Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch (New Directions Paperbook, 161)

Customer Reviews:

Art is a healing process.......2005-05-22

My first glimpse into the world of Henry Miller has brought me a new highly admired author to read. Though 'Big Sur' is reputed to be one of his more 'tame works'...Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn having been banned works for years due to their highly sexual content, the mind of Miller is indeed a wonderous place to explore.

I came across this title while searching online for info about Kerouac's novel 'Big Sur', and decided to indulge in this one as well. And a happy treat awaited me.

Having only recent begun to enjoy 'biography as fiction' works, it takes a rare author to put one at peace with their words, when they are simply a recounting of thier own life and adventures. Miller wrote 'Big Sur' not so much as a 'novel', since there is not a conventional thread to follow, other than the location and himself as protagonist, but more as a memoir of the 15 years spent in this California 'paradise' of artists, bohemians, and eclectic characters. Through describing his tranquil, ambling days spent walking back and forth with supplies from town, meeting the thrice-per-week mail delivery, or simply writing, the reader gets to experience the serenity that Miller enjoyed throughout most of his time there. Being a Virgo I look for structure, order, sense, etc., in most things, especially literature. Little of that is to be found here, really, but Miller's style is so captivating that you can't help but read on. His serenity at Big Sur easily becomes your own.

But be warned, that serenity is interrupted by the arrival of an oversees acquaintance, Conrad Moricand, who turns Miller's idyllic home upside down during his stay there. Moricand, an ailing, miserable, curmudgeonly man comes to Big Sur upon Miller's request, and had the term 'houseguest from hell' been utilized in the days this novel was written, it's easy to say that Moricand would have received this title.

For anyone thinking of exploring the works of Henry Miller for the first time, perhaps avoiding his more famous works until gaining a bit of insight into something a little more 'platonic' such as this book might be well-advised. It will pave the way of interest into this fascinating author, and hopefully spark further investigation, as it has with me.

Highly recommended.

Enjoyable -- You'll dig it!.......2004-01-11

After writing The Air Conditioned Nightmare, Henry Miller had almost given up hope on America. This book, Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, recounts how he feel in love with the country all over again. Set in Northern California, Big Sur is portraitized as being no less than a paradise to this influencial writer. He was seeking to eke out some peaceful lifestyle in the mountains, and for a while he found it. But it did not take long for groupies, love children, and any other manner of lost souls to begin knocking on his door. They were looking for the "cult of anarchy and sex!" and they thought Miller, who had already published and gained notoriety with The Tropic of Cancer, would be the one to lead the way. This book has a definite buoyancy that the reader thrives off. His descriptions of writers, artists,children,and vagabongs is top notch. I would also advise anyone who is seriously interested in the subject, to pick up a copy of Hunter S. Thompson's The Proud Highway. It includes an excellent essay on his take on Miller's "sudden" fame. So pick up this book! Other quick Amazon picks would be Tropic of Cancer, The Losers' Club by Richard Perez

One of 20 books I'd choose to take to a deserted isle.......2003-07-19

This book, and a couple of others by Miller and L. Durrell, was responsible for my husband and me quitting our jobs in LA and going to Greece for a year. And several times in the past decades, I've made pilgrimages to Partington Ridge/cove/trail/creek down the coast of Big Sur to revisit the place Miller lived and to pay homage to a great writer, a great spirit, and a great human being. Each time I stop and look up the trail toward the ridge, I swear I can see stringy, rangy Miller, sweating as he pulls a goat-cart laden with mail and groceries from the drop-off spot by the highway back up to his convict shack near the top.
The book has no real plot; it?s just a rambling and random collection of philosophy, character studies, literary/artistic commentary, and journaling - all delivered with Miller's completely unique and quirky mind. I don't believe a more open-minded, curious, brilliant writer has ever lived, and for me, this is his best book, written perhaps during some of his best and most peaceful years of his long and joyful life. At its core, it's a recipe for Life.

