Deconstructing Public Relations: Public Relations Criticism (Lea's Communications Series. Intercultural Communication,)

Book Description

This volume provides a critical look at public relations practice, utilizing case studies from public relations, advertising, and marketing to illustrate the deconstruction and analysis of public relations campaigns. Author Thomas J. Mickey uses a cultural studies approach and demonstrates how it can be used as a critical theory for public relations practice, offering real-world examples to support his argument.

Through the interpretive act of deconstruction, this book serves to challenge the myth of public relations as an objective "science," allowing the social importance of public relations to be redefined and encouraging public relations to take a fuller place in the interdisciplinary study of text and knowledge.

Intended for public relations scholars and students in public relations cases/campaigns, public relations criticism, and media studies courses, Deconstructing Public Relations: Public Relations Criticism demystifies the act of deconstruction and shows how it can give insight into the theory and practice of public relations.

Book Description

In recent years the field of finance has exploded with innovation. New products, services and techniques abound. The risks of inflation, the volatility of interest rates, the deregulation of financial intermediaries and the unbundling of financial services have combined to present investment managers with challenges and opportunities far greater than in the past. For trustees and managers of pension, trust, endowment, and similar funds, the task of meeting the challenges and exploiting the opportunities is much more difficult. These fiduciaries must measure their investment decisions against constrained interpretations of a legal standard--the prudent man rule--that have caused it to lag far behind changes in investment theory and the marketplace. Drawing on financial history, a major opinion survey of institutional investors, and comprehensive reviews of the law and of the lessons of modern portfolio theory for prudence, this book presents a powerful case that the prudent man rule as elaborated in legal treatises and much of the case law would virtually compel a fiduciary to act imprudently in terms of financial theory and marketplace reality. In proposing a modern paradigm of investment prudence, the book uses illustrations drawn from such traditionally suspect categories of investment fiduciaries as securities lending, real estate, venture capital, options and futures and repurchaser agreements. An unusual examination of the interaction of the worlds of law and finance, this work will be of interest to fiduciaries who are subject to some from of prudent man rule and all others, including judges, lawyers and investment managers, who are called upon to interpret and apply that legal standard.

Customer Reviews:

A Revolutionary Book.......1999-05-13

This book provided the impetus for taking the law of trust investment into the modern age of portfolio theory. It is well thought-out and written. If you are an attorney, trustee or other professional concerned with trust investments, you should read it.

Modern Investment Management and the Prudent Man Rule

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Modern Investment Management and the Prudent Man Rule
Bevis Longstreth
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKKL7I

Book Description

Judith Komaki examines the working practices of those managers who were described by their colleagues as either good or bad at motivating others, finding that the most effective manager actively observed their employees and discussed details of their work.

Using this basic practice as a model, Leadership analyzes both the theory and the practical implications of monitoring employees' work in organizations and shows how such practice improves motivation. She combines behavioral and cognitive theories of leadership and proposes a new model for the study of leadership: the Operant Model of Effective Supervision.

Customer Reviews:

A Seminal Text in Management.......2005-05-20

Judy Komaki has done something that has never been done before, she systematically observed leaders (managers and supervisors)at work. Komaki's controlled study reflects the rigor of her academic speciality - Applied Behavior Analysis.

She and her colleagues recorded the precise verbal responses of leaders and correlated those findings with the performance of their workgroups. She found that the most successful managers spent time talking with their subordinates about their performance and the work itself.

She catalogued their responses into positive, negative and neutral content and systematically counted the frequency of each. Her study tells you exactly how effective managers spend their time. It is the only controlled study of leadership. Most leadership books are theoritical and based on the experience of the author; they are speculative.

This is one of the most boring books in print, but that is because Komaki is trying to be precise and quantitative, not subjective and inferential. If the information in this book could get some publicity, it would change the way leadership is defined and developed in America. Alas, scholarly works must be translated to be assimilated, and it will be awhile before the significance of Komaki's findings become known.

Surprisingly practical academic book.......2001-12-10

An academic book that -- surprisingly (because it's academic) -- reveals an effective way to lead and get results, a way missed by many 'practical' books on the subject of leadership.

