Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • A memoir to life as a woman in Saudi Arabia.
  • True to some extent
  • Fast, interesting, informative read
  • Good wakeup call - a MUST READ
  • From a member of the Saudi society
Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia
Carmen Bin Ladin
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0446694886

Book Description

The New York Times bestseller by Osama bin Laden's sister-in-law that provides a penetrating look inside the Bin Laden family, Saudi society, and the treatment of Saudi women is now in paperback with a new chapter. In 1974, Carmen, half-Swiss and half-Persian, married into the Bin Laden family. She was young and in love, an independent European woman hurled into a society she neither knew nor understood. Her story takes us inside the Bin Laden family and a power structure in which men regularly subjugate their wives. It also tells of the author's own personal battle to keep custody of her three daughters after her 1988 separation from her husband. INSIDETHEKINGDOM dares to pull off the veil that conceals one of the most secretive countries in the world, revealing the intrigues and conflicts within its most infamous family.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars A memoir to life as a woman in Saudi Arabia........2007-10-16

This is a memoir of Carmen Bin Ladin's life as a child growing up in Switzerland; of later meeting her husband Yeslam Bin Ladin whilst a student in Geneva; of then living in Jeddah amongst the Bin Ladins; and finally to her painful divorce.

Carmen was born of a Swiss father and an Iranian mother. It was not accepted in Iran for a Muslim girl to marry a Christian foreigner, so her mother had to leave Iran to escape her family's harsh criticisms. But the marriage did not last long, and her mother could not return back to Iran in fear of being looked upon as a divorced woman, a curse in Iranian society.

After the divorce, Carmen and her mother remained in Switzerland. It was in Geneva that Carmen first met her husband to be, Yeslam Bin Ladin. She described him as being quiet, well dressed, and smart (later in life he used to compete with other princes on whom dressed better). Carmen soon started dating Yeslam, and humorously, she ends up getting married in a car in a parking lot in Saudi Arabia. Apparently, she was not allowed to enter the ministry building to sign the marriage papers, so the papers were brought to her whilst she sat waiting in the car. Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to mix with men, and therefore cannot enter buildings were men work. Getting married in a car was the first of the many culture shocks Carmen was to experience.

Carmen relates her life as the wife of a Bin Ladin. Mohammad Bin Ladin, the father of the Bin Ladin clan, had over 50 children and countless wives whom he kept at his compound at Kilo 7 in Jeddah. I think Kilo 7 refers to the Mecca Road, 7 being seven kilometers away from Jeddah, but someone will have to check me on that.

It is quite interesting that Mohammad Bin Laden would choose to keep all his wives together in one compound. In Islam, a man can have 4 wives at the same time. Mohammad Bin Laden therefore had to divorce a wife each time he wanted to remarry in order not to exceed the allowed quota of 4 wives. As long as one of his divorced wives did not remarry, she was allowed to stay in the compound together with her kids. It was even rumored that there was a competition going on between King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia and Mohammad Bin Ladin on who will have more children. King Abdul-Aziz won, with over 60 children and many more wives.

Living at the Bin Ladin compound was hard for Carmen. She couldn't go shopping for she was prohibited from mixing with men. Whenever she needed something, such as a bathing suit, she had to send her driver. Eventually Safeway opened in Jeddah, and Carmen was able to go grocery shopping. She relates one instance where a group of British and American expats were all gathering at the chocolate aisle and filling their trolleys with chocolate boxes. Carmen later realized that the chocolates contained liqueur. Alcohol is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, but somehow the liqueur chocolates must have slipped by the customs officials.

Carmen's life was a reasonably happy one in the beginning. She describes her relationships with the other Bin Ladin wives; the relationship of her husband with his brothers; and of course, she talks about Osama Bin Ladin.

