Book Description
Thirty-five women who succeeded in making a difference in the world relate their experiences in this inspiring collection. Katherine Martin introduces each first-person account with background information on the writer and the obstacles she faced. Lesser-known heroines include Debra Williams, who blew the whistle on medical malpractice in a midwestern prison; Sonya Bell, a blind teenager who became an award-winning runner; and Carrie Barefoot Dickerson, who stopped the construction of a nuclear power plant. Other stories, told in their own words, are about SARK, Judith Light, Julia Butterfly Hill, Joan Borysenko, Geraldine Ferraro, Iyanla Vanzant, and others.
Customer Reviews:
inspiration? yep!.......2007-01-11
This book is a wonderful find for any woman in your life that needs a bit of inspiration. My favorite short story was written by SARK, in which she discusses her troubled childhood and how she came to terms with it.
The women tell stories that are heartfelt and poignant and are perfect for reading before bed. I bought a used copy and was happy to find it was autographed!
Read it and then pass the book on to someone else. We all deserve a little pick me up now and then. :)
courageous women.......2005-07-20
I like reading the stories of these women. I also like the individual books about specific women. I highly recommend MY LAST REMAINS by Jill, the girl who was raised by mentally ill parents, in a culture that was twisted.
Stories of courage and spiritual insight.......2001-12-16
Katherine Martin's Women Of Spirit gathers stories of courage and spiritual insight from the women who lived unusual lives. Stories of spiritual guidance and how these women made a different in their worlds prove inspiration and absorbing, with the book providing sections based on the type of spirit exhibited by each.
Human courage in ordinary lives.......2001-10-31
This book is full of stories from average women who decided to take a stand for themselves or for someone else and suddenly found themselves making a difference in the world. Julie Su was one year out of law school when the slave like conditions of an El Monte sweat shop were uncovered. No one wanted to take the case of illegal Thai immigrants against big business so she did.
Kathy Buckley was born deaf, misdiagnosed and placed in an institution of the mentally retarded. She didn't start learning to speak until she was 8 yrs old - She now is a motivational speaker for others who are often "unseen and unrecognized." Most of the women in this book live average lives like me and I found their acts of courage very inspirational because I could relate to them. It makes you want to cheer for women who color outside of the lines, "good girls" who don't always behave as they are told. These women face fear and keep going. The chapters are short, inspiring to read, and there are contact numbers for each women in the back of the book. Very cool. It's a inexpensive gift that packs a wallop.
Reaffirming the American Woman's Spirit.......2001-10-19
In a time of terrorism, violence and uncertainty, Women of Spirit showcases courageousness, spunk and fortitude - true American attributes. The stories are both uplifting and fascinating. A great gift for the person in your life who is seeking inspiration.
Book Description
In the later years of the Second World War Germany was subjected to a tremendous onslaught by the bomber commands of both the RAF and USAAF, as well as being assaulted by land. For these twin strategies to succeed the Allies had to obtain and hold air supremacy over Western Europe. That this was achieved was predominantly the work of USAAF long-range fighters operating from the eastern shores of England, who thereby made a major contribution to victory.
The 56th Fighter Group, or Zemke's Wolfpack as they became known, more than any other, led the way and at the end of hostilities had the highest score of enemy aircraft shot down as well as having produced the top American fighter aces of the conflict.
This is an account of why and how this famous unit became so successful and the way in which its ethos and spirit was forged. Although following a chronological path of training and operations, this book is not a dedicated unit history, the narrative being primarily concerned with the personnel, both pilots and ground crew. Some one hundred veterans have been contacted by the author over the past ten years of his research and many of their recollections and photographs are woven into the story, reflecting in candid fashion the thoughts and actions of the young fighting men of this ground-breaking unit.
Roger A. Freeman is the author of more than fifty books on Second World War subjects and specialises in the men, aircraft and operations of USAAF.
His interest stems from boyhood experiences including working on and around an airfield which housed the organisation that is the subject of this book.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful Look at the 8th AF's Top Guns!.......2005-12-09
There have been many books on the top-scoring 56th FG. Some have recounted the missions flown, victories scored, etc. in greater depth. Some have featured many more photographs. But Freeman's book has really captured the essence of the 56th FG - who those people really were and why they were so successful. In my estimation, it ranks as perhaps the best book on the Wolfpack.
Most 56th FG histories, and most group histories in general, relate WHAT that particular unit accomplished. They never go beyond that point and reveal to the reader WHO those people were, what they were like as people, how various pilots and group personnel were viewed within the group, personality clashes and so on. That kind of information takes a lot of more digging on the part of would-be authors.