saved my life.......2001-11-22

I first read this book exactly ten years ago when I was struggling through a profound period of depression. I don't want to say that the book cured me, because that would be too facile and too drastic a declaration, but I will say that Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch was the first real beacon, the first glimmer of light to lead me out of a suffocating psychological cave. I don't know why, exactly, but when I began reading the book, a deep sense of peace came over me for the first time in several months. The book seemed to open up my eyes and my ears and my throat and even my lungs; I found myself sucking in big sweet gulps of air, and I started to detect a freedom and a limitlessness in the world that I had previously failed to recognize. Of course, there is no way that I can promise that you will have the same reaction. Over the years I have passed the book along to various friends: Some of them have fallen in love with it and some of them have been utterly bored. That is understandable. The book has no plot; in fact, it doesn't really pretend to have any forward momentum. The narrative just floats. As other reviewers have noted (both enthusiastically and bitterly), Henry Miller delivers in this book a seemingly random swirl of philosophy, wit, character studies, soaring observations of topography and weather, literary and arty musings, puzzles, koans, epigrams, aphorisms, scripture, historical trivia, astrological forecasts, and jokes. It does not, upon first glance, have any point whatsoever. But that, friend, is the point. What Miller is laying out here (in a unique way, free of the usual hippie jargon) is a meditation on how to live a different life, a vibrant life, a life of the spirit, which is, by his definition, a narrative that refuses to conform to the usual numbing standards of conduct. So if you are looking for a "story," per se, keep driving until you get to Monterey. And if you are looking for some of Henry Miller's famously invigorating foulness and fury, pick up Tropic of Cancer instead. If you are looking for peace, stop here.
Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch is for any reader who is in the mood for a beguiling rumination on how a man once tried to bring peace into his life. The story, as such, is this: Henry Miller moves to Big Sur, one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and sets out to create a new home infused with energy, creativity, a sense of community, and an appreciation of nature, while at the same time he copes with intrusions and financial pressures and the charisma and creepiness of other people. That's it. If that sounds dull to you, steer clear. If it sounds seductive to you, plunge in. Because if these are issues that gnaw at your soul (and maybe they should, since our media-saturated culture is becoming more programmed and conformist every day), then you might find this book to be a page-turner as gripping as any of John Grisham's potboilers. I could not put it down. I read it straight through, and afterwards, I felt like every step I took was charged up with a new vitality. Crazy, huh? The way I see it, Henry Miller's big lascivious grin was one of the bravest acts of American rebellion, because it came roaring out of his heart, and the heart is where all true liberation takes place. That's the appeal of this book, for anybody who cares to explore it. In my case, this book said to a depressed man: There is another way to live. Choose it.

Miller's reflections on a place.......2001-11-02

This is a satisfying read if you appreciate language and character. It is a collection of views and vignettes of the author's life when he lived in Big Sur. Miller's unique personality and interests come through in his language that makes even ordinary things come more to life. It was interesting to discover what seemed like proto-new age thinking in some of this, written in the 1950's. His evocations of character are great and so is the feel of the environment. I read part of the book during a trip that took me through Big Sur, and it deepened my enjoyment of being there. The Henry Miller Library is worth visiting.

Big Sur & the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch

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Big Sur & the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: New York: A New Directions Paperbook, 1957
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Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O3PY0O

BIG SUR AND THE ORANGES OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH

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BIG SUR AND THE ORANGES OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: New Directions
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLBXIQ

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Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: New Directions
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ASIN: B000O8F0LC

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Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: Flamingo
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Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0006545408

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BIG SUR AND THE ORANGES OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH.

Manufacturer: Heinemann
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HIDFSE

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BIG SUR AND THE ORANGES OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: new Directions Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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BIG SUR AND THE ORANGES OF HIERONYMUS BOSCH
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
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Big Sur and The Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch
Henry Miller
Manufacturer: New Directions
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BIG SUR And The ORANGES Of HIERONYMUS BOSCH.
Henry [1891 - 1980]. Miller
Manufacturer: A New Directions Book,
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Customer Reviews:

Custer DID die for your sins.......2007-08-05

It's probably impossible to say anything about this book that Indians will not agree with and most non-Indians will not understand. You've got to be a part of the world Deloria describes to understand the humiliation and insults Indian people, especially on Reservations, face daily. Let me give you one example: How many of you don't own the land your house sits on? Ask a Reservation Indian and you will find that many, if not most, have "houses" sitting on "federal" land.

