Book Description
Both Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkien and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkien would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis' fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkien's influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds.
They quickly discovered their affinity--a love of language and the imagination, a wide reading in northern myth and fairy tale, a desire to write stories themselves in both poetry and prose. The quality of their literary friendship invites comparisons with those of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper and John Newton, and G.K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc. Both Tolkien and Lewis were central figures in the informal Oxford literary circle, the Inklings.
This book explores their lives, unfolding the extraordinary story of their complex friendship that lasted, with its ups and downs, until Lewis's death in 1963. Despite their differences--differences of temperament, spiritual emphasis, and view of their storytelling art--what united them was much stronger, a shared vision that continues to inspire their millions of readers throughout the world.
Customer Reviews:
My question is this . . . .......2007-04-28
. . . why was this book needed?
As a previous reviewer has noted, George Sayer has written an outstanding biography of Lewis (and to my mind, the best available). Sayer was a student, friend, and confidante of Lewis for 29 years, and knew Tolkien as well. Humphrey Carpenter has written an outstanding biography of Tolkien, with the full cooperation of the Tolkien estate. Carpenter also edited an edition of Tolkien's letters which frequently reference Lewis (including the very poignant "axe blow at the roots" letter to his daughter upon learning of Lewis's death) and also the critically regarded "The Inklings".
All four of these volumes are easily accessible; none fall into the category of dense academic writing.
Then why did Colin Duriez feel that this effort was necessary?
He breaks no new ground -- indeed his little bit of fiction at the beginning seems more odd than contributive. He makes some unnecessary errors -- Lewis was hardly a "Low-Church" Anglican. (While personally eschewing church politics, Lewis attended a "High" parish, and held a very high view of Communion, practiced auricular confession, and believed in Purgatory!)
I guess what troubles me most here, is that any book which purports to discuss the friendship of Lewis and Tolkien, will, inevitably, lead readers to unfair conclusions. Lewis and Tolkien first met in 1926; by 1927 they had become fast friends. Lewis converted in 1931. By the time Lewis died in 1963, the two men had known each other for 37 years! ANY 37 year friendship will have ebbs and flows. Why is this so difficult for authors to accept?
Yes, Tolkien was disappointed that Lewis never became Catholic.
Yes, Lewis's appreciation for Tolkien's fiction was greater than Tolkien's appreciation for much (NOT all) of Lewis's fiction.
Yes, Tolkien was greatly distressed by Lewis's marriage -- and yes, Edith Tolkien became friends with Joy Davidman Lewis!
My question? So what! Such is friendship!
It was Lewis, who, even in the latter years of their friendship, wrote the enormously glowing reviews of "The Lord of the Rings" which still grace dust-jackets today.
It was Tolkien, who, during the same years, was instrumental in procuring a Professorship for Lewis in Cambridge, after Lewis had been so long denied at Oxford.
And it was Tolkien who was one of the very few mourners at Lewis's funeral.
The point is, is that a 37 year friendship is far more than the quirks, disagreements, differences, and even arguments -- and frankly, I'm amazed that more people don't understand that! I strongly suspect that both Lewis and Tolkien would have been most suspicious (at best) at this type of analysis.
Parallel Biographies.......2005-03-05
The book introduces chapters with fictional vignettes of their lives that might have happened. This approach is a mixed blessing. Who really cares what may have happened in a biography? This approach does make the book an easy read. Duriez presents the lives of both of the men fairly accurately. He even tries to correct the common misconceptions of these two great men. Duriez asserts the men were friends to the end of their lives and they were not estranged by Lewis's marriage to Joy. Duriez writes all long friendships go through peaks and valleys. I tend to agree. I am well read in both Tolkien and Lewis and Duriez summarizes the plot lines of the some of the most well known books fairly well. The book is good as far as it goes. It even reveals some insights that I didn't know before, especially about Tolkien.
