Book Description
Praise for The Book of Entrepreneurs' Wisdom "A great tool, not just for entrepreneurs,but for anyone trying to improve their business skills. It sure would have been nice to have had this book twenty-three years ago!" -Jim McCann, President, 1-800-Flowers Pearls from The Book of Entrepreneurs Wisdom "The secret to success: Plunge into the uncomfortable, push, or be lucky enough to have someone push you, beyond your fears and your sense of limitations." -Barry Diller "I sometimes feel like I'm behind the wheel of a racecar. I need to keep my eyes on the horizon, but I also need to keep my attention on the rear-view mirror to see who's gaining on me." -Steve Case "A business which starts off quickly, makes money at once, and seems to be in every respect a gold mine, often does not last long." -Harvey Firestone "Did I want to risk an embarrassing and costly failure? Absolutely." -Michael Bloomberg
Customer Reviews:
an excellent book on entrepreneurship.......2006-06-24
Peter Krass has compiled 50 essays by different spectacularly successful entrepreneurs, among them Barry Diller, Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Harvey Firestone and Steve Case, in which they share lessons they learned in their life the hard way.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone thinking about a career as an entrepreneur, and to any parents wishing to plant the idea of being an entrepreneur in their children's' heads.
Go for it! And then do it!.......2000-11-25
Peter Krass has edited the Wisdom Series series which includes this volume. Each anthologizes brief essays by various executives who are most highly regarded as leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, etc. Following an insightful Introduction, Krass provides a brief bio of each author which precedes her or his essay. Here we have "classic writings by legendary entrepreneurs" whose essays are organized by Krass as follows:
Part I: The Start-Up [eg Michael Bloomberg, Kim Polese, and Doris Drucker]
Part II: The Maverick Element and Other Qualities [eg Warren Avis, Andrew Carnegie, and Mark McCormack]
Part III: Venture Capital, LBOs, and Going Public [eg Tom Monaghan, Conrad Hilton, and Henry R. Kravis]
Part IV: Risk and Strategy [eg Richard Branson, Dave Thomas, and Steve Case]
Part V: Inventors Turned Entrepreneurs [eg Henry Ford, Steven P. Jobs, and Benjamin Franklin]
Part VI: Branding. Image, and Selling [eg Howard M. Schultz, John H. Johnson, and P.T. Barnum]
Part VII: Entrepreneurial Management [eg Alfred C. Fuller, Debbi Fields, and Anita Roddick]
Part VIII: Personal Stories [eg Herman W. Lay, Kenneth H. Olsen, and Samuel Goldwyn]
Krass has done a brilliant job of selecting and then organizing the 54 essays, many of which are otherwise unavailable or virtually inaccessible. (For example, Doris Drucker's "Mrs. Drucker Starts a Business." Yes, she is the wife of that Mr. Drucker.) If you enjoyed reading this book as much as I did, I urge you to check out each of the other volumes in the Wisdom Series, also published by John Wiley & Sons.
Wisdom from the worldýs leading entrepreneurs.......1999-12-22
This book is a collection of 50 essays and speeches by the world's leading entrepreneurs-from the past to the present.
Barry Diller, Michael Dell, Richard Branson, and Phil Knight are among the successful entrepreneurs who share their best advice and strategies in the pages of this book. Filled with insights on a wide variety of entrepreneurial issues, the book discusses such topics as how to set and meet personal goals, how to create the right image for your company, problem solving, generating ideas, going public, and effective management. Editor Peter Krass introduces each selection and provides interesting and relevant background information on each entrepreneur. He also highlights significant comments and advice from each entrepreneur.
This book features each entrepreneur's ideas in his/her own words. Informative and inspiring, this book will appeal not only to entrepreneurs, but to all general business readers.
Peter Krass is an author and editor. He is the editor of The Book of Investing Wisdom, The Book of Leadership Wisdom, and The Book of Business Wisdom (all available from Wiley).
Reviewed by Azlan Adnan. Formerly Business Development Manager with KPMG, Azlan is currently Managing Partner of Azlan & Koh Knowledge and Professional Management Group, an education and management consulting practice based in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysian Borneo. He holds a Master's degree in International Business and Management from the Westminster Business School in London.
