Into the Tiger's Jaw : America's First Black Marine Aviator - The Autobiography of Lt. Gen. Frank E. Petersen

Book Description

In 1950, when Frank E. Petersen left Topeka to see the world, he never dreamed that the next thirty-years would fly him from seaman recruit to the heights of command as a Marine Corps three-star general.

Customer Reviews:

Great book and Great story, must read........2005-12-21

This book should be required reading on college campuses thru-out America. My opinion. I was fortunate enough to meet the General also on the "rock" in '83. I was busy working in the pharmacy(Hospital Corpsman) at the flight-line clinic and turn around to see this tall General standing there. He ask me for some aspirins for his bad hip. I guess he'd just finished flying. I have never forgot that meeting. I could see how he could succeed against any odds, he had a presence that could not be denied. Truly an American treasure.

A book you can't put down!.......2005-08-13

Into the Tigers Jaw is a very impressive account of Lt. General Frank Petersen's life in the Marine Corps. J Alfred Phelps does a splendid job here depicting the determination and perserverance of a highly decorated Marine who paved the way for today's generation of Black Marine Officers. Petersen's strong will and devotion to duty enabled him to succeed in a organization at a time when Black American's represented such a minute percentage of the ranks in the Armed Forces. There is never a dull moment in this book, it grips your attention from beginning to end.
I borrowed the book from the library, after reading it I bought it, and today it's part of my private library.

What a roll model he is........2000-09-06

As a black Marine (1961-1965) I found the book to answer a lot of my questions, and to help me understand what was going on in my world at the time. That's because I had a very good relationship with the others members of my team who were all white. The only person I had a problem with was my Lt. and I know he just didn't like black folk. His book said the things that needed to be said, he told the truth about the times and what he had to do to overcome things. I felt that in many ways his story was mine, although I only spent 4 years in the corps. Again thanks for your work. Once a Marine always a Marine.

A Literary And Historic Masterpiece.......2000-01-20

It's one thing to hear about how great someone is; it's something totally different to have met that person and to KNOW how great that person is. Lt. Gen. Petersen was my Wing Commander while I was stationed in Okinawa (Headquarters, G-3) during my '83-'84 tour of "The Rock." Though we chatted briefly on a few occasions after his afternoon workouts (yes, he ran daily with that bad hip), he helped me forge an extremely strong sense of duty and honor, and he has been a very positive influence in my life that carries on even today. What's great about the book is that it grabs you and dives right in, taking you on a spellbinding trip that explores the heart and soul of a true battle-hardened, no-nonsense warrior. It could also serve as a seminal work on the history of race relations in the military over the past 50 years. Readers will be thrilled, fascinated, and even brought to tears as they become one with the words which flow so well that it's almost as if General Petersen has a direct link to your brain. There is high drama on all fronts, whether it's in the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom sustaining 37mm anti-aircraft fire, or in the military courtroom showcasing some of the world's most notorious people. The story of Lt. Gen. Petersen's personal life and his career in the Corps will be very inspirational and highly motivating for anyone who reads it. What else would you expect from a Marine?

Semper Fidelis.

Absolutely Fantastic Book!.......1999-04-14

INTO THE TIGER'S JAW has been an inspiration to my students and to me. In Lt. General Petersen we met a courageous man who was not afraid to stand up for what he felt was just and honorable---a man of integrity who overcame obstacles that would have defeated a lesser man. We felt shame at the injustices that he often endured and pride in his accomplishments. Thank you General Petersen and J. Alfred Phelps for this magnificent book and for introducing us to another American hero and role model.

Average customer rating:

Uggh!

STUPID AMERICAN ROBOTS

Good idea and well organized, but too many errors

Basic primer for the uneducated masses

not bad but def. left of center

What Every American Should Know About the Rest of the World: Your Guide to Today's Hot Spots, Hot Shots and Incendiary Issues
Melissa L. Rossi
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Relations | International | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Reference | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
International Institutions | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0452284058
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

What is the difference between Kurdistan and Kazakhstan?
Why did North Korea's leader kidnap his favorite actress?
Why is Osama bin Laden so mad?
Which countries still have slaves?
Why is Kashmir "the most dangerous place in the world?"
What country has the most Muslims?
Why are they fighting in Chechnya?
What little box prompted Hutus to kill Tutsis?
Who is Prince Turki and how did his hunting trip change history?
How are cows fueling the fighting between India's Muslims and Hindus?
Which country drew maps that have resulted in the most intractable wars?
What is controversial UN Resolution 242?
What makes Qatar stand out?
What country does Sumatran coffee come from?
What country's fakes forced the US to redesign the $100 bill?
Who is the FARC and why have they been fighting for decades?

Confused about the news? Slip out of the room when friends talk current events? Now you can keep up with ease.