Freeman took the time and did the research to be able to present the human face of the 56th FG. So if you want to get the straight skinny on Hub Zemke or Dave Schilling, Bob Johnson, Paul Conger, etc. and learn why the Group became the 8th AF's top guns, grab a copy of Freeman's book. You won't regret it. Highly recommended!
***
Sadly, WOLFPACK WARRIORS was one of the last books penned by Roger Freeman. Freeman was THE 8th Air Force historian. His "Mighty Eighth" books stand as testament to his skills as a researcher and writer. He will be sorely missed!
Luftwaffe What If's.......2005-03-09
There were a lot of American fighter groups based in England. One of them had to have the best record, and that was the 56th. Flying P-47s the 56th ended the war with more than a thousand victories.
This is the story of the group from its formation to the end of the war. It is based on the official records of the group as well as with interviews on over a hundred vetrans of the group.
One, surprising to me, incident described in the book involved taking an old worn out P-47 and re-building it as a two seater. The worn out airplane had been flown for three hundred hours. Now a days, a plane with only 300 hours of flight time is hardly broken in.
Book Description
German U-boats almost brought Britain to its knees in WWI; twenty years later the story was the same. What was it like to be a member of a U-boat crew?
This book provides the truth behind the image portrayed so convincingly in "Das Boot". After the "happy time" of the early war years, when the U-boats struck seemingly at will and to great effect, the later war years were much grimmer for the Kriegsmarine. Their shore bases bombed incessantly by the Allies, the skies above the Atlantic patrolled by deadly long-range submarine busters like the Short Sunderland and their movements tracked by Ultra decrypts and radar, the U-boat crews went to sea knowing that their life expectancy was short and their fate likely to be a watery grave. This is their story, illustrated by a remarkable collection of rare photographs and illustrations, many in color.
Customer Reviews:
An Essential Submariner's Collectible.......2003-03-21
This is a necessary book for anyone with interest in the underpinnings of the esprit de corps of the U-Boot Waffe during World War II. The author's father was a diesel mechanic lost at sea in his 13th operational U-Boat tour. Individual submarines rarely made war patrols in the double digits before succumbing to sinking or debilitation; at the end of the war, most were scuttled by their crews.
In addition to numerous color and black and white photographs, color reproductions of panels from the 5th U-Boat Flotilla's visitor's book, along with statistics on individual U-Boat crews (survivors, war patrols, killed in action) bring the reader fairly close to a variety of experiences common to all submariners (e.g. rituals for crossing the equator, training trials, experiences on leave, the social climate of the bases).
This is no glorification of the Third Reich--if anything, it shows, like the film Das Boot (highly recommended), the isolation and challenges of maintaining a no-frills environment in which a crew of usually 45 or so men, from officers to diesel mechanics, had to maintain operational readiness in the context of long periods of dull routine punctuated by brief periods of extreme violence and fear of death--something like laying across a subway railway track with no knowledge of the time of the coming of the next train, and a screwdriver with which to attempt to derail it.
From this came initial notoriety of great accomplishment early in the war (measured by tonnage sunk), to near suicide missions by 1943, when Allied radar, sonar, and bombing was too much for these vessels that could mainly do battle only when surfaced and powered by diesel engines, and when submerged had to operate primarily on recharged electric motors (until the addition of the "schnorchel" which allowed use of diesel engines while still submerged).
As a stand-alone work, it is neither exhaustive nor definitive, but within a collection of war diaries, film, and other analyses of performance may give one the sense of opportunity given to men from many different backgrounds to merge into a fighting unit, with a much greater than 50/50 chance of certain death. It shows again how, in wartime, soldiers are fighting for each other as much as for any ethereal cause other than survival.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent starting point........2007-05-14
This book contains 176 pages and 70 thousand words and it says much about the author's attention to detail that I was unable to find any errors.
"Wolfpack - The U-Boat War and the Allied Counter-Attack 1939-1945" is a large format, hard-backed book measuring 12½" x 9¼" and containing 176 pages of text and illustrations of one form or another. The book has been carefully laid out so as to portray those events of WW2 featuring the U-Boat in chronological order. With at least one image on every page, we commence with an introductory chapter on the story of U-Boats in WW1. From here, the author brings us forward - chapter by chapter and event by event to the final reckoning at the end of WW2.