However, the book is more like parallel biographies rather than the tracing their friendship and how that friendship influenced their writing. The information in this book is presented far better in other places. Duriez really does not present anything new and interesting about Lewis and Tolkien in these pages. Sayer's biography of Lewis does a better job of presenting the influences on Lewis. Carpenter's book "The Inklings" does a better job of describing the friendships. Carpenter's biography of Tolkien tells the details of Tolkien's life far better. Duriez does not bring a fresh perspective.
I have quibbles about some of the facts in the book. The most glaring one is that Duriez asserts that Tolkien decided to change Bilbo's name to Bilbo from something else while he was writing the Lord of the Rings. "The Hobbit" was already published while he was writing the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien could not very well have changed Bilbo's name. It's possible that The Lord of the Rings was being developed before the Hobbit was published, but from Duriez own words the publisher was pushing Tolkien to write a sequel to the Hobbit and so Tolkien started work on The Lord of the Rings. Duriez must have meant something else or needs to clarify.
If you have not read a biography of Lewis or Tolkien, this book would be a good start. It is slightly repetitious and obvious, but it stays interesting. However, better books are out there on these men.
Well ... not exactly what I was expecting.......2005-01-23
This book might have been better titled: "Two Parallel Lives in Oxford." Perhaps it is more a reflection of the English reserve of the two scholars (or a dearth of first person account's of their friendship) than it is some shortcoming in Duriez's research, but given the title of this book I had expected a greater discussion of their friendship. Instead the reader is treated to a bloodless, albeit intriguing, chronicling of two extraordinary writers who lived in close proximity.
While this "dual biography" was adequate introduction for readers like myself who are relatively unfamiliar with the personal life of either man (though I suspect there are more complete examinations of both men's lives out there), I kept wanting more about their friendship. Buriez doesn't give the reader much to go on. I had a hard time figuring out why the seemingly good-natured and much more emotionally generous Lewis would want to be friends with Tolkien, who comes off as a little petty, insecure, myopic and persnicky (especially given some of the condescending remarks made about Lewis' work).
This book is readable because it discusses two fascinating men - not because it reveals much about their friendship.
Pure genius - simply the best.......2004-05-11
This is pure genius - simply the best book around on these two brilliant guys. Buy your pastor and all the deacons/elders in your church this great book - and don't forget one for all your friends. They will all LOVE this book.
Pen pals.......2004-04-08
Just about everyone who knows things about the life of "Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien knows that he was pals with fellow fantasy writer C.S. Lewis (author of the "Narnia" series). But where that's usually a sidenote in Tolkien biographies, Colin Duriez makes it the center of double-biography "Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship."
Duriez focuses on Lewis and Tolkien's early lives, the differences in their religious progressions, their wartime experiences, their fantasy works and their involvement in Christian literary club The Inklings. In 1926, the quiet Tolkien ("Tollers") and ebullient Lewis met and became friends over a shared love of Christianity, language myth and imagination.
Duriez's main idea in "Gift of Friendship" is that this friendship created some of the most influential fantasy and science fiction ever, by mutual support. Religious beliefs and "the horns of elfland" were important for them both. For example, it was partly through Lewis's encouragement that Tolkien managed to finish his stories of Middle-Earth, and Tolkien in turn helped with Lewis's more serious works.
Duriez doesn't reveal anything new about the friendship or the men in it, and he focuses quite a bit on the Inklings at large at one point. (Since he wrote a book on them, it isn't surprising) However, he clearly is a big fan of both men and his enthusiasm is obvious. He briskly clears away some misconceptions (for example, Tolkien did not hate the Narnia books, he merely "disliked" them) and throws in some literary analysis of Middle-Earth, the Ransom books and Narnia that doesn't stray too far from the authors' intents.
"Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship" doesn't offer more than a few tidbits that are new, but it's a good focus on Tolkien and Lewis's friendship and how it affected their epic books.