Truly makes you realize you can do it.......1999-11-27
This book is a fantastic accounting of many famous business owners and their stories. It shows the would be business owner that through hard work, dedication, and commitment, dreams and goals can be reached.
Book Description
The Year of Four Emperors, so the ancient sources assure us, was one of the most chaotic, violent, and frightening periods in all Roman history. It was a time of assassinations and civil war, of armies so out of control that they had no qualms about occupying the city of Rome, and of ambitious men who ruthlessly seized power only to have it wrenched from their grasps. In 69 AD, Gwyn Morgan offers a fresh look at this period, based on two considerations to which insufficient attention has been paid in the past. First, that we need to unravel rather than cherry-pick between the conflicting accounts of Tacitus, Plutarch and Suetonius, our three main sources of information. And second, that the role of the armies, as distinct from that of their commanders, has too often been exaggerated. The result is a remarkably accurate and insightful narrative history, filled with colorful portraits of the leading participants and new insights into the nature of the Roman military. A strikingly vivid account of ancient Rome, 69 AD is an original and compelling account of one of the best known but perhaps least understood periods in all Roman history. It will engage and enlighten all readers with a love for the tumultuous soap opera that was Roman political life.
Customer Reviews:
A Question of Sources.......2007-10-19
69 A.D. is a narrative of violent deeds -- murders, betrayals, warfare, decadence, all the stuff of the Roman Empire on the silver screen -- as the suicide of Nero was followed by the rise and fall of three remarkably unattractive Emperors, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, all in the space of less than a year. The narrative concludes with the advent of Vespasian, essentially the second founder of imperial stability. If you are reading this book for gory diversion, however, you will be mildly disappointed. Gwyn Morgan is not a breath-taking stylist but rather an earnest academic historian. The real interest in this book is historiographical, that is, the important question of what uses to make of historical sources, especially synchronic literary accounts of events, and how to confirm or contradict such sources. In this case, the chief source is the Roman historian Tacitus; 69 A.D. is centrally a study of the reliability of Tacitus for understanding events that shaped the whole future of the Roman Empire and thus the modern world. A serious book for serious thinkers about history!
great read.......2007-06-27
The author demonstrates her skill as a historian but also demonstrates wonderful writing abilities.
This is a great read
The Leading Authority on Tacitus Has His Say.......2007-06-10
This is an excellent and very well written description and analysis of the tumultuous events of 69 AD. Morgan gives life to the personages and events of that year, and is so familiar with the actors on this stage that his strong likes and dislikes are evident. In the appendix is an outstanding essay of the Roman sources. Morgan relies almost exclusively on literary evidence and seems to feel that coins are not very significant as a source. He neglects the fact that while we do not know if the reverses are descriptive or prescriptive, they do tell us what the Romans thought was significant. Morgan also seems to hold the previous studies,such as the excellent "The Long Year 69 AD" by Kenneth Wellesley in contempt; dismissing much of what he says of the battles of Cremona because of Wellesley's military background!
This raises the first of my two stong objections to this book. Morgan's understanding, appreciation and analysis of military affairs is wanting. "Strategy as we understand it had not been invented." Morgan says on page 81; asserting that the Romans had no concept of strategy. He discusses the dual column Vitellian assault on Italy without explaining the obvious reason why they used two columns or the Vespesianic strategy in Northern Italy, and the Othonian naval strategy. Morgan also argues that ancient battles were "formulaic"; and ignored terrain considerations! In addition he argues that the legions were already "Germanized" in dress and armament by 69 AD; other authorities place this 300 years later!
Finally, he is disengenuous on what he calls "the secret of the empire" issue (Tacitus History I,4). This is the "discovery" by the armies that emperors could be made outside of Rome. He rebutes this by arguing that for the following century the succession was peaceful. Yet, this begs the issue. Tacitus and his contemporaries certainly believed that field armies could and would raise up candidates for the purple; and this would be the pattern for much of the period 180 t0 476 AD.
I recommend strongly that students of the civil war of 69 AD consult the superb militay analysis: "The Roman Empire Order of Battle for the Civil Wars 68-70 AD by Michael Lane published by the Society of Ancients.
