Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats

Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats
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fourth place...

AWESOME BOOK

not a biography, not very good either

This book is changing my kid's life

Great piece of work

Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats
Michael Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0060392185

Book Description

Michael Johnson stunned the world in the 1996 Olympics when he achieved what no other runner has ever accomplished, capturing two gold medals in the 200-meter and the 400-meter races and shattering the previous world record set in the 200 his own record by a staggering margin. Arms pumping, back straight in his unique running style, gold shoes flashing, it looked to the world as if Johnson had reached the pinnacle of his profession, as if he owned those races. Except for the stumble out of the blocks. For while Johnson knew what the world knew that he was the fastest man alive he also knew that there were still mountains to conquer. How much faster could he have gone without the stumble?

"After you have stared long enough into the dragon's eyes, there is nothing left to do but slay the dragon. For each of us, that dragon is the thing closest to the center of our lives. It is our core, our ambition and our joy. For me, it is the perfect race."

In Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats, Michael Johnson shares his secrets on how to identify your own dragon, your own fears and goals and how to apply his winning techniques to your personal and professional life.

Customer Reviews:

fourth place..........2006-07-13

Not what I expected at all. Less auto-biographical and more how to set goals and achieve in life.

I was looking for something that got behind the public persona of Michael Johnson ... but this was touched on only a little with no real insight into Michael Johnson the man. I managed to read this book cover-to-cover in about 2 hours.

If you want a good introduction on setting goals and motivation then by all means buy this book.

AWESOME BOOK.......2005-06-20

Michael Johnson is not only an athlete, but an intellectual as well. He spells out how it took him six years to improve his 200 meter race 1.7 seconds. What is 1.7 seconds? It is the difference from being a good athlete and a world class athlete. This book teaches everyone how to improve themselves in order to achieve their dreams, whether it is in athletics, business, or education. I read this book in a matter of hours, it is a quick read and has invaluable insight into how to slay your dragon--a term Michael coins referring to how to reach your goals. If you have a dream and want to reach it, but have fallen short of victory, this is a must read.

I am a high school English teacher and plan to use bits of this book in my classroom to help my students learn to establish goals and achieve them.

I HIGHLY recommend this book.

not a biography, not very good either.......2004-09-17

First, this is a self-help book. Why is Michael Johnson writing a self-help book rather than just writing about what he knows and about his life experiences? I don't know. Johnson is not an expert on living life. He is an expert on running fast. The best part of the book is near the end when he talks more about his quest for the 200/400 double gold in Atlanta, rather than pontificating on life in general.

Second, the book is not very well-written. It has lines like, "I don't play much golf, but they tell me as you get better it gets harder to improve your score. All things in life are like that. (That's a paraphrase, not a direct quote.) So...if all things are like that, why pick an example you know nothing about? Most of the book has this contrived feeling to it.

Johnson also repeatedly pounds the same points about how hard you have to work and how you need to set goals etc. He uses the same examples over and over for life goals, including losing weight, getting a A in school, selling a lot of cars or carpets, or "being a successful businessperson". He tends to think pretty small outside of the realm of track. Is he incapable of imagining any nobler goal than these mundane examples? Things along the lines of contributing to our scientific knowledge, creating art, starting a charity, or inventing something useful to mankind never show up in the book. Or how about just mentoring a kid or cleaning up a park? Johnson constantly talks about approaching your personal best, yet he is unable to consider anything as successful unless it is quantified. For him, accomplishment is either winning something or getting money. It has to be measurable. You even see traces of this attitude when he talks about interpersonal relationships.

Johnson states that when he doesn't think he can beat the best in the world any more, he will retire rather than continue to compete, because someone who hangs around past his prime and can't win any more is pathetic. That doesn't sound to me like someone who competes for the love of the sport. I'm no expert myself, but I'm pretty sure there's more to life than winning.

This book is changing my kid's life.......2003-09-23

When I bought the book at a used book store, I had no idea what it was like. I just wanted a book for my 13 year-old son to read and maybe enjoy. We had been to the '96 Games and had seen the 200M race so I thought he could relate even though my son hates to run. I had him read a few pages out loud each day so I could hear his pronounciation but within a few days I began to realize what this book has to offer. I also noticed a change taking place in my son as he read the words. I really can't do justice to the book but I can tell you the message Michael Johnson has for young people has the power to change lives. I am grateful to Mr Johnson for what he has given my son.