Deloria just scratched the surface. A talk show host correctly gets fired for using a racial slur involving black women. A university donor is hunted and scorned (gee, righteous anger is so swell) for using a horrible term. Each day, though, the Braves play ball as the Redskins get ready for their season, and schools across the nation call themselves racial names-or paint themselves up (remember "blackface" - can't do that anymore) to be an Indian. For shame. Too bad Deloria didn't write more books like this one.

Insightful, funny . . . and frustrating.......2006-12-10

This has become a period piece, as both Indians and the rest of North America have changed a lot since this was written in 1970. Though the foreword to the new edition updates it somewhat, significant chunks of the book still come across as quite dated. For example, it was clearly written during the civil rights movement, which shapes many of the issues Deloria discusses.

Still, many of his points remain timeless. Deloria is very good at pointing out how many whites patronize Native Americans while believing that they are honoring them. For example, many whites like to claim that they had an Indian ancestor - - almost always a woman, often a great grandmother, and usually Cherokee. (Funny how whites don't make such claims about slave ancestors.) These claims are rarely documented, and rarely true. Many whites like to take on a cloak of Indian mysticism, as we see in many New Age practices. This has little to do with real Native Americans, real Indian religious practices, or real people's lives. Third, Deloria launches a devastating bromide against sociologists, and by implication other social scientists, who descend on reservations to pursue their own professional ambitions without giving anything back to their subjects.

Despite making a lot of similar valuable points, the book does not make any real argument. Each chapter is a bunch of ideas, anecdotes, and observations, all strung together. There's considerable inconsistency: on one page, Deloria praises a tribe for getting funding from five different agencies to build some housing, while two pages later he says that Indians just want to be left alone. Being left alone would probably not mean depending on funding from federal agencies.

Deloria eagerly criticizes stereotypes but has more than a few stereotypes of his own. He treats all whites as if they were alike, while he treats blacks as if they were all like one another but different than all whites. Latinos exist only as Mexicans, who are treated as all alike. All anthropologists and all Christian pastors or priests are also alike. Obviously, none of these groups are homogenous, and it does not further Deloria's ultimate project to treat them this way.

Obviously, I've been pretty critical so far in this review. Yet there's a reason why people valued the late Deloria so highly. He's often very insightful and makes many great points, even if his overall argument cannot sustain close scrutiny. He's also funny, and uses humor very effectively to make his points. My high-schooler and middle-schooler each laughed out loud - - independently - - when they saw this book in my possession, and it sparked some good conversations. The whole book is like that, and would be great for a reading group.

I'll finish this review with a question: who is in the position to write a new "Indian manifesto" today? So much of the writing by and for Native Americans today comes out of the humanities and is concerned with "discourses." Deloria, and those he worked with, cared about concrete outcomes - - material accomplishments. Even when he talks about stereotypes, he's less concerned with a racist discourse in itself than thinking about how to get past the stereotypes and help Native peoples. The 1960s and the 1970s were the years of the lawyer and the sociologist, and we now live in the years of the English professor. Are Indians better off for it?

Excellent source for the Native American viewpoint.......2006-03-21

Despite the authors name, he has Indian ancestry, as do many contemporary author's do today. Non-Indians expect to see traditional names like Sitting Bull as writers. Due to many reasons, the first Americans have changed names or had them changed for them over a long period of time; a sad fact in itself. This book, as you might guess from the title, is often blunt, sometimes in your face. But it is also many other things. Vine is capable of cynicism, satire, tongue-in-cheek, brutal truth and laugh out loud funny. He is actually fairly adept at punctuating the tragic truth with a lighthearted moment to relieve the tension. Don't let that last statement put you off if you are not already aware that the people who lived in "America" before 1492 suffered mightily from European colonialism.The atrocities committed by both sides were horrendous. Vine Deloria examines the past and present to paint a picture of Indian life today, the problems they face, and the struggle these human beings endure today to recover from catastrophe and regain their history and culture.