3 losers 1 winner.......2007-02-12
The period of history is fascinating. However, the author was very long winded about describing the period. The author spends to much of the time recounting ancient historians and their views. The author could have made this period come to life a little bit more with energy.
End of an era.......2006-11-06
The author researches and analyses this difficult and chaotic year in roman history by relying mostly on the writings of Tacitus, without disregarding other sources. The book is a scholarly and clear explanation how and important shift in governance came to pass, when a divided and powerless senate and a discontent pretorian guard had to cede decisionmaking to the legions stationed outside of Rome herself and rule by soldier-emperors ensued
Book Description
"...unfolds with masterly skill the tale of the conflict and intrigue of this critical time of transition from the Julio-Claudians to the Flavian Emperors....The excellent and compelling narrative is enriched by a wealth of background...." -- Times Educational Supplement on the previous edition br br After the death of the infamous Nero in AD 68, the Romans might have hoped that AD 69 would usher in a new era of peace and stability. It was not to be! Before January was out, the new emperor, Galba, had been brutally assassinated, and the next two successors to the imperial throne, Otho and Vitellius, were to meet equally violent ends. This period of turmoil also saw two desperate battles at Cremona, the capture of ROme for Vespasian - fourth and final emperor of the year - and a civil war in Italy which shook the farthest reaches of the Empire. br br Kenneth Wellesley's gripping acount combines an elegant and exciting narrative with sound, meticulous scholarship based on his intimate knowledge of the i Histories /i of Tacitus. Now with a new Introduction by Barbara Levick, the book will once more be welcomed as the standard work on this turbulent period in Rome's imperial past.
Customer Reviews:
One Year, Four Emperors, Two Civil Wars.......2006-02-11
It was a foregone conclusion that Nero had to go; but once he was gone, too many candidates for his office were willing to risk everything to take his place. So when the aged Servius Sulpicius Galba ascended to the imperium in A.D. 68, almost immediately two schemers went to work bent on overthrowing him.
In Rome, there was Marcus Salvius Otho, who was not only a good friend to the deposed Nero, but either husband or lover of Poppeia before she became empress. According to author Kenneth Wellesley, "He wore a wig, put scent on his feet and on the march to Rome it was suspected that he studied his appearance in a mirror, like an actor in his dressing room. No, it was little use having inherited power from Nero if this were to pass to Otho." Farther north along the Rhine was Aulus Vitellius, commander of the legions of Lower Germany, described as "a lethargic but noble nonentity."
Otho cozied up to the Pretorian Guard regiments and offered them a bonus if thy helped him assassinate Galba, which they did. Around the same time, Vitellius send two armies under Caecina and Valens to make his claim to the throne. That gave Otho a few months to cobble together an army from the Pretorians and other nearby legions.
The armies met at the First Battle of Cremona in Northern Italy on April 13, A.D. 69. When the result went against him, Otho committed suicide; and Vitellius began his march to Rome from his safe position in Gaul.
In July of the same year, Titus Flavius Vespasianus (usually referred to as Vespasian) -- being none too happy at Otho's usurpation -- declared himself emperor from Alexandria, Egypt, not knowing that Otho was already history. An able soldier in his sixtieth year, Vespasian had had an illustrious career and was a natural for the job.
Once Vespasian put out the word, Antonius Primus, commander of the VII Galbiana Legion on the Danube, jumped into the fray by invading Veneto with several other legions from the Balkans. He fought his way through Northern Italy to, of all places, Cremona, where he met the army of Vitellius and defeated it handily at the Second Battle of Cremona in October of the same year This time, hoever, Vitellius was not quite so obliging as Otho and continued to try drumming up support as Antonius moved south. Note that, at this time, the main body of Vespasian's army from Asia under Mucianus had not yet arrived in Italy.
Eventually, Antonius Primus wore Vitellius' forces down, and he was forced to abdicate. What happened next is one of history's little ironies: His Pretorian Guards wouldn't accept Vitellius's abdication. So in the resulting confusion, some of Vespasian's troops hunted him down and killed him.