An entertaining guide to political science, current events, foreign affairs, and history, What Every American Should Know about the Rest of the World gives you the vocabulary and background you need to decipher the modern world in a simple-to-understand format.

Customer Reviews:

Uggh!.......2006-11-28

Sit down, kick back, and get plastered while you read this book.

Obviously the author did when she wrote it!

So full of holes, contradictions, and glaring fairy tales that it makes "Peter Pan" look like a history channel documentary!

STUPID AMERICAN ROBOTS.......2006-06-11

M.L. Rossi did it again,blowback,collateral damage,nutralize.The
Robuts retention rate memory wise is ZERO.The Law of civilization and Decay Brooks Adams,War is a Racket,GEN.Smedley Butler,the retart ROBUTS do not remember,no wonder they are Robuts with a consumer,and self destruct program.Georgraphy stupid,only 10 percent travel international,but they know how to be Robuts.20 percent think Canada is part of america.50 percent do not know U.S. history.The head of U.S. bar in speech said this at Boston University Law school.Further bar will organize internationally to enforce law according to constitution, and international law .In 1927 Van Loon historian says children learnd about constitution and Bill of rights in low grades of school.They were proud to be americans,climb trees,play cowboy,wanted to be strong,had manatory physical exercise,went camping,etc.No wonder you are weak now you have been made a ROBUT.No child left behind,destorys our nation.No IQ okay,math,science stupid,cannot add one forth and three eights.Up to 50 percen percent did not graduate high school in 1960.Van Loon in his book america states that it was to late to stop the immigration in 1927,if your read what he said it will make you sick.I say artificial because of the corporat which we have to regulate NOW before they kill us,free trade has to be stopped as it is the driving force of the corporat to destory the world,greed and power dominate.Repeal death tax,they want to pay nothing as always.Their days are numbered along with the supreme court,senate,and congress.The entire government has to be replaced,They are beyond rehab,send them to JAIL.

What every american should know about the rest of the world,and who runs the world another book by author makes every thing crystal clear,but ROBUTS are to stupid to comprehend.These books should be required reading for a PHD what do they know??????,they do not say anything,who owns them???????????????

Central america was not describe in any detail,or if so I could not find it,so I will mention it,index latin america.

Central america start at south border of Mexico and ends at north border Colmbia.Costa Rica is the odd one as they have a different situation than the other central american countries.They are democratic,no army,There has been land disputes with natives and foreigners,resentment,anger.Agraculture main business,coffee,Tourist,Foreign investment.Foreign retirement.

The followng are countries in central america.Belize,Nigaraqua,Hondurus,Guatemala,El Salvador,Costa Rica,Panama.U.S. involment in these countries is not good,Costa Rica may be exception,but ???????.General Butler in is book War is a Racket says it all.Monroe doctrine states U.S. dominates in the americas.Poverty breeds communism,democratic socialism.These nations have been occupied since the spanish inslave them,and other powers that took their place,the game is still the same.What about United Fruit company,what does bananna republic mean.

Rossi gives fast facts at beginnig of each decription of country,also there are E-mail addresses in the back of the book.Rossi did this in both books mentioned,have I lost you MORON.If you are not a ROBUT do not read futher,you know it all.

The Prince,and The Art of War explain how to evaluate a situation,by knowing character you know the animal.A cat is not a dog PHD.For this subject when you look at a country findout what countries border them,What do they produce,and who wants what they have.Who are the investors,maybe international bankers,and their corporat puppets.What did Gen BUTLER say.What have many marines and army generals said about Iraq and U.S. policy lately 2006.CHAracter DOES NOT CHANGE---only who has power changes.It is the peoples turn,it will be first time in history???????????????2006-2008 vote,FREE or SLave ROBUTS.WMD

Hot spots in the world Isarel,nuclear weapons,etc,1967 border,violation UN resolutions,free lunch U.S. tax payer.Spying on US.Neo con Zionist high percent.The chosen people.If people knew the methods to found Israel they would not support it,yet maybe they would since they look at TV and say nothing ROBUTS.Most prone place for WW111.

Korea north and south want to come together.U.S. military pull back from border,possible engagement in future.ally of China north Korea.South korea conflict unions car manufacture,etc

Japan conflict north korea possible cause of wwIII

Taiwan,China,U.S.India, North Korea,Japan what a cup of tea.

Africa,oil,HIV,Puppets of different western countries,chiefs who run them I mean.War LORDS,selling the resourses of their nations to capitalist who only want profit.Do not forget dimonds,medals,agraculture,slaves. Nigeria,Shell Dutch oil,who owns it,how are they treating the natives,Like animal,maybe they think they are.This is what Gen.Butler was talking about it the same all over the formula for explotation.China is in Africa now good luck.

