are given. What emerges is a fascinating picture of what happened, albeit a picture often with multiple conflicting layers. Disagreement among sources must be expected. Different persons will often come away from the same incident with wildly varying perceptions of what actually occurred. And the passage of time and inaccurate reporting will add their own distortions.
Through all of this, Huffines lets us read what the sources had to say and allows us to form our own ultimate judgments about their reliability, although in footnotes he does provide background for source authenticity (or the lack of it) and to problems of accuracy - this is one book where the reader should definitely not skip the footnotes. Because these accounts are drawn from both sides of the conflict, a good balance is achieved in telling a story which has often been reduced to a simple fairy tale of good versus evil.

Complementing these primary sources are the Gary Zaboly illustrations. Each chapter is accompanied by a large aerial view of San Antonio, with a numbered key to the points of interest relative to the action described. More dramatic are the drawings of various incidents mentioned in the text, realistic images of the people and place, based upon careful research. Combined with the participants' words, these pictures give a real "you are there" feeling to the book.

Although other books, such as J.R. Edmondson's "The Alamo Story", may better provide a larger context for the events of March, 1836, none of them in my opinion matches Huffines' work in making those events come alive.

I thought the entire book was a joy to read, but I particularly loved the humorous accounts of working in the LBJ presidential library. Anyone who's spent a lot of time in an archival / special library setting should also get a kick out of this book. Too bad it's out of print!

This is a hilarious but touching novel that hit me perfectly as I went through a divorce and had me laughing all the way through it (the book not the divorce). Even though I'm a man, the book was on the nose and it's description of working for a terrible non-profit left wing newspaper was perfect.

I can't believe this book is out of print. it is so well written, so funny, absolutely one of the best books i've ever read.

It seems only fitting that a work as wide in scope and broad in character as Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's epic 'Preacher' series should end up in a place so resonant with and characteristic of American ( especially the Southern United States) history as the Alamo. With the penultimate volume ( 'All Hell's a coming') re-revving the series into high gear and letting readers know that it was time to put all the cards on the table and bring it all to an explosive climax, this volume delivers on all counts- bringing what has been a refreshingly brilliant, funny, action-packed, thoughtful and adrenaline soaked series to it's deservedly satisfying finish. The way that issues are resolved with all characters is engrossing and the final 'money shot' that the entire run has been leading up to and hinting at is worth every penny.

If you haven;t read Preacher yet, or haven't read the whole saga, now is the time; you won;t regret spending the money on something that you will re-read again and again. LIke Warren Ellis's 'Planetary' stories , this is modern comic story-telling in it's purest form.

Thank you Garth and Steve for such a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable comic-book series.

Lordy! I just had time to read the entire collected "Preacher" series in one sitting, and what a great time I had doing it. This is one of the few "adult" comic series that actually gives you some real meat to chew on. It calls into question every dogma, motiviation, desire, and belief one drags along with oneself into adulthood, along with the very nature of the divine and ridiculous. Garth Ennis et al never miss a chance to poke fun at themselves, keeping the book from veering into that sort of moroseness and gloom that seems to pervade the comics industry lately, yet all the while manage to convey an air of deadly seriousness to the quest that Reverend Custer and Tulip find themselves thrust into: confronting a god who's quit heaven in fear of the powerful offspring of a demon and an angel who's escaped and taken root in Jesse Custer in order to gain a will to direct its terrible power. An absolute must for any and everyone who's ever wondered "Who's up there, and why has he made such a terrible mess?" Compelling, gritty, violent, profane, sacreligious, thought-provoking, and fun as hell. Ride on, Reverend!

It's hard to imagine I'm not still reading the Preacher series. The nine collections I made my way through over the months became such a constant source of entertainment and discussion material it became as much of a individual love to me as a great movies, or a CD that you never get sick of. When I picked up Alamo for the first time it really hit me. After this, it's done. After this, every single loose end will be closed, every ominous cliffhanger will be explained and every character will meet his or her final destination, in this plane of existence or the next. I had faith that the serie's creator\writer Garth Ennis would be able to bring it all to a tidy and satisfying conclusion, and not only was I not dissapointed, I was completley flabbergasted at the masterful storytelling that Ennis poured into this final chapter to his epic-religious-horror-western-saga. If you're going to read Alamo, I implore you to read every Preacher collection before it. That way you will know every characters story, and you can enjoy in blissful bewilderment where Ennis leaves them. Alamo is savagley witty, intensley thought provoking and astonishinhgly satisfying. Do yourself a favour, read the series, finish here. You won't thank me, you'll thank yourself.

