I have a whole new respect for the First Cav and admire anybody who served in Vietnam in combat operations with them. Stanton clearly has done his homework. This one goes on my bookshelf as a keeper. I hope his other books are this good.

Stanton, who has been under an increasing cloud of late, is no rookie when it comes to military history in general or the history of the Vietnam War in particular. He begins by laying out his purpose for writing this work in his preface. He makes it clear that this will not be the ordinary divisional history where the author merely discusses every combat action of the division in the Vietnam War. Rather, Stanton intends this book as, ". . . a critical analysis of the mechanism and composition of the airmobile cavalry division." (ix) In order to accomplish his established goals, he devotes 5 chapters of this 12 chapter book to the conceptual and divisional evolution (Chapters 1-2), a study of the divisional structure (Chapter 10), an evaluation of the division's performance in Vietnam (Chapter 11), and the division's restructuring as an armor division in the early 1970s (Chapter 12). Stanton does not neglect to provide an overview of the division's operations, as the middle chapters (Chapters 3-9) are structured as a chronological examination of the division's operations in Vietnam.

Stanton is a solid writer who manages to both hold the reader's attention and make his points clearly and succinctly. 1st Cav in Vietnam is also well illustrated with both photographs (many of which are from the author's own collection) and, perhaps more importantly, maps. In addition, the author includes two useful appendices at the end of the book. The first appendix includes a list of the units which were assigned and attached to the division during its time in Vietnam. The second appendix details the divisional structure during the formation of the division. The author also includes a short bibliography of both the primary and secondary sources (which are of both a published and an unpublished nature) which were used in the writing of the work.

Many years ago I happened to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. As an anthropologist who worked in Asia and taught in Australia, I wasn't extremely familiar with Florida history, but I thought I knew something about the Indians. I had even spent a couple days on the Mikasuki reservation many years before then. Florida's native Americans were the Seminoles and Mikasuki, right ? Wrong ! I was stunned to learn of the true pattern on that fortuitous visit. By the 1760s, Florida's original population of some 350,000 had totally disappeared, the last few survivors dying as refugees in Cuba.

On a subsequent visit to Gainesville, a couple years ago, I bought Jerald Milanich's book, planning to get a more complete picture. I am very glad I did. This is a most excellent book, written for people who may not have professional backgrounds in archaeology, anthropology or history. The author hits just the right note. Everything is explained most clearly and readably. The twelve thousand year history that came to an end in the 18th century is traced through archeological discoveries. The great number of maps is a delight, while he includes some interesting photographs too. Milanich describes Florida as it must have been when the Spaniards arrived in the early 1500s. He tells of their efforts at exploration, colonization, at conversion, and their brutal repression of resistance, which coupled with wave upon wave of new diseases, almost completely wiped out Florida's native population. The French attempted briefly to colonize the area too. You will learn that "Florida" once extended up the Georgia coast into South Carolina. This area was known as Guale. For those of us reared on Anglo-centric American history, Milanich's book is an eyeopener. The life around the Spanish missions is depicted, the life that was destroyed finally by raids from the north by Carolina colonists, English forces, and allied Indians. These violent incursions, which brought thousands of Indian slaves to the Carolinas or sent them to be sold in the West Indies, finished the awful job of genocide. Florida is a land of ghosts. Today, amidst the urban sprawl and commercial mess of much of that state, nobody gives a thought to the Calusa, the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Jororo, the Tocobaga, the Mayaca, the Tequesta, and so many others, some whose very names may not survive. But when you paddle down one of those palmetto-lined rivers, past turtles and alligators, thrilled to see deer or otter, herons and ducks, or when you visit the former capital of Spanish Florida, St. Augustine, you might give a thought to the original Floridians. Florida is still dotted with archaeological reminders of them. Milanich has not neglected to tell us where. I suspect this is THE book on Florida Indian history.

Mr. Milanich has really outdone himself. His descriptions of the native Floridians and their interactions with Europeans is forthright, honest, and most of all backed with excellent research. This book is a great addition to anyone's library, especially if you're from Florida.

Mr. Brown goes a long way to test his theories. Recreating the articles of every day life was at times arduous and demanding, but his work was not in vain.
What I liked most was the practicality of the author. Instead of writing from the lofty towers of "academia" and pure theoretical knowledge, he and his small band of peers proves the discoveries and findings at archeological digs are based on real events, not some kooky theory. The people described did exist, and after reading this book they will become more real to you.
The knowledge gained from reading this book is immense and is time well spent.

This is the best book I've read on Florida's Paleo-Indians so far, not only for identifying pottery, tools (both shell & stone) and other artifacts, but the author's details on reconstructing the methods of creating and using the same, are wonderful. The photos and drawings of hundreds of different potsherds are alone worth the price of the book. At last I can not only identify the many pieces I have picked up over the last several years, but gain a greater understanding of the people who created them.

