Customer Reviews:
You can almost smell the sweaty socks.......2005-02-10
"The Shell Game" is a nice companion to "Mind Over Water" and "The Amateurs." Where "Mind Over Water" deals with single sculling, "The Shell Game" recounts Stephen Kiesling's personal history of rowing in eights, focusing especially on the Yale-Harvard race, the Henley Royal Regatta, and the preparations and selection camp for the national team for the ill-fated 1980 Olympic Games. Along with "The Amateurs," "The Shell Game" and "Mind Over Water" seem to make up a perfect trio of personal odysseys in the sport of rowing. Of the three, "The Amateurs" is certainly the best written (after all, David Halberstam, need one say more?), but "The Shell Game" and "Mind Over Water" let you peek directly into the minds and hearts of devotees of this weirdly fanatical sport.
Focused on three specific events as it is, "The Shell Game" provides a look into a rarefied world of rowing races, from the hidebound tradition of Henley to the grueling trials at the U.S. Olympic selection camp, from the etiquette of international racing to the mechanics of testing athletes to determine not only their racing abilities but even their rate of oxygen exchange.
As with any memoir, there are those who will find the more personal passages a tad cloying, but overall it's a delightful book. Kiesling provides a particularly nice chapter ("The Set") on the tragic dichotomy of the physical and the intellectual that began in ancient Greece and still haunts us today. If ever there were an argument for their reunification, this would surely be one of the best. Definitely a keeper for future re-reading.
Great book for all.......2000-05-18
I'm a rower in high school, and I've read this book. I must admit it is a great book. Stephen's story about rowing at Yale against all other teams including their arch rival, Harvard. It reminds my of my school. La Salle HS and St. Jose Prep are huge rivals and it shows at all the games. I recommend this book to all who have been involved in the sport, and even those who never have seen a race. Its a great book!
reflections from the Yale Boathouse.......1999-09-23
Rowing is among the most anonymous of sports. In the prestige categories there are legends and myths, but these are little known or acclaimed outside its community.. It retains its Brahmin character; despite becoming more accessible in recent years, it still has the aura of Groton, Exeter, St. Paul's preps and the Ivy League. The first Yale - Harvard contest was held in 1852, predating any other intercollegiate athletics. Kiesling takes you into the world of the 8's, in futile preparation for the boycotted 1980 Olympics. A house scholar and varsity member at Yale, Kiesling gives you a grasp of the cult like devotion to this sport, the fraternal but bitterly competitive atmosphere for places on the boat, the almost complete physical immersion, beyond exhaustion, in preparation for regattas-- and the little acre of hell and glory (or agony) of the races themselves. This type of athletic intensity is, if not unique, uniquely exhibited in Crew-- members strive to exceed their limits, to match and challenge that of their crew mates, to uphold its traditions. This is a young man's book; his sharp opinions reflect a young man's attitudes born of singular personal challenges-- which moderate with maturity. It is a good book on rowing, and a great book on the competitive spirit.
Effectively portrays the ups and downs of rowing.......1999-05-05
I reccomend this book for anyone who has ever rowed, or has ever wondered what it would be like to row. He makes the reader feel the drastic ups and downs which go along with this addicting sport. I received my copy as a gift from another rower, and I have continually passed my copy on to my teammates and coaches. A must-have for any oarsman.
Great pysch before a big race........1999-04-26
Perfect for any rower or novice. Kiesling can introduce anyone to the sport through the tales of his expeirence at Yale, the US National team, and the Olympics. I love digging through this book before a race to inspire me through my match. Can't wait to read it again.