Komaki discusses a real-world key to make you a better manager -- well, probably. The book doesn't go about claiming things it can't back up with research. All it says is: effective leaders
do these. It doesn't follow that up with, 'therefore if you also do these you will be effective as well.' (You could get killed instead, who knows?).

Much of the book, practically its entirety, is about the research behind the findings, which are revealing and very interesting reading. As for the findings itself, they are summarised in just a couple of pages. It's not a huge list of things to do that you will never remember and couldn't do anyway (i.e.,You won't find it recommending stuff like: 'be dramatic!', or 'Top 10 steps to become an effective leader').

I won't reveal the findings; it's something you can start doing this Monday and everyday on. Easy, and in my experience, seems to be effective.

Yes, the book is academic (more so than the typical books from Harvard Business Review series), but the text is more lucid than books in that series. And definitely not dry. You may need to look up a couple of technical terms (e.g., 'operant') to fully understand the text, but that's easy to do.

One weakness is that it doesn't give much guidance on how to know if you are micro-managing your people (at least not to my recollection).

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My son was so excited to see these books

America's Best Cookbook for Kids with Diabetes
Colleen Bartley
Manufacturer: Robert Rose
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Diabetic & Sugar-Free | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Diabetes | Special Conditions | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Diabetes | Disorders & Diseases | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Cooking up Fun for Kids with Diabetes

Diabetes Snacks, Treats, and Easy Eats: 130 Recipes You'll Make Again and Again

487 Really Cool Tips for Kids with Diabetes

Even Little Kids Get Diabetes (An Albert Whitman Prairie Book)

The Dinosaur Tamer : And Other Stories for Children with Diabetes

ASIN: 0778801160

Book Description

Healthy, tasty food that the whole family can enjoy.

Imagine a child with a diabetes-restricted diet and you understand the need for America's Best Cookbook for Kids with Diabetes. Over two million children and teenagers along with their families are currently managing diabetes with diet. As the incidence of Type 2 diabetes increases, this number will continue to grow.

This book has been developed to help parents of children with diabetes provide delicious and nutritious kid-friendly food that the whole family can enjoy. Whether it's Chocolate and Strawberry Waffles or Spaghetti and Meatballs or Peanut Butter Chip Muffins, these are recipes kids will enjoy and parents will feel confident serving. All the recipes help to deliver the supervised diet that children with diabetes require without making them feel deprived or left out in some way.

Over 125 recipes provide outstanding meal ideas for everything from after school snacks to main meals and desserts. Each recipe includes a complete nutritional breakdown and has been extensively reviewed by top diabetes educators.

Customer Reviews:

My son was so excited to see these books.......2006-11-03

My 12 year old son was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He thought there would be nothing that he liked that he could eat. This book has been a great help and he enjoys alot of the recipes. He is such a picky eater but with this book it makes food interesting for the whole family to enjoy.

FitKid7- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child!

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6 stars

FitKid7- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child!
Nutritional Consultant Sirkka Wolke
Manufacturer: FitKid7.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0646470906

Product Description

FitKid7 is guaranteed to help children lose weight and/or get fit! The bonus is that children who live healthily tend to sleep better, have fewer behavior problems, experience less illness and are able to concentrate better in school! The FitKid7 book contains- 7 Simple Steps for a Fit & Healthy Child. Looks into reasons of why kids are unfit &/or overweight. How to get our kids on board to make the positive changes. Harmful Food Additives List. Shopping List. Great Ideas for Meals & Snacks. Recipes. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

Customer Reviews:

6 stars.......2007-08-22

Fitkid7 is a great book on childhood fitness & health. It covers the issues of exercising, healthy eating and much much more.

I found it was easy to read (unlike a few others I've tried).

I love all the sections on Recipies, Shopping lists, meal ideas etc.

I would recommend FitKid7 to anyone looking for a book on kid's health. Your kids would love to read it just as I have.

Sirkka Wolke has done a great job on this one.****** 6 stars from me!

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Great, Easy Read!

