Book Description
For five long years in the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-Communist crusade dominated the American scene, terrified politicians, and destroyed the lives of thousands of U.S. citizens.
In The Age of Anxiety, now updated with a new afterword, Johnson tells this monumental story through the lens of its relevance to our own time, when the current administration has created a culture of fear that again affects American behavior and attitudes. He believes now, as then, that our civil liberties, our Constitution, and our nation are at stake as we confront the ever more difficult task of balancing the need for national security with that of personal liberty.
Customer Reviews:
It's Scoundrel Time in America again........2007-02-19
Haynes Johnson's "The Age of Anxiety" is a swift, entertaining and highly personal history of the McCarthy Era. Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, had a bird's-eye view as a teenager of the whole messy period: his father, Malcolm Johnson, himself an award-winning reporter whose stories on corruption in the dock workers' union inspired Budd Schulberg's screenplay for "On the Waterfront," was one of the first reporters to note Joe McCarthy's dire effect on America, and found himself threatened because of it. Haynes Johnson doesn't bring us any new revelations as to McCarthy's activities or character, but he does provide a thorough, intelligent and mostly fascinating summary of McCarthy's rise, dominance, and fall. He also is careful to place McCarthy in his historical context, describing the mood of Congress and the American people in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and also contributing brief discussions of earlier treason scares, starting all the way back with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. In the book's last hundred pages, Johnson turns away from McCarthy to the current terrorism scare sparked by 9/11, with unsparing depictions of the Patriot Act, the illegal detention and deportation of Muslims, and of both President Bush and former Attorney General John Ashcroft (whom, Johnson believes and I agree, may still go down in history as the worst Attorney General ever). Frankly, this final section feels a little premature; among other things, Johnson wrote it before the mid-term elections of 2006, in which the American people showed their disgust with the Iraq war and other Bush administration policies by voting out Republican incumbents wholesale. But I find it hard to argue with the conclusions Johnson reached from the vantage point of 2005. Johnson writes, "Of Joe McCarthy it can be said that fear made him possible, partisanship was responsible for his rise, and politicians, press, and public shared the blame for failing to check his abuses, which damaged countless individuals and brought shame to the United States." Johnson leaves little doubt that, in his opinion, you could replace the name of Joe McCarthy in that last sentence with that of George W. Bush or John Ashcroft, and still have it be essentially correct. That's my opinion, too.
More on McCarthyism.......2007-02-10
When I first got this book, I was anticipating a narrative that would draw parallels between the McCarthy era and post 9/11 America. On the cover, a quote from the Denver Post suggested that the manipulative tactics used by McCarthy were similar to those used by the current Bush administration. The four pictures on the cover showed a portrait of Senator McCarthy, the infamous picture of smoke bellowing from the Twin Towers, President George W. Bush, and a soldier (possibly Middle Eastern) aiming a shoulder-mounted launcher. I was anticipating an analytical discourse.
The first dozen pages (in sections titled "Preface to the Paperback Edition," "To the Reader" and "Prologue") touched on fears of terrorism, leaks of classified information, U.S. invasion of Iraq, and our civil rights. These sections however did not draw strong parallels between McCarthyism and contemporary America. The analysis I was craving was probably in the main chapters--why start the comparison in the introductory chapters that most readers skip?
The next twenty-two chapters (almost four hundred and sixty pages) focused entirely on McCarthyism--its rise, its hey-day, and its decline. The next two chapters (chapters twenty-three and twenty-four) focused on post 9/11 America but the narrative did not link contemporary times with the McCarthy era--at least not convincingly. In the "Epilogue" and "Afterword" no serious attempt was made at comparing post 9/11 America with the McCarthy era.
While the book did not meet my expectations, Johnson should be given credit for a readable and through presentation of the McCarthy era. We probably are too close to post 9/11 America to realize its full historical impact. Johnson urges us to examine the possible consequences of our government's actions-- some of which we are already experiencing. He encourages us to question if these actions are compatible with our ideals of civil liberties. He also outlines some of his recommendations on actions the government should take to balance our liberties vis-a-vie terrorism.
Whether we agree with Johnson is immaterial, what is important is that he encourages us to re-examine our ideals specifically those of freedom and individuality.