Great piece of work.......2002-11-17

Most athletes dont write their own stuff by themselves. Usually they have a professional writer help them out be cause most athletes, (and im not trying to be judgemental against athletes, im an athletes myself) aren't as good writers as others are. And i'm sure Michael Johnson did have help in rearanging certain grammatical errors and reorganizing the structure of his book, but overall it is a book that Michael Johnson wrote himself. It is one of the very few books that you can say written by a man who is not a writer that you can say "WOW" too. This wonderflly done piece of literature is a great read for student athletes and yound men and women who are aspiring to become something great in whatever profession they are in.

I would also like to say something about the author of the very terribly written review about Michael Johson. First of all, do not pay any attention to the review for it almost doesn't represent the book in any way. These reviews are meant to be a review of the book, not anything else. secondly, if any thinks Michael Johnson faked his hamstring pull, you should take a good look at the athletic doctors report on Michaels injury during the 150 meter race between Donovan Bailey. It will say that there was definate "tearing" in the muscle. Don't make pre-conceived ideas about an athlete who injures him/herself.

Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats
Average customer rating:
Slaying the Dragon: How to Turn Your Small Steps to Great Feats
Michael Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEOS4Q

Zeebrugge and Ostend (Ballantine's illustrated history of the violent century. Battle book, no. 31)
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Zeebrugge and Ostend (Ballantine's illustrated history of the violent century. Battle book, no. 31)
James W Stock
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0345238982

Zeebrugge
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Zeebrugge
Barrie Pitt
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: B0007EF4UU

The blocking of Zeebrugge
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The blocking of Zeebrugge
Alfred Francis Blakeney Carpenter
Manufacturer: H. Jenkins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00087Y1YG

Sixty minutes for St George
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In the Iron Age of Ships

A thrilling tale of a daring and costly raid

Sixty minutes for St George
Alexander Fullerton
Manufacturer: Joseph
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

War | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0718115759

Book Description

The second volume of the Everard Naval Series culminates in the raid on Zeebrugge, termed by Churchill “the finest feat of arms of the Great War.”

Nick Everard is executive officer of the destroyer Mackerel, which has spent the winter months of 1917–18 endlessly patrol-ling the Strait of Dover to prevent German ships from reaching the Atlantic. Despite his lack of respect for his captain, Everard achieves successes in action. Then he is summoned for top-secret special duty: to command a raid to capture a German trawler’s crew and bring them back to Dover. The raid is prefatory to the St. George’s Day operation in which, in the space of an hour, the German naval fortifications at Zeebrugge are destroyed. And Everard, at the age of twenty-two, is rewarded with his first destroyer command.

Customer Reviews:

In the Iron Age of Ships.......2006-02-25

I have read a number of the wooden ship sagas and this is my second in the Iron Ships Age, Volume I of the series being the first. The books stand alone unlike some of the others such as Kent who absolutely kept phrases, even paragraphs from one book to the next. The feel of the times, the men and the ships is authentic but the endings of both of Fullerton's books left me a little flat. I recommend the series to anyone wanting a feel for the men, ships and battles of WWI.

A thrilling tale of a daring and costly raid.......2000-03-30

Mr. Fullerton takes the reader from the pitching decks of the Royal Navy ships during WWI to the bloody raid on Zeebrugge in 1918, on St. George's Day. His research is flawless and his characters are most entertaining, as is the gripping action and plot. Outstanding action scenes and the violent German resistance makes one appreciate what was done by the British during this heroic action. Check it out.

