Interesting, but poorly edited: too many misspellings and grammatical errors detract from admirable account of author's travails in getting the movie made; her clear dislike of the film's director amounts to "telling tales out of school."

The film was successful; she would have been better off forgiving the director's derelictions and hiring a decent manuscript editor.

I think that this book should not have been rated on the basis of grammatical errors. It seems condescending and arrogant. It seems especially irrelevant when very good writers, including Jefferson, would occasionally mispell a few words.

I read the book and saw the movie, and I thought the first part of it, particulary the part relating to the alleged time spent in France, was excellent. I think she did a good job in completing what must have seemed an impossible task which could not have been easy from start to finish.

My only complaint, however, is that in relasing the movie within the desired time frame, there seemed to have been more of an allowance for the misrepresentation or elaboration of many of the facts.

While I do believe that Jefferson fathered these children, I think, the part of the movie depicting the alleged events upon the return to America was entertaining, but should have been researched more for accuracy with regard to the actual depiction of time, dates, and events.

Tina Andrews, in her book gives many reasons for her elaboration in dealing with various matters. But in depicting the life of such an important man as Thomas Jefferson, and especially in how he will be consequently viewed by young and impressionable minds from having watched the movie, I think respectfully, more time should have been devoted for a more accurate depiction.

I vaugely remembered Tina Andrews from her acting days. How she goes from being a contract performer on a soap opera to a movie writer and producer is a fascianting story. I'd buy the book for this alone. The struggle to make the Sally Hemmings mini-series is another remarkable tale. Although I think the actress playing Sally was miscast,(I collect books on Sally Hemmings and the actress looks nothing like the description given by both whites and former slaves of Sally) and the addition of the beating scene was unnecessary I enjoyed the mini-series. Ms. Andrews overcame huge odds to bring this story to the public. If you are interested in Sally Hemmings or if you are interested in how movies get made or if you want a glimpse of what it's really like to be black in Hollywood then check this book out.

It is a wonderful idea to make available recordings of great speeches. I hope we have more of this in the future.
In the case of older speeches, the selection is very good, considering the restraints of time, and the readers are uniformly excellent.
As for the modern speeches, it is a marvel of technology that we can hear these speeches as delivered. It is incredible that we can hear the voice of William Jennings Bryan. I can listen to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" a thousand times and never tire of it! How I wish I could listen to the voice of Patrick Henry! But this selection is too heavily weighted to the modern, and many of those do not deserve billing as the GREATEST speeches of ALL TIME. Also, some of the modern speeches which are included are abridged, e.g. Reagan is cut off in the middle of a sentence, while lengthy and undeserving speeches are played out in their entirety.
Also, with only a few exceptions, the selection is almost entirely American. It is hard to understand why Jimmy Carter's lengthy speech on energy policy is included, while Pericles' funeral oration is not; or why only a small portion of a single Winston Churchill speech is included; why while Bill Clinton's complete 1993 pulpit address, in excess of 20 minutes, is included.
It would be helpful if the complete list of speeches were available to online buyers, as it would be to shoppers in a brick and mortar store.

I have listened to this collection twice now, both times with pleasure. Hearing the acutal voices of Amelia Earhart, Rev. Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill and Neil Armstrong made a deeper connection than simply reading their words. The collection showcases different subjects and many times contrasts opposing viewpoints of the ideas. This volume is a fantastic introduction to the moving ideals and sometimes sad truths that have influenced Western Civilization.

In his final book, David Chandler attempts the impressive feat of rewriting a small part of Revolutionary War history. His style is very popular, and frequently fleshes out details to make them more real for the reader. His thesis -- that Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis & Clark expedition) was murdered in a conspircy that involved several great men, is necessarily stitched together with facts abetted by circumstantial evidence and conjecture.

It's hard not to like the spirit of the book. it's also hard to ignore that much of the author's case is undocumented and only partially substantiated by footnotes and specific historical detail. What he proposes may very well be correct. Certainly there's enough other interesting information here to make the read worthwhile. (His information on the details of period life is fascinating, like the informal early days of the White House.) One only wishes that the author would have had a chance to buttress is arguments.

One wonders why Meriweather Lewis is buried in a forlorn grave, out of public's sight, just off the Natchez Trace Parkway south of Nashville instead of Arlington Cemetary. Lewis was the John Glenn (the astronaut) of his day! Chandler, the author, broke historical ground in pulling together the intrigues of an intriguing era. The author persuasively shows the possible motives several powerful men may have had in quietly disposing of Lewis. It is significant that the only mention of Lewis being prone to melancholy (suicidal) was a statement by Jefferson. Great reading: International intrigue (Spain), a corrupt General of the Army (Wilkinson), frontier murder, and retired President concerned about his public legacy.

Best known as the author of All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren wrote this short (114 pages) book after Confederate President Jefferson Davis had his U.S. citizenship restored in 1979 during the Carter Administration, some nine decades after Davis's death. When this took place, Warren returned home to Todd County, Kentucky for a ceremony honoring Davis's posthumous reinstatement. As it turns out, Jefferson Davis, like Warren, was also a native of Todd County, and this book is Warren's memoir, a reflection on the ironic, sometimes sad life of the only president the Confederacy ever had. This rumination was so engaging I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting, captivated by the quality of story-telling and the poignant southern nostalgia it evoked.

This is a concise - 114 pages - but no less impressive and comprehensive look at Davis's life than some of the longer biographies out there. Warren, like Allen Tate before him, sees Davis as a great man but deeply flawed. He could quite possibly have won the War Between the States had he not been so rigidly dedicated to the principle of state's rights. He was too much the gentleman to do what was necessary. Lincoln, on the other hand, was a pragmatist, and had no qualms about suspending the constitution to achieve his means; he thought he was saving the Constitution by defying it!