Armchair Interviews says: A good book on McCarthyism
Not What I Expected.......2006-06-16
I recently ordered The Age of Anxiety and was terribly excited when it arrived. Sadly, that excitement did not last. The book itself is well-researched and beautifully written, but not at all what I had expected. I had thought it would be, well, a history of the United States from McCarthyism to Terrorism. It was instead a lenghty discussion of McCarthyism and then a very brief (60 pages!) discussion of post 9/11 America.
Tail Gunner Joe and the Politics of Fear.......2006-01-30
On the evening of December 2, 1954 I sat in the gallery as the Senate, by sixty-seven to twenty-two, voted to "condemn" (commonly known as the "censure" vote) Senator Joseph McCarthy for conduct "contrary to Senate tradition." I was an intern in the early years of a long career with a federal agency. I felt fortunate to be there. As an idealistic WW II combat veteran studying under the GI Bill of Rights, I had joined a new liberal-left veterans organization, the American Veterans Committee (AVC), with the idealistic slogan, Citizens First, Veterans Second. Due to the antics of McCarthy and others, the "loyalty" of anyone connected with it was suspect and I had been the President of my university chapter. I went through an eerie loyalty interview and a "full-field background investigation" under an executive order promulgated by President Truman at the height of the communist scare which McCarthy had a big role in producing. That I was finally "cleared" for a government job is a tribute to the fairness with which the loyalty program was administered, at least in my case, although others were not so fortunate.
So, this book was nostalgic and I also learned much about the McCarthy era that I never knew or had forgotten. It is primarily a historical tracing of McCarthy's communists in government charges and the Senate hearing which finally brought him down. Particularly compelling is Johnson's account of the political fear of national leaders, including Presidents Truman and Eisenhower, to counter him publicly even though they understood the danger he posed to traditional American values.
The tie-in to the present anxieties are more tenuous. Haynes Johnson lays these out, from his perspective, primarily in the last seventy pages although a few links are sprinkled elsewhere. I found myself wishing for more penetrating analysis. I am as troubled by some aspects of current security policy as the more strident voices who rail against it. And yet, I wonder: Are our anxieties and fears much like the McCarthyism of the past? Or are we confronting new, different, and more subtle threats to American liberty? The brilliant and incisive treatise of McCarthyism that the book provides requires historical perspective and would not have been possible at the time. Nevertheless, the Senate, auspiciously and not without controversy, took action even within the prevailing climate of political fear. Let us hope for a similar response, in whatever form it may take, to the present dangers.
Finally, while I have always disagreed vehemently with everything McCarthy stood for, I confess a certain sympathy for Tail Gunner Joe. He was a man who crucified himself amid human frailties and overwrought passions. Few among us have not, on occasion, been likewise tempted.
Offers insights for modern times as civil liberties are being challenged.......2006-01-10
Haynes Johnson's The Age Of Anxiety: McCarthyism To Terrorism receives Kristoffer Tabori's dramatic rendition as it provides journalist Johnson's history of the demagogue Joseph McCarthy and his reign of terror during the 1950s with his anti-Communist crusade. Johnson re-creates the key figures of the times and their interactions - and also offers insights for modern times as civil liberties are being challenged. A timely story comes alive in audio.
Average customer rating:
- Fascinating journal of Civil War life.
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The Complete Civil War Journal and Selected Letters of Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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Army Life in a Black Regiment: and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)
ASIN: 0226333302 |
Book Description
"I desire to record, as simply as I may, the beginnings of a momentous military experiment, whose ultimate results were the reorganization of the whole American army and the remoulding of the relations of two races on this continent. . . . I can only hope that the importance of the subject may save me from that egotism which makes great things seem little and little things seem less in the narrating."
So wrote Thomas Wentworth Higginson about his role in one of the most compelling and fascinating episodes in the history of the United States. As the colonel of the first regiment of black men in the Union army during the Civil War, Higginson was an early, articulate, and powerful crusader for civil rights, and his journal and letters, collected for the first time in this volume, present some of the most extraordinary documents of the Civil War.