Tale from an Analyst who is lucky enough to make it to become a VC

Entertaining and educational

An interesting look at the Wall Street tech world

Amusing, valuable

Wall Street Meat: Jack Grubman, Frank Quattrone, Mary Meeker, Henry Blodget and me
Andy Kessler
Manufacturer: Escape Velocity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Running Money : Hedge Fund Honchos, Monster Markets and My Hunt for the Big Score

How We Got Here : A Slightly Irreverent History of Technology and Markets

Hedgehogging

The End of Medicine: How Silicon Valley (and Naked Mice) Will Reboot Your Doctor

Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street

ASIN: 0972783210

Book Description

Wall Street Meat chronicles the twisted world of Wall Street analysts and bankers. The author worked with now notorious analysts Jack Grubman and Mary Meeker, did deals with uber-banker Frank Quattrone and befriended Internet analyst Henry Blodget. Many first-hand fun stories enlighten readers to how Wall Street works and what went wrong.

Customer Reviews:

Great, Easy Read!.......2007-04-30

I loved this book. All investors and traders should read it and learn from it. But above all it is such an easy read. It tells the interesting story of Kesslers life in the stock analyst world and confirms what I always thought. They are not as smart as people think.

Tale from an Analyst who is lucky enough to make it to become a VC.......2007-03-19

Andy Kessler wrote this book from a first-person narrative, and as a result, made the book very easy to read. I read it after reading Dan Reingold's" Confessions of a Wall Street Analyst" then Charles Gasparino's "Blood on the Street". Reingold clearly has "skin on the game" and his tendency to focus on the technical aspects of an analyst's job shows, while Gasparino gave a far better high-level perspective than Reingold. Andy, however, appeared to be able to stay independent of the bankers while at the same time being able to benefit from stepping away to becoming a successful VC. As such, while he is able to look at the implosion happening at Wall Street with great behind-the-scenes understanding of what's going on, and at the same time having intimate knowledge of some of the analysts with the biggest name, because he got out early and found something better, the tales appear to be more aloof than either of the other two books. Nevertheless, it is still an interesting read.

Entertaining and educational.......2007-02-14

This is one fo the MBA's books that can actually shed some light on Wall Street. Think of it as counter-balancing the "shows" which the I-Bankers put on the US campuses.

An interesting look at the Wall Street tech world.......2006-08-08

This is an interesting story of a man who got caught up in the world of technology on Wall Street but managed not to get swept away by it. Kessler's story is fascinating-he was an electrical engineer who was hired on by a large Wall Street firm as an analyst when he didn't even know what an analyst was! He got into it mostly for the money, it seems, but did well as an analyst despite making calls that went against the consensus. In his early days (the mid 80's), and later at Morgan Stanley, he met some interesting figures who would play a large part in the tech bubble and blowup of the 90's. As an analyst he refused to compromise himself, and eventually quit Wall Street and started a hedge fund in California. Because of this he was able to avoid the bursting of the tech bubble and escape with his reputation intact (unlike many of his contemporaries). He also had great foresight in his hedge fund, and didn't suffer nearly as much as most people on Wall Street who were heavily invested in tech.

Kessler's story is interesting and many of his anecdotes are entertaining. Where this book falls short, I think, is that it is less a cohesive memoir and more a string of anecdotes and exploits. Much of the book almost gives the impression that one is sitting at a bar listening to Kessler tell stories. That's all well and good, but more detail and a better plot flow would have made this book much better. There is a good deal of name dropping, which is to be expected I suppose, but I didn't find it excessive. Overall this is a decent light read-nothing groundbreaking or memorable here, but worth a casual look.

Amusing, valuable.......2006-08-06

A really funny, close-in look at Wall Street in the dot-com era, told from the perspective of a man who was snatched away from a techie job. A Must Read book when you consider that a lot of the same market hype is back again. Never forget.

Amazon.com

The editors of the online version of The Wall Street Journal have produced a comprehensive overview of the best Web sites and resources available to the online investor. "There's no question that the Net has empowered a new generation of investors, giving them access to information and tools that were once available only to the privileged Wall Street few," say authors Dave Pettit and Rich Jaroslovsky in Online Investing.