Iran wants nucleur,they have the right,Israel what are they doing with nucleur weapons the english help them which has been expose.They lied about having them.Palestine will be a slave state with a slave puppet for Israel.Gods chosen people,they own all the land according to god.They fought the Romans?????????????They are a world power,and they are SUPERIOR.
Why do more jews live in U.S. than any other place,why do they not go to Israel,were is the new Juruseum.WW111???????????????

Pakistan nucleur weapons,muslems in factions,India ,Pakistan WWIII Kashmir or other provocation world wide.

Middle East hot bed people hate their chiefs for U.S. support in many countries,high unemployment,two examples Egypt,Saudi Arabia,do not like ruler,Egypt paid by U.S.to not fight Israel.

IRAQ WMD no,Why are we in it,what right, we made mistake,no we should not stay>the people who got us in to this war are U.S.,England,Israel,who is running state department NEO CONS who are they on percent,you know who,like homeland security?????????
Bush and his friends the corporats gentiles the same ,but not the same.Why is biggest U.S.Embassy and 12 to 14 military instalations established in ERAQ, setup,Gen.Butler.What stupid Robuts,we are never leaving,unless we have a puppet government,or are forced too,as viet nam.They made their money.

Caucasus Combo OIL,pipelines,border disputes,factions,old soviet countries,who going to have the power Many dead from war and mistakes,are they really.Gazprom,seven sister,international bankers Same old same old.Devide and conquer.

Brazil may have nukes,or will in near future.Trading with china.
Venezuela and other countries going socialist in south america U.S. is losing grip.All these countries have extreme poverty.Small percent rich and puppets control these nations.U.S. Has supported dictators all over the americas.Mexico,central and, south america. Anyone who opposes free capitalism,free trade,The people have to do what the corporats want,or they are communistThey do not need food clothing or shelder.We have heard this lately about Venezuela.Chavez took power away from oil corporat and rich.U.S. says he is bad,did we try to take him out a while back,yes we did.He gave poor in NY oil for winter,bad man helping is country.The rich only love their own unless their is money involve,then they will sell themselves to ,who is 666???????????????????????????????????????????The upper classes think they are loved,but when push comes to shove,the elite only exist.Not in the future they are finished,but do not know it.

Rossi should push these books for college text,but the schools would not permit it.The elite are afraid of you having knowledge ROBUTS,that is why your are stupid americam robuts.

Charles Beard basic history of U.S.,Constitution,etc.Hendrick Van Loon,AMERICA,Story of Mankind,,Georgraphy,etc could help your brain.Everyone should be required to know the constitution,bill of rights,pleg to the flag,and their history.Education was better before 1960.Multiculturallism has diluted our culture.We would not be americans if not for those who fought for our rights.The corporats never gave anything to the people.

You do not have to believe in god to believe in the ten commandment,or to practice them.The jews believe in ten commandments,probably for them only in many cases.Man has to get along with man or there is nucleur war.Charging excessive interest is not christian,or moslem.No wonder the corporat want to do away with religion.It is true that religion is used as a means to control,and has caused much death,yet the ten commandments do not advocate 666.For robuts who think if there is not a god then I can do anything I want.They should consider prison,hatred,might is right,and kill everyone to keep power.You see where we are at today.

Rossi mentions immigration in this book.She states that many countries are opposed to it.Free Trade and Immigration are the cause of the down fall of nations.You can vote out those who support free trade and immigration.The constitution is hated by the corporat as it is blowback,it is blocking there way to the New World Order,Globalism,no borders all third world.KING

There is no energy shortage,there is alternative energy.Our system is artificial a monopoly of the rich,a dead horse.
You can control the nation by stopping all immigration.Legislate to regulate free trade as soon as we change government.No insiders in third party,create after we change government by the vote,or ask the military to enforce the constitution,but high level military who are corporat could not be involved.We must take back our country and our idenity as the american people who created this country.American citizens who are the majority,the democratic way,get rid of electorial college,No electric voting,they have already cheated.
Criminals run our country along with all those who benefit from ripping off the ROBUTS,they are all the same.How did you let these fools sellout our nation.Any cost is worth our freedom.We can ration,they did in world war 11.How could there be an energy shortage.The corporat is expanding.Brooks Adams Law of Civilization and decay.The bankers are relentless they will centralize the governments,the E.U. and north america,and then desentergrate.They are inferior,they must be stopped.I read two books with different conclusions in Adams book Law.The one I remember is the man on the white horse,the military may be only solution,we may have been Robuts to long,we have to fight to the death,better dead than slave.Take our nation back,save america.STOP IMMIGRATION.Augustus will come again,he will arrive in near future.The Old good boy clubs will not stop him,you cannot fool all the people all the time.Those boys are international and in every government.