Book Description
The December 1937 incident that has come to be known as the Rape of Nanking is, without doubt, a tragedy that will not soon be forgotten. While acknowledging that a tremendous loss of life occurred, this study challenges the current prevailing notion that the incident was a deliberate, planned effort on the part of the Japanese military and analyzes events to produce an accurate estimate of the scale of the atrocities. Drawing on Chinese, Japanese, and English sources, Yamamoto determines that what happened at Nanking were unfortunate atrocities of conventional war with precedents in both Eastern and Western military history. He concludes that post-war events such as the war crimes trials and the impact of the Holocaust in Europe affected public opinion regarding Nanking and led to a dramatic reinterpretation of events. The Rape of Nanking consisted of two distinct phases: the mass execution of prisoners of war (as well as conscription age men who appeared to be combatants) and the delinquent acts of individual soldiers. The first phase, which occurred immediately after Nanking's fall and which claimed most of the atrocity victims, was the result of the Japanese military's attempt to clear the city of Chinese soldiers thought to be in plain clothes. The second phase, which lasted approximately six weeks, was horrible, but resulted in a much smaller number of fatalities. It was characterized by numerous criminal acts, ranging from rape and murder to arson and theft, committed by unrestrained Japanese soldiers. The root cause for both phases was the Japanese military's bureaucratic inefficiency and command irresponsibility. While both Chinese and American contemporary sources initially attributed the incident to these causes, subsequent Japanese atrocities against both military and civilian Allied personnel during World War II and evidence presented at war crimes trials would come to reshape perceptions of the Nanking events as an Asian counterpart to the Nazi Holocaust.
Customer Reviews:
Unreal.......2005-11-04
It is unreal that books like this exist. After reading this, I conclude WWII never took place and Jews are just cry babies, and all the people on earth with the exception of myself are alien cloned humanoids functioning like me so I can feel like one.
God help sick puppies...
Don't bother with this book... Some more facts.......2005-01-28
1. Never ask a Taiwanese about what happened in China. Most Taiwanese liked the Japanese occupation. They were lucky that the armies that occupied Taiwan were friendly. Some units on the mainland were not savages either. My grandfather and uncle met them. Unfortunately, for most of China and Asia, people were not as lucky.
2. The Nationalist army was weak. Too dispersed and corrupt and eventually fighting an internal war with the Communists. They did little to ward off the invaders. They even invited the invaders and served to support the invaders. (Not all units, but enough to be noticed by the people.)
3. Yes, in some cases the Nationalist army did attact, rob, and rape their own people as stated by some witnesses.
4. Counting the number killed by consulting those who performed the burrials? What about those already burried alive or incinerated? Some are still being discovered to this day.
Hi again, Hiromi.......2004-08-22
First of all, to Hiromi, I would be most delighted if you should look back at your review on the film, "Spirited Away". With all due respect, I would dare say you were not "totally fluttered" but were "totally flattered" by whoever rated the film as 5 stars. Congratulations on your stupidity! I would suggest you stop discharging your everlasting frustration and illogical persistence and zip yourself just in the maze of your mind.
I am a half Japanese, who has been living in Japan for more than 20 years with a 100% Japanese wife even though I was born and brought up in Southern California. From my two dacades' of experiences in Japan, I could say people like Mr. Yamamoto, the infamous author, and Hiromi, the fanatic reviewer, are quite exceptional and isolated in the country, which unfortunately but most likely has made them so aggressive and insistent like a dissatisfied puppy yelping its head off. They might be sticking out at a glance from overseas, however, I would like to assure Americans and Asians living in the US that the majority of Japanese people are terribly sorry from the bottom of their hearts for what Japan did to Asian countries, especially to China and Korea. In addition, they are so ashamed of having had an emperor like Hirohito, who had been constantly quite far from apologetic for his critical responsibilities for the War all his life. I personally think Hirohito should have been hanged or should have committed a suicide immediately after the War was over, just like his German and Italian counterparts.
Most indepth research on the subject.......2004-05-15
I am Chinese. The terrible atrocity of Nanking has casted a lasting scar on the Chinese people.If the truth of the happening cna never be acknowledged on all sides, the wound can never get heal.The writer has done a masterful job in gathering research materials from many sources and put them very neatly in historical context.I recommand this book to anyone who is interested in massacre research and other realted topic.