Both the neophyte and savvy investor will find this book an informative and useful resource. It tells where to find the best interactive tools, online calculators, and worksheets for selecting stocks and mutual funds and for researching and charting investments. There's plenty of practical information here, such as how to pick an online broker and how to invest online in IPOs, bonds, futures, and options. Newsletters, bulletin boards and chat rooms are covered, and there's a detailed chapter on how to avoid the online scams, frauds, and deceptions that author Pettit specializes in exposing in his online column "Heard on the Net." For those already victimized, a chapter entitled "Recourse" includes contact information for state and federal regulators and details as to how to proceed. Concluding chapters explain how to choose an online banking service, and how to find the best online deals on credit cards, home mortgages, and insurance.

There is much of practical value here for those who use the Internet to research, trade, and track investments and finances. As a guide to the best of these sites on the Web, this book is highly recommended. --Scott Harrison

Book Description

The only book investors need to reap the rewards and avoid the treacheries of the investing cyber jungle.

When it comes to personal investing, the Internet has changed all the rules. The sophisticated tools and access to information once enjoyed only by financial professionals and the most well-heeled of investors are now easily available to anyone with a computer and a modem. But online investing can be a treacherous cyber jungle. Who better than the reporters and editors of The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, the online version of The Wall Street Journal, the world's most authoritative source of business and financial information, to provide you with the best and most complete coverage of everything you need to know about online investing?

This is a book any investor can use, whether you're just starting a portfolio or have years of experience in the markets. Online Investing provides basic, must-know information on stocks, mutual funds, and bonds. It then shows how to take advantage of the vast power of the Internet to become a savvy and successful investor. The coverage includes:How to trade stocks online (and a rundown on the biggest, most popular online trading firms) How to use the Internet to research and take part in initial public offerings (IPOs)The online resources for choosing the best mutual fundsHow to navigate the complicated world of bonds, futures, and optionsTools of the trade. A guide to the wealth of information and resources available on the Net: from stock quotes and news stories to Wall Street research reports, corporate documents, investment primers, and sophisticated spreadsheetsHow to find a message board for your investing needs and interpret the information you findHow to spot scams and deceptionsRecourse: What to do if you lose money, have a dispute with your broker, or are scammedElectronic banking: How to use the Web to get the best deals on credit cards, mortgages, and insurance

Download Description

'One of the world's leading financial publications, The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, now provides both new and experienced investors with authoritative, practical, well-written guide to online investing.

Customer Reviews:

very basic guidebook for novices.......2000-09-27

This book is an entertaining, written in easy non-technical language, but VERY basic text about what types of investing and trading exist, how they work (i.e., what and where is traded), and where to look for further information about these issues on the internet. The book does a good job discussing what sources of information can be trusted on the web, and which not, and gives an useful list of URLs on every investing-related topic you can think of. The comparative analysis of online brokerages and their services and fees is quite good. Stocks, IPOs, mutual funds, bonds, futures, and options are explained on a very simple level, which will help those who never heard these words to understand what they mean. I liked that the book is unbiased: unlike most other guides on online investing it does not promote a specific web page or a specific online brokerage. This book is fun to read, and it would be a good starting point for people who decided to go into online investing (but never did it before) and have little or no internet experience. However, my opinion is that it does not woth purchasing if you already have investing experience or read a few other books about investing because the book is just too simple and not as much about investing strategies as about the web resources, discussion boards, and investor stories. The authors' analysis of what drives the discussion boards is probably the only part which I have not seen anywhere else; this part may be useful for investors on all levels. Therefore, my rating is 5 stars for the novices, 3 for everyone else, which makes it 4 stars in average. By the way, most of this book is available online on wall street journal web page, so check it out before you buy.

A good supplement for a well trained investor.......2000-07-28

This book offers an excellent introduction to the mechanics of online investing. Don't look for the secret to successful investment results. But if you already have the basics of asset allocation and markets, it is a well written how-to guide to assist you in dramatically lowering your transaction costs. But hurry...this information will become stale at lightning speed.

Another fine Wall Street Journal Guide.......2000-05-27

The Wall Street Journal has come out with a series of clear and concise investing guides in the past. This one, from the editors of the interactive site, is a little bit more involved than the other ones, but just as helpful. Unlike some other online investing guides I've read, this book doesn't advocate risky trading, and leans in the direction of more conservative advice. Still, it covers a wide variety of trading strategies for the more adventurous. It's a good introduction for beginners, but it also is helpful to an experienced investor who hopes to become a more well-rounded investor. I highly recommend it.