Russia has enough nuclear weapons to blow up the world many times over.They do not want unlimited immigration.They want to keep their idenity and culture.The west tried to eat them alive after the fall.Putin has fought the mafia and western capitalist.Russia may become the last hope for western culture.
They want demodratic socialism which is dirty word in america.The corporat cannot control everything.They took back the oil company.one in jail one they want in Israel,Isarel will not allow extradition,gods law.Iran,Russia,China,Pakistan,North Korea,south america???WW111

Largest munition dealer U.S.. Against land mine regulation.Encourages countries to buy arms.England arms dealer,Isreal arms dealer.Did Israel have problem with U.S.about what it was selling to China.

Stop immigration,stop Free Trade,vote out the present government period.

Good idea and well organized, but too many errors.......2006-05-27

I bought this book last year because I really liked the concept - a sort of brief guide to the world for Americans. Many of us, myself included, are lacking a good understanding of other parts of the world. And we rely too much on the dominant media to "educate" us on the facts, conditions and histories of countries that are important or where problems make them a place to be concerned about.

That said, this book gets a mixed review from me because it does well in some areas and poorly in others.

What I liked:

It's organized well - starting with the places that are "ticking" time bombs and gradually working down the ratings of volatility to the nations that are "talkers" (as opposed to "doers" I suppose). That concept groups countries with similar problems, outlooks, histories, etc. near each other in the book. Because so many issues tend to cross national boundaries it makes it easy to see how the same situation developed or has been addressed in neighboring places.

It's not a big book, especially since the topic is the world, and so it has to boil down the issues and histories into some brief points. For the most part the author does a good job of identifying what is really important to know.

What I didn't like:

Some of the synopses are so brief as to not be very useful.

Inaccuracies were too common. Both my sons take honors level history classes and while reading this book they complained of statements that they thought were wrong. We sat down together and researched the points that they found fault with - and the boys were on the money. Much of it has to do with how brief some of the author's comments are - it resulted in over simplification of some complex subjects that came across as misleading. Not exactly wrong, but if you are familiar with the subject being discussed you would likely shake your head and say "that's really not an accurate way to describe the facts."

There were several points on which the author just got the important facts wrong. For example, in the section on Somalia on page 143 there is a box containing one very long paragraph that describes what is commonly known as the "Battle of Mogadishu". Among the things the author got wrong was an allusion that warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid might have been tipped off about the US operation by his son who was a Marine "supposedly helping out the U.S. with translation." Aidid's son Hussein Farrah Aydid was a Marine Reservist and had been sent to Somalia to translate and serve as a liaison with his father. However, that had only lasted for three weeks and the younger Aydid had been back at his job the City of West Covina engineering department, updating water maps, counting cars in traffic, etc. for more than ten months before the battle took place.

The same section is full of other blatant errors, some of which are minor - "the image of a dead Marine being dragged through the streets..." is inaccurate because there were no Marines present in Somalia or participating in the operation. The Marines had operated in country earlier, and from time to time there were some Marine units offshore, but not for the events described by the author.

Some are significant errors. Such as the author's statement that the Somali militia forces brought down two Blackhawk helicopters using "land-to-air missiles..." Inaccurate because the Somali's actually used Soviet era Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) which are relatively unsophisticated weapons compared to ground to air missiles. The realization that a Blackhawk was susceptible to incapacitating damage by something as simple and cheap as an RPG was something of a shock. That is an important point. Perhaps more importantly, it is a unproven but widely held belief that Al Qaeda was responsible for discovering this weakness and providing slightly modified RPGs and training to the Somalis in an effort to hurt and embarrass the U.S. The author failed to mention that and it would seem important considering the importance given in other parts of the book to Al Qaeda and terrorism in general.

The same paragraph has inaccurate statements about the goal of the mission that sparked the battle and the basic facts of when and how elements were introduced into the operation and what role they played.

Others have commented on what appears to be the interjection of politically motivated bias on the author's part. It was apparent when I saw it, slightly annoying (just give me the facts and let me make up my own mind about how I feel about what I've learned) but I learned to just discount it and skip past it.

Conclusion:

A darn good idea and well organized, but too skimpy on details in some parts and too many major errors to be trusted. That last part was the kiss of death for the book as far as I'm concerned. If I can find that many blatant errors in one paragraph I have no confidence in anything else I read. I might give it another half star if Amazon would let me, but not a full three stars.

Basic primer for the uneducated masses.......2006-02-04

Hey, I liked the book- its written simply, with some humor, and it punches the major points. In Depth analysis it isn't and wasn't meant to be, but let's face it, most Americans don't want any in depth analysis of world issues- heck, half of them can't point out the Pacific Ocean. This will have to do for those folks. It hits the lowlights and highlights, gives some easy to read charts and maps, and while simplistic- covers enough for the USA TODAY types who want the picture, map, and easy bullet list.

Frankly, I think this book is a necessity for schools- or something like it- it may be the only way for kids to find Africa on the map or understand between Hutus and Tutsis.

not bad but def. left of center.......2005-10-21

I actually own this book and for some reason never thought about it being biased until I delved into topics I know more about than she does apparently. I could go into detail about it but won't bother.