Many Wrongs Don't Make a Right.......2005-10-15

Vine Deloria's work is very important because he publicizes the concerns of Indians in the modern world. The stereotypical warriors on the plains or peace pipe-smoking chiefs have as much in common with modern Native Americans as powdered wigs and pantaloons have with modern White Americans. Deloria also convincingly contends that it's now useless to dwell on old evils of conquest and colonialism, and we should instead focus on the real problems faced by Indians in the present, especially poverty and ineffective government programs, and even insulting know-it-all anthropologists. After so many centuries of struggle, modern Indians deserve to be heard through a hard-hitting and knowledgeable statesman who holds no punches and tells it like it is. That's why Deloria's writings are so crucial. Unfortunately, his initially strong philosophy breaks down in the details, due to a writing style that is heavily dependent on hyperbole and generalization.

Deloria rightfully contends that such errors are at the root of misunderstandings about Indians, and racism in general. But he does the exact same thing when analyzing White culture, society, and religion, revealing his own lack of understanding about the people who he (accurately) accuses of a lack of understanding. One example among many here is "He [the White man] arbitrarily conceptualizes all things and understands none of them." This review forum does not allow me to list out extensive direct quotations, but the alert reader will find nearly continuous examples of this type of generalization about another culture, amidst Deloria's complaints about the same being done toward his culture. Another issue is that Deloria often reminds us that Indians are astonishingly diverse in their opinions and outlooks on modern issues. This could not possibly be untrue by any stretch of the imagination, though when Deloria starts arguing against White conceptions, he can’t (or won't) avoid lumping Indians back together with blanket statements like "There is usually not the slightest difference in what the tribes want for the future."

I'm not presumptuous enough to state that this type of writing should be condemned as reverse discrimination, or praised as fighting fire with fire. More opinionated people than me can decide such things for themselves. But when a writer can't stop doing what he accuses his opponents of doing, his arguments are sapped of credibility and believability. This is unfortunate because Deloria's basic contentions are crucially important both for his people and for the betterment of America's multicultural realities. [~doomsdayer520~]

Learn to Live Together.......2005-03-09

I don't tolerate the notion that racism solves the problem of racism and this is a book I'd like to single out. Custer Died For Your Sins is contaminated by hyperbole and racial generalizations. Mr. Deloria (our esteemed author, contemporary of George W. Bush at Yale University) says, for example: "The future does not look bright for the attainment of such freedom because the white does not understand the Indian and the Indian does not wish to understand the white."

Mr. Delorian says: "When one examines the history of American society one notices the great weakness inherent in it. The country was founded in violence. It worships violence and will continue to live violently. Anyone who tries to meet violence with love is crushed, but violence used to meet violence also ends abruptly with meaningless violence." I say: What country wasn't founded in violence? Does America really "worship" violence? Is it true that anyone who tries to meet violence with love is crushed? And which part of violence used to meet violence is meaningless violence? I'm an American. But I don't and never have "worshiped" violence.

Mr. Deloria says: "White culture destroys other culture because of its abstractness. As a destroyer of culture it is not a culture but a cancer." I say: This is the sort of inflammatory and incorrect generalization I'm speaking of.

Mr. Deloria says: "The white man has the marvelous ability to conceptualize. He has also the marvelous INABILITY [my emphasis] to distinguish between sacred and profane. He therefore arbitrarily conceptualizes all things and understands none of them. His science creates gimmicks for his use. Little effort is made to relate the gimmicks to the nature of life or to see them in a historical context."

I say: Arbitrarily? Really? Must I respond to this?