This is the most important book about the Alamo and its heroes to appear in the last three decades. Davis has undertaken meticulous research, including review of previously unseen documents in Mexico's military archives, to construct new, revealing biographies of the three most celebrated Alamo heroes. Especially valuable are the sketches of Bowie and Travis, about whom there are no earlier satisfactory biographies. Many will find Travis's story completely new, and Davis portrays the Alamo commander as an important political leader of the Texian revolt, whose death was an incalculable loss to that cause. Bowie, on the other hand, is something of a rogue, forever scheming to turn a dishonest dollar through slave smuggling or land fraud. However, Davis also captures Bowie's daring, bravery, and leadership capabilities, particularly in battle. Crockett's story is more familiar, but Davis adds new interpretation and assessment of the frontier politician and folk hero,! deftly distinguishing the two and tracing the emergence of the fictional "Davy," partially by Crockett's own design. Other historical figures, particularly Sam Houston, do not fair so well, and Davis reveals the petty politics that may have led to abandonment of the doomed Alamo garrison. The work is not intended as a study of the Alamo itself, and the siege and battle are confined to a single chapter. Nonetheless, Davis has uncovered new information and formed unique insights about the event and the actions there of the three heroes. Much myth is stripped away, and Davis reveals the human failings of the three figures, who still emerge as courageous men of stubborn conviction, in many ways typical of those who sought to improve their fortunes by exploiting opportunities along America's expanding frontier. The book deserves a place beside such highly-regarded Alamo works as Walter Lord's "A Time To Stand."

Allen J. Wiener

I'm not sure if William C. Davis' "Three Roads to the Alamo" is a reinterpretation of the 1836 Alamo siege more than it is a truly exhaustive study of the three men who define that battle. A detailed and fascinating examination of the lives of David Crockett, James Bowie and William Barret Travis, "Three Roads to the Alamo" cuts through the myth and legend, revealing the dirt and substance of these men's lives en route to their eventual deaths in San Antonio.

Certainly the myth of Crockett is dented somewhat, as we see that he is a man clumsy in politics, impatient with family life, seeking the next adventure. Bowie also comes across as a rather scandalous man, involved in shady land and slave dealings which would have most certainly placed him in jail today. And finally Travis, whose life has never before been examined with such detail, comes across as a rather poor businessman, constantly in debt and a obsessive womanizer to boot.

Like all great historical figures shrouded in myth, it was only a matter of time before modern-day historians placed these Texas revolutionary heroes beneath a very un-romantic, yet 21st century microscope. So it comes as a rather stunning surprise that after these three statue-like figures are dressed down in human fashion, by battle's end they still, somehow, manage to put their past behind them and become heroes in spite of their many flaws.

I'm not sure if Mr. Davis did this intentionally, just as I'm not sure if you could truly draw a portrait of these men and this battle and not find shades of extraordinary heroism within the walls of that mission fortress. Certainly, John Wayne's infamous 1960 film "The Alamo" is anything but the truth, but the great unvarnished fact about this story is that even with the bones revealed, these men still come across as noble and heroic, having seized an incredible moment in time, thus surviving for all eternity.

And that, undoubtedly, is what continues to fascinate Americans, if not world citizens, about this battle. These men, while holding out for the hope of reinforcements, chose to stay, eventually sealing their doom. Yes, the line may not have been drawn in the sand, but in "Three Roads to the Alamo," that obvious fact becomes surprisingly irrelevant. Warts and all, these men's lives serve as the proper contrast to their eventual final deeds, making their decisions in 1836 all the more unforgettable.

"Three Roads to the Alamo" is a intimately detailed historic work, which will fascinate all readers interested in this legendary battle. Arguably, it is one of the finest books yet written about this 13-day siege.

I am a Texan who has grown up with the Alamo story. When I was younger, it was the ultimate hero story to me. In my later, supoosedly-wiser years, I saw it as a silly, overblown, pointless, jingoistic tale about some ne'er-do-wells who foolishly got themselves killed for no good reason. After reading Three Roads to the Alamo, I think both versions are true.

The book constitutes three long, thick, thorough biographies of David Crockett, James Bowie, and William Barret Travis. Most Americans have heard of "Davy" Crockett and most have heard of the "Bowie Knife." All Texans have heard of James Bowie and William Travis. I live in Travis County, which contains Austin, the capital of Texas, and I live down the street from James Bowie High School. But other than knowing that Travis and Bowie were commanders at the Alamo, I knew very little about them, and most of what I "knew" about them turns out to be untrue myth, as convincingly demonstrated throughout Three Roads to the Alamo.