As a lay person (i.e. one who has never been in the military or in Vietnam), I found this book very exciting and educational. While those like me will struggle slightly with the military vernacular and acronyms, there is plenty of real life drama to keep you riveted. Kit Lavell does an excellent job in bringing the reader into the backseat of the amazing OV-10 as it flies missions in the Mekong Delta, all the while giving you an extremely detailed chronological account of this attack squadron from its conception to decommission. Anyone interested in war history will love this book, which uncovers an untold chapter of the Vietnam war. The Black Ponies are truly some of the unsung heroes of this controversial war. The testimonies of those who received life-saving support from these men are astounding. You can't help but be amazed by the capabilities of this unusual aircraft and the skilled pilots who "drove" them. As much as I enjoyed this book, I can only imagine that those with a military background and those who served in Vietnam (especially in the Mekong Delta) will appreciate it even more.

This is the story of Navy Light Attack Squadron Four. It began in the very late 60's and was decommissioned in mid 1972. It's mission was close air support and protection of the US and Viet Namese Navy's riverine forces/brown water navy, including the SEALS. It was started with odd looking but agile light aircraft borrowed from the Marines to fill a mission that jet aircraft and helicopters could not. The Navy had eliminated in the mid 60s the only aircraft that had been able to support these forces on the ground.

It provides historical data with foot notes that makes it valuable for students of the era and scholars. It has interspersed personal information and stories - funny and sad - from the author's recollection, interviews with persons involved, copies and originals of official documents, private letters, scripts and casette recordings done at the time by some of the subjects.

Some of the characters- real people- include the brave and the foolish, the disturbed, the failed, the reborn. One commanding officer is as classical a martinet as any in literature or history.

It reads well and the technical and military allusions always are accompanied by a subtle/parallel plain language description which makes it enjoyable for non-military readers.

For craft and reading pleasure it's remininscent of Flight of the Intruder and Hunt for Red October.

Its the best book out there on Laos. The information seems to be correct and comprehensive. It is easy to follow and extremly helpful. I like that it always says good things about every hotel and restaurant. I doesnt critizise or generalize which is good!
You pretty much now where you want to go, how to get there and enjoying it with the help of this book!
I stayed in Laos for 2 months and this book made my stay there a whole lot easier! In the end of my stay I had very little money and the "catalogizied" sections of "cheap places to stay or eat" really helped me to work out my economy. There is also sections for medium or pricy places too.
This book has it all!
Buy this book, you will be happy you did!!!

It is refreshing that a travel book plunges you into the details of getting you around and through country before providing the background information that may be on interest to the reader while en route. The authors have provided detailed maps of the major cities (four for Vientienne of different focus of detail), a suggested walking tour of Louang Prabang (along with illustrations of the types of house design to find there) and the names and addresses of many guest houses - especially important for Louang Prabang as the more modestly priced places tend to fill up quickly. The authors present a knowledgeable level of detail which makes the reader think that they have actually been to the places they describe. I have compared their maps of some of the smaller northern cities (such as Muang Sing) to those prepared by locals and there appears to be no major discrepancies. They are not totally comprehensive - they give no mention to the boat route to Louang Namtha from Huay Xai and short shrift to the boat route to Xieng Khok from Huay Xai - which is disappointing as Huay Xai is one of the major entry points to Laos. The map at the end is not particularly detailed and is missing some small but interesting towns. The strengths of this book far outweigh these minor flaws and I look forward to the next edition.

If you're a bargain hunter, Born to Shop Hong Kong is a must! Almost every one of Suzy's recommendations are stellar. She makes it easy for you to find those one of a kind treasures to bring home-at discount prices. The book groups stores in geographical areas and provides easy to follow maps so you save time. For those who get tired of shopping, she offers unique sightseeing tips such as the Opera singers at Temple market. The restaurants she recommends are frequently entertaining in themselves, such as the one with a doctor who prescribes a meal based on your health. She's a friendly, funny writer with honest reviews of merchants. Her advice on avoiding tourist traps will save you time and money. I was in Hong Kong alone but felt like I had a friend along in Suzy's book. Suzy takes you places the average tourist would never experience. My sister, a flight attendant who just moved from Hong Kong and a co-worker who leads trips to the area had not been to many spots I visited-thanks to Suzy. "Born to Shop" has specific transportation advice on reaching your destination, includes conversion charts and it's a perfect purse size with a stain resistant plastic cover! She thought of everything. I'm going to France next and you can be sure I will buy Born to Shop Paris.

This book was my bible for 10 days in H.K. Not only were all the shopping recommendations right on, the hotels, especially The Conrad, and resturants were all excellent recommendations. Now what Suzy needs to do is write a book for the rest of China!