Higginson was a politically engaged intellectual at the forefront of radical antislavery, labor, and feminist causes. Born in 1823 to a formerly wealthy but still prominent Brahmin family, he became one of America's leading social activists and a prominent writer, minister, and reformer. With the publication in 1869 of his classic Army Life in a Black Regiment, which drew on this journal, Higginson became one of the most important chroniclers of the Civil War. The Complete Civil War Journal and Selected Letters of Thomas Wentworth Higginson is the first comprehensive edition of his journal. Sensitively and thoroughly annotated by Christopher Looby and supplemented by a large selection of Higginson's wartime letters, this volume offers the most vivid and intimate picture of the radical interracial solidarity brought about by the transformative experience of the army camp and of Civil War life.
"The immediacy of Higginson's reflections, as well as their sharp insights, make this journal both distinctive and enduringly compelling . . . . Higginson's vivid texts can once again educate, gratify and delight readers."—Publishers Weekly
"This volume will enrich our understanding of the transformations that emancipation and war wrought."—Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating journal of Civil War life........2002-05-09
Bravo to Christopher Looby for recognizing the importance of these diaries and bringing them to our attention. Higginson's thoughts and feelings about war and the men under his command unfold to portray a quiet hero. Against the dual backdrops of military horror and social conflict, Higginson's discussions of his men and his relationships with them are sensitive and surprising. Letters to his family offer an interesting glimpse of family roles while underscoring Higginson's essential humantity.
Looby's notes provide thoughtful comment. Stunning job. This is an excellent book.
Book Description
In recent years a set of radical new approaches to public policy, drawing on discursive analysis and participatory deliberative practices, have come to challenge the dominant technocratic, empiricist models in policy analysis. In his major new book Frank Fischer brings together these various
new approaches for the first time and critically examines them. The book will be required reading for anyone studying, researching, or formulating public policy.
Customer Reviews:
ironic.......2007-01-15
Fischer has some good ideas in this book, the most important being that the context and type of language we use in various political situations can shape the way policy is made. He encourages policy makers to adjust their vocabulary, tone, and power position for their audience. Unfortunately, Fischer's own language is so over-the-top acamdemic, dense, unapproachable, and circuitous that it leaves the reader wondering if he was making a sly little joke when he wrote this book. There are much better books and essays about the power of language and discourse in politics - this would make a good secondary reference but not worth it on its own.
Book Description
A comprehensive and authoritative guide to the fascinating mysteries of bird migration.
Every year, billions of birds leave their North American breeding grounds for winter quarters farther south. That so many birds migrate so many miles, through life-threatening conditions, and to the same place each year, is simply stunning.
The editor of this important and lavishly illustrated new book has selected a cross-section of both the most typical and the most interesting migrants. Colorful maps, photographs, calendars and fact files, with easy-to-read symbols and abbreviations, present an accurate and up-to-date profile of each species.
The introduction provides comprehensive background on migration and its great mystery: how do the birds know where to go? The latest scientific discoveries are explained here.
The bulk of the book is the directory, which chronicles the routes of more than 500 species, including:
- North American birds of prey
- Hummingbirds, grosbeaks and starlings
- Eurasian shorebirds, storks and cranes
- Winter visitors from the Far North, such as swans, geese and finches
- African, South American and Australasian migrants
- Migratory sea birds, such as penguins, albatrosses and terns.
The results of new satellite tracking methods are covered, as are current environmental threats and conservation initiatives. The book closes with a comprehensive catalog of migrating species from all continents.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book, very interesting to find out more about birds...........2007-05-14
Very good graphs, illustrations and explanations about bird migration. Worth the money.
How to accept a changing season and move on to warmer places.......2007-04-28
Very good book that explains how iceages on earth aids the evolution of birds, how birds follow SUN in daytime, Stars in the night time, if it is cloudy and are flying on Sea how they can use earth magnetic field to find thier way. This book explains where birds breed in the spring-summer times and migrate to warmer places in fall-winter. As the morning SUN warms up the ground, the air heats up. The birds use this rising hot air help them in soaring to new heights.
This book engineers bird migration, explains how migration evolved, how birds decide the time of travel, how they use the natural phenomina like thermal soaring, how the wing shape and size are related to its flight - like sea birds have long, thin wings, geese have heavy wings etc.