William C. Davis sticks to the facts in his narrative and disposes of myths in the footnotes, which are vital reading. The facts of Crockett's life are fairly well-known but still interesting. Davis shows Crockett as a Perot-esque plain speaker, trapped late in his career by his own mythology, tirelessly repeating his tired complaints against Andrew Jackson. Finally voted out of office, he goes to Texas and joins the small band of Texians defending the Alamo against Mexican invasion and is killed with the rest.

A prior reviewer gives this book only 2 stars for the sole reason that Davis rejects one version of Crockett's death, which appears in a Mexican soldier's diary, that has him surrendering and being bayonetted by Mexican soldiers. When this diary became publicized a few years ago, there was a small furor because surely the great Crockett would never have surrendered. The diary had to be a forgery or a lie. This furor demostrates the powerful hold that the Alamo myth has over Texans. Crockett HAD to go down fighting, not surrendering. Davis's book is refreshing because he looks at such things objectively, always putting forward provable facts over made-up myths. He convincingly shows that the diary is hearsay and that similar stories were told about Crockett and others, and ultimately concludes that it is impossible to tell how Crockett died from the sources. I find this honesty refreshing.

However, very little is actually about the Alamo. It is mostly about the interesting lives of Crockett, Bowie, and Travis. Bowie's tale in particular is fascinating. I wanted to strangle him throughout most of the book. This guy started out with an ingenious but disgusting slave-laudering scheme, smuggling slaves through Mexican-owned Texas. Then he blatantly and poorly forged hundreds of fake Spanish documents purporting to give him ownership and thousands of acres of Louisiana and Arkansas. The false claims screwed up title in both states for decades after Bowie died at the Alamo. He also obtained a fraudulent "debt" that the federal government supposedly owed $42,000 on. Bowie never acknowledged that the claims were false, instead trying to bully federal officials in the South and Washington into officially recognizing his claims. Even the Bowie Knife turns out to have been made by his brother and used by Bowie only once.

Crockett came to Texas to escape debt, abandoning his pregnant wife and daughter. He did not come to Texas because he had to kill a man for shaming his wife, as I had heard before. He was basically nothing but a coward.

But then the rogues end up fighting the Texas Revolution, and suddenly the hero in them comes out. I forgave all their faults.

Davis shows that the truth is stranger and more interesting than fictional myth. I drove by Bowie High School the other day before getting to the part where Bowie turns into a hero. I wanted to scream out my window for the school to change its name. Now that I have finished the book, I say let Bowie have his school. Maybe that just shows that I am impressionable. I don't know. All I know is that I loved this book.

This is an entertaining, absorbing tale of the Alamo--it is written like a novel. It provides a good rendition of the traditional story--one where valiant, noble Texans fight evil Mexicans. This book is not one to read to get a balanced, in-depth account. For that, read Jeff Long's Duel of Eagles. Read this one for entertainment and to appreciate why the Alamo has stood the test of time as a symbol of the American fighting spirit.

While profound, Travis's words: "Don't surrender, boys" (spoken in Spanish) - tell only part of this story of the Siege of the Alamo. But because of the circumstances surrounding the battle (no Texan Survivors) there is no way to ever truly know all of the events surrounding those final days. Yes this is not the only book on the subject that one should read if you want a well-rounded impartial view of these events. Regardless it makes for good reading and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Texas revolt and it's ramifications. Many still affecting us to this day.

Dr. Tinkle's account of the Battle of the Alamo has, in some ways, been a life-forming book. It was in these pages (as a child in the early 1960s) that the heroic/epic myth of the Alamo became realized to me. What culture (native Celt-German-Texan) had begun in me, and what Disney and the Duke has fueled, became a way of life after reading Tinkle's account of the events now carved in stone in our national conscious. Col. Wm. Barrett Travis' mythical drawing of the line in the courtyard (whether true or not, true mttyh becomes myth made true)became a model for life. The pattern has been repeated dozen's of times: find a worthy cause, draw a line, get massacred. I owe it all to this book. Get a copy if you can.