Apparently, Osama was a quiet man and very pious. Unlike his brothers who at first lived a lavish life and were known for their promiscuity and for being playboys, Osama never embraced the western liberal way of life. Carmen says that rumors of him having been a playboy in his younger days are just false. Even pictures allegedly showing him partying in Europe are not of him, but of his brothers who resemble him somewhat. Interestingly, she says that his brothers do not believe that he could have been capable of masterminding the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

Since the Bin Ladin family was the only family given exclusive rights to renovate the two holy sites, Mecca and Medina, the family was given preferential treatment. For example, if a policeman or a member of the religious police stopped one of the Bin Ladins, all they had to say was Bin Ladin, and they were quickly released or given right of way. No one asked for their IDs. This however was not good policy, for it allowed a group of Islamists, hidden in Bin Ladin trucks (which were never searched), to attack and seize the holy Mosque in Mecca in 1979. In fact, one of the Bin Ladin brothers was arrested as a suspect in the attack, but was soon released because he was a Bin Ladin.

When Mohammad Bin Ladin died in a plane crash he was piloting, the eldest son was still in his twenties. The king therefore appointed a trustee to run the family fortune. Eventually, as the brothers grew up, they took full control of the family business. According to Carmen, her husband Yeslam was the smartest of the brothers, and this gave rise to envy and jealousy. His brothers frequently downplayed his decisions, and publicly offended him. They also took credit for many of his savvy deals that added to his family's wealth and fame. Eventually, Yeslam quit his family business, was given 300 million dollars as his share of the family wealth, and moved to Switzerland. However, his brothers, eventually recognizing his value to the family business, asked him to return.
Carmen relates how she longed to travel outside Saudi Arabia, and how she enjoyed her freedom during her trips to Switzerland and the United States. One thing I liked about Carmen is that she is a bibliophile. She piled books on her travels to read while literally imprisoned in the Bin Ladin compound in Jeddah. She read all subjects, from philosophy to politics.

Carmen describes the state of mind of the Saudi Royals during the downfall of the Shah of Iran, and the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Before the Ayatollah, Saudi Arabia was moving in the right direction, becoming more liberal and westernized. However, after the Iranian revolution, with fear of it spilling to Saudi Arabia, religious fanatics gained power and turned the country into a strict religious monarchy, very much like during the Taliban in Afghanistan. Women were not allowed to drive; had to be completely covered; were discouraged of going to school; were discouraged to go in public places; were forbidden from working; were not allowed to join any health clubs or do any sports; and were raised to be subservient to their future husbands. The country suddenly moved hundreds of years backwards! Carmen, who had high hopes of living in Jeddah, had her hopes collapse. Her life was becoming unbearable in Jeddah. She longed to go back to Switzerland.

Trouble between her and her husband first started during her third pregnancy. Her husband did not want the baby, and Carmen eventually had an abortion. She describes the psychological pain she had to endure after the abortion.

When Carmen was pregnant again, her husband once more asked her to have an abortion. This time she refused, and she knew that it would be over between them. To make matters worse, she learnt that her husband was cheating on her, and she even caught him leaving one of his mistress's homes in the middle of the morning.

Carmen gives us a lot of insight into the life of her husband Yeslam. Apparently, later in his life, he acted strange, was often depressed, and complained of imaginary illnesses. He also had a fear of flying, and refused to fly alone. Like his father, his brother Salem also died while piloting his own aircraft in Texas.

I did not like the last chapter which talked about the Bin Ladins. The chapter seemed more like an attack on the Bin Ladin family, as if Carmen wanted to get back at her ex-husband. She says that the Bin Ladin family should make their secret dealings open to public scrutiny, and that their present relation with Osama should be revealed. These statements somewhat weakened her book. If she knows something we don't she should just tell us, or better still, let the CIA know. I am sure she is genuine in her last chapter (chapter 19, conclusion), but I think it is more personal and revengeful than anything else. By the way, an additional chapter was added in later editions. The book I read had the added chapter included.

Overall, this is a good read for those who want to know about Saudi society in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, and especially those wanting to learn about the Bin Ladin family. The reader should note that since King Abdullah gained the throne, Saudi Arabia has been moving forward at a tremendous speed, and the country is becoming more open, tolerant, and westernized. And kudos, women now outsmart the guys. Well done!

3 out of 5 stars True to some extent.......2007-10-03

I just want to make clear that in Islam, women should be treated with respect. not to be held in their houses. If they need to go out somewhere, no one should stop them. It is when people start to bring their own culture and mix it with religion, that's where they go wrong. This women obviously was treated bad. But she shouldn't blame the Religion rather she should blame the culture of Saudis. I know Saudis say that 'its Islam we are practicing' but that's not Islam at all. Islam is very easy to follow its just the people who make it difficult upon themselves.