Book Description
An unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the men who protect us from the most frightening prospect of life in the age of terrorism"In my mind it's all business; I don't worry about my family, I don't worry about a function that I'm doing after work, I just worry about what's at hand. And what's at hand is that package." --Detective First Grade Joe Putkowski, NYPD Bomb SquadThe New York City Police Department Bomb Squad is the oldest such squad in the nation, founded in 1903. Each year its thirty-three members make more than two hundred stress-filled "bomb runs," in which they check suspicious briefcases, defuse hand grenades, and even respond to "art" projects constructed with real explosives. The public rarely sees these men -- and when they do, it's usually from a distance, telephoto pictures of helmeted figures in ninety-pound suits of Kevlar armor.Starting on December 31, 2003, in the heart of the New Year's Eve action in Times Square, journalists Richard Esposito and Ted Gerstein had exclusive access to the nation's most elite police unit for an entire year. Their often chilling, never-before-told tales from the front line provide an extraordinary view of the domestic war on terrorism.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for those interested in EOD........2007-09-11
As a military Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, I recommend BOMB SQUAD. The authors spent a year in the field with the NYPD BOMB SQUAD. The result is a narrative that strikes the right balance between history, human interest, and blowing stuff up. By the time I finished BOMB SQUAD I understood what it means to be a disposaleer in the Big Apple. I am particularly impressed and amazed with the number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that New York's Finest face on a regular basis. This book is a must read for anyone interested in EOD, police work, and homeland security. Thank you, Messrs. Esposito and Gerstein.
Boring, Boring, Boring.......2007-06-18
Mr. Gerstein should keep to writing for television. I was completely disappointed in this book. The character development was so minimal you really didn't care what happened to them. Each chapter jumps to a different era making a dry read that much harder. The writer was so constrained by the NYPD to NOT go into any details about bombs or methods to diffuse them the reader was left totally in the dark. While this book may have some minimal value to someone who is either obsessed with bomb squads or is directly connected to this one, for the rest of us this book is a bore. I had to consciously will myself each time to pick it up, hardly a page turner.
To make matters worse, the writer's political leanings are strongly to the right as he obviously is a big fan of the Patriot Act and has strong animosity towards former president Clinton. If you are a Fox News fan, you may enjoy this book.
day to day.......2007-04-11
great book as an emergency first responder in a haz mat specialty position I really enjoyed the story and could identify with the team in many ways.
I purchased this as a gift for my son........2007-04-06
I will wait until he reads the book. Therefore, I can't review it at this time.
A "must read" that's as important as it is informative.......2007-03-21
I knew this book was going to be a good read but I must admit I was greatly surprised to realize how important this book is. Not only is it a great history and peak inside the daily working of the NYPD Bomb Squad, but the fact, figures and observations of the many bomb technicians interviewed make you see the terrorism that has engulfed us for so long with fresh eyes. It's more informative than any Congressional hearing and I would wager that anyone reading this book is not only going to have an exciting read - my heart was racing - but is going to feel that reading this book was time and money well spent. I wish there were more books and authors like "Bomb Squad" and Richard Esposito and Ted Gerstein.
Average customer rating:
- An eye-opener to the world of the people who defuse bombs
- Good Children's Book or Collectors Series
- Bomb Squads
- GREAT overview
- Where's the beef?
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Bomb Squads (Power Series)
Stephen F. Tomajczyk
Manufacturer: Motorbooks International
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Binding: Paperback
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Bomb Squad Specialist (High Interest Books)
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BOMB SQUAD: A YEAR INSIDE THE NATION'S MOST EXCLUSIVE POLICE UNIT
ASIN: 0760305609 |
Book Description
The technology of bomb disposal is explained in detail, while separate chapters are dedicated to bomb squads from the NYPD, LAPD, Oklahoma City, Jerusalem, Madrid, and Frankfurt. The last chapter dissects a typical bomb squad investigation. Photos depict actual bomb blasts and their aftermath, bombs being defused, and bomb squad gear and vehicles. Everything except, of course, how to make a bomb.