The thick of the fray at Zeebrugge, April, 1918,

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The thick of the fray at Zeebrugge, April, 1918,
Percy F Westerman
Manufacturer: Blackie and Son Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Zeebrugge affair
Keble Howard
Manufacturer: George H. Doran Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ZEEBRUGGE AND OSTEND RAIDS (Battleground Channel Ports Ww1)

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ZEEBRUGGE AND OSTEND RAIDS (Battleground Channel Ports Ww1)
Stephen McGreal
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Belgium | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1844156087

Book Description

The unrestricted U-Boat war threatened the very survival of Britain, whose reliance on imported food and war materials was her Achilles' Heel. A significant element of the German submarine fleet operated from the occupied Belgian ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend. After careful planning the Royal Navy launched audacious attacks on these two ports on St Georges' Day 1918. Five obsolete cruisers and two Mersey ferries supported by a flotilla of smaller vessels penetrated the near impregnable defenses, while Royal Marines and naval storming parties battle ashore in a diversionary attack. At the time of the action the concrete filled block ships were scuttled in the ports' approaches. Despite being a costly and bloody affair for the participants, the survivors returned to acclaim. The raids gave a fillip to the national morale, at a time of depressing news from the Front. To underline the success of the affair no less than 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded.

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A Biased Opinion
The Zeebrugge and Ost End Raids, 1918

Zeebrugge and Ostend Raids 1918, The
Deborah Lake
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The Zeebrugge Raid is one of the most exciting small actions, not just of the First World War but in British history. The purpose was to counter the U-boat menace. Submarine attacks on Allied shipping caused great difficulty. The Admiralty claimed that the war would be lost unless the submarine attacks were curtailed.

Admiral Keyes proposed blocking the ports. At Zeebrugge, a diversionary landing on the Mole - an enormous breakwater - would divert attention from the blockships as they entered the harbor. The defences were extremely strong. Surprise and daring were essential. Despite over 600 casualties, the attacks were a great boost to civilian morale in Britain. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded, eight of them for the Zeebrugge raid alone. Some recipients were chosen by the survivors, one of the very few times this has been done.

Customer Reviews:

A Biased Opinion.......2003-08-30

I have immediately to declare an interest as I met the author a little while back at a writers' bash. I put to her the comments about the PRO documents - in answer to which she sweetly informed me that her translation of the original German indeed showed they were surprised - flabbergasted in fact - by the Mole landing. Mainly because they could not conceive of anybody being that half-witted. Of course, as I was informed, the Germans did not realise at the time that the assault was way out of position. They were not surprised, however, in the military sense especially as the landing itself was such a slow operation. It gave them time to re-jig their defensive plan which assumed an assault, if ever it came, would be made on the guns at the lighthouse end.
The Germans, apparently, were well ready for such an attempt. The shore batteries had range and elevation already calculated for this eventuality. Large howitzer shells would have landed in short order if the assault had taken place at the Mole head.
Deborah said that, with the pressures on space (she was 3000 words over the agreed 75000 - itself an increase on the original 60000 maximum) she did not want to continually harp on the false picture disseminated by the UK propaganda machine at the expense of other detail. As she also did not wish to produce what could be described as an unremitting anti-Keyes diatribe, she omitted that angle. She considered that mistranslation an essentially minor aspect of the whole, no more than an additional arrow in the propaganda bow. In retrospect, as she said, a mistake.
If there's a second edition, she muttered, she would correct it together with a badly written conditional clause in Chapter 2! She would also add new information she had dug up from Belgium and Germany which underlined the general slapdash approach of the operation.
I told her that I thought she had done a good job, far better than any previous books on the subject which seemed to regurgitate the official line without criticism. Fot this praise, she allowed me to buy her a drink.
Interestingly, she did mention that the papers of the Dover Patrol are woefully inadequate. Many from January 1918 onwards went missing and records relating to Keyes' predecessor have apparently vanished. As she said, Keyes himself became the authority for much of the detail which credited the operation with tremendous success. She said that a Staff College appreciation in the 1930s was far more condemnatory than anything she wrote.
Apart from all that, a great book and a worthwhile addition to WW1 writing