While the recent Texian Illiad by Stephen Hardin, and Stephen Harrigan's The Gates of the Alamo are both good reads (Gates of the Alamo sits on my nightstand, waiting its turn) that do much to shed both historical light on the battle, and dispel popular revisionist histories (the probably forged De la Pena's Diaries being the worst), Thirteen Days to Glory remains my sentimental favorite, the stuff that myths are made of, and fed.

It seems virtually impossible for anyone outside the USA to find any form of realistic guide to the best narratives or texts on American history by Americans.
Whereas English history, French history, Russian history, etc. etc. has its recognised 'authorities', US history seems to have a collection of 'pro' tradition or 'con' tradition writings.
Walter Lord's book 'A Time To Stand' may have its detractors and its supporters but in the simplest of terms it does actually tell the story of the siege of the Alamo including the build up and the aftermath. Further reading may be a good move for in depth study but this book gets the reader into the history itself with very little forced interpretation of possible fact or rumour or political spin.
For the non-USA reader who just want to know what happened it's a must.

I was pleased to find "A Time To Stand" in print again after many years. Although I've enjoyed every book of Walter Lord's I've read, and admit that he does his homework and strives to present the historical facts, I feel his writing tends to lean to the fluff and lacks bite. The historical subjects he has chosen to cover useually contain tragedy, (The sinking of the Titanic), and violence, (Pearl Harbor), yet his prose tends to be polite and fluffy, lacking the blood and guts of the bottom line that the events actually presented themselves in. It's almost as if there is a fictional writer in Lord screaming to be set free. Yet none of this subtracts from the hard hitting, factual research that is the nut of Lords work; he never fails to present the facts as they happened.

"A Time to Stand" was the first book about the Alamo I ever read (some forty years ago). With adrenalin still pumping after seeing the John Wayne film, I was desperate to know more. Now the adrenalin pumps every time I read this great book. Though other more recent books present more updated material, most "Alamophiles" agree that Walter Lord's version is the "Holy Grail" of all Alamo publications. Any person who reads other books on this subject, but fails to read "A Time to Stand", is getting only part of the story.

Along with The Holy Sabbath Morning by Bob W Dunbar (actually I think it does just about beat Dunbars novel into second place because of this novel's epic scope, and I didn't think that would be possible), this is the novel I have most enjoyed concerning the Alamo (and the Texas War of Independance). I myself am planning to write a novel about this very same period, but from a different angle and I hope it will be as good! This novel is wonderfully evocative of both time and place and the author has obviously done his research. Yet at the same time there is a very strong plot and well rounded characters. He refuses to take side in the conflict (Mexican versus Texian!)and presents an objective viewpoint - letting the characters - both historical and fictional speak for themselves. I have learnt a lot just by reading this novel, yet have been thoroughly entertained as well. The author obviously has a great knowledge of the times, and of diverse other subjects as well - including botany! An interesting caste of characters feature the historical ones of Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett & Travis vs Santa Anna, the fictional characters of Edward McGowan (the botanist!) and Mary Mott (and the subtle relationship which develops between them), and of course Mary's son Terrell whose first experience of love leads him to war. This book is a great page turner and the plot keeps you in suspense until the climactice finale (the Alamo!). I rate this book five stars and would thoroughly recommend it as THE NOVEL on the Alamo!

"The Gates of the Alamo" is a wonderful novel, one that I recommend with the greatest enthusiasm. Above all, the writing is superb. This is not a book that you can simply pick up and race through (which is not intended to sound discouraging) - every word simply counts for too much and, therefore, I found myself actually READING this book. Second, the fictional framework in which the author has enclosed this historical events of the Texas Revolution is compelling - certainly, a framework that is strong enough to stand on its own even without a famous historical backdrop. I cared about these characters, I followed the twists and turns of their adventures with deep interest, and at the end I cared about their fates with emotion. Third, as a reader who knew virtually nothing about the Alamo except that I am supposed to remember it, this book was a wonderful education about famous people and famous deeds. The author has removed the varnish from the legends and left behind a pleasant lesson that will stay with the reader for a long time.

Knowing that authors often read online reviews of their books by readers, I want to say to Mr. Harrigan that he is a fine novelist, possessed of the ability to describe people, places, and events with the eye of a sharp observer and the emotional insights of a careful student of humanity. You should be proud, sir, of your achievement here.

In short, anyone who is looking for a beautifully-crafted, compelling, and enlightening historical novel should grab "The Gates of the Alamo" and settle in for an absorbing experience.