Years ago, I had read Cornelius Tacitus' THE HISTORIES, which covers the events of this year very adequately, with the slight prejudice of one who was an adherent of the Flavian dynasty founded by Vespasian. Wellesley improves on Tacitus by his occasional flashes of wit, such as this comment on Verginius Rufus: "For the rest of a long life he dined out on the glory acquired by doing nothing and calling it patriotism." More substantively, he does an excellent job of describing the Barbarian incursions occasioned by so many of the Roman frontier forces involved in fighting two civil wars in the space of a single year.
On the negative side, this book needed not only more maps, including at least one each of the City of Rome and the full extent of the empire, but better maps. For example, the two illustrating the Battles of Cremona are all but useless.
I recommend Wellesley's THE YEAR OF THE FOUR EMPERORS to aficionados of Roman history. Neophytes beware, as the book does require some previous background in the subject.
An enjoyable read of a fascinating year.......2005-07-03
Being an avid reader of Roman history, I find myself picking up new books with some trepidation. Will the author(s) provide new information and insights? How will they treat past ancient historians such as Tacitus and Livy? How will the tale unfold, chronologically or grouped by topic? But most importantly, will it entertain or bore me? Fortunately, Wellesley's "The Year of the 4 Emperors" is a fascinating and interesting read covering the fall of Nero in 68AD to the rise of Vespasian in the beginning of 70AD and all the subsequent battles and intrigues that occurred between those 2 dates around the selection of an Emperor (Principate actually) to govern Rome and the known civilized world. What was most challenging after the death of Nero (and subsequently the end of the Julio-Claudians line which had ruled Rome since Augustus) was how the successor was going to be chosen. Since Augustus never came out and pronounced himself as Emperor (his powers derived from the legal "Republican" positions granted to him by the Senate), there was in-fact no legal rules established for the selection of a new Emperor beyond adoption (which Nero failed to do). And since the Senate had long since forgotten "how" to govern Rome, it only made sense to them to select a new Emperor and continue the political status-quo. This they did by selecting a new Emperor, Galba, which ended up spawning a civil war when powerful legions decided that they too deserved a say in the final decision. In the end, there would be 4 Emperors selected, some who were directly involved in the planning and battles to others who stayed far away from them. Wellesley's provides a clear and concise chronology of the events in 69AD from the first proclamation to the last battle. In it he describes the reluctance of the legions to attack one-another, the senate's feebleness, the power of the Praetorian Guards and the ambivalent nature of the population rapidly siding with the current power to be. He looks at the different influencers from within, the timely loyalty changes and the strategies and plans that were set into motion in that year. He also clearly analyses Tacitus' works, which made up the bulk of his research, and provides insights and perspectives into places Tacitus left blank. From Rome to the Rhine, from Judea to Spain, every part of the Empire was involved in the selection of a new Emperor whether through proclamation or by providing legions for the battles ahead. Overall, a very enjoyable and lively book of a year that marked the rise of the legions in directly selecting an Emperor thus marking the next political transition of the Roman Empire.
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Lighthouse: Year 2 Purple - The Jade Emperor and the Four Dragons (Lighthouse)
Manufacturer: Heinemann Educational Books - Primary Division
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Selections from Tacitus' Histories I-III Teacher's book: The Year of the Four Emperors : Handbook (Cambridge Latin Texts)
Cornelius Tacitus , and
Peter V. Jones
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Reeling & Writhing
Candida Lawrence
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Change of Circumstance
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Fear Itself
ASIN: 1878448609 |
Customer Reviews:
funny, scary, powerful.......2005-05-06
This book deserves to be much better known and widely read. The author describes the early years of her life, her attempts to realize her own strengths, and most particularly her battles to claim a life of her own (and care of her two children) from an imperious and controlling husband and a prejudiced legal system . The style is deceptively simple but the tone of the book ranges from charming and funny to harrowing and scary, and the impact is often deeply moving.