The Zeebrugge and Ost End Raids, 1918.......2003-02-10

This is by far the best account of the Royal Navy's attempts to block Zeebrugge and Ostend during WWI. Deborah Lake uses a tightly written, smoothly flowing style that makes this book a page-turner. Her criticisms of VAdm. Sir Roger Keyes for poor planning, her analysis of the exagerated battle claims made by both sides, and her evenly balanced analysis of the battle are excellent. Though her work is undoubtedly historically accurate, it suffers from the absence of a complete bibliography and her failure to cite her sources within the text. I infer from the text that her German sources came from the German navy's bi-weekly publication An Flanderns Küste, but I cannot be sure because no German sources are listed in her abreviated bibliography. She obviously did not use the captured German records found in the British Public Records Office, and the US National Archives. Had she used those records she would have found that the Britsh did in fact catch the Zeebrugge defenders completely by surprise. As it is, she dismisses that fact, asserting that the Germans were in fact fully prepared, which is the claim the Germans made in their post-raid propaganda. But it appears that she did make extensive use of Royal Navy records, which allowed her to draw well developed opinions--and support them--about Admiral Keyes failings as a leader. Her detailed analysis of Keyes' personality, attitudes, and behavior make this book an important contribution to the history of WWI.
Dwight R. Messimer, author of Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in WWI, and Verschollen: U-Boat Losses in WWI, Naval Institute Press 2001 and 2002.

ZEEBRUGGE: Eleven VCs Before Breakfast (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

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ZEEBRUGGE: Eleven VCs Before Breakfast (Cassell Military Paperbacks)
Barrie Pitt
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0304363405

Book Description

On 23 April 1918 British warships raided the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Their objective: to sink blockships in the mouth of the canal, stopping German U-boats from using it as a base. The men were all volunteers and knew they were unlikely to survive the storm of fire from the German batteries. They weren't wrong. The scenes in Zeebrugge harbour that morning made SAVING PRIVATE RYAN look like a playground squabble: not for nothing were eleven VCs awarded, not to mention 21 DSOs and 29 DSCs. It is the ultimate example of an heroic failure: the gallantry was unsurpassed, but the odds were too fearful. The obstructions were removed and the U-boats continued to operate that summer. This incredible story was written by Barrie Pitt at the height of his powers - a graphic page-turner that does full justice to a night of exceptional heroism.

The Dover patrol;: The Straits: Zeebrugge: Ostend; including a narrative of the operations in the spring of 1918,

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The Dover patrol;: The Straits: Zeebrugge: Ostend; including a narrative of the operations in the spring of 1918,
J. J Bennett
Manufacturer: G. Richards Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America: How a Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure the U.S. into the Kosovo War
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A must for those wanting to know Kosovo from the inside

Excellent history of the UCK side

Excellent

Informative

A tale of our times..

Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America: How a Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure the U.S. into the Kosovo War
Stacy Sullivan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312285582

Book Description

or the past ten years, a family of Albanian activists has directed a network of Albanian emigres across the U.S., raising money and running illicit guns into Albania and Kosovo. When the war in Kosovo began in earnest, they organized shipments of guns and American volunteers, some of whom left schools and colleges in the New York area to fight for a homeland they hardly knew. From Brooklyn to Kosovo with Love and AK47s tells the remarkable stories of these activists, as well as those of their homelandits divisions, its profound loyalties, and its war-torn history.

Customer Reviews:

A must for those wanting to know Kosovo from the inside.......2007-03-27

Having lived many years in Kosovo after the war, I found many people who have not lived here think the KLA and the revolutionary movement did not exist, or that they are terrorists of the worst kind. This book shreds those misconceptions and illustrates how love of one's country will lead any person on a similar path to ensure his country and countrymen's freedoms. Any westerner will question his or her own patriotism - how far would you go to save your country from oppression? I bet many would hide and run away, not find ways to make a different path for so many!

Excellent history of the UCK side.......2005-12-17

Sullivan's book recounts the Kosovo conflict as seen by participants and supporters of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). Despite this focus on one side of the conflict, it is remarkably even-handed, and does not gloss over misconduct by the UCK and Kosovo Albanians during and after the war. It is not (and does not claim to be) a complete history of the conflict, but it's an important contribution to that history.

Excellent.......2005-12-05

This is a well-written, readable account of the guerrilla war in Kosovo. The author spent years in and around Kosovo, and is clearly in command of her topic.