Customer Reviews:
An eye-opener to the world of the people who defuse bombs.......2007-05-08
This book is a real eye-opener to the world of the people whose job is to defuse bombs. It is not one for the faint of heart or impatient. You are given a brief description of some of the basic strategies and equipment members of the bomb squad use when confronted with a potentially explosive device. I found it fascinating to learn some of the techniques that they follow. Of course, no specific details regarding how to make bombs are revealed.
Nevertheless, this is one of those books that keep you fascinated as you also learn some details of the most celebrated bombing events in the United States. After 9/11 the focus is on international terrorists, but the reality is that bombs are being safely handled nearly every day in this country. And none of the bomb makers is a member of any international terrorist organization.
Good Children's Book or Collectors Series.......2007-03-15
Book is very nice, but be prepared for a very small book for the price.
I have now bought three books from this author and all the books cost me a small fortune,but my husband is a Capt. on our city's fire dept and also on the bomb squad so he collects these things. There are very few pages in this book and they are more like the children's "Golden Books" thats how small the book is. When paying over 20.00 some dollars for the books I was expecting a much bigger book for my dollar. Just be aware of what your getting. If its worth it for you, then the money is not an issue.
Again for me my husband collects them, but I thing if he knew how much I paid for them he would even be disappointed.
Added note: I would say the ages for this book would be eight years on up????
Bomb Squads.......2002-02-20
If you want to enter the the world of bomb disposal from the technician's point of view, then this book is for you. Although due to security matters, most things have been ommitted, it's still a very good read, into the tallents of the guys who help save people's lives when bombs are involved. Get it now, or miss out.
GREAT overview.......2001-09-25
This book is a wonderful initial look into Explosive Ordnance Disposal or Public Safety Bomb Technician work. I would highly recommend this book for a younger reader, or a person who could appreciate the photography, some of which aren't found anywhere else.
This book would also be good for media or executive - types who need a basic working knowledge of what goes on, but not at a technical operations level. This book is basically a VIP tour of a typical Hazardous Devices Unit. Mr. Tomajczyk REALLY did his homework.
Where's the beef?.......2001-06-16
Considering the fact that the world's busiest and best bomb squads were never even mentioned or covered in this book (New York, Israel Police, British Army Northern Ireland, Spanish EOD squads, French Police demolitions units, and German bomb techs), this coverage is missing the "big bang!"
Average customer rating:
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Risky Business - Bomb Squad Officer (Risky Business)
Keith Elliot Greenberg
Manufacturer: Blackbirch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
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ASIN: 1567111556 |
Book Description
Many people in our world face the unique demands of special careers. The Risky Business series gives you an up-close-and-personal profile of people who do things most of us would never dream of doing. As you read about them, you'll find out what worries them and what excites them about their jobs. You'll also learn how each person trained to become an expert in his or her field.
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Bomb Detection Squads
Michael Green
Manufacturer: Franklin Watts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0531115585 |
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Bomb squad
Mark Andrews
Manufacturer: Nordon Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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| Classics
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ASIN: 0843904534 |
Average customer rating:
- Children's book or collectors book for someone in this field
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Bomb Squad Experts: Life Defusing Explosive Devices (Extreme Careers)
Suzanne J. Murdico
Manufacturer: Rosen Central
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
Careers
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| Ages 4-8
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ASIN: 0823939685 |
Customer Reviews:
Children's book or collectors book for someone in this field .......2007-01-10
Book is very nice, but be prepared for a very small book for the price.
I have now bought two books from this author and both books cost me a
small fortune,but my husband is a Capt. on our city's fire dept and also on the bomb squad so he collects these things. There are very few pages in this book and they are more like the children's "Golden Books" thats how small the book is. When paying over 20.00 some dollars for the books I was expecting a much bigger book for my dollar. Just be aware of what your getting. If its worth it for you, then the money is not an issue.
Again for me my husband collects them, but I thing if he knew how much I paid for them he would even be disappointed.