shameless japs.......2004-04-08
what worries me a lot is that lots of japs never admit the fact based on history, 300,000 civilian killed by japs in nankin and more people gonna die inevitablely in the future if japs could not even admit the crimes and start another war. shame on you japs, shame on you.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of History, published by University of Saskatchewan on April 1, 2003. The length of the article is 872 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Nanking: Anatomy of an Atrocity.(Book Review)
Author: David P. Barrett
Publication:
Canadian Journal of History (Refereed)
Date: April 1, 2003
Publisher: University of Saskatchewan
Volume: 38
Issue: 1
Page: 169(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
From Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War through the disputed election of George W. Bush and beyond, the Republican Party has been at the dramatic center of American politics for 150 years. In this exciting new book, the Þrst comprehensive history of the Republicans in 40 years, Lewis L. Gould traces the evolution of the Grand Old Party from its emergence as an antislavery coalition in the 1850s to its current role as the champion of political and social conservatism. Gould brings to life the major Þgures of Republican history--Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Rea-gan, and George W. Bush--and uncovers a wealth of fascinating anecdotes about Republicans, from “the Plumed Knight,” James G. Blaine, in the 1880s, to Barry Goldwater in the 1960s, to Newt Gingrich in the 1990s. Gould also uncovers the historical forces and issues that have made the Republicans what they are: the crusade against slavery, the rise of big business, the Cold War, and opposition to the power of the federal government.
Written with balance and keen insight,
Grand Old Party is required reading for anyone interested in American politics. Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike will Þnd their understanding of national politics deepened and enriched. Based on Gould’s research in the papers of leading Republi-cans and his wide reading in the party’s history, Grand Old Party is a book that will outlast the noisy tumult of today’s partisan debates and endure as a deÞnitive treatment of how the Republicans have shaped the way Americans live together in a democracy. For the next presidential election and for other electoral contests to come, this book (a perfect companion to
Party of the People by Jules Witcover, a history of the Democratic Party published simultaneously by Random House) will be an invaluable guide to the unfolding saga of American politics.
Customer Reviews:
Horribly Biased With Some Decent Historical Information.......2007-08-04
The author is CLEARLY a Democrat. Now the funny part is this: it was written as part of a series with Jules Witcover writing 'Party of the People,' and Witcover is also a Democrat. So a Democrat is writing the story of BOTH parties? This sounds eerily similar to having a recount in four counties with a heavy concentration of supporters of one party.....
There is a lot of good historical information in the book. The problem is that Gould views anything that does not fit into his worldview with jaundiced eyes. He insinuates there is a moral equivalent between Reagan conservatism and the racism of the Democratic Party in the South in the Jim Crow era.
When Gould can show me which Republican governor denied blacks access to college by standing in the door way a la George Wallace, his analogy will have some evidence. Until then it is nothing more than a slanderous lie.
I do not expect the book to be an ode the 'greatness' of the Republican Party. Both political parties have made contributions to America, some good on both sides and some bad on both sides. Neither side has a monopoly on virtue despite what Rush Limbaugh or Al Franken would tell you. And neither side has a monopoly on corruption, either. Republicans had their Teapot Dome and Watergate scandals while FDR showed contempt for the Constitution by trying to stack the Supreme Court - a move that was opposed by his own party, btw.
The problem is that Gould imposes his own morality and worldview on the conservatives - and comes out with the usual caricature of racist, homophobic, sexists. Although is language is far more restrained as becomes a history professor, his bias is all too clear. Although Witcover showed bias as well, he was a better writer and fare more restrained in his judgments for the most part.
There is no further proof necessary to demonstrate Gould's bias than the early portion of the chapter entitled, "Bush to Gingrich to Bush, 1988 to 2000." For we read this incredibly biased statement on page 442:
"A moderate, centrist Democrat, Dukakis seemed a fresh face who might be able to tap into a public desire for gradual change after eight years of Ronald Reagan and the Republicans."
Dukakis was a MODERATE?
If Dukakis was a moderate in this author's worldview, I think that pretty much settles where he's coming from. Dukakis was so far to the Left of the spectrum that Teddy Kennedy would have been George Wallace by comparison. And a few pages later on pp. 444-445 we read this:
"The furlough program began during the term of the Republican predecessor to Dukakis, but it was continued by Dukakis. Under the policy, and African-American convict named William J. Horton, Jr., who was serving a life sentence for murder, was released on a weekend furlough. Horton fled to Maryland where he assaulted a couple, raping the woman. A Massachusetts newspaper brought the case to light. One of Dukakis's Democratic rivals, Senator Albert Gore, Jr., attacked the furlough policy (but did not mention Horton) in a Democratic debate in December 1987."