She tends state her opinions as fact and it is obvious that she takes a "blame America first" attitude; almost as if she is taking the standpoint of somebody who lives in Europe who wants to placate her European friends by showing she is subtly embarrassed to be American.

The world is much more complex than she would have you believe, and she is by no means a well read diplomat. I mean c'mon she encourages people to read the BBC. I will credit her with her endorsement of the Economist though, I believe that is a very fair and balanced magazine.

Average customer rating:

This should be in everybody's library

The Perfect Gift for a Guy

Not quite of everything but a decent read

Excellent Science

Nearly Everything

A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books
Essays & Commentary | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Travel | Subjects | Books
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A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

ASIN: 0767923227
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Book Description

This new edition of the acclaimed bestseller is lavishly illustrated to convey, in pictures as in words, Bill Bryson’s exciting, informative journey into the world of science.

In A Short History of Nearly Everything, beloved author Bill Bryson confronts his greatest challenge yet: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as his territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. The result is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it.

Now, in this handsome new edition, Bill Bryson’s words are supplemented by full-color artwork that explains in visual terms the concepts and wonder of science, at the same time giving face to the major players in the world of scientific study. Eloquently and entertainingly described, as well as richly illustrated, science has never been more involving or entertaining.

Customer Reviews:

This should be in everybody's library.......2007-10-01

This is an outstanding book. I just wish I could remembe everything I've read in it. Make sure you get the special illustrated edition. A very high quality book, great paper, beutiful illustrations, and a great read.

The Perfect Gift for a Guy.......2007-09-15

This is a perfect book to give any guy in your life that likes the History or Discovery channel...fast paced, full of facts and details but never boring it is truly a short history of nearly everything. I couldn't put it down. Great book!

Not quite of everything but a decent read.......2007-08-22

I gifted this to someone and then went and read it at the library... and I kinda regreted gifting it... I think the author did his research well.. but I also think he focusses a lot more on certain areas while leaving out several others untouched.

What I liked most was his research and mention of people (inventors, discoverers, archaelogists) that had major contributions to what we know about the world today, but never actually hear about the names of those people... simply because they weren't popularized as much as the Einteins and the Newtons of the time.

Excellent Science .......2007-07-28

I have both audio, and text and I can't get enough of both. The illustrated version makes excellent gifts for those who appreciate in-depth science. Bryson has a sense of humer that I find myself laughing at times.

Nearly Everything.......2007-07-07

Just about anything you have ever wondered about is answered in this book. My son requested it for Christmas and has enjoyed reading it.

Average customer rating:

Everything about everything and nothing
too many errors, no online corrections
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Essential
Cant wait to read it again

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 076790818X
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Amazon.com

From primordial nothingness to this very moment, A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose style and wit, Bryson succeeds admirably. Though A Short History clocks in at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as every science book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailed novel (albeit without a plot). Each longish chapter is devoted to a topic like the age of our planet or how cells work, and these chapters are grouped into larger sections such as "The Size of the Earth" and "Life Itself." Bryson chats with experts like Richard Fortey (author of Life and Trilobite) and these interviews are charming. But it's when Bryson dives into some of science's best and most embarrassing fights--Cope vs. Marsh, Conway Morris vs. Gould--that he finds literary gold. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

One of the world’s most beloved and bestselling writers takes his ultimate journey -- into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson trekked the Appalachian Trail -- well, most of it. In In A Sunburned Country, he confronted some of the most lethal wildlife Australia has to offer. Now, in his biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand -- and, if possible, answer -- the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson seeks to understand how we got from there being nothing at all to there being us. To that end, he has attached himself to a host of the world’s most advanced (and often obsessed) archaeologists, anthropologists, and mathematicians, travelling to their offices, laboratories, and field camps. He has read (or tried to read) their books, pestered them with questions, apprenticed himself to their powerful minds. A Short History of Nearly Everything is the record of this quest, and it is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only Bill Bryson can render it. Science has never been more involving or entertaining.

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Bill Bryson is one of the world's most beloved and bestselling writers. In A Short History of Nearly Everything, he takes his ultimate journey—into the most intriguing and consequential questions that science seeks to answer. It's a dazzling quest, the intellectual odyssey of a lifetime, as this insatiably curious writer attempts to understand everything that has transpired from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization. Or, as the author puts it, "...how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened in between and since." This is, in short, a tall order.

To that end, Bill Bryson apprenticed himself to a host of the world's most profound scientific minds, living and dead. His challenge is to take subjects like geology, chemistry, paleontology, astronomy, and particle physics and see if there isn't some way to render them comprehensible to people, like himself, made bored (or scared) stiff of science by school. His interest is not simply to discover what we know but to find out how we know it. How do we know what is in the center of the earth, thousands of miles beneath the surface? How can we know the extent and the composition of the universe, or what a black hole is? How can we know where the continents were 600 million years ago? How did anyone ever figure these things out?