Book Description

This book is a collection of contributions representing American, European, Asian and Australian perspectives on various aspects of management functions in the world of industry and finance. The volume explores applied topics of international management ethics confronting managers of a globalized world business. Eminent academicians with diverse backgrounds from more than ten countries with a long experience in research, writing, teaching and partly in industrial organizations deal with topics such as ethics in internatonal banking, alliance, public relations, information technology and corporate strategy. The book offers an alternative perspective to the mainstream literature.

Book Description

Michael J. Boskin, together with many of the world's leading scholars and policy makers who met at a Washington, D. C., conference in May 1995 sponsored by the Hoover Institution, sheds light on five major tax reform proposals now finding strong proponents in Congress: flat tax, value-added tax, national retail sales tax, the Nunn-Domenici USA Tax, and a hybrid progressive consumption tax. The unique insights offered here represent the first authoritative perspective on the current tax reform debate. These essays first provide a useful framework for understanding key issues, and proposed fundamental goals for tax reform and then evaluate the benefits and consequences of each alternative. This volume will be an indispensable resource for those wishing to evaluate how fundamental tax reform can best restore strong economic growth.

Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: American Economist

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Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: American Economist
Steven Pressman
Manufacturer: Omicron Delta Epsilon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Economist, published by Omicron Delta Epsilon on March 22, 1997. The length of the article is 1540 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews)
Author: Steven Pressman
Publication: American Economist (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1997
Publisher: Omicron Delta Epsilon
Volume: v41 Issue: n1 Page: p94(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business

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Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business
Richard J. Hunter
Manufacturer: Stillman School of Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business, published by Stillman School of Business on December 1, 1996. The length of the article is 1168 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews)
Author: Richard J. Hunter
Publication: Mid-Atlantic Journal of Business (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1996
Publisher: Stillman School of Business
Volume: v32 Issue: n3 Page: p247(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: National Tax Journal

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Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews): An article from: National Tax Journal
Kevin L. Kliesen
Manufacturer: National Tax Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from National Tax Journal, published by National Tax Association on June 1, 1997. The length of the article is 2645 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Frontiers of Tax Reform. (book reviews)
Author: Kevin L. Kliesen
Publication: National Tax Journal (Refereed)
Date: June 1, 1997
Publisher: National Tax Association
Volume: 50 Issue: n2 Page: 375-379

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Frontiers of Tax Reform (Publication Ser.)

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Frontiers of Tax Reform (Publication Ser.)

Manufacturer: Hoover Institution Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HFLNKO

Book Description

Called "the George Washington of South America," Bolivar was the revolutionary leader against the oppressive Spanish rule. His vision of a united South America was not to be, because of his dictatorial methods that were widely resented and led to separatist movements. Today, his memory is revered as Latin America's greatest hero and liberator.

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Man of Glory: Simon Bolivar
Thomas Rourke
Manufacturer: W. Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B0008CJTI4

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Important

Not what it purports to be

Real Life, Real Drama

My GOD!! What a MASTERPIECE!!

Impossible to put down

Dead Run: The Shocking Story of Dennis Stockton and Life on Death Row in America
Joe Jackson , and William F., Jr. Burke
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Special Needs | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Penology | Crime & Criminals | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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Live from Death Row

The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions

Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing

ASIN: 0802775993

Amazon.com

Dead Run is the story of Dennis Stockton, mastermind of one of the most daring mass prison breaks in American history. It begins with his conviction for a crime he maintained that he didn't commit and weaves through his troubled life, his perpetual incarcerations, and his often brilliant, often comical escapades within the prison system. With frequent excerpts from Stockton's prolific diaries, the book reveals not only much about its surprisingly insightful protagonist but about the prison system in general, including institutionalized corruption, power-hungry guards, inmates, and prison officers. There's more than enough intrigue, action, and disturbing comedy to fill several thrillers, but Dead Run is a true story of a man who refused to sit still and wait for the hour of his death. --Lisa Higgins

Book Description

In June, 1983, Dennis Stockton entered Death Row in Virginia's state penitentiary, accused of a murder he insisted he had not committed. For the next 12 years he remained there, during which time he helped plan the only successful mass escape from Death Row in our history (though he ultimately decided not to join the escapees), developed a career as a writer through a diary and newspaper columns, and continually proclaimed his innocence. His explosive diary entries - published in the (Norfolk) Virginian Pilot - about life on Death Row made him a marked man among prisoners and guards alike. Despite strong evidence of his innocence, however, Stockton was executed on September 27, 1995.