4 out of 5 stars Fast, interesting, informative read.......2007-09-25

I'm certain there are a lot of books detailing the life of women in Saudi Arabia and doubtful this one is significantly different. That said, the book was very informative for someone who has had no exposure to how these women live or how the Saudi society operates, save for the media. It is a very fast read with simple sentence structure. None the less, it held my interest, so I do recommend it. My only criticism is the author did seem to have an agenda to point to Osama Bin Ladin as a terrorist, as well as the likelihood of the Saudi involvement in general, tying the Bin Ladin family and Saudi royalty together. Given this attention was given only in the initial and ending chapters, I was OK with it, though it did come across as a marketing ploy.

5 out of 5 stars Good wakeup call - a MUST READ.......2007-09-24

This book was recommended by a friend. I got it on a Sat evening and finished it by Sunday evening - could not put it down. It is very well written and despite the fact that Carmen was married to Osama Bin Laden's brother (Yeslam) there are only a few mentions of Osama - most relating to how the family revered him for his fastidious religious practices. The rest focuses on Carmen's growing dismay and final realization that, despite all the wealth that is found in Saudi Arabia it can not buy was is needed most - the modernization of the culture and end to the oppression of both women and children (especially the female children).

It is a scary book when you realize it was written in 2004 and reflects a time even 10 yrs earlier - especially when you see what's happened since then in the Middle East.

This is a must read for anyone who wants to get an insider's view of the social/cultural climate of Saudi Arabia and at least a small understanding of why they view the Western world as they do.

Kudos to Carmen Bin Ladin for her courage, dedication and love for her daughters in coming forward to putting her experiences down for all of us to read.

3 out of 5 stars From a member of the Saudi society.......2007-08-31

It was really hard to rate this book. Being a member of the society the author dedicated most of the book to criticize left me wondering what exactly she wants. We meet binladins everyday, we social with them, the binladin is a very large family and they are at the end only people. I can understand how the name "Binladin"is so appealing coz people associate it immediately to Osama binladin and I believe that's what the author aimed to do when writing this book. The author lived in Saudi Arabia so many years ago and things have changed a lot ever since. 50 years ago, women were completely illiterate with exception to basic reading and writing skills. Now, most of College's students are female. Yes, we do it our own way, we have separate colleges and universities but at the end we are well educated. The author way was so gossipy and she has no right to mention names but she did, which in my point of view makes the book just another form of "page six".
I really don't know why people are so very worried about us and about our future as Saudi women. I am a college educated woman with a professional career and a loving husband. I chose everything in my life. My study, my husband, my career, reading this book....etc. I picked this book out of curiosity just to know what Carmen wants to say.

I welcome all comments and discussions and here is my email address: hakadi@gmail.com.
Un Reino Lejano / Inside The Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Un Reino Lejano / Inside The Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia
    Carmen Bin Ladin
    Manufacturer: Planeta
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 8484603679
    Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Required Reading
    Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
    Carmen Bin Ladin
    Manufacturer: Warner Books Inc
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback
    ASIN: 044661694X

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Required Reading.......2007-03-16

    This book should be required reading for every American girl/woman and husband. My wife and I devoured it. This Persian/Swiss woman who married into the most powerful family in Saudi Arabia - the Bin Ladens; tells a great tale of her life behind the Abaya (female body/face covering) and offers great insights into the world of the Bin Ladens and Islam. Her story covers the breadth of her experience being married to Osama Bin Laden's half brother and even her contact with OBL himsef. An amazing tale of love, family, stultifying tradition, history, and divorce.
    Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Inside The Kingdom: My Life In Saudi Arabia
      Carmen Bin Laden
      Manufacturer: Warner Books Inc
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover
      ASIN: B000OW8J7A

      Napoleon and Wellington: The Battle of Waterloo--and the Great Commanders Who Fought It
      Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
      • Lots of dirt on two great commanders
      • Disappointed
      • Surprisingly Compelling
      • The great rivalry-Napoleon and Wellington
      • A very good portrait of two great men
      Napoleon and Wellington: The Battle of Waterloo--and the Great Commanders Who Fought It
      Andrew Roberts
      Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0743228324

      Amazon.com

      Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, spent a lot of time worrying about whether Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of France, was a gentleman. Napoleon accused his English foe of being a coward. Yet, Andrew Roberts shows in this dual biography, each accorded the other an odd respect, and, like wrestlers in a ring, studied his foe's moves intently all the way to their fateful encounter at Waterloo.