Then this book talks about specifics like how swans migrate, Geese migrate, Albatross migrate and you can find specifics about sea, land, north american, eurasian birds.
Book Description
This comprehensive reference guide to the birds of the world includes beautiful full-color illustrations of 500 species of birds, as well as more than 200 line drawings. With color maps and diagrams, tour the globe's eight geographic regions and see the birds that inhabit them, including the:
• North American Hawk Owl
• Toucan of tropical South America
• Australian Lyrebird
• Magnificent Frigatebird of the Caribbean Islands
• Himalayan Monal of southern Asia
• Emperor Penguin of Antarctica
Scientific and detailed, yet clear and concise, this is the ultimate illustrated reference to birds.
Customer Reviews:
the only thing i didn't like were the pictures........1999-11-02
It was very informative and i liked it very much.
Parrots.......1999-02-17
Parrot
Average customer rating:
- excellent sampler of the world's bird species
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World Atlas of Birds
Roger Tory Peterson
Manufacturer: Crescent
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0517321599
Release Date: 1989-01-13 |
Customer Reviews:
excellent sampler of the world's bird species.......2001-03-10
Scott and company have done an excellent job profiling some of the world's most fascinating bird species in an innovative format. The World Atlas of Birds is divided into sections based on zoogeographic realm (the Nearctic Realm or North America, the Ethiopian Realm or Africa, and so forth, including all the continents as well as islands and the world's oceans). Within each major "continental section," there are further subdivisions based on habitat; for instance, in North America there are seperate page entries for the tundra, taiga and boreal forest, dry oak woodlands, chapparral, prairie grasslands, Everglades, and so forth, covering all major bird habitats, including urban and suburban. Within each page or two devoted to a particular habitat, two to around ten or so bird species are profiled, each illustrated and with several paragraphs devoted to range, taxonomy, ecological role, and other interesting natural history information. By no means are all bird species for a particular habitat listed or described, just a handful of interesting and representative birds.
The World Atlas of Birds is not a dry guidebook, but truly a show case of some of the more interesting bird species around the world, filled with neat information. Read how the Magpie Goose of Australia continues to confound ornithologists; is it a swan, goose, or duck, as it possesses traits of all three groups. Learn about Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse of the harsh deserts of Africa; to bring water back to chicks in the nest, the males soak their belly feathers in water and use them as a sponge to carry water back, sometimes as much as 15 to 20 times their weight in water. Discover the enormously successful Little Owl of Europe; though 90 percent of its diet is generally invertebrates, it can expand its diet to include small birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, resulting in more than enough to eat and allowing as many as 20 breeding pairs to nest in as little as one square kilometer. Read about the Galapagos Hawk from the islands made famous by Darwin, tame enough to feed out of person's hand and known to hunt smaller birds like a falcon, catch insects like a nighjar in midflight, and feed on carrion like a vulture. Or the Poorwill of the American Southwest, one of the few birds which actually hibernate! Or the Oilbird of South America, a nocturnal cavedweller that hunts by echolocation at night!
In addition to profiles of fascinating birds from each region of the world, this book also has an introductory section discussing birds in general, such as their evolutionary history, feathers, how they fly, methods of landing, locomotion while on the ground, techniques of feeding, patterns of migration, courtship behavior and so forth, as well as a listing of some of the world's most endangered (or recently extinct) birds for the various continents and major island groups in the world. The book closes with a thorough multipage appendix, detailing every order and family of modern bird, including an illustration of a representative species, notes on habitat, nesting, feeding, food sources, social behavior, general physical characteristics for the group, range, and how many species comprise the order or family in question.
Truly this book is tremendous resource for anyone interested in birds, particulary the more fascinating facts about their life or about learning about birds from distant parts of the world. This book needs to be reprinted, it is too much a treasure not to.
Average customer rating:
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The Mitchell Beazley world atlas of birds
Manufacturer: Mitchell Beazley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Ornithology
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ASIN: 0855330422 |
Average customer rating:
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THE WORLD ATLAS OF BIRDS
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H2CN1U |
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