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Czech Republic: Toward Eu Accession : Main Report (World Bank Country Study)
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ASIN: 0821345907 |
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The Basics Of Oil Spill Cleanup
Merv Fingas
Manufacturer: CRC
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Book Description
Constant media attention on oil spills has created global awareness of their risks and the damage they do. Often under-reported is the average cost of the cleanup - often as high as $200 per liter of oil spilled. Oil is a necessity in today's industrial society, and since our dependence on it is not likely to and any time soon, we will continue to have spills. This indispensable reference supplies the information required to proceed with cleanup efforts immediately. The revised and expanded edition of a bestseller, Basics of Oil Spill Cleanup, Second Edition provides the tools for remediating the on-and off-shore oil spills that can threaten sensitive coastal habitats. The Second Edition includes a new chapter highlighting the effects of oil on the environment and wildlife and a glossary of technical terms. After reading it, you will understand the different techniques required based on the type of oil spilled and the environmental circumstances involved in the spill. Whether large or small, no oil spill is insignificant. They create far-reaching environmental problems -always a public relations nightmare. Don't wait until you have an emergency to go hunting for a solution. Prepare yourself - and your organization - with Basics of Oil Spill Cleanup, Second Edition.
Book Description
In this brilliant, funny, gossipy and revealing memoir, full of great stories and even better advice, one of America's most beloved and popular show business figures shares the story of his "retirement" years, in which he made billions and became an even bigger celebrity.
Customer Reviews:
Did Not Serve in WWII.......2005-01-04
While more than 400,000 of his peer group were killed (and another 786,301 wounded), he states that he missed out on WWII because he was in the "4F" category (i.e., physically unfit).
He then goes on to make hundreds of millions of dollars during the next forty years, thus benefiting directly from those who paid the price for his freedom, yet writes about absolutely NOTHING that he did, is doing, or will do, for veterans?!
It's a shame.
As the young men at Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Midway, and other locations 'died young' so that MG could make more money, he, as well as our other philantropists, should be dedicating at least HALF of their net worth (and estates) to the VETERANS (their families, and health care) who made it all possible.
Prosperity, comfort, and standard of living in the USA are just as simple as that: VETERANS made it possible for you, for your life. MG and others who never 'served in uniform': Don't you be among the Ungrateful Swine, who profited but show no appreciation for the extreme, ultimate sacrifices of others on your behalf ... Show you appreciate the vets in a CONCRETE way ($$$)... especially as philanthropists and as your legacy in history. Which way do you want yourself and your family name to be remembered, in all your 'bio's' in the end?
Will MG forever be remembered as a 'Club Singer' or something more?
A DOWN-HOME SCION.......2003-08-04
I have always enjoyed Merv Griffin and watched many of his TV shows. This autobiography tells about many of his achievements and a few failures. Merv's attitude is always on the bright side and I believe that is why he is so successful. Bravery and risk taking is part of the mix, but relationships are his strong points and he has many interesting stories to tell. A fun read.
GREAT TALES AND CHATTER ... UNTIL THE LAST CHAPTER.......2003-01-23
Like the man who "wrote" it (he had help from co-author David Bender), Merv Griffin's "Making the Good Life Last" is an entertaining, conversational confection chockfull of stories and anecdotes about his life in show business. This book is, in many ways, a sequel to Merv's best-selling autobioraphy of a couple of decades ago. "Good Life" picks up when that tome left off, with Merv reinventing himself as a businessman and, eventually, as one of the world's richest men. There are great Tallulah tales, and delightful stories about Al Pacino, Vanna White, Orson Welles, Clint Eastwood, Cary Grant, Lucille Ball, Eva Gabor, Nancy and Ron, Donald Trump, Ted Koppel and Errol Flynn ... who Merv met while the actor was nude. "Now how shall I put this?" Merv muses. "I think it's fair to say that Flynn brandished a sword both on and off the screen." It's all warm and witty and cozy chatter from someone who feels like a friend. Until the last chapter. There, Merv starts to spout off about how much money he has ... not in dollar amounts, but in boastful brags. There's too much talk about buying jets, yachts, hotels and casinos, of building this house and that house (with "house" sometimes meaning "ranch" or "compound"), of having marble and tile imported from across the world, of collecting horses and priceless art works by French Impressionists and Colorists, of having an associate deposit a check for $273 million ("the interest alone was $50,000 a day"), when most senior citizens at the same bank that day were depositing their monthly Social Security check for "$400 or $500 at most." This is when Merv needs to be tuned out and turned off. "Making the Good Life Last" is good ... until the last drop.