      Publicly, Bonaparte and Wellington professed to despise each other. "Even in the boldest things he did there was always a measure of ... meanness," said Wellington of the French emperor, adding later, "Bonaparte's whole life, civil, political, and military, was a fraud." Napoleon said that Wellington "has no courage. He acted out of fear. He had one stroke of fortune, and he knows that such fortune never comes twice." Yet the two, writes Roberts, were very much alike: social outsiders who found their greatness in the army, scholars of a sort, who brought scientific rigor to the study of topography and logistics, and men capable of inspiring great heroism in their soldiers.

      In the end, Roberts suggests, Wellington won his battle, but Napoleon won the war. This intriguing study shows how, and it affords much insight into the workings of these great rivals' minds. --Gregory McNamee

      Book Description

      An award-winning historian offers an eye-opening view of the relationship between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington, whose lives moved inexorably to their meeting at Waterloo, one of the most famous battles of all time.


      At breakfast on the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards, historians have accused him of gross overconfidence and massively underestimating the caliber of the British commander opposite him. Now Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age and of the great battle that determined European history in the nineteenth century.

      Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington -- 1769 -- fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsular War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere "general of sepoys." In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately he wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques.

      Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, the emperor left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate the duke. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the emperor's mistresses.

      The fascinating, constantly changing relationship between these two historical giants forms the basis of Andrew Roberts's compelling study in pride, rivalry, propaganda, nostalgia and posthumous revenge. It is at once a brilliant work of military history and a triumphant biography.

      Featuring a cast of fascinating supporting characters -- including the empress Josephine, the Prince Regent and Talleyrand -- Napoleon and Wellington provides the definitive account of the most decisive battle of the nineteenth century.

      Customer Reviews:

      4 out of 5 stars Lots of dirt on two great commanders.......2006-11-22

      Roberts succeeds in writing a readable and engaging comparison of the perceptions each leader possessed toward the other. The history is not a portrait of each commander separately, but rather shows the relationship between the two men in terms of conduct and word.

      While the history gives more or less equal time to both commanders, what emerges, at least in my view, is a decidedly surprising and uncommonly jaundiced portrayal of Wellington. For example, Wellington pursued and seduced no less than two of Napoleon's mistresses. He filled his mansion with copious quantities of "Napoleona" -- statues, paintings, memorabilia. Indeed, for a man of Wellington's supposedly Victorian understatement, he talked of his victory over Napoleon incessantly. It is typically understood that Napoleon was an egomaniacal, self-obsessed dictator. What is less well known is that Wellington was much less the reserved, stoic gentleman his reputation would lead one to believe.

      I would not consider this history to be essential reading except for buffs of the Napoleonic wars, and it gets a one-point deduction for its somewhat sordid, "tabloid-ish" quality. Still, I won't doubt the veracity of its content nor is it dry, so pick this one up if the focus is your cup of tea.

      2 out of 5 stars Disappointed.......2006-01-14

      From the title of the book I was excited by the prospect of really coming to understand the two great minds on that historic battlefield that has rang down through history with such force. But to be blunt...I was disappointed.

      Let me preface my comments by saying that I have a Napoleonic interest, but am by no means an aficionado on the subject. Therefore, I found the reading a bit too cumbersome. Perhaps it was due to my lack of depth of knowledge on the subject, but I truly feel it was due to the writing style, which never really flowed to me. If I have a more academic grasp of the subject matter or was more used to scholarly writing, I may have enjoyed it more...but I doubt it.

      I never really got the sense that Roberts was telling me (the novice) a story but was rather dealing with quips and quotes and piecing them together in an attempt to form the narrative. The best thing of having read this book was that it spurred me to purchase a few other books on Napoleon himself which allowed me to develop an deep interst in the man.