Mr. Deloria says: "White solutions fail because white itself is an abstraction of an attitude of mind, not a racial group or reality. The white as we know him is an amalgam of European immigrants, not a racial phenomenon. But the temptation has always been present to define groups according to their most superficial aspect."

I say: OK, you get the idea. An outdated, badly argued, divisive, clumsily composed polemic in the fashion of the protest handbook of the sixties. We're in the second millenium now, people. We can stop calling each other names. We are all the SAME race. There is one extant species of Homo Sapiens on earth. Learn to live together.

Custer Died for Your Sins: an Indian Manifesto

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Custer Died for Your Sins: an Indian Manifesto
Vine Deloria
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Amazon.com

According to former White House speechwriter David Frum, George W. Bush is "a good man who is not a weak man. He is impatient, quick to anger; sometimes glib, even dogmatic, often uncurious, and as a result ill-informed." All the same--well, look at the book's title. Frum chronicles a tenure spent serving a president whom he comes to admire more after the events of September 11, 2001. It is after working with Bush in times of war that Frum says of Bush "outweighing the faults are his virtues: decency, honesty, rectitude, courage, and tenacity." The Right Man creates an arc in that Frum is originally dubious of Bush's leadership capacity and ends up sold on Bush as commander-in-chief. But in truth, Frum never has far to go. He's impressed with Bush from the start and when war comes, he's more impressed. And while the book is as much about the author as the president, sections, such as an argument with Barbra Streisand and a Washington Post gossip storm may strike the reader as somewhat petty. Fortunately, there are entertaining helpings of candor: the stringent White House dress code, infighting among cabinet members, and unbelievably cool Air Force One trips. Also of particular interest are events surrounding the controversial phrase "axis of evil": Frum helps coin it, his wife boasts of that fact in an e-mail to friends, the e-mail is widely forwarded, and, soon after, Frum resigns. While both he and the White House deny he was fired, Frum is so insistent on the fact that he quit on his own that it really makes you wonder. The Right Man is a multifaceted glimpse at the life of a White House insider and a president in a time of crisis; it should appeal to readers curious to learn about the inner workings of the American presidency. --John Moe

Book Description

The Right Man is the first inside account of a historic year in the Bush White House, by the presidential speechwriter credited with the phrase axis of evil. David Frum helped make international headlines when President George W. Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address linked international terrorists to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. But that was only one moment during a crucial time in American history, when a president, an administration, and a country were transformed.

Frum worked with President Bush in the Oval Office, traveled with him aboard Air Force One, and studied him closely at meetings and events. He describes how Bush thinks—what this conservative president believes about religion, race, the environment, Jews, Muslims, and America’s future. Frum takes us behind the scenes of one of the most secretive administrations in recent history, with revealing portraits of Karl Rove, Karen Hughes, Condoleezza Rice, and many others. Most significant, he tells the story of the transformation of George W. Bush: how a president whose administration began in uncertainty became one of the most decisive, successful, and popular leaders of our time.

Before becoming a White House speechwriter, David Frum was a highly regarded author of books and political commentary and an influential voice on the pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard. His commentary has been described by William F. Buckley as “the most refreshing ideological experience in a generation.” Now, in The Right Man, we see Frum as a front-row observer and participant. Not since Peggy Noonan’s account of her time in the Reagan White House has an insider portrayed a sitting president with such precision, verve, honest admiration, and insight.

The Right Man will command international attention for its thoughtful account of George W. Bush in the midst of his greatest challenge. It will be an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand who our president really is and how he is likely to lead us in the future.

Customer Reviews:

Maybe not the right man but still a worthy read........2007-09-28

After reading this book you still may believe that Bush is 'The Right Man' for the job of presidency. On the other hand you may not feel this way but at least you've taken the first step to looking at a different perspective. Frum provides a clear framework to choose your own opinions regarding Bush and the fact that Frum was not even pro Bush before he started to work at the white house is reason enough for anyone to read this book regardless of your political sides.