If you're not familiar with the Kosovo conflict, this is a very solid introduction to it. If you are, it's still very much worth reading. This is the first book examining in detail how Albanian-Americans supported the KLA guerrilla movement, and it adds a lot to any discussion of the Kosovo issue.

Stacy Sullivan's writing is light and very readable, but she has done her homework, and the tone never lapses into sentimentality or self-indulgence. There is a clear pro-Albanian bias, but this is hardly surprising... she spent most of her time on the Albanian side of things.

(This has definitely affected the book's reviews. You may notice that several reviewers have said "it's great" and then given it low reviews, because it didn't agree with their own opinions about the war. This is unfortunate, because it's a book well worth reading whether think the Kosovo intervention was a good idea or not.)

I have some quibbles with the book. She really doesn't give enough time to KLA atrocities, including the ones that have caused KLA members to be indicted to the Hague. She largely ignores the strange cross-currents in the province, like the killings of "collaborators" (who may or may not have been such). And some of the numbers in the final chapter are a bit iffy.

But these are quibbles. There are a lot of wonderful pieces in here: her Albanian-American protagonist shopping for Stinger missiles in a Pakistani arms bazaar, young Americans in a disorganized KLA "boot camp", Geraldo Rivera setting off an artillery strike. And the general quality of the writing is high, and the book takes a complicated subject and boils it down into a clear narrative.

Highly recommended to anyone who's interested in this still-controversial topic.

Doug Muir

Informative.......2005-07-18

The book is very informative for someone that is unfamiliar with the Balkans. The only mixed feeling I got from this book that I didn't quite get the position of the author. When I finished reading the book, I had one question in my mind, was Stacy Sullivan thinking that braking the law in unjustifiable even in the face of murder? Time has shown in the previous wars the barbarism of the Serbian army. The time has also shown the tolerance of the Albanian people as a nation.

Over 200,000 Bosnians were musdered by the Serbian army, and 10,000 Albanians. Over 1.5 million Albanians were forced to leave their homes. Their homes were burned, their people were raped, shot, burned alive, crossified, including children, women, and old people. What the Serbians were doing in Kosovo was unacceptable by any standards. The only choice for them who had lost everything was to fight for the land that was passed on for milleniums from our ancestors.

If the authors house was burned, with her family inside, and the very same thing happened to most of people that she new, I am absolutely positive that she would try in anyway posible to destroy them who destroyed the lives of her loved ones. Anyone would do the same thing in their situation.

I agree that crimes of war have occurred from the Albanian side, but it must be understood that 10 or 100 or 1,000 Albanian racist do not represent the nation. A murderer is a murderer, whether he is Albanian, Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian, French, Russian or American. Albanians guilty of war crimes must be charged and punished for their actions, but please do not punish the whole nation of Kosovo.

What about the Serbian people, are they guilty. At some extent, yes; THEY NEVER PROTESTED TO THEIR GOVERMENT TO STOP THE ETHNIC CLEANSING. It is everyones duty as human beings to protect life, justice, and help the neighbor. Well Serbians saw the crimes being comitted and dind't even care.

What about Albanian tolerance? They have proven their tolerance as people thru the years. In 1943, in the Republic of Albania(not Kosovo), 40,000 Italian soldiers took refuge in the Albanian homes after Musolini's excecution. They came there as invadors, they were not welcome, they comitted crimes, yet the Albanians opened their doors for those who were innocent.
In the Republic of Albania there are Serbian, Macedonian, and Greek minorities, and I can proudly say that discriminations do not exist. Greeks just like Serbians, have murdered Albanians for centuries, and yet in Albania, Greeks are not discriminated.

Let the people of Kosovo continue to live where they have been doing so for the past 3,000 years. We are the oldest people of the Balkan, direct ancestors of Illyrians, the true owners of that land. As for Serbs, I respect their right to live there where they have lived since 900 AD when their barbarian ancestors reached Kosovo. They have their own heritage is Kosovo, and we have ours. We were there first, always majority, and never gave it up; this must be accepted by all Serbians.

LET THE RESIDENDS OF KOSOVO DECIDE THEIR FUTURE WITH THEIR OWN FREE VOTE IN A REFERENDUM.