The Gates of the Alamo is the most compelling fiction I have read in the past year. But don't be misled: the masterful weaving of well-researched historical fact into this drama makes it a virtual must for those studying the period. I have read reviews that treat the famous siege as the centerpiece of this story. But it is not. The real centerpiece is human emotion; the emotions of individuals and groups, colonists and armies, officers and soldiers. It tells the story, through the views of several key (though fictional) characters of the sweeping emotions that led two opposing factions to abandon any attempts to reconcile and to choose, instead, to prove their point by force. Yet, it is the story of these characters that compels you to read. You feel for them. You suffer with them. You want to shout at them to just open up to each other. You wonder how they or the actual people of those times could survive the deprivations they face.

It is a tragic story but also one that fills you with optimism over the indomitable spirit and endurance of such frail creatures as ourselves. The historic protagonists are all there, but only observed--sometimes kindly and sometimes unkindly. Only one of them, Travis' slave Joe, is allowed to make his own observations of the desperate situation.

I could not wait to see what happened to the central characters and yet, I did not want to see the book end. At nearly 600 pages, it took me surprisingly little time to get there--largely because I was so engrossed in the book that I used my free time for little else.

This immediately joined my list of my favorite reads of all time. Enjoy it and allow yourself to be moved by it. Whether or not you agree with the facts as they are represented, that is not the point of the book. When you finish, you will want to go back and read it again.

This is a very well-written book about the history of the famous Alamo mission in San Antonio. Roberts and Olson do a good job of telling about the background of the mission all the way from when it was built by Spanish missionaries until the past decades. The opening few pages show a side of the battle of the Alamo that is not often thought about. It opens with James Butler Bonham sitting on his horse looking down upon the besieged Alamo mission. What would have happened if he just rode away? Instead, Bonham rides into the Alamo with his message.

This book is very informative on everything Alamo. Ranging from Clara Driscoll to the de la Pena diary, John Wayne to Fess Parker, this book has it all. It also gives background on the Texas War of Independence from the Mexican Army's perspective as they march north to crush the rebellion. Very interesting and a good read for history fans and especially Alamo buffs. Visit the Alamo! It is well worth the trip.

The first half of "A Line in the Sand" gives a good overview of the history that led up to the famous siege of the Alamo from both the Mexican and Texas settler perspectives. The battle itself and its aftermath (the Texan victory at San Jacinto) are given a good overview as well. Along the way, the authors attempt to portray the battle for what it was, free of either liberal condemnations of the defenders as imperialisist or reactionary attempts to elevate the defenders to God-like status. The truth lies somewhere in the middle of the elevated rhetoric. The defenders made a galliant stand against an authoritarian despot, but they did so in defense of slavery among other things. Whatever else they may have been, the stand of Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Colenol Travis and the others remains unassailable as an act of bravery.

The second half of the book focusses on the history of the shrine since the battle. It covers preservation attempts and the lionization of the battle by such 20th Century luminaries as Walt Disney and John Wayne. The Alamo has become a powerful political symbol, a fact that was emphasized particularly during the Vietnam war.

All of this adds up to a fascinating and very well written book. The only flaw is that covers the first part too quickly, giving more of an overview than an in-depth history. Nevertheless it is still an informative and enjoyable read.

I tend to read a lot of historical nonfiction, and much of it seems to range from either well-intentioned but amateurish to, worse, underresearched to support a (not-so-well-) hidden agenda. On the other hand, this book is exceedingly well-researched and well-written, and caught me up in a reading frenzy like none since Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage." The first half of "A Line in the Sand" covers the events leading up to the fight at the Alamo in 1836 from both Mexican and Anglo perspectives, and paints both sides in a fairly honest and unsentimental light. It also does the two thing all nonfiction should do: It doesn't play favorites, telling both sides of the story with journalistic integrity, and it shows the event to be what most similar events inevitably are: a collision of ideals, fate, timing and personalities. Concentrating first on what happened immediately following the battle, through the hagiographic treatment of Crockett, Bowie and Travis, and finally to the view of these men and their actions in 1999, the latter half of the book shows, with a surprising yet believable spin, that a combination of the Cold War, Walt Disney's politics, John Wayne's patriotism and increasing multiculturalism have caused people to view this hourlong battle as everything from a defining moment in American history (even though Texas wasn't IN America at that point) to an attempt by Bowie, Travis and others to preserve slavery and racism. Compelling and very enjoyable book.