Unfortunately many people will likely pass by this book for the pure reason that they are in full disbelief that Bush ever became president or has any ability to maintain a stable country as president. Whether you are pro or not for Bush, he is still the President and if there is one book that I would want to read about the background and the framework within which he works, this would be the book. Frum is a grasping writer that you're not going to fall asleep reading and you will learn new things from inside the White House and about Bush himself. You don't have to agree with Bush or Frum but it never hurts to have another view.

well..........2006-01-31

It's a decent book. I think David Frum has a bit of an ego problem, though, because some of the things he writes about seem unlikely to have happened for someone who was hired as an economic speechwriter. If you're looking for a book to really learn about President Bush, there are definitely better ones out there.

A very interesting book.......2005-10-21

Coming from Europe it can sometimes be hard to get an inside look at Bush which is not biased against him. This book served to let me see how Bush is seen from a conservative American perspective. In that respect it was very interesting. The book is also very well written, so it's pleasant to read. It should be noted though that the book is highly partisan, as can also be understood from several of the other reviews.

The main gripe I have with this book is that some of the attitudes expressed in it are not backed up by arguments. Thus the author states that when Bush canned Clinton's national health plan he was sending the money home. He thus indirectly makes a claim that this is a good thing without going into the debate of letting a minority rich part of the population pay some extra tax to fund a national health plan that will benefit extremely poor people. He also claims that the most extreme act of Saddam Hussein was an attempt to assasinate George Bush sr. This seems to be hyperbole when you think of how many people Saddam has killed with chemical warfare.

Bush is the wrong man.......2005-10-02

and the worst president within living memory.

he took the nation into an unnecessary war with Iraq. National Intelligence Estimates tell us that this war has only made America less safe because it serves to recruit and train jihadists

his fiscal policies benefit the wealthiest two percent while they balloon the national debt.

he has curtailed environmental protections of air and water.

he favors big business and especially big oil at the expense of the working and middle class, who have to pay interest on his bloated deficit.

he cloaks his sinister agenda under a smarmy, self-congratulatory facade of religion that has nothing to do with the Jesus of the bible.

Bush is the right man to prove the adage that you can fool some of the people all the time.

A useful corrective to this book is Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis by Jimmy Carter.

"Bush clearly indicates in advance exactly what he will do.".......2005-03-24

Frum gives us as clear a view as possible of how President Bush thinks,what his values are,what he plans to do and how he goes about accomplishing his goals.Frum demonstrates over and over again, that the image portrayed by most of the media in North America as well as around the world could not be further from the truth.The media was so slanted against President Bush for the two years leading up to the 2004,that they even believed their own misrepresentations.They had no idea that they were so off base and that President Bush would be re-elected.They haven't got over it yet.Rather than understanding why they lost they still think the voters got it all wrong.
Frum was there and tells what it was really like.You have only to read what he tells us;then ask yourself if that wasn't really what happened.The history and facts speak for themselves.Not everyone can write about this as Frum does;since few were there as he was.The media even got it all wrong,intentionally or not,why Frum left when he did.
Frum shows how President Bush utilizes his staff,but in the final analysis he is in charge and makes the decisions;not Cheney,not Rumsfeld,not Wolfowitz,not the Polls,not the big Corporations,not Haliburton,not the Jews,not the Religious Right,not his Texas pals,not the CIA,not the military and on and on.This is what his detractors have spun for the people to believe,and the only ones they convince is themselves.
Some of the words Frum uses to describe The President are:

"Steady,efficient,controlled"

"Moderation,persistance and boldness."

"Bush was not a lightweight.He was,rather,a very unfamiliar type of heavyweight.Words often failed him,his memory sometimes failed him,but his vision was large and clear.And when he perceived new possibilities,he had the courage to act on them;a much less common virtue in politics than one might suppose."

When asked,"Is it hard to make decisions as president?Not really.If you know what you believe,decisions come pretty easy."

"Presidents are either in command of events or at their mercy."It's easy to see how that applies to President Bush.