On his travels through space and time, Bill Bryson encounters a splendid gallery of the most fascinating, eccentric, competitive, and foolish personalities ever to ask a hard question. In their company, he undertakes a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge, as only this superb writer can render it. Science has never been more involving, and the world we inhabit has never been fuller of wonder and delight.

“Stylish [and] stunningly accurate prose. We learn what the material world is like from the smallest quark to the largest galaxy and at all the levels in between... brims with strange and amazing facts... destined to become a modern classic of science writing.”
   THE NEW YORK TIMES

“Bryson has made a career writing hilarious travelogues, and in many ways his latest is more of the same, except that this time Bryson hikes through the world of science.”
   PEOPLE

“Bryson is surprisingly precise, brilliantly eccentric and nicely eloquent... a gifted storyteller has dared to retell the world’s biggest story.”
   SEATTLE TIMES

“Hefty, highly researched and eminently readable.”
   SIMON WINCHESTER, THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“All non-scientists (and probably many specialized scientists, too) can learn a great deal from his lucid and amiable explanations.”
   NATIONAL POST

"Bryson is a terrific stylist. You can’t help but enjoy his writing, for its cheer and buoyancy, and for the frequent demonstration of his peculiar, engaging turn of mind.”
   OTTAWA CITIZEN

“Wonderfully readable. It is, in the best sense, learned.”
   WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Customer Reviews:

Everything about everything and nothing.......2007-10-15

Bill Bryson takes us on a layman's journey through the great adventures, arguments, and in-fighting of the last 400 years of scientific discovery, learning, and development. He explains in a superficial way what is important in chemistry, physics, geology, biology, mathematics, and anthropology, but his real strength is telling us about the brilliant but bizarre characters who did the heavy lifting.

You wont learn anything here that they dont teach college freshmen about technology but you will meet completely wacky characters like Sir Isaac Newton. This 17th century genius was unimpressed with the state of mathematics, so he invented his own (the calculus) and then neglected to mention it to anyone else for 27 years. Then came Crick and Watson who discovered the helical pattern of DNA despite having not been biologists, in fact, Crick was an American prodigy best known for appearing on radio game shows as a youth. Bryson abounds with additional tales of the strange workings of Fahrenheit, Kelvin, Einstein, Planck, etc.

This book is great fun. I have read all of Bryson's other books on travel and language, many were best-selling, and this thing is near the top. I listened to the author's reading in the abridged audiocassette. One could almost see Bryson lighting up when he gets to the parts where we poor mortals have no clue. According to Bryson, no one knows why the earth's magnetic fields change every 600 million years (we are overdue for a reversal), or what really happened to the Neanderthals, or if global warming will cause the next ice age (we are also overdue here).

too many errors, no online corrections.......2007-10-14

I think the reason this book won the Aventis and Descartes prizes is because the prize committees may have hoped the book could engage people who might otherwise read only travelogues, and interest them enough to read about cosmology and evolution. That is a worthy goal, but unfortunately the book's errors are too many and too distracting. If the book's website included a page for corrections, I could recommend it, but currently the closest is Wikipedia which only reports corrections that have already been published elsewhere.

An Amazon reviewer (Michael J. Edelman) noted the issue of inaccuracies, but was criticized for not providing specific examples, so I will provide two. I should note that, unlike some of the book's defenders, the author is completely unpretentious and acknowledges that his original manuscript included "many hundreds" (page xi) of errors that were corrected with the help of more learned reviewers. He adds, "Goodness knows how many other inky embarrassments may lurk in these pages yet...." Quite a few actually, but rather than call them "embarrassments" I suggest he should list corrections on his website. I will confine my examples to obvious errors of math and internal inconsistencies, and will leave the deeper scientific misunderstandings to experts.

On page 15, "seven one-thousandths.... Lower that value very slightly - from 0.007 per cent...." Bryson is off by two orders of magnitude: seven one-thousandths is 0.7%, and 0.007% is seven hundred-thousandths (7/100,000). The context is the narrow range of livable physics, so the specific order of magnitude might not matter to the light reader looking to be entertained by something "science-y," but it is jarring to the more literal reader hoping to learn about science.

On pages 20 and 21, "As for Pluto itself, nobody is quite sure how big it is.... If you set it down on top of the United States, it would cover not quite half the lower forty-eight states." Then, on page 22, "On a diagram of the solar system to scale, with the Earth reduced to about the diameter of a pea...Pluto would be...about the size of a bacterium, so you wouldn't be able to see it anyway." If you look at a picture of earth taken from space, with North America showing, you can see that North America would remain clearly visible even if you scaled the whole earth down to the size of a pea. Even the area of the American states east of the Mississippi River would remain visible to the naked eye. In contrast, a sphere of soil the size of a pea would typically hold millions of bacteria, each invisible. The sizes of peas and bacteria can vary, so I cannot calculate exactly how many orders of magnitude this error entails, but it is as jarring as the one on page 15.