I also wanted to thank the U.S. for putting in risk the lives of their own solders to defend the innocent children of Kosovo. Their effort was priceless, and will always be remembered and appreciated, beacuse of the lives they saved.

A tale of our times.........2005-02-25

Having just finished Stacy Sullivan's "Be Not Afraid, For You Have Sons In America," I can only say that it an extraordinarily undervalued gem. Not unlike Chuck Sudetic's "Blood and Vengeance," Sullivan takes a complex international disaster and makes it intelligible by weaving "big picture" historical, stategic and political facts into the lives of the ordinary people who always make history.

Anyone can find the history of the Balkans in general and Kosovo in particular by perusing the recent texts that focus on the governmental players, but this book sees the tragedy in the lives of those who experienced it and make it ever so real.

The book is also highly relevant to our post-Sept. 11 world. It depicts how Albanian-Americans were able to use the openness of our society and gulibility of our leaders to subvert American foreign policy in ways that were totally legal. Her chilling message for today is clear. If blue collar expats in Brooklyn can fund and arm an insurgency across the world, how much easier it would be for weapons of destruction to be acquired and utilized right here at home? Sullivan's book makes the Oklahoma City bombing - much less the continuing threat of Al Qaeda - very close indeed.

Did Sullivan get every just right? As someone who has travelled to Albania and the rest of the Balkans and read more than a little, there are some facts she missed (such as the role of the Berisha family), but not much. I learned a great deal from this book.

Finally, even if the reader has no interest in the intricacies of the Balkans, this book should be purchased and read. It is one great tale.

Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America: How a Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure the U.S. into the Kosovo War

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Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America: How a Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure the U.S. into the Kosovo War
Stacy Sullivan
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTO0JE

Book Description

This annual volume, written by the staff of the award-winning Worldwatch Institute, gives prominence to key trends that too often escape the attention of the news media, world leaders, and economic experts. By distilling forty-five "vital signs" of our times from thousands of government, industrial, and scientific documents, this book allows readers to track key indicators that show social, economic, and environmental progress, or the lack of it. Vital Signs 2002 presents up-to-the-minute information on environmental and sustainable development topics such as global warming, population control, transgenic crops, HIV/AIDS, international trade, and Internet use. Each trend is presented in both text and graphics, providing a thorough, well-documented, and very accessible overview. Vital Signs is an excellent companion volume to Worldwatch's highly acclaimed State of the World series. Charts and graphs.

Customer Reviews:

Global Almanac.......2002-07-01

A product of The World Watch Institute, "Vital Signs" is the only book out there that attempts to provide the Big Picture of massive global trends - and succeeds. Unlike any other study, it gives a unique snapshot of the social, economic, and environmental trends that determine the quality of our lives and the future of our children's lives. It answers the question, "Where has development brought us?" And although we might not want to hear the answer, it is necessary if we wish to steer ourselves in the right direction. To quote the introduction, "a candied appraisal reveals disparities between rich and poor, mounting health challenges, battered ecosystems, and persistent social and political conflicts." More specifically, we see that the global temperature is rising; forests are fading; pesticide use is skyrocketing (as are pesticide-resistant pests); soda beverage drinking is up as with its concomitants, obesity and diabetes, and food-borne illness is widespread, among other things to numerous to mention. The "key indicators" Vital Signs focuses on are food and agricultural trends, energy trends, atmospheric trends, economic trends, transportation trends, communication trends, health and social trends, and finally military trends. The second half of this slim, compact, hard-hitting book focuses on "special issues." These include environmental features (like the deterioration of farmland and the increase of "unseen toxic wastes"), economy and finance features (from foreign spending to the cruise industry), resource economic features (the biotech and water issues, for example), health features (such as asthma and food-borne illness), social features (like persisting poverty and voter decline), and military features - in particularly, progress against landmines. As you can the see, the scope of the book is vast, but the presentation is clean and seamless. It won't bog you down and intimidate. A veritable resource treasure house. If you want global awareness or simply need to scrape together some important and up-to-date facts for a research paper, look no further. Baseline information for anyone interested in the future of the planet.

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