As each new development in this aspect of warfare unfolds within the narrative, we are treated to a boxed "snapshot" of either a type of submarine, aircraft, ship or weapons system relevant to the text. Each of these comprises an example of the excellent artwork of Tony Gibbons/Aerospace Publishing to which is added the salient technical information. In addition, the impressive collection of historic photographs cover every conceivable aspect of the subject in question.
For those with an interest in U-Boat Warfare of WW2, I would suggest this book is an excellent starting point.
NM
Average customer rating:
- BUREAUCRATIC READING
- A good history of the 56th FG in WWII
- Top Guns of USAAF
- A look into Hub Zemke's life in World War II.
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Zemke's Wolfpack: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II
William N. Hess
Manufacturer: Motorbooks Intl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0879386223 |
Customer Reviews:
BUREAUCRATIC READING.......1998-10-12
This book seemed to me nothing more than a scrap collection of combat reports thrown together. The author gives no indication about what happened behind the 56's curtains. He tells no intersting tales which got into the unit's folclore. It is coldly written, and doesn't even bothered to check the enemy side. Bad job!
A good history of the 56th FG in WWII.......1998-02-07
The author has done a good job of providing a very detailed account of the flying/fighting history of the 56th FG in WWII. This book is loaded with actual combat accounts from the pilots and general discriptions of daily sorties...actually, that's primarily all the book is. If you're looking for something on Zemke himself, this probably isn't the book for you. The author takes a more general approach, detailing each kill of this historical fighter group and never really concentrating on any one pilot to any substantive degree. The author also provides a detailed Appendix with, among other things, a complete breakdown of the kills of the 56th (including planes destroyed, buy who, and on what day). Thus it serves as both a good "read" generally as well as a handy reference source. The only complaint I have with the book is that the writing is somewhat cumbersome in that it reads like a reference manual at times.
Top Guns of USAAF.......1998-02-07
This is a very good book, but author William Hess makes one mistake: in the beginning, the American pilots are learning how to fight their inexperience in aerial gunnery and air combat; the next moment, the German pilots seem to be stupid and begin falling like flies from the sky under the guns of the 56th!!! This lead us to a point: we will never know how the outcome of the air battles over Germany would be, if the numbers were more or less equal on each side. Another thing missing in the Apendix is the number of missions flown by each pilot in the Group (at least the aces listed) and the total of casualties and prisoners of war. The good point is, as always, the reports from the pilots theirselves.
A look into Hub Zemke's life in World War II........1995-08-25
A wonderful look into Hub Zemke's life. One of the topaces of World War II for the Americans, was the commanderof the 56th Fighter Group, which was the most successful of the war. There are a lot of details here that make this book one of the best. Hub is a quiet and reserved man, and this book isin't here to toot his horn. Its here to give us a look into how the war was fought in the skies of Europe, where all you have is your wingman, and whats left in your ammo cans. Great book!
Book Description
Designed for visual impact, this volume provides a brutally realistic portrait of U-boat life during a critical phase of World War II in the Atlantic. It combines photographs, paintings, and drawings to brilliantly convey the U-boat experience and explain the mystique of the German submariner.
Customer Reviews:
U-boats Past and Present.......2003-09-27
I enjoyed reading this book because it presented both the history and culture behind this submarine service. Another interesting aspect was the use of the present to show the remnants of war. Items such as remaining U-boat survivors and their harbour installations create a link to this era that many of us, that were born after this period, do not have. I would have liked to see more cutaways and technical aspects covered but that is probably best left to another book.
Wonderful illustrations, but not much substance.......2000-05-05
This book is really book of pictures which cover U-boats on patrol, ship sinkings and rescues, and lots of interior pictures showing U-boat crews going about their duties. There are also some nice pictures of submarine pens in French ports and the captured U-505 here in Chicago at the Museuem of Science and Industry. Each illustration has text which describes what's going on in the picture and includes diary excerpts and letters from actual U-boat crewmen.
Although the letters and diary entries do give an idea of what life was like on a U-boat, I was hoping for a deeper discussion of U-boat operations. However, if you're looking for a good source of illustrations and photos of life on a U-boat, this would be a good choice.
Large cover text and photojournal featuring over 240 photos........2000-03-30
Very nicely compiled 25x25cm glossy pages with rare B&W and color photos of life inside various subs in port and at sea, including diesel engine room, torpedo room of U-505 just as it was abandoned at the moment of capture off West Africa in June 1944. Color photos of U-995 on display at Laboe, photos of U-505 at the Museum at Chicago, and many color photos of the many U-boat pens built on the French coast. Dramatic photos of U-175 sailors rescued at sea and taken prisoner aboard US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer. We see photos of the damaged Blohm and Voss shipyard at Hamburg and of the Germaniawerft at Kiel at the end of the war with hundreds of U-boats still in various construction stages. Color closeups of the Enigma machines with 4 rotors used exclusively by the Navy. A worthwhile addition for your U-boat library. Only the serious history buff will note a few factual discrepancies, such as the photo caption of Kapitanleutnant Hoffmann of U-447. That boat never had a commander by that name. Additional factual information can be verified on the website: ....