      4 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Compelling.......2005-11-18

      This book was a surprise for me. I picked it up at the library, intending to just read a couple of pages. The next thing I knew, I was 82 pages into the book. It's written well and avoids some of the dryness of other books about these 2 men. Rather than recounting the battles fought by these notorious commanders, the book focuses on the relationship between the two men that led up to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. It does assume that you have some historical background and that you know the basics of what happened at Waterloo and the subsequent exile of Napoleon. The angle of this book is different and refreshingly alive.

      3 out of 5 stars The great rivalry-Napoleon and Wellington.......2004-12-06

      Although this book is subtitled "The Battle of Waterloo and the Great Commanders Who Fought It," it isn't really a straightforward military history. It is instead a rather original hybrid of biography, political and military history, and for lack of a better word, gossip. Roberts focuses on the parrallels in the careers of Napoleon and Wellington; there are remarkable similarities and differences. At the center of the narrative is the fact that Napoleon and Wellington, as the foremost military personalities of their time, were placed in a position of natural rivalry. Each was in many respects the standard against which the other was measured. Roberts, in an engaging style, brings out the perceptions (and misperceptions) each had of the other, and how these perceptions changed over time, especially after the Battle of Waterloo. For the serious reader, there are some insights into the personalities of the two leaders that help explain their respective approaches to the battlefield. For example, Roberts brings out the value for Wellington of his extensive tactical experience with infantry in India and the Peninsular War, which allowed him to personally and usefully intervene in the conduct of his battles. By contrast, Napoleon's far more rapid rise in rank left him with less experience in tactics and therefore more dependent on his marshals for the conduct of his battles. Roberts highlights that Wellington was primarily a military leader who saw himself as an agent of the British Governemnt; Napoleon's perspective was that of a head of state in pursuit of his own vision of glory, for which his leadership of the French Armies was a means to an end. Serious readers looking for battle history should seek elsewhere. For the more casual reader, there are plenty of juicy personal tidbits of the kind normally found on the personality page of the weekly Parade Magazine. These details tend to humanize two personalities long layered in myth. Roberts is to be commended for finding a original angle to ground that has been heavily worked.

      4 out of 5 stars A very good portrait of two great men.......2003-09-24

      I enjoyed this work a great deal and found that I learned a great deal about both Wellington and Napoleon. I read it because I had read several of the Sharpe's books by Bernard Cornwell, and have become interested in the first Duke of Wellington, who is a reoccurring officer in several of the Sharpe's novels. I liked the fictional creation and wanted to see how accurate was the fictional portrait to the real man. I was gratified to learn that I liked the real life Duke as much as Cornwell's portrayal of him.

      The author of this non-fiction work, Andrew Roberts, is a young historian who is excellent at researching his topic, and he is also a solid writer. While I would recommend this book to anyone, I would suggest a serious interest in the subject matter. This certainly isn't beach reading or an adventure novel, full of battle and sword.

      Andrew Davis' main thrust his this: the commonly accepted historical view of these two men, Napoleon and Wellington, and the battle of Waterloo, is that Napoleon seriously underestimated Wellington's ability as a general was therefore caught by surprise by Wellington's fine generalship on the day of battle. Further, that Napoleon had no respect at all for Wellington, referring to him as "that sepoy General" (a reference to Wellington's service in India, where he won several impressive victories but had not defeated European armies). Davis does not agree with this assessment, claiming that before the battle, Napoleon had praised Wellington, and it was only after the battle, and during his long, bitter exile at St. Helena, that Napoleon became increasingly critical and insulting in his comments about Wellington. The Author spends the book reviewing the writings and actions of both men, in support of his premise.

      Yet, after reading the book, I was not convinced. While the author makes it clear that as years passed Napoleon exhibited an almost demented obsession with regard to the battle of Waterloo, subsequently blaming nearly everyone present for the lose other than himself, and also in tearing down and belittling Wellington, he wasn't exactly full of praise and respect for Wellington before the battle either.