Later on page 445 - after a soliloquy about the alleged racism the Horton issue incited - we read this:
"The Republicans had a legitimate issue in the furlough policy. They rarely mentioned that Ronald Reagan had purused a similar arrangement as governor of California. While denying racial motivation in the Horton controversy, the GOP strategists in the Bush campaign made only pro forma gestures to stlil the furor over the advertisement and its implications."
There is plenty wrong with what Gould writes here, and he sounds more like an apologist for the Dukakis campaign than a historian. First, Gould tries to implicate (though he fails to name) Dukakis' Republican predecessor, Francis Sargent, as the person to blame. He doesn't bother to mention that not only did Dukakis support the furlough program - he supported it AFTER Horton escaped and assaulted the Barnes family (whom Gould also doesn't name) in Maryland. He further fails to mention that Dukakis refused to meet with the Barneses after the assault and CONTINUED to support furloughs for first-degree murderers like Horton until just prior to the 1988 New York primary - when he reluctantly went along with the Massachusetts state house that had been trying to end the furlough program.
Gould also has Horton's middle initial wrong, but it is difficult to get on his case since that may be a proof-reading or editor's error. Horton's name was William R. Horton.
Gould further tries an apples and oranges comparison when he implies that Ronald Reagan's governorship of California and a support of furloughs constituted the same type leadership. Gould fails to point out that Reagan OPPOSED furloughs of first-degree murderers (such as Horton) or the fact that while 45 other states had furloughs on the books, NONE of them with the exception of Dukakis' released first-degree murderers.
And as is the usual custom in looking at the media-generated Willie Horton controversy, Gould never mentions Dukakis' own furlough ad. In the fall of 1988, Dukakis did Bush one better by running a furlough ad about a convicted Hispanic named Angel Medrano, a drug dealer who murdered a woman named Patsy Pedrin. There are quite a few differences here with Bush:
1) Bush never made a commercial, his supporters (one he sued, in fact, in 1991 over the Clarence Thomas hearings) did; Dukakis DID make a commercial portraying a Hispanic as a killer.
2) Bush had never supported the federal furlough progam that housed Medrano; Dukakis not only supported it, he fought its extinction AFTER Horton raped Angie Barnes in Maryland.
3) Bush's campaign found out about it from another Democrat named Al Gore. This led them to the 'Reader's Digest' article written before Dukakis was the nominee.
I realize some would say that Gould did not have time to fully develop each point. I concede that to be true. But if you're writing a history as opposed to a polemic, you need to tell the truth about BOTH sides. I'm not arguing that Willie Horton was OK - but it is nothing more than sour grapes to say that Bush only won because of a racist campaign. After all, it was Dukakis who refused to pick a black man as his Veep even though that guy finished second in the race. Could we not infer something siniser from that?
It is good to have the book as part of the series. However, I would advise readers to delve deeper into the subject by reading other works. I would name some here but I've not personally found them as yet. Hopefully that will soon be rectified.
History of the Republican party.......2005-03-28
Last year was the 150th anniversity of the founding of the Republican Party, and this book gives a concise but fairly thorough history from then until the present day. The author admits at the outset that he is not philosophically in tune with the GOP, but that he will endeavor to be fair and accurate. For the most part, he remians true to that pledge, although at times it is quite possible to feel the animus attempting to break through the veneer of historical accuracy. For all of that, it is a well-written book, and does reveal some other interpretations of history, different from what we were taught to believe was true in school. This book is worth reading to see how a political party is founded, grows, matures, and changes its beliefs in step with the way the world around it changes.
Still Good.......2004-12-28
After reading Party of the People, A History of the Democrats this book seems to fall short. I'm a little disappointed that it starts in the 1850's rather than further exploring the party's whig roots, and also at the lack of detail this book has compared with its counterpart. Both were great reads but Party of the People seems far more detailed and scholarly than this one.
an elephant history.......2004-12-07
Grand Old Party: A History of the Republicans by Lewis Gould details its rise from an anti-segregationist party to the party perceived today, rightly or wrongly, as anti-african american.