Average customer rating:
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Wolfpack: Hunting Migs over Vietnam
Jerry Scutts
Manufacturer: Motorbooks Intl
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0879382813 |
Average customer rating:
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The Admiral's Wolfpack
Manufacturer: Kensington Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: 0890833621 |
Average customer rating:
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Submarine wolfpack
William M Hardy
Manufacturer: Dodd, Mead
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0007DY8D0 |
Book Description
In this original and provocative book Ellen Meiksins Wood reminds us that capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor is it simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the human interaction with nature. This new edition has been substantially revised and expanded, with several new chapters. It contains extensive new material, especially on imperialism, anti-Eurocentric history, capitalism and the nation-state and the differences between capitalism and non-capitalist commerce. The author also traces links between the origin of capitalism and contemporary conditions such as 'globalization,' ecological degradation and the current agricultural crisis.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting and Thought Provoking.......2007-06-28
This work could be rated higher. It is a very academic treatise and not easily accessible to the lay reader. I found it to be a refreshing examination and restating of historical facts and one small step towards discovering the truth behind the origins of our current society and culture. The ideas and analyses are a concise critique of free enterprise myths as to the origins of capitalism and short comings in Marxist theory.
I was disappointed.......2006-08-27
I don't like propaganda. Take a look at Jerry Z. Muller's The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Modern European Thought. It is apolitical, richly textured, tightly organized, and packed with ideas. If you are looking for the antecedents of the Industrial Revolution, read Maxine Berg's The Age of Manufactures 1700-1820.
One of the better antidotes to the right-wing colonisation of the intellect.......2006-07-14
In the midst of the noisy and empty-headed celebrations of bourgeois values and free-market economics currently echoing around shady right-wing think-tanks and obsequious university departments, Meiksins Wood provides us with a salutory reminder that freedom in the context of the capitalist market is an illusion. We are in fact free to do only - and precisely - what the market demands. This potted history of the rise of a market dependency that is anything but an inevitable product of fixed human nature or evolutionary progress, followed up skilfully in her sequel 'Empire of Capital', is splendidly written in a clear, breezy style that the lay person should have no trouble following. In an intellectual world currently saturated with stale and repetitive free-market mumbo-jumbo, Meiksins Wood reminds us that some of us are still capable of mobilising critical intelligence.
Whence Primitive Accumulation?.......2005-07-14
This is an academic work: Wood's theses about capitalism, its historical specificity, and its genesis are put forward in terms of disagreements with other historians and thinkers. This isn't bad in and of itself, but it does present a barrier to the interested reader who isn't a specialist.
Wood locates the beginning of capitalism in England with the imposition of land rents on peasants for their living accomodiations. For her, this both created a class whose only economic resource was their labor power and gave the landholding non-nobles a chunk of capital to valorize. In terse but Marxian terms, this was *THE* act of primitive accumulation. I'm not qualified to judge this as an historical claim, but it does point out a definite discontinuity between feudal and capitalist production. Yet Woods dwells overmuch on capitalism as markets, and not as a regime of production. There has always been trade, and even trade such as we could not countenance today: for example, trade in human beings. But trade is not capitalism, and so a thesis of the advent of capitalism as the marketization of what was previously sacrosant seems tenuous.
It's entirely possible that these are my misunderstandings, and not Wood's intentions. When she puts aside her debates with other scholars, she writes in a direct and fluid style. I hope she will write an account of her research and theses on this topic for a non-scholarly audience. The subject deserves it.
nature or nurture?.......2004-05-11
I'm all for a general call to investigate the historical specificity of capitalism. EMW does a good job arguing the case for a radical investigation of the specificity of agrarian capitalism as opposed to the more liberal thesis that contends capitalism has always been there in history, in embryo, all it needed was the processes in place to remove the fetters that prevented its full blossoming. I liked this book, the last two chapters on the nation state and postmodernity were the only weak parts in an otherwise trenchant argument. Oh Barbara I know what you're thinking, but what the heck, I'm broke ... why not turn over a new leaf. Down with the coercion of capital, good work Ellen.
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Second Sight