The text starts on page 9, so that's at least two glaring inconsistencies in the first 13 pages. There might be more that I overlooked. If the first 13 pages are a representative sample, the 422-page text likely contains more than 60 errors of that type alone, not counting deeper scientific errors that others have reported but I might be unable to detect.

Everyone makes mistakes, but some authors and publishers are better than others at acknowledging them and making accurate information readily available. A print book cannot be recalled and updated readily, but it should go through better fact-checking before publication, and afterwards it is easy to publish a companion website with corrections. Unfortunately the website for this book lists only praise, and links to buy more copies of the book.

Bryson is a story-teller, most famous for travelogues that can be more about entertaining experiences than specific facts, and this book seems to be his travelogue through the world of science. That might explain the inattention to detail. His memoir of growing up in Des Moines, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid," is much better because the candid hyperbole becomes part of the fun; he doesn't expect you actually to believe that anyone in his family really came from another planet.

I received this book as a gift, and have tried to read it, but I don't expect to finish because if my knowledge of science were good enough to catch all the errors I wouldn't need to read it, and as it is I don't want to spend that many hours becoming possibly more misinformed than I am. More recently, Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" covers much of the same ground better, is very readable and often entertaining, and is backed by his website with feedback from all quarters; Dawkins is an experienced science author, and his polemic includes more reliable science and has already earned more Amazon sales despite being published only last year. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" might make a less challenging gift, but the errors and lack of corrections unfortunately undermine its value.

A Short History of Nearly Everything.......2007-10-13

This is the best book I have ever read. Everyone should read it to get an idea of up to date information in the science world. Many of my older friends are still thinking about this subject in the 50 years ago thinking. As you can see from my orders I have bought several of these books to give away as presents.

Essential.......2007-10-09

Easily one of the most important books I have ever read.Bryson's wonderful writing and style allow you to enjoy learning fascinating and complex information. Beautifully written and crammed full of priceless information.

Cant wait to read it again.......2007-10-09

The most gripping and enthralling book I have read this decade. My girlfriend has a similar view.

Stick with the first couple of chapters which can be a little heavy going, and then after that, you cannot put it down.

A great way to learn - from an fairly objective point of view - so many important topics. Also gets you thinking for yourself. Some of the stuff is just damned amazing to read about, though you might never have thought so - like the Volcano under Yosemite, the evolution of humans, the secret lives of microbial lifeforms.

Superbly well written in a friendly, entertaining style. Like a one of your more interesting friends regaling stories over dinner. Complete with tidbits of gossip about the main characters.

Read it!

Average customer rating:

Not quite everything, but enough...

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 096573840X

Product Description

History, General, Science

Customer Reviews:

Not quite everything, but enough..........2006-02-22

I was first acquainted with Bill Bryson through his works on the English language and various travelogue types of books. In these books he proved to be an entertaining writer, witty and interesting, with just the right amount of I'm-not-taking-myself-too-seriously attitude to make for genuinely pleasurable reading. Other books of his, 'Notes from a Small Island' and 'The Mother Tongue', are ones I return to again and again. His latest book, one of the longer ones (I was surprised, as most Bryson books rarely exceed 300 pages, and this one weighs in well past 500), is one likely to join those ranks.

Of course, a history of everything, even a SHORT history of NEARLY everything, has got to be fairly long. Bryson begins, logically enough, at the beginning, or at least the beginning as best science can determine. Bryson weaves the story of science together with a gentle description of the science involved - he looks not only at the earliest constructs of the universe (such as the background radiation) but also at those who discover the constructs (such as Penzias and Wilson).

A great example of the way Bryson weaves the history of science into the description of science, in a sense showing the way the world changes as our perceptions of how it exists change, is his description of the formulation, rejection, and final acceptance of the Pangaea theory. He looks at figures such as Wegener (the German meteorologist - 'weatherman', as Bryson describes him) who pushed forward the theory in the face of daunting scientific rejection that the continents did indeed move, and that similarities in flora and fauna, as well as rock formations and other geological and geographical aspects, can be traced back to a unified continent. Bryson with gentle humour discusses the attitudes of scientists, as they shifted not quite as slowly as the continents, towards accepting this theory, making gentle jabs along the way (Einstein even wrote a foreword to a book that was rather scathing toward the idea of plate tectonics - brilliance is no guarantee against being absolutely wrong).