Book Description
As the war-fleets of the Imperium prepare to launch themselves on a crusade into the very heart of Chaos, Rogue Trader Maynard Rugolo seeks power and riches on the fringe worlds of this terrifying insane realm.
Customer Reviews:
Not up to par for WH40K novels........2007-05-30
For some reason I just wasn't enthralled by this story as I have been with other WH40K titles I've read. A number of things about this book didn't settle well with me. Deviating from some of the history and standards set up for the WH40K world is somewhat annoying but ultimately a minor complaint. My primary gripe has to do with Bayley's writing style. A number of times I found myself loosing interest and forgetting what I had just read half way through paragraphs. I blame this on the writing, with sentence structure and wording not flowing very smoothly, resulting in a broken feeling. This was somewhat surprising for me because Bayley is a fairly accomplished author. Maybe I had too-high expectations because of that. Regardless, this in addition to the many editorial mistakes, resulted in a much less-enjoyable read.
The story is made up of three separate storylines that all come together at the very end of the book. The primary one follows a rogue trader on his quest to find rare and valuable merchandise in worlds surrounding the Eye of Terror (some sort of gateway into the Warp). Another focuses on a couple of chaos daemons and their plans to attack the Empire. The third follows the somewhat crazy-seeming commander of a naval battlefleet who wishes for glory and plans an invasion of the Warp. These three complex storylines include a number of very interesting characters and places that should have lead to a very interesting read. Unfortunately, it seems Bayley bit off more than he could chew with so many different things going on at the same time that the end result is a confusion of highly unlikely events taking place all the same time and an ending that leaves you off right where you started. Bayley's view of the Emperor and his power contradicts that of other authors. Tech-adepts fixing mechanical problems of warp engines by simply painting archaic symbols and reciting prays to the Emperor just doesn't feel right. Also, his portrayal of the Empire as a rather weak and extremely bleak consortium is unappealing.
Maybe I'm a bit too harsh on this one, but IMHO its not really worth your effort.
A competant variation minor work on WH40K theme.......2005-06-24
I'd actually have liked to give it 3.5 stars, as this is better than 3 stars yet not quite four stars. IMHO this is the next best novel in the WH40K universe, second only to Ian Watson's excellent standard-setting INQUISITOR and SPACE MARINE. In case anyone is not familiar to the WH40K universe theme, the future of mankind in the forty-first millenium is a galactic human empire beset on all fronts by demon infestation (''Chaos''). The Emperor is some sort of psychic god on earth - half-dead, conscious only by din of sheer force of willpower sustained by technology - presiding over a huge Theocratic empire spanning lightyears, the ecclesiastical structure employing deadly force and ruthless subterfuge to protect human race against being overwhelmed by demonic contamination. Imagine the Spanish Inquisition ruling a galactic empire. The imaginative vista is panoramic, sweeping and jaw-dropping. The opportunities for good yarn-spinning is enormous:- this is a cross between the Spanish Inquisition and Isaac Asimov's galactic empire, only this time the Inquisitors are the good guys trying to keep humanity, well, human. The opportunities for good yarn-spinning is enormous, and Ian Watson and Barrington J Bayley carries off the story-telling challenge with great polish and panache. I generally enjoy WH40K stories immensely, and Ian Watson and Barrington J Bayley are IMHO two of the best WH40K authors to see the light thus far. Go for it! You'll be hugely entertained.
Best wh40k book out there.......2003-07-25
A very original story that describes chaos in a very interesting and colorful way; From its followers to its worlds and artefacts. While reading you get the impression that too many new story lines are established to deal with in a single book, but in the end it all comes together. It deals with the lowliest imperial and choas servants upto the mightiest demons, and even the emperor himself!
The great eye of terror........2003-04-03
The great eye of terror is 3 individual stories that entre twine for a great twist finally. Like Space Wolf, this book is a WH40K exception, it can be appreciated by someone who doesnýt know what Terra is, to the hard core fan, who know what kind of plant Ragnar Blackmane smoke.