Average customer rating:
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Bomb Squads and Swat Team (At Risk Series)
Jean Dick , and
Anita Larsen
Manufacturer: Crestwood House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 0896864014 |
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Bomb Squads in Action (Dangerous Jobs)
Lissette Gonzalez
Manufacturer: PowerKids Press
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Binding: Library Binding
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ASIN: 140423781X |
Amazon.com
We've all heard, if not experienced, the horror stories: hours spent standing in line, lost luggage, a night passed on an airport bench waiting for a connecting flight that never arrived. And that's not even during the holidays. Though cutting-edge technology has made planes safer and more efficient, air travel is still an often arduous process, leading James Fallows to ask, "How can a system be so technically advanced and admirable, yet lead to results so unpleasant for everyone involved?" Part of the answer involves congestion: currently, over 80 percent of all flights are routed through 28 major hubs across the country, and according to federal officials, traffic to these same few airports is expected to double by 2010.
In Free Flight, Fallows details an "impending, potentially broad change" in how we travel--one that he compares to the introduction of the car. This shift involves the use of small planes that "offer much of the speed, and as much as possible of the safety, of the big airlines, but at a small fraction of the cost of today's corporate jets." In this new world, people would either buy their own planes or hire piloted air-taxi services for no more than current coach fares. These planes would fly as directly as possible from one destination to another, taking advantage of the 18,000 small airports and landing strips currently available across the country.
Focusing on the colorful personalities and visionary designers leading this nascent transportation revolution, Fallows looks at the opportunities and obstacles small-plane manufacturers are likely to face. A national correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and a recreational pilot, Fallows is both knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. Portions of the book will appeal mainly to flight enthusiasts and venture capitalists, but the bulk is interesting enough to hold the attention of those who are neither. And it's short enough that you can read it cover-to-cover the next time you're stuck at a hub. --Shawn Carkonen
Book Description
The troubles of the airline system have become acute in the post-terrorist era. As the average cost of a flight has come down in the last twenty years, the airlines have survived by keeping planes full and funneling traffic through a centralized hub-and-spoke routing system. Virtually all of the technological innovation in airplanes in the last thirty years has been devoted to moving passengers more efficiently between major hubs. But what was left out of this equation was the convenience and flexibility of the average traveler. Now, because of heightened security, hours of waiting are tacked onto each trip.
As James Fallows vividly explains, a technological revolution is under way that will relieve this problem. Free Flight features the stories of three groups who are inventing and building the future of all air travel: NASA, Cirrus Design in Duluth, Minnesota, and Eclipse Aviation in Albuquerque, New Mexico. These ventures should make it possible for more people to travel the way corporate executives have for years: in small jet planes, from the airport that's closest to their home or office directly to the airport closest to where they really want to go. This will be possible because of a product now missing from the vast array of flying devices: small, radically inexpensive jet planes, as different from airliners as personal computers are from mainframes. And, as Fallows explains in a new preface, a system that avoids the congestion of the overloaded hub system will offer advantages in speed, convenience, and especially security in the new environment of air travel.
Customer Reviews:
Cirrus and Eclipse, new hope for the Gospel of flight?.......2007-05-27
The advent of the technologically innovative Klapmeier brother's Cirrus design brings new hope to the Gospel of flight.
Composite construction permits a sleek aerodynamically efficient and visually appealing appearance and the Cirrus needs fewer large parts than if aluminum were used, simplifying manufacturing. Composite material is heavier, but "permitted a nicer shape for moving through the air, while also maximizing interior space."(88) The interior is designed to be more "modern and comfortable, so it will appeal to people who'd grown used to the improved cars of the nineties."(97)
Safety is another key issue. Taking a cue from the automobile industry, the fuselage frame is designed to absorb energy, four point, rather than three point seatbelts are installed, and a parachute for the whole plane is a standard feature.