Dead Run is the stunning story of Dennis Stockton's life in "the monster factory," his name for Death Row. Written by his editor at the Virginian Pilot and the reporter who investigated his claims of innocence, it is a riveting true-life thriller and essential reading for anyone with an opinion on the death penalty.

Customer Reviews:

Important.......2003-03-09

This tells the story of an innocent man killed by the state of Virginia for political reasons, an event made easy and in all probability common by a law banning the reopening of a case to hear new evidence later than 21 days after a conviction. This applies even to evidence illegally suppressed during the original trial.
The book is extremely well-written, and much of it is exciting and suspenseful, particularly that dealing with the escape. Stockton was in on planning an escape from death row, but did not take part in it. New evidence of his innocence had just emerged, and Stockton apparently had enough faith left in the justice system to believe that he stood a better chance of freedom by not escaping. He may also have been driven by a desire to declare his innocence. He later refused a deal from the state of life imprisonment in exchange for ceasing to appeal his conviction. He also published diary entries in a newspaper which he knew would win him the ill-will of many with power over him.
This excellent book is marred slightly by the introduction's instructing us that "...there is no need to pity most criminals." Such a comment transfers its author's inability to pity to the rest of us. I'd be curious to know how many readers of this book feel no pity for the escaped murderer who arrives at the border of Canada, grows scared, telephones his mother, and - on her advice - turns himself in to be killed.
More importantly, the comment about pity leaves the debates over criminal justice within the framework of a battle between vengeance and pity - a framework in which the reduction of harm done by and to both criminals and the falsely accused can have no place.
The vengeance-versus-pity idea shoves aside the question of innocence-versus-guilt, and even where guilt is evident it shoves aside questions of societal healing, restitution to victims, rehabilitation of offenders, deterrence, and costs to tax-payers.
Everyone knows that crime is most easily and cost-effectively reduced by fighting poverty. It is unlikely that America's recent draconian measures will reduce crime in the long run. Stockton chose to trust the system rather than attempt an escape, but he was relieved to be killed when the only alternative was the hell-hole known as a correctional institution, a place full of flying feces, rape, murder, and abuse of every sort.
Lately, Virginia has been doing to juveniles what it has long done to adults convicted of crimes. The director of the dept. of juvenile justice [pun possibly intended] has resigned effective Dec. 1, 1999, following the death of a retarded youth in custody, the initiation of a self-defense program allowing guards to hit and kick kids, a girl being handcuffed on her way to a hospital to give birth, and poor conditions at the state's largest detention center so egregious that the agency's board decertified the place last week citing overcrowding and sexual misconduct.
Concern for convicts (innocent or not) is not in conflict with crime reduction. It is in
conflict with state violence, with the anger promoted by politicians even in the names of victims who publicly disown it. As long as advocates of vengeance are permitted
to masquerade as advocates of crime reduction, justice will be a sham.
This book is so well done that to find anything significant to complain about, I had to turn to the introduction, which the authors didn't write. The authors are an editor and an ex-reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, a Norfolk newspaper. Much of what they write is taken from Stockton's diary, transposed into the third person, fact-checked, and supplemented. The only thing I could fault these talented writers for is the occasional misplaced journalistic balance. The preface mentions "ultimate fairness - or lack thereof," as if the whole point of the book were not to describe unfairness. On page 19, the authors accept the term "monsters" as a useful one, without really defining what it should mean. On page 234 of a book describing the Dantean conditions of a prison, they write of a victim's mother's dealing with the years before an innocent man was executed for her son's murder: "It was like she was in prison too." Maybe she had said those words, but had she read this book? Did she have any idea what being in a prison is like? On page 251 the authors say that Stockton was "witness to a struggle between justice and mercy." He wasn't. He was witness to a struggle between evil politics and vengeance on the one hand, and the demands of innocence on the other. Justice cannot be opposed to mercy because justice should be merciful. Justice is, after all, an attempt - where all else has failed or not been tried - to reduce harm.
This book is not just an exciting page-turner. It also provides a great deal of useful information, including some shocking statistics. For example: "An October 1993 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said that forty-eight innocent men had been freed from Death Rows across the nation since 1972, That came to a nearly one-in-six ratio of freed to executed prisoners. Of the forty-eight men, 52 percent 'were convicted on the basis of perjured testimony or because the prosecutor improperly withheld exculpatory evidence.'" Is this surprising in a country with the bizarre practice of ELECTING prosecutors to office - and voting them out if they leave a crime unpunished?