Itýs a great way to discover the WH40K universe. The book will show the way of life of the peoples behind the scene of the war in the WH40K universe. It also has a humorist touch (like Space Wolf) that makeýs it fun and enjoyable to read, and the suspense will make you read the book at 3 am, when you should be sleeping, but you wont be able to, since the book is all whatýs on youýre mind.
Some ýreal bigý fans are complaining about a few choices the author made that is not ýrespectingý the WH40K universe to the hair. I would like to say that the WH40K universe is fiction and flawed to begin with, why are they giving a hard time at the author for his personal touch the WH40K universe. It is fiction, but for these fans itýs real life, and they see a little modification, and it shake theyýre faith in the great WH and they donýt like this.
But for anyone who know the difference between life and fiction, itýs a nice and enjoyable novel, I highly recommend it to peoples looking at buying their first novel, along with Space Wolf.
Something Very Original!.......2002-11-24
This is a great read. The story doesn't follow the Warhammer universe perfectly BUT it is Warhammer that is very original and very fun to read. It has more subtle depth then most Warhammer stories. If you aren't careful you'll miss the point that different people living their own lives totally seperate from each other can still effect each other and events around them through what seems like totally random action-with little nudges from Chaos and the Emperor that is. That gives it a random feel as though it is a bunch of short stories tossed together. However it all makes sense in the end if you are paying attention. Manipulations within manipulations. The author does a great job of living up to that.
Book Description
Charles Mee believed in God, family, and his future. But when he collapsed one night at a school dance, his dreams began to vanish. In a narrative at once funny and profound, Mee brilliantly captures the era in which polio, not communism, was every North American parents nightmare. A story both of a child with a potentially fatal disease and to the man whose recognition of himself as a disabled outsider has heightened his gifts as a storyteller.
Customer Reviews:
This could have made a very interesting memoir.......2007-08-30
I think if the author hadn't written his memoir in such a vain way--it would have been better??
Compelling read!.......2006-06-08
In 1953, when he was a robust 14-year-old, Charles L. Mee was stricken with viral polio. This memoir describes his struggle with polio, and also comments on the treatments (sometimes horrific) that were tried to beat this virus that, in 1953 alone, struck over 50,000 people. His struggle was not an easy one, and his later life wasn't either, but he comes to terms with his limitations, becoming a successful historian and playright. It's a real eye-opener, and he doesn't mince words, which makes for a compelling read.
The Definitive Source.......2006-05-21
For those interested in understanding the impact of polio, this is the definitive source. No one tells the story like Charles Mee. The depth of his insights are stunning. He makes a powerful comment on the human condition. This book is a MUST READ.
Good polio retrospective.......2006-03-23
From long experience with this area, Mee's accounts both of the era of his youth and the experiences of polio ring very true from the pen of an accomplished writer. One senses that Mee never really made peace with his disability and its impact, inasmuch as he was able to evade, compensate, head into intellectual endeavors, etc., so there are many polio/disability issues not well dealt with here. (Significantly it ends with his finding an oasis in the intellectual world of the Ivy League and the intellect.) However, one has to suspect that the decision to tell the story, with insight and honesty, may represent at long last a step in addressing what he may have hoped at one time to simply "leave behind." Perhaps there will be a sequel in which his historical training and writing skills are again focused on the complex interrelationships between disability, psyche and society. This is a good read, though, even if it is not the full story.
Five stars are not enough..........2003-07-10
I don't write many reviews anymore, who has time? However, this book stood out so much above the rest I've read lately that I just had to share. The book is about a polio survivor, the 50's, the discovery of the vaccine and oh so much more. It's about living the life you were handed, not the want you thought you were going to get.
His epilogue is pure poetry. An example: "Life continues to change. New things surface; old wounds hidden by bigger wounds show up when the bigger wounds are healed; new clusters of misgivings and confusion take shape to replace old clusters of exhausted adjustments. New things come along to be accepted with grace and peace. The disability and its challenges continue to evolve, and one must achieve acceptance and grace and peace again and again, day after day."
I highly recommend this book to everyone. I read about 5 books a week and this book is in my top 20 of all time.
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Books Index
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