"...[Cirrus] started with a `clean sheet' design for a new plane. Whether because the resulting craft combined so many subtle changes or because, on the contrary, it constituted so large a single leap, it got attention throughout its industry signaling a change from a stagnant era. While hardly cheap it offered better value than anything else then on sale. Which in turn represented a step toward an idea that lower prices could bring higher volume. Its built-in parachute offered a margin of comfort to the majority of people who were fearful about travel in small planes, its moving-map displays helped bring small planes the sort of simplifying technology that had become commonplace in expensive jets."(157)
The visions between William T. Piper and his Cubs and Alan and Dale Klapmeier's innovative Cirrus designs can be compared because each articulates a comprehensive plan. The Klapmeier's confront a dilemma similar to Piper and other predecessors in the "Golden Age," i.e. high costs and/or limited demand. Piper's vision, based on the inexpensive Cub, was derailed by a post WWII recession and the massive federal expansion of the highway system. The ubiquity of personal air travel is still limited by the high cost of producing a suitable aircraft, despite Alan and Dale Klapmeier's design incorporating the latest technology.
What the Cirrus airplane gives private pilots, Eclipse Aviation hopes to provide airline passengers. The Eclipse, Very Light Jet (VLJ), is "a safe, comfortable, reasonably priced alternative to airline travel."(158-59)
"What Eclipse claimed to offer was the first small jet plane cheap enough to make a difference in a national transportation system. With its new approach to computerized aircraft design, its new `lean-manufacturing' systems, and its dramatically new jet engine, it promised to market a plane for well under one-third the cost of preceding models. Because this plane would be a jet, it could be fast and safe enough to attract ordinary civilian travelers. Because it would be cheap, it could provide the hardware for a nationwide network of "air-taxis" or "air-limos," which could pick up passengers at local airports and take them direct to their destinations. Because it would be small, it could land at nearly any of 6,000 to 8,000 airports in North America, rather than the 600-odd that now have scheduled commercial service of any sort."(159-60)
With the advent of the Cirrus and the VLJ, the dream for ubiquitous personal air travel remains alive and well.
See also: "The Winged Gospel: America's Romance with Aviation" by Joseph J. Corn and William T. Piper's "Private Flying, Today and Tomorrow."
IS THERE HOPE??.......2006-01-12
A well written review of the current horrors of commercial airline travel. Fallows hopes that GA ( non commercial ) developers and manufacturers can produce small planes which will be safe and efficient enough to create an air taxi service that will allow the public to travel short distances ( less than 1000 miles )without accessing the " hubs and spokes " system that dominates air travel today. His enthusiasm is infectious, but I left with the feeling that his optimism is unrealistic and that it will be many years before we can depend on the emergence of safe and reasonably priced small plane travel.
Loose with the facts.......2004-01-21
Free Flight, as outlined in other reviews, about the Cirrus Aircraft Co. and Eclipse Aircraft Co. Both are relatively new to the industry of building "certified" aircraft. Both have started out with the idea of providing aircraft that are smarter, faster and cheaper. Cheaper because by today's price tags, only the upper middle class or wealthy person, with a 20 year note to boot, can afford one. Unfortunately, Mr. Fallows failed to point out that inspections and maintenance fees costs far more than the monthly note on the plane. Most corporations only purchase aircraft as a tax right off. Even the most sucessful (ie. Bill Gates) use private aircraft for privacy and comfort. You just can't save a whole lot of money that way. Most General Aviation flying is done by enthusiasts.
Mr. Fallows makes a bold statement, in light of the fact that ir is simply not true, that kit planes or homebuilts are more dangerous than certified aircraft. He makes you think that he is referencing a document, published by the Aircraft Owner's and Pilot's Association (AOPA), names the Nall report. If you actually read the Nall report is says "there is statistically no difference in the figures for accidents for either the homebuilt or the certified aircraft." Since his assumption doesn't hold water here, how can you believe anything else he says. He states several times this premise that homebuildt aircraft are not as safe.
What turned out to be a revolution in General Aviation has only turned into another rich mans' folly. Pricing on the Cirrus is not significately less than any other aircraft in its class. Eclipse has just started its production by seems like it may make a dent in the sub-million dollar jet market. However, most of the people who own personal jets have paid significantly less than that for them. Used of course.