Wen Ho Lee reveals his lapses of stringent government security regulations not all at once, but in bitsize portions, saving the worst (the disposal of the computer tapes) for the end of the book. By his own admission, his behavior was questionable enough that he deserved to be diciplined and possibly fired from Los Alamos Labs. That said, there was no compelling reason to put Mr. Lee on trial for espionage, imprision him for nine months, harass his family, or besmirch his reputation as a loyal American - not unless you agree with Mr. Lee that his trial was based on the racial profiling of Asian scientists and on China bashing in general(either the PRC or Taiwan, take your pick).

This compelling personal account by Mr. Lee reveals how a national secruity investigation can be politicized to an obsurd degree where due process and justice are sacraficed to appease interests in Washington. However, this book is not about Washington but rather about the effects of a political witchhunt on a single American family of Chinese descent. In the end, you will respect Mr. Lee's strength of character, his daughters transformation into an advocate, and our country's legal system that in the end did the right thing. I found much to enjoy in this passionately read audio book.

This is an excellent book. Anyone that complains the FBI and DOE were unable to convict Dr. Lee because they botched the investigation never worked in the military defense industry. This was clearly a witch-hunt based upon the FBI's and DOE's need to scapegoat someone for leaks to Mainland China. Who better than a CHINESE American. Never mind he was from Taiwan.
Often, engineers and scientists that work in secure facilities are found to have copied secret documents or downloaded secret or confidential information for the sole purpose of trying to get their work done quickly and efficiently. Is it right? No. Is it misguided? Yes. Should they get in trouble? Yes. Does it usually result in jail time and charges of treason? No.
The Clinton administration needed to plug the security breach to the Chinese. They were embarrassed by the disclosure China had our secrets. Once they knew they had the wrong guy did they intervene? No, they couldn't. Politically they had been hurt by previous links of campaign funding from China. They couldn't be seen attempting to protect a Chinese "traitor" or even appear to go soft on him.
By allowing the witch-hunt to go on, the administration permitted an innocent man to go to jail. This is not unusual for the Clinton White House. They didn't just slaughter sacrificial lambs during their tenure; they dined on them with relish and the occasional fava bean.
What makes it worse is - I helped vote them in.
This is one situation where George Bush Senior would not have allowed the travesty to continue. As an ex-CIA man, he would have known this was bull____ at the outset and would have concentrated on finding the real source of the leaks.
Read this book and you will question governmental authority and news reporting. For this reason alone, it should be required reading in high school history curriculum.

This was the first book I've read in a long time that I couldn't put down. I completed it in two sittings. It is very disturbing to me that an ordinary American citizen can be incarcerated for 278 days and never have committed a crime. This book decribes Dr. Lee's view of what happened and how. The local FBI had determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Dr. Lee might be a spy, but the DOE persisted. His description of solitary confinement is upsetting and frightening. It's enlightening and terrifying, but at the same time, it creates respect for the American legal system and the lawyers who fight for justice.

In ATOMIC CITY Terry Rosen remembers his years of growing up in a small city like no other: Los Alamos, N.M. in the 1940s and '50s. In this place there were few "ordinary" people. The family friends were the likes of Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, James Tuck, and Robert Oppenheimer. The children of famous physicists, his playmates.

Yet Rosen is not a name-dropper. Instead he tells tales, often very funny, of boyhood pranks and adventures, like those of a Huck Finn or a Penrod, but set in a deeply serious place and time when the nuclear bomb was being developed and tested.

The scientific information is impressive but not overwhelming. Rosen explains clearly, but the thrust of the book is not technical: it is how it was to be a kid in this unique place, with a father who works long hours and an artistic mother who puts up with an active boy and his friends.

The juxtaposition of carefree childhood with the birth of the atomic bomb makes for a fascinating read.

The Atomic City gave some interesting insight into many of the great scientists of the day that only the author could give. It also provided strong argument on behalf of the United States having developed "the bomb." It was a truly pleasurable read. I only wish it had been longer. It provided far more insight as to what early Los Alamos was like than anything else I've read.

Terry Rosen has done an excellent job of describing the early days of Los Alamos, N.M., a city shrouded in secrecy for the first 14 years of its existence. He introduces the reader to a virtual Who's Who's of the greatest scientific minds not only of that day, but of the years which followed A-Bomb development.
A mix of anecdotes and explanations provide the reader with insight into the weapons development which became the Los Alamos trademark for many years along with follow-on projects which were far ahead of their time. The book provides a good overview of life in this most unique city, experienced by families which came from differing backgrounds to become part of a one-of-a-kind lifetime experience.