Though portrayed by his detractors as a reckless,redneck cowboy;"Bush's great gift to the country after 9/11 was his calm and self-restraint."

Frum tells us where the expression "Axis of Evil" came from and why it was used.

Find out the real reason the US doesn't buy into the International Convention on land mines,the Koyoto Accords and the International Criminal Court

"Bush does not lie to you.You had better not lie to him."

"Read George Bush's major speeches-and nothing else-and nothing he does will come as a surprise to you.Like Babe Ruth pointing to the stands before hitting a home run,Bush clearly indicates in advance exactly what he will do."

Frum even tells us about a line that never made it into a speech as it was "too bellicose". "Those who choose America for an enemy choose their own destruction.";even though it amply describes how right-of center Americans felt.

On Sept 20,2001 ,President Bush stated,"Every nation,in every region,now has a decision to make.Either you are with us,or you are with the terrorists.From this day forward,any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded as a hostile regime."

America pleaded for the freedom loving countries to join her in this War on Terror.Many abandoned her ,Canada included,tended to side with the european detractors.With an over abundance of left wingers and Socialists,it's no wonder as they don't understand,"The tough get going when the going gets tough."

The cover on the hard cover copy of this book is excellent. If nothing else ,it should prove to you that President Bush is the right man for President in these times.Sure he has a whole array of people to write great lines and speeches ,lots of people to set up photo ops; but this shot was completely unorchestrated.A retired fireman beckoned his President to join him on the roof of a truck and to say something.When unable to be heard, President Bush spontaneously said "Well I can hear you."
Then his face grew serious."I can hear you."The rest of the world hears you.
And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear from all of us soon."
I suspect this photo and statement will become the defining one of his terms as President.
Frum also treated us to another great insight into working at the White House:

"Now it was time to heed Andy Card's admonition:to remember that a White House job was an honor,not a career."That sure fits as a caption for the shot of the President on the back cover,as he takes a stroll on his ranch in Crawford,Texas.It sort of reminds one of the photos of President Truman taking a stroll in Independence Missouri after retiring from his excellent Presidency.
A great book!

RIGHT MAN: THE SURPRISE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W. BUSH -- BARGAIN BOOK

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RIGHT MAN: THE SURPRISE PRESIDENCY OF GEORGE W. BUSH -- BARGAIN BOOK

Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GQX6HW

Book Description

Despite the esteemed nature of gold in society, evidence of adverse ecotoxicological effects and risk to human health in various mining and extraction techniques has generated increasing interest in the biological and environmental implications of gold. Biogeochemical, Health, and Ecotoxicological Perspectives on Gold and Gold Mining is the first comprehensive book to evaluate the effect of gold production and use on human health as well as the environmental impact of gold mining and extraction. Dr. Ronald Eisler, a well-known senior research biologist and expert in the chemical and biological effects of various compounds on wildlife, provides a thorough risk assessment of gold, including its geology and sources and physical, chemical, and metabolic properties. The author documents gold concentrations and field collections of abiotic materials and biota and presents research on the lethal and sublethal effects of gold on plants and animals. Supported by case histories, the book examines health risks in gold miners, human sensitivity to jewelry and dental implants, and medicinal uses. It uses examples in several countries to thoroughly explore the environmental effects of gold extraction, including tailings disposal, acid mine drainage, cyanide, arsenic, and mercury contamination, water management issues, and abandoned mines. Unlike traditional risk assessments, the author also takes into account social, political, economic, medicinal, and psychological variables for a more complete perspective on gold's impact on health and the environment. Biogeochemical, Health, and Ecotoxicological Perspectives on Gold and Gold Mining concludes with a discussion on mining legislation, safety, and procedures.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful and eyeopening, sadly most people will never pick it up..........2007-08-13

I used this book as a source for a presentation in my undergraduate Spanish class on gold in Central and South America. I am by no means a scientist or expert on chemistry, but as a layperson I found this text to be unique and unsurpassed in breadth of this topic. It is objectively written, and speaks for itself.

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