      Andrew Roberts gives several examples of Napoleon's written and spoken statements about Wellington before the battle, and none of them are very substantial or enthusiastic. All of them sound like comments one general would say about another in an effort not to openly insult the other, instead of actual giving praise or respect. Take for example Davis' noting that Napoleon admitting in 1814 that Wellington had made a "reputation" for himself in the Peninsula. Could this not be seen, in the light of other comments from Napoleon regarding Wellington's opposition in the Penisula, to have been a sarcastic comment, or even an insult? The author also cites Napoleon referring to Wellington as "a man of viguor in Warfare." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? Davis supplies other evidence, all of such lukewarm substance. All of Napoleon's comments on Wellington merely seem polite or measured in the same way. None of it ever smacks of real respect or supplies any indication that Napoleon was seriously impressed with Wellington. Napoleon seems to have considered Wellington a good, solid General, but certainly not in His class - perhaps the best the British had to offer.

      The author bends over backward in this book to give a balanced view of both men, striving to make the point that both men were more alike that dissimilar. Again, Davis' own work does not leave me with that impression. If anything, Davis' own writings leave me with the impression that the two men were about as different as two men can be. Napoleon: a brash, classless man, so resentful and hateful of Wellington for defeating him that his soul turned small, dry and bitter, until his own obsessions and resentment ate him alive. An inspired man, and inspiring. A creature for the imagination. Wellington: a winning machine. A man possessing a razor mind and cold eyes that never, ever saw failure in anything. A creature of will and intellect, perfect for Empire. A gentleman in war and victory. In the end, Wellington was simply the better general and the better man.
      NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON. The Battle of Waterloo - and the Great Commanders who Fought It.
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        NAPOLEON AND WELLINGTON. The Battle of Waterloo - and the Great Commanders who Fought It.
        Andrew: Roberts
        Manufacturer: Pan
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover
        ASIN: B000W32076

        Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, 2006 Election Update
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, 2006 Election Update
          Milton C. Cummings , and David Wise
          Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          ASIN: 049500829X

          Book Description

          A political science text for the 21st Century, DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE has provided well over a million students with a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of American Government. Milton Cummings, a respected scholar and academic, and David Wise, a best selling author and political analyst, bring their talents to bear on a text that conveys a balanced, realistic guide to American politics while describing the institutions of American government. In this 2006 election year update edition, the theme of "democracy under pressure" is highlighted fully in the narrative and in the boxed features. The text includes a discussion of the systems approach--a framework of analysis that discusses the political process in terms of inputs and outputs--as well as a key question and related questions to consider in each chapter. DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE focuses throughout on the gap that exists between rhetoric and reality in government today. Streamlined content in this edition makes the book even more accessible and appealing to students and instructors alike.
          Essentials of American Government: Continuity and Change, 2004 Election Update (6th Edition)
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Essentials of American Government: Continuity and Change, 2004 Election Update (6th Edition)
            Karen J. O'Connor , and Larry J. Sabato
            Manufacturer: Longman
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Paperback

            CivicsCivics | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            GeneralGeneral | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
            Public AdministrationPublic Administration | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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            ASIN: 0321276280
            America's New Democracy, Election Update, Penguin Academics Series (3rd Edition) (Penguin Academics)
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              America's New Democracy, Election Update, Penguin Academics Series (3rd Edition) (Penguin Academics)
              Morris P. Fiorina , Paul E. Peterson , Stephen D. Voss , and Bertram Johnson
              Manufacturer: Longman
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              DemocracyDemocracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
              Social PolicySocial Policy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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              Systems Of GovernmentSystems Of Government | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books | General | Islamic Government | Monarchy | Representative Government
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              ASIN: 0321423623
              Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, Election Update 2006, Alternate Edition
              Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
              • Educational
              Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, Election Update 2006, Alternate Edition
              Milton C. Cummings , and David Wise
              Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Paperback

              DemocracyDemocracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
              GeneralGeneral | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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              ASIN: 0495007366

              Book Description

              A political science text for the 21st Century, DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE has provided well over a million students with a comprehensive look at the fundamentals of American Government. Milton Cummings, a respected scholar and academic, and David Wise, a best selling author and political analyst, bring their talents to bear on a text that conveys a balanced, realistic guide to American politics while describing the institutions of American government. In this 2006 election year update edition, the theme of "democracy under pressure" is highlighted fully in the narrative and in the boxed features. The text includes a discussion of the systems approach--a framework of analysis that discusses the political process in terms of inputs and outputs--as well as a key question and related questions to consider in each chapter. DEMOCRACY UNDER PRESSURE focuses throughout on the gap that exists between rhetoric and reality in government today. Streamlined content in this edition makes the book even more accessible and appealing to students and instructors alike.