Bryson traces the development of the universe and the world from the earliest universe to the formation of the planet, to the growing diversity of life forms to development of human beings and human society. Inspired by Natural History (the short history refers more to natural history than anything else), this traces the path to us and possible futures. Bryson juxtaposes the creation of the Principia by Isaac Newton with the extinction of the dodo bird - stating that the word contained divinity and felony in the nature of humanity, the same species that can rise to the heights of understanding in the universe can also, for no apparent reason, cause the extinction of hapless and harmless fellow creatures on earth. Are humans, in Bryson's words, 'inherently bad news for other living things'? He recounts many of the truly staggering follies of species-hunting, particularly in the nineteenth century, calling upon people to take far more care of the planet with which we have been entrusted, either through design or fate.

Bryson's take on things is innovative and his narrative is interesting, but there is a point to it, just as there is with most of his writing. He writes not merely to entertain, or to inform, but to persuade. Bryson is intrigued by science, having a joy that comes across the page of someone who essentially did not know or understand a lot of the background of science and how it worked in the world until recently, and now wants to share that joy with everyone! He definitely has points to argue - for starters, the need for open-mindedness, even among (perhaps particularly among) those who are supposed to have the open and searching intellects, the scientists themselves. He also wishes others to know more about science, professionals and laypersons, and more about our own origins as a people, both in terms of where we've come from, and how we've come to know about it.

Unique among Bryson's writing in many ways, this is in some ways a travelogue through geology, paleontology, cosmology and evolution. A fun and fascinating read!

Average customer rating:

informative and fun

A Short History Of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Books on Tape
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0736691480

Product Description

13-Audio Cassette Series.

Customer Reviews:

informative and fun.......2006-10-15

My wife is a bzzzagent and we received this book through audiobooks. I found it to be truly informative on geology and other sciences.Bill Bryson did the narrative and took any dryness out of the subject matter.I was anxious to get back in my car to hear more of his fun lectures.

Average customer rating:

A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000URJ1MQ

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A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bryson Bill
Manufacturer: Broadway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UEVD98

Short History of Nearly Everything Dumpb

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Short History of Nearly Everything Dumpb
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Black Swan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0552768928

A Short History of Nearly Everything, Illustrated Edition

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A Short History of Nearly Everything, Illustrated Edition
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Anchor Canada
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0385663552

Una breve historia de casi todo / A Short History of Nearly Everything

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Una breve historia de casi todo / A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Manufacturer: Rba
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Spain | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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Product Description

In this lavishly illustrated edition of the acclaimed bestseller, author Bill Bryson confronts his greatest challenge yet: to understand and, if possible, answer the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. From the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, from there being nothing at all to there being us. The result is a sometimes profound, sometimes funny, and always supremely clear and entertaining adventure in the realms of human knowledge.
Description In Spanish: Bill Bryson se describe como un viajero renuente, pero ni siquiera cuando está en su casa, en la seguridad de su estudio, puede contener esa curiosidad que siente por el mundo que le rodea. En Una breve historia de casi todo intenta entender qué ocurrió entre la Gran Explosión y el surgimiento de la civilización, cómo pasamos de la nada a lo ahora somos.

Know it all.(History)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist

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Know it all.(History)(Book Review): An article from: American Scientist
James S. Trefil
Manufacturer: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Customer Reviews:

A guide to making a difference in assisting the planet's environmental well-being.......2006-05-08

Creating The National Environmental Master Plan--2006 by civil engineer and environmental activist John M. Tettemer is an informed and informative descriptive study of the steps to be taken in a short time if we are to salvage and protect the environment through sound public policy and scientifically appropriate initiatives in reversing the negligent American mentality toward the natural world. Introducing readers to a planned ten-step approach to taking action and pursuing environmental protection goals, Creating The National Environmental Master Plan--2006 comprehensively presents an analysis and "reader friendly" understanding of what might most ably help realize environmental goals through cooperatively developing new national, state, and regional pro-planning practices for precisely mapping the course of future environmental initiatives. Very strongly recommended for environmental activists and policy makers searching for a guide to making a difference in assisting the planet's environmental well-being, Creating The National Environmental Master Plan--2006 is a welcome and core addition to personal, professional, and academic library Environmental Studies reference collections.

Boots on the ground and wings in the air for high level thinking.......2006-01-08

You sense Tettemer's credibility as he invites you along on a field trip down a brushy creek or points out drainage features from a helicopter. He's been there and knows what he sees. He combines down-to-earth common sense with a lifetime of practical experience in resolving regional multi-disciplinary problems of water, habitat, pollution control and land use. Always there is tension. Always, when he was invited in to help, there was confrontation. Usually, battle lines had been drawn years before and the factions were solidly entrenched. His specialty is to rise above, take a broader view, and invent a solution that improves the position of each warring group. The groups become cooperators implementing the plan. In this book he applies these experiences to the ensnarling mess of conflicting environmental and land use regulations that confront land developers and governmental regulatory agencies. He's seen it work at the regional level. It's time that elected officials insist on applying his approach at the national level.

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