This was the first book I bought to get ready for my trip to Nepal. I have not gone on that trip yet, but after reading this book I felt ready to tackle any travel encounters that may come my way. This book has extensive travel information to Nepal, dozens of phone numbers and up-to-date internet URL's related to Nepal and travel needs, as well as good information about hotels, restaurants, sights, you name it. This is a fantastic book to start out with if you are planning on visiting Nepal, and the price here is much less than what I paid for it at B&N. Happy traveling!

The evaluations of activities were accurate, and the helpful hints on planning really helped us optomize our trip. When you use this guide, you'll imagine that the author is really there with you.

This is an amazing book - rich in detailed information about the art of Gamelan Gong Kebyar. The 2 discs included with the book and the transcriptions of the various gamelan compositions help make kebyar very approachable for a gamelan neophite. Tenzer did an unbelievable job putting this together, and is in my mind the most interesting book on the subject to be found. A must have!

Michael Tenzer has written a dense and thrilling work on a stunning, vital musical tradition. The text is written for persons with solid background in musical compositon and ethnomusicology, but within those arcane fields this book is a real find. Carefully written and insightful, this book is a godsend for those looking for possible ways out of late 20th century compositional ennui. Highly recommended.

In this book, Dr. McKelvey wrote a detailed and intimate account of the South Vietnamese military officers' fates after the end of the Vietnam War.

The message is troublesome but not surprising: the military personnel were rounded into re-education camps and suffered untold tragedies from humiliation, torture, mental degradation to physical impoverishment within a communist prison system. The majority of the officers were jailed from ten to fifteen years; one officer was detained for a total of 22 years.

While 70,000 former political inmates and their families were allowed to immigrate to the U.S. through the ODP (Orderly Departure Program), many more are still living on the fringes of the Vietnamese communist society. A former major drives a pedicab for a living. In this McKelvey's book, we heard the voices of a doctor, a tailor, a politician, an engineer, a spy, a pilot, and a teacher. They all endured "grueling and unforgiving ordeals that only the strongest would have survived." Family members were ostracized for being related to the political prisoners; their wives suffered uncounted financial, emotional, physical hardships, their children barred from a decent education.

The book is one of the few that deal with the long-term psychological effects of the incarceration on the inmates and the sufferings of their relatives.

The author concludes that: 1) War does not end when peace treaties are signed because the negative rippling effects of war and destruction affect many generations to come. 2) The U.S. should be very careful about intervening militarily in any part of the World. 3) The U.S., if it does go to war, cannot simply abandon friends and allies to the mercies of common enemies.

I am a student from Vietnam and now studying in the U.S. I chanced to read this book in our university library. Thanks the AUTHOR for an insightful book.

In fact, my family background was 'clean' in the eyes of our government because my parents were not involved in any military service for the former government. But I have friends whose family situations were exactly the same as those portrayed in the book. I must say those are incredible human sufferings, and not only for one generation. I am glad some of those stories are now heard, perhaps a bit late but still, better than never.

Here's a life-time lesson for me (and perhaps some others): no matter how and what communists tell you, don't hastily believe them. Just look at what and how they do, and you'll see it for yourself. For many of them, human dignity and lives are trivial and cheap.

If you have ever speculated that governments are largely irrelevant and that corporations really run the world, you're right! Money does make the world go around.

Dr Christopher Reynolds in his dense (but readable) book "Global Logic; the Challenge of Globalisation for Southeast Asian Business" explains the Asian economic crisis of 1997-1998 and offers highly cogent suggestions of how the economic interests of Southeast Asia might improve their lot using organic, culturally sensitive strategies. His research is well supported by statistical analysis and the text is organized and concise. The glossary of acronyms in the front of the book was a boon - I found myself referring to it frequently. Some of the implication of Global Logic are slightly distressing; that the global economy is a house of cards largely built on speculation, not on product, save for rapidly diminishing natural resources. Other implications are reassuring; we are in transition from an era dominated by industry to one governed by the brokering of information. Why shouldn't Sri Lanka lead the world in software technology?

Although Global Logic was written to address the problems and possibilities of Southeast Asia, there are also connotations for the rest of the developing world. With the prospect of a new Cold War looming large over the Middle East, the suggestions presented in Global Logic for establishing a balance of trade and financial interdependence, indeed economic self-determination, might make the difference for a developing nation on the brink of being marginalized. This would also apply to the nations of Africa and to the Eastern Block states. A must-read for anyone interested in economics or development.

-Jane Mc Manigill

This book enables me to understand more about the Asian business landscape. I was told that Globalization is a buzzword in the Asian countries and I read a lot about what globalization is and how Asian companies should go globalize from newspapers and periodicals. The beauty of this book is that it goes into depth on how companies should response to globalization and what are the challenges that the Asian companies would face in the midst of globalization. If you are business owner or executive who is keen to start your business in the Asian countries or a student studying business strategies, this book is certainly a must have!