A sad tale of greatness thwarted by principle. Warren composed this essay in honor of his fellow Kentuckian, whose U.S. citizenship had been restored that year - 1979 - by an act of Congress. Warren writes with verve, wit, humor, and insight.

Not unexpectedly Jefferson Davis is portayed in too heroic a light which dims the qualities he possessed. The book is written as a counterpoint to the villification Davis endured in the defeat of the Confederacy. More interesting than the testimonials to Jeff Davis's character are the pre-Civil War national and southern figures who swirl in and out of the Davis's lives. Also the book provides some insight from the slaveholders' view that the abolitionists were constantly harassing them with proposed legislation in the Congress. The book is a dry read, but I recommend to anyone interested in the pre-Civil War atmosphere. Craig Symonds's introduction errs in placing Beauvoir in Louisiana rather than rightfully in Mississippi.

These memoirs, written by a loyal, loving wife, incorporate numerous excerpts from documents of the period, along with correspondence and more objective remembrances, to portray the life and career of Jefferson Davis in a totally absorbing book. The reader, whatever his loyalty in regard to the tragic conflict of the Civil War, will come away with a deep respect for this remarkable man.

A well written story that I've passed on to another person. She read it and has since passed it on. Interesting and relevant. A fun story with a strong underlying theme.

An interesting book that effectively weaves description of people and places with understandable dialogue.Being a fan of Hemingway I personally like the short fiction that uses dialogue to tell a story. This book did a good job of doing that. The subject matter is very relevant and takes a diffferent but believable twist for fighting terroism. D.W.

This is an important book for persons involved with academic peer review in the medical field. Fiona Godlee from the British Medical journal and Tom Jefferson from the Oxford Cochrane Centre have edited with another 28 contributors from various parts of the world. The book has three main parts. In the first part peer review is described and how it contributes to the quality of medical research. The second part is a practical part with advice for reviewers and the third part looks into the future. The internet will be able to improve many aspects of peer review and also improve editorial quality with a more speedy publication, flexibility, more easy access worldwide and cost-benefits for the reader. Electronic publication can increase the number of reviewers in a more interactive way with authors and readers also interacting. The British Medical Journal is a good example of this new internet interaction. Peer review is a way of giving journal editors advice, which editors can accept or not, but it should provide the editors with a fair assessment of articles, prevent publications of errors and improve the quality of articles accepted for publication. It is also a way to give critical advice for authors, when revising their articles. Peer review is recommended for editors, editorial board members and reviewers involved with medical and allied publications and also persons involved with review of grant proposals.

Jefferson and Godlee have brought together an impressive team of authors and produced a thorough review of peer review in health sciences.

The book covers peer review from all conceivable angles - its history and future, its strengths and its considerable weaknesses. For me, the highlight of the book was the visit of Socrates. As ever, the old Greek exposed with a few choice questions the myths that make peer review such a powerful and sometimes damaging part of professional power.

My only gripe is that there is a degree of ovelap between the chapters, which might have been avoided.

There are some signs that the medical publishing community are already adopting a more scientific approach to editorial practice. This book can only speed up that process and let's hope the next edition of this book shows evidence of progress.

This Book explains the life of Thomas Jefferson. It starts out explaining how his father died when he was very young, leaving him the man of the house and with a lot of responsibilities. The book also explains how Jefferson always loved reading and decided that it would be good to go to college for law. He was the person who wrote the declaration of independence and was the secretary of state for George Washington. He also served two years as president himself and established the University of Virginia. The book also tells how upset Jefferson was when he lost his wife and daughter.
I liked this book because it told about Jefferson's life in a way that wouldn't bore children. It was really colorful and it was fairly easy to read. It is a book that children could pick up and really get into where as other biographies might just be boring and something children would only read when they had too.
I think that the message this author is trying to send out is just what an important person Jefferson was. It seems that he really wants children to be able to get into books with biographical context and not find the subject to be dull and boring. The book also has the pictures that really jump out at you which children really love.

Adler does a superb job in the "A Picture book of..." series. The book has lots of biographical information but presented in such a manner that young students will not be bored. Great illustrations on each page give little ones lots to look at while listening. The book concludes with a timeline of important dates. Good resource material for grades K-3 as an initial introduction to key people in US history.

Besides authoring the Declaration of Independence, serving as our third president, and founding a university, Thomas Jefferson said a lot of intelligent things, and 365 of the most eloquent and quotable are collected here. My only beef with this book is the organization of the quotes, which is for some reason "a saying per day" (e.g. May 6), when there is no hint that he made the statement on that day, or that there is any connection at all between the day and the quote. If it were a calendar pad with tear-off sheets, that would make more sense. In any event, the index enables you to find quotes by subject, and you may find yourself reading through the entire list, marking your favorites for later.

Nice little book displaying Jefferson's not-so kind views on contemporary Christianity and other religious mythologies. You aren't going to learn a bunch of stuff about Jefferson from this book, but its a nice source for sayings and quotations.

I thought that this book was very interesting. I always thought that Thomas Jefferson was a great man but I didnt know how great until I read this book. I liked how the other not only went in depth with his adulthood but childhood as well. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for information about U.S. history.

I thought it was very interesting. I knew that Thomas Jefferson was a great person but I didn't know how great until I read this book. I thought it was great how the author explained his childhood in depth along with his adulthood. I learned a lot from this book and I recommend this book to anyone looking to become more familiar with the history of the U.S.