Mcclellan's War: The Failure Of Moderation In The Struggle For The Union

Book Description

-- Finalist for the 2006 Peter Seaborg Award for Civil War scholarship --

This biography of the controversial Union general George B. McClellan examines the influences and political antecedents that shaped his behavior on the battlefield, behavior that so frustrated Lincoln and others in Washington that he was removed from his command soon after the Union loss at Antietam. Rather than take sides in the controversy, Ethan S. Rafuse finds in McClellan's politics and his desire to restore sectional harmony ample explanation for his actions. Rafuse sheds new light on the general who believed in the rule of reason and moderation, who sought a policy of conciliation with the South, and who wanted to manage the North's military resources in a way that would impose rational order on the battlefield.

"Rafuse's book . . . offers the most comprehensive account of McClellan's prewar life and military career available, buttressed with a convincing analysis, and is sure to alter current perceptions and future assessments of the general's role in Civil War history." --Providence Sunday Journal

Customer Reviews:

The Smoking Gun on Little Mac.......2007-05-16

Sailing around the world, U.S. Grant sighed that George McClellan was one of the chief enigmas of the war. A century and a half later, most Civil War buffs would agree. McClellan's biographers either considered him a hero or, in the case of say Stephen Sears, a delusioned man who flirted with mental illness. Taking a page from the likes of Daniel Walker Howe, Ethan Rafuse argues that the key to understanding Little Mac is viewing him as an old line Whig of the Clay and Webster tradition who believed in self control, gentility, education and discipline. Rafuse goes into McClellan's prewar career and education and other influences (most importantly, Rafuse stresses how McClellan's jewel of a wife shaped his religious sentiments) and how they shaped his Civil War tenure. Readers may still view McClellan as a failed commander once they read Rafuse but at least they understand where he was coming from. As opposed to being plagued by psychological problems as Sears would have us believe, Rafuse shows that McClellan was man of his times who failed, in many ways, to grow with them. While Rafuse fails to provide a traditional narrative of military history, he provides an excellent political history of McClellan in 1861 and 1862. One wishes that Rafuse had taken his account to the 1864 election and McClellan's rather underappreciated political career after the war. Still, no other book truly offers such an interesting and insightful portrait of McClellan. If you want to understand the Union effort in the Civil War, you have to understand George McClellan's roller coaster ride in the high command. No other book does that as well as Rafuse's splendid "McClellan's War."

Clausewitz was right.......2006-03-23

What a delightful rendering of General George B. McLellan from Ethan Rafuse. I don't know if this treatment will restore Little Mac from the severe wounds history has inflicted on him but it does help us understand why he behaved the way he did. Politicians always slather thick layers of patriotic ardor over the stark brutality of modern war in order to get the hostilities underway; the attendant death & destruction is never full anticipated & always pitifully underestimated. The radical Republicans wanted to unleash the dogs of war right at the Secesh throat not realising the South had hounds of their own. McLellan with his gentile family background & his Whig- Democratic political leanings & his West Point education got in the way. He was mauled nearly to death.

This is an account of the life & generalship of McLellan from his triumphant processional into Washington & anointing up until his dismissal from command after Antietam (& the Emancipation Proclamation) in November, 1862. Rafuse focuses on the moderate political opposition to the radicals who ran Congress after the Whig party had been splintered into oblivion & the Southern Democrats had left the Republicans in a lopsided majority after Lincoln's election. This moderation is McLellan's raison d'etre.

McLellan thought reasonable, unemotional (not radical) professionals should run the war. A decisive set-piece battle & then some mopping up would bring the South back to the Union with their traditions & way of life, including their peculiar institution, intact. Treat the Southerners in a conciliatory sort of way & they would reject the fire-eating slaveholders who brought on the war & return to the fold. How wrong he was. Six hundred thousand dead later & the Union was victorious & slavery was abolished. Victorious Grant became President & McLellan who had presidential aspirations of his own paled into obscurity, the anachronism he was. Little consolation that his scientific way of war with its fortifications & artillery abundance might have strangled the Confederacy in its cradle far quicker than Scott's Anaconda plan eventually did. His hamstrung Peninsula Campaign failed & the radicals took control. Conciliation was dead.