              Customer Reviews:

              5 out of 5 stars Educational.......2007-03-19

              Wow - a wealth of information regarding our past and current government, and an understanding of the issues faced today - so timely !!!!!!!!!!!!

              Frank L.
              Essentials of American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Election Update (7th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                Essentials of American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Election Update (7th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
                Karen O'Connor , and Larry J. Sabato
                Manufacturer: Longman
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Paperback

                CivicsCivics | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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                ASIN: 0321434331
                American Government Election Update (10th Edition)
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  American Government Election Update (10th Edition)
                  Walter Volkomer
                  Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Paperback

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                  ASIN: 0131856359
                  American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Texas Edition Election Update (8th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
                  Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
                  • wtf
                  American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Texas Edition Election Update (8th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
                  Karen O'Connor , Larry J. Sabato , Stefan Haag , and Gary Keith
                  Manufacturer: Longman
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover

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                  ASIN: 0321434609

                  Book Description

                  The election update edition of the number one book in American government continues to provide the most current and engaging introduction available for the course and contains an entire unit devoted to Texas government and politics. Written with the belief that knowledge of the development of American government is integral to fully understand our current political system, American Government: Continuity and Change offers a strong historical perspective that highlights the evolution of government and engages students with examples relevant to their lives today.

                  Customer Reviews:

                  1 out of 5 stars wtf .......2007-09-01

                  my book suppose to come with the code for the poliscilab and its not there where is it
                  American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Election Update (Hardcover) (8th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    American Government: Continuity and Change, 2006 Election Update (Hardcover) (8th Edition) (MyPoliSciLab Series)
                    Karen O'Connor , and Larry J. Sabato
                    Manufacturer: Longman
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover

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                    ASIN: 0321434625
                    Study Guide for Cummings/Wise's Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, 2006 Election Update, 10th
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      Study Guide for Cummings/Wise's Democracy Under Pressure: An Introduction to the American Political System, 2006 Election Update, 10th
                      Milton C. Cummings , and David Wise
                      Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

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                      ASIN: 0495091030

                      Book Description

                      The study guide contains key questions, learning objectives, key points, key terms and definitions, time lines, study exercises, and self-tests made up of true/false, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer questions as well as their answers.
                      American Government: Power and Purpose, Eighth Edition, 2004 Election Update
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        American Government: Power and Purpose, Eighth Edition, 2004 Election Update
                        Theodore J. Lowi , Benjamin Ginsberg , and Kenneth A. Shepsle
                        Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Hardcover

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                        ASIN: 0393927288

                        Book Description

                        In the Eighth Edition, American Government: Power and Purpose maintains the analytical rigor, focused pedagogy, and judicious use of relevant history that have distinguished it as the authoritative text for American government courses. Retaining the analytical framework that first appeared in the Seventh Edition, the Eighth Edition emphasizes five core "Principles of Politics":

                        1. All political behavior has a purpose
                        2. All politics is collective action
                        3. Institutions matter
                        4. Political outcomes are the products of individuals' preferences and institutional procedures
                        5. History matters

                        By drawing on these principles throughout the text, the authors expose students to repeated applications of core ideas in their discussion of political concepts and history. The result is a refined, accessible portrait of America's government institutions and political life that encourages students to think critically and analytically.

                        Out for a Duck: A City Dweller's Experience of Wildfowl at Home (Ulverscroft Large Print Series: Non-Fiction)
                        Average customer rating: Not rated
                          Out for a Duck: A City Dweller's Experience of Wildfowl at Home (Ulverscroft Large Print Series: Non-Fiction)
                          Tony Levy
                          Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
                          ProductGroup: Book
                          Binding: Hardcover

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                          6. Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
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