Mr. Fallows does have a nice flowing writing style and is easy to read, unlike the book he references by the son of the author of "Stick and Rudder" which was also a tough read. His years of writing certainly show his aptitude for writing but his years of journalism have taught him that facts don't count.
I bought this book from Publisher's Warehouse in an outler mall in Destin Florida. Hardcover was $4.95. It may be worth 5 bucks but not a lot more.
Opens the Sky to Non-Pilots, Great Overview.......2003-05-24
I bought this book for a very practical reason. In the aftermath of 9-11 I was thinking about moving to Smith Mountain Lake, four hours drive to the South of Washington, D.C., and I wanted a sense of whether "general aviation" might provide me with a once a week "commuter solution" for getting back up to the National Capitol Area.
The book is fully satisfactory. While some might complain that it tells a personal story, I found this perfectly useful as a means of understanding both the pros and cons of airline travel through "hubs" that impose time loss on the passengers for the convenience of the commercial airline companies, versus "general aviation" which allows point to point travel.
Most interesting to me was learning that with the hubs and the problems inherent in airline travel today, the average speed for any trip by air can be just about the same as the average speed if going by car--60 miles per hour.
I ended this book with three understandings that more than warranted its purchase:
1) I, a non-pilot, could easily learn to fly and it would not only be worth my while, but great fun as well.
2) General aviation, while not as robust as it could be, is alive and well in America, and new solutions (including an airplane that comes with its own parachute, lowering the entire plane, with passengers, in the event of an engine failure) are there.
3) NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) does a lot more than space flight--I was quite astonished to find that they are heavily engaged in thinking about general aviation solutions, and generally optemistic that in an era when time is the most precious commodity, and general aviation may be a solution for many businessmen as well as traveling families that shy away from the nightmare of getting kids through airports.
Bottom line: a great read, a great buy, and a vision into the future that is practical and fun.
The first Transportation Innovation since Interstate Hwys.......2002-10-14
Fallows once again "breaks the news" in his introduction to the public of an emerging innovation in the way Americans (and eventually the rest of the world) will travel in the 21st century. While predicting the future may be a bit of a "fools errand," Fallows provides compelling documentary of the profiles of the few key ingredients that comprise the market,industrial, and technological basis for a revolution in air mobility for inter-city travelers. The emerging innovation in air mobility could just be the 21st century equivalent of Henry Ford's and Dwight Eisenhower's 20th century miracle of freedom in mobility on the ground.
Book Description
In the absence of world government, effective national policy is essential to the success of international environmental initiatives. Yet research on global environmental cooperation has proceeded without models of policy change in developing countries, where most of the world's people, land, and species are found. In this book Paul Steinberg provides a theoretical framework to explain the domestic responses of developing countries to global environmental concerns. Drawing on extensive field research, he traces the evolution of public policies to protect biological diversity in Costa Rica and Bolivia over the past four decades, to understand how these countries emerged as leaders in tropical conservation and how international institutions might support similar outcomes in other countries.
Environmental Leadership in Developing Countries explodes the myth that developing countries are too preoccupied with short-term economic growth and material survival to devote attention to global environmental concerns. Instead it offers a nuanced account of complex, decades-long efforts to create effective institutions, and analyzes the relative roles of foreign and domestic actors in this process.
Books:
- Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub
- Two or Three Things I Know for Sure
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
- Unscripted (WWE)
- Vivien: The Life of Vivien Leigh
- W. E. B. Du Bois, 1868-1919: Biography of a Race (Owl Books)
- W. E. B. Du Bois, 1919-1963: The Fight for Equality and the American Century
- Where White Men Fear to Tread: The Autobiography of Russell Means
- Why Orwell Matters
- Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi
Books Index
Books Home
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Christian Mythmakers: C.S. Lewis, Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R. Tolkien, George Madonald, G.K. Chesterton, and Others
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