Not what it purports to be.......2002-08-16

This book presents itself as a story of a prison escape, and while it does include information about the Mecklenburg escape, that's not what the book really is.

The real intention of the book is to make an anti-death penalty pitch and to suggest that Dennis Stockton is innocent.

I don't have a problem with either of those positions (I am against the death penalty myself), but I do have a problem paying for a book that isn't what it claims to be.

Moreover, if they want to make a pitch for Stockton's innocence, they ought to be much more thorough and fair. Juries, judges and the governor of Virginia disagree with that view. Now it may be that they're wrong, but in order to make a fair judgment you need a complete presentation of the facts. What we get here instead is a lot of suggestions about possible exoneration but no serious analysis.

Still, it's an interesting story that I can't give a "1" rating to in good faith. It's an OK book. It's just not what it claims to be.

Real Life, Real Drama.......2002-03-09

"Dead Run" is the best prison drama I have ever read, made more gripping by the fact that it is ALL TRUE. The bookd recounts the final prison term of Dennis Stockton, who was probably innocent and spent over a decade on Death Row. The first part of the book deals with the only successful mass escape from Death Row in American history, but the drama does not end there. Following that, by following Stockton through the system and finally to his execution, one becomes acquainted with the grim, crushing reality of the brutality and neglect of the American prison system.

On top of being a gripping tale of prison life, the book is a damning account of capital punishment and our prison system in general. By picking Stockton as a subject, a probably innocent man singled out by the UN as an example of a case of capital punishment that did not meet up with the standards expected of international law, the authors make a ringing statement against death penalty laws and procedures in the United States. Only the most rabid pro-death penalty advocate could read this book and not come away questioning their support for the execution of criminals.

A further feature that permeates the story is just how seedy and corrupt everyone and everything in the book are. The courts, the cops, the guards, the prisoners, the politicians - they are all part of the same basically corrupt world. Only (not coincidentally) the reporters and some of the witnesses come off as being white in a very grey and black world.

The book is a magnificent, cannot-put-it-down peice of work that I heartily recommend to any lover of a good non-fiction tale!

My GOD!! What a MASTERPIECE!!.......2001-05-29

What I wanted to know, after reading this simple, eloquent, masterfully written prose blockbuster is WHERE DO I GO TO NOMINATE THESE GUYS FOR THE NOBEL PRIZE??? Not since I read JAWS have I been so absolutely riveted!!! And I HATE prison books. And, let me tell you, I never would have thought that I would glean so many powerful management techniques from a book about prisons!! I have learned more about human nature and, you'll pardon the expression, it's "Dark Side", than I ever dreamed possible!! When I was growing up in Southern California I met quite a few prisoner, usually working in my mother's garden. Later, when I was at a large insurance brokerage in San Francisco we often had underwriting meetings that touched upon the subjects that this book treats so eloquently and persuasively. But, I have to say, if I'd read this book before I moved to Oregon I would have remained in "the life" and kept applying the valuable risk management techniques described therein to my business. I give the thing SIX stars!!!!

Impossible to put down.......2001-01-10

I'm not a big reader but this work reads fast and is extremely absorbing. I remember the Briley escape while I was in college, so the new context I never had was fascinating.

Dead Run: The Shocking Story of Dennis Stockton and Life on Death Row in America

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Dead Run: The Shocking Story of Dennis Stockton and Life on Death Row in America
Joe and William F. Burke, Jr. Jackson
Manufacturer: Walker & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBJ7X8

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