Lewis Gould, emeritus professor of hisory at University of Texas at Austin, effectively tackles this monumental task and delivers a work that is both interesting and informative.
Writing in a fluid, lucid style, the reader is swept from the Reconstruction to the Depression, from protective tariffs to supply-side economics, partaking as observer of events that made and nearly marred the party in its 150 years of existence.
His excellent scholarship and his attention to fact and detail make it worth its weight in 'greenbacks'.
The only drawback is that given its contemporary nature, Gould is unable to give a historical perspective on the GOP from '76 onward.
Yet notwithstanding this inescapable flaw, for a detailed description of the party of Lincoln and Reagan, Blaine and Gingrich, this book is a must read.
Good readable history.......2004-11-07
The Republicans started as a nationalistic party focused on ending slavery--dare we say liberal. Gould deftly examines the party's shift from these origins to the ultra-conservatism of modern Republicans. Two pivotal moments he stresses are Teddy Roosevelt's division of the party in 1912 and the rejection of Robert Bork for Supreme Court. Gould admits at the beginning that he is a Democrat; this account remains relatively unbiased until he begins relating the history of the last twenty years or so.
Book Description
The period from 1850 to 1876 was the most transformative era in American history. During the course of this tumultuous quarter century Americans fought a bloody civil war, tried to settle the issue of state versus central government power, recognized the dominance of the new industrial economy over the older agricultural one, and ended slavery, long the shame of the nation. At the same time, a major political realignment occurred with the collapse of the "second American party system" and the emergence of a new party, the Republicans.
But the defeat of slavery--the chief catalyst for the birth of the Republican party--was at best a limited success. The Constitution had been rewritten to abolish slavery and guarantee equal protection under the law, but social equality for African Americans and expanding freedom for others remained elusive throughout the nation. For these triumphs and enduring tragedy, the Republican party, which became in time and memory the party of Abraham Lincoln, bore primary responsibility.
This collection of six original essays by some of America's most distinguished historians of the Civil War era examines the origins and evolution of the Republican party over the course of its first generation. The essays consider the party in terms of its identity, interests, ideology, images, and individuals, always with an eye to the ways the Republican party influenced midnineteenth-century concerns over national character, political power, race, and civil rights.
The authors collectively extend their inquiries from the 1850s through the 1870s to understand the processes whereby the second American party system broke down, a new party and politics emerged, the Civil War came, and a new political and social order developed. They especially consider how ideas about freedom in the 1850s coalesced during war and Reconstruction to produce both an expanded call for political and civil rights for the ex-slaves and a concern over expanded federal involvement in the protection of those rights. By observing the transformation of a sectional party born in the 1850s into the "Grand Old Party" by the 1870s, the authors demonstrate that no modern political party, even the one that claims descent from Lincoln, has surpassed the accomplishments of the first generation of Republicans.
Contributors--
Jean H. Baker, Professor of History at Goucher College, Maryland, is author of Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography.
Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History at Columbia University, is author of Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, winner of the Bancroft Prize.
Michael F. Holt, Langbourne M. Williams Professor of American History at the University of Virginia, is author of The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War.
James M. McPherson, Professor of History at Princeton University, is author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in history.
Mark E. Neely, Jr., McCabe-Greer Professor in the American Civil War Era at Pennsylvania State University, is author of The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in history.
Phillip Shaw Paludan, Naomi Lynn Professor of Lincoln Studies at the University of Illinois at Springfield, is author of The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln, winner of the Lincoln Prize.
Brooks D. Simpson, Professor of History at Arizona State University, is author of Ulysses S. Grant: Triumph over Adversity, 1822-1865.
Published in cooperation with The Library Company of Philadelphia.
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Grand Old Party
M. B Schnapper
Manufacturer: Public Affairs Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007DNN7C |
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Privatizing Nature: Political Struggles for the Global Commons
Michael Goldman
Manufacturer: Rutgers University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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