Customer Comments

Who could resist a title like that? And the book proved equally intriguing, as I was pulled into the story almost immediately. The book concerns the experiences of a group of Americans and Russians who have received permission to attempt something never done before: traverse Siberia by bicycle, from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg. The account of their interactions among themselves, and with the handlers the Russians insisted on sending along, is almost poetic in its expressiveness. The poignant picture painted of the lives of those who live along the one road (and in the extensive marshes where there is no road at all) is very moving, funny and sad at the same time. Written by one of the participants, the book is an account of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, and a great read.

This is an extremely well-written book about the man who was largely responsible for US foreign policy after WWII and in the early days of the Cold War. The author is thorough but never tedious, presents a complete picture of the man, and provides enough background information so that the average reader understands both the gamne and the stakes. One of the best biographies I have ever read.

An excellent review of the history of a small area that has had a tremesndous impact on western civilization. Drawing from archeological discoveries as well as written sources from other areas, the author recreates the flow of history and the impact of the Greeks on the Mediterranean world.

With "11/22/63," Stephen King has returned to the form that gave us "It" and "The Stand." It's a sprawling tale that ranges across the country and back in time to the early 1960s, where/when the protagonist has gone to try to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. The book is well plotted and paced, the characters have their quirks, and the details - from the descriptions of Lee harvey Oswald's apartment to what it's like to drive a 1959 Chevy - are authentic. A great read that I couldn't put down.

"Nature's Blueprint" provides a basic primer to the theory of supersymmetry, in language understandable by the general public, without a lot of mathematical formulas. The author, a particle physicist himself, builds the historical record so that theories and discoveries are seen in context and make more sense. Nor does he shy away from the mistakes and dead ends that have marked our efforts to understand the nature of the atom. His portrayal of an inexorable march toward a "grand unified theory" is somewhat flawed, especially by his insistance that "by now, the Higgs boson will probably have been found." The last section, a game in which the reader makes choices about announcing discoveries, is amusing but unnecessary.

A very interesting little book. Although the author claims it was Henry Clay that saved the union, in his final chapter he gives as much credit to Stephen Douglas for getting all of Clay's proposals passed. The text brings alive the very different style of oratory and the nature of debate in Congress, but the book would have benefitted from a little more analysis.

"The Age of Anxiety" is devoted almost entirely to McCarthyism, ground that has been covered very well in other books. Only at the end does the author attempt to make the comparison between McCarthyism and the tactics of George Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft and the other members of the Bush administration - along with Karl Rove. While there are definite similarities between McCarthy's persecution of "Communists" and the Bush administration's targeting of Muslims, by the author's own admission the comparison isn't really valid. This felt like a book written more in anger, especially given the high quality of some of his other work.

This is a fascinating story about languages and the relationship of what is said to how the world is seen. Although the title is somewhat misleading (outsiders can't save an endangered language like an endangered species), the author provides many examples of why these languages are important. Language and culture are intertwined, and the loss of one, however small, diminishes us all.

A very readable and coherent history of more than 1,000 years of the Byzantine empire - the Roman Empire continued in the east. What's more amazing is that this is hardly ever mentioned in western history books. The story comes alive with interesting anecdotes, yet keeps the big picture front and center. The one annoying aspect is the footnotes, in which the author seems to be showing off his knowledge of trivia.