Rafuse's account is a fine one indeed. The prose is a bit turgid to start but get McLellan on the Peninsula & the tale starts to flow. Maps are the windows into military history. The ones included are great. I never understood what McLellan's Urbanna plan was all about until I saw one of the maps & read again of Joseph E. Johnston's pull back from Manassas. All of the maps are pertinent, well done & , behold, contain all the place names mentioned in the text, a rare treat indeed.

Abraham Lincoln comes across as the bewildered military neophyte he was at this stage of the war. McLellan has more spine with little emphasis on the sniveling he did about his estimation of the great multitude of the horde opposing him. He does get credit for his great organizational skills, training ability, & charisma. The Army of the Potomac was the instrument he created but never learned how to wield. Clausewitz was correct: the object of war is not to nick your opponent but to whack him so hard he won't get up again.

A fine piece of scholarship.......2006-02-04

George Brinton McClellan's legacy since the Civil War has been largely criticized by historians and the general public. Hundreds of books generated notions that the Union high command prior to U.S. Grant's arrival was full of generals who could not win battles or take the initiative in destroying Robert E. Lee's army. McClellan served as the primary victim of these rants because he held the longest tenure as commander of the Army of Potomac. Even though McClellan had earned the respect of his men, he certainly did not get that same respect from Washington or from future historians. Thankfully, that has changed.

Rafuse's book showcases a lot of the author's abilities as a historian and as a writer. Though military book in nature, Rafuse's insight into McClellan's political influence largely explains the behavior attributed on the battlefield. Perhaps no Civil War biographer has detailed his subject's political connections as Rafuse has shown. In the Civil War field, Rafuse is considered as one of the up and coming military historians of this generation. This only makes sense as Rafuse's advisor was the distinguished historian Herman Hattaway, whose book "How the North Was Won" is still considered a standard in this profession. Certainly, Rafuse has a bright career as a scholar, teacher, and writer.

Finally, this biography explains the political influence that troubled the Union generals throughout the War. Recently, scholars have argued that Lincoln and his cabinet caused much of the disappointment in the war's first two years because of their inability to let the generals lead on their own. Certainly, it can be questioned that if McClellan was given the same freedoms as Robert E. Lee in the South, the "young Napoleon" may have ended this war a lot sooner.

A full review of the question.......2005-05-08

Finding a general in American history with as bad a reputation as George B. McClellan is not an easy task. Few Civil War books have anything good to say about him, fewer still defend his actions in the field. His victory at Antietam is often listed as a draw or even a Confederate victory. This "victory" is because McClellan should have destroyed the Army of Northern Virginia and their survival is a "victory" for them. His problems with military intelligence and the chronic over estimation of numbers is a "character defect" that he used to keep from fighting the army he created and loved to much to use. When pressed, even his harshest critics, will admit that McClellan created the Army of the Potomac and that it was the premier Union army during the war. Finally, they will acknowledge that McClellan always obeyed orders from Washington, even when he disagreed with them and felt they hurt his army.
This book covers McClellan's background and actions up to being removed from command for the last time in 1861. While not taking a position, each incident is completely covered and footnoted. This allows the reader to both check the author and to draw well founded conclusions from the text. For this reason, "McClellan's War" should become an important milestone in the evolving debate about his service. The amount of information packed into this book is staggering. While the book is so well written that, it reads like a good novel. The combination produces a very enjoyable and dynamic learning experience.
Everything is here. All the questions about relations with Congress, Lincoln and Scott, are examined and both sides presented. Coverage of the question about reinforcements during the Peninsula Campaign is complete with attention to the critical sequence of events. McClellan's feelings about and support of Pope are fair and well documented as are his difficulties with Stanton. The Antietam Campaign is a major item in the book and very well covered. What McClellan did and did not do, how it influenced R.E. Lee's plans, and the subsequent events is very well done. The condition of McClellan's army, the problems he faced and the effect they have on the battle of Antietam is a revelation.
The author takes the time to explain the theory of Conciliation and the political exchanges between its' supporters and the Abolitionist. The lucid discussion of the development of both these ideas and the background of the people that supported them is an important contribution to ACW this book makes. After reading this, I gained a much better understanding of the early war and how the policies developed as the war progressed.
Over all stands Lincoln, literally towering over McClellan. The book details the pressure Lincoln is under and the changes in his attitude towards, the South, McClellan and the war in the first 18 months of the war. In addition, we come to understand how the two men, wanting the same victory, were unable to bridge the widening gulf between them. McClellan, with his background and beliefs, was unable to understand or respond to Lincoln's problems. Lincoln, forced to respond to pressure and discarding the policy of Conciliation, could not give McClellan the time and resources he needed. The strength of the book is we understand both sides and have sympathy for both men.
In the emerging debate on McClellan, Ethan S. refuse has written his name along side Joseph L. Harsh as authors of "must read" books on the subject.

McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History

Average customer rating:

McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union.(Book review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Mark E., Jr. Neely
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000L437QO
Release Date: 2006-11-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Thomson Gale on November 1, 2006. The length of the article is 716 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: McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union.(Book review)
Author: Mark E., Jr. Neely
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 72 Issue: 4 Page: 959(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

Black KnightsI.......2007-09-26

I have only read half of the book to date. My review based on what I read so far is that the book seems to be accurate, according to my understanding of the History I've read on the subject.

review for my class, part 2.......2002-03-31

The middle of the book is a detailed record of significant air battles in which the Tuskegee Airmen were involved. At this point, the reader becomes less compelled to read every sentence of every page as the book makes a transition from being a presentation of the Tuskegee Experience's fight for existence to more of a day-by-day record of many of the missions the airmen flew. Certain phrases become cliché in the telling of each story, and the reader gets somewhat lost in the seemingly endless listings of names and how many kills were becoming associated with each. While the special care taken to preserve detailed historical accuracy is impressive, the book could greatly benefit from including more personal accounts by the airmen themselves. The preface tells of the many interviews that the authors conducted to gather information for their project; the reader is disappointed to find out that virtually none of these interviews are described in detail, let alone even directly quoted. Including detailed firsthand accounts of the pilots' individual experiences would certainly have helped to break the monotony of this part of the book, and unquestionably would have made it more interesting.
One thing that the book does very well is to give credit not just to the pilots who saw combat action in the war, but also to all of the people that made it possible for them to get there. It should be noted that, although initially it was not the case, the Tuskegee Army Air Field was staffed almost entirely by black soldiers at every level. Everyone from mess hall workers, to entertainers, to mechanics, to weather observers was black. White soldiers only held assignments there temporarily while black soldiers were being rotated into their positions. Chapter XVII, titled "The Unsung Warriors," is dedicated entirely to presenting the foundation of the Tuskegee Experience. This is a very important piece of the Tuskegee puzzle because, for example, if there were no ground crews, the planes would never have flown. Other works tend to give all of the glory to the combat-seasoned pilots, while this book does a very complete job of evenly distributing the credit. Another example of the completeness of Black Knights is Chapter XIII, which deals with the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium). Although these bomber crews never saw combat, they were another part of the on-going story of blacks' struggle for equality. Lastly, the roster of Tuskegee graduates in the appendix of the book further supports the authors' mission to create a concise historical record of the Tuskegee Experience.
Black Knights also gives a clear view of the original intent of the Tuskegee Experiment. For the most part, the higher powers responsible for the creation of a black training facility approved the program with the intent of proving its failure. The book does a good job of showing how certain people at the slightly-lower levels were the saviors of the whole program. Besides the efforts of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. to promote the program, certain other benefactors are given appropriate mention as well. Colonel Noel F. Parrish is one such example, who, after taking over command of Tuskegee Army Air Field, did so much to boost morale at the base that he is given almost as much recognition as Colonel Davis for helping to save the program.
The book's timeline seems to break up in the last chapter of the book. In Chapter XIX, entitled "Black Birds," a brief overview of the history of black fliers is given. While one can appreciate the contribution those pilots made to aviation, it did not have a direct effect on the creation of the Tuskegee Experience. The authors would have done well to simply omit the last chapter; placed at the end of the book, it seems out of place and its spotty detail is a bit awkward to follow simply because it seems out of sequence. This material would carry more meaning if it was instead placed at the beginning of the book, and also perhaps if it was simply integrated into the first chapter.
All in all the authors did a fine job of recounting the story of the brave men who came to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen. As the title suggests, Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen accurately illustrates the fierce crusade that was fought against racism and segregation. While certainly a very complete work, Black Knights is not about drama. It presents the facts for what they were; for that, it deserves appreciation, but it has little to offer as far as gripping tales of fast-paced dogfights and personal experiences.

review written for my class, part 1 of 2.......2002-03-31

Well, I had to review it for my class so I thought I'd put it up here too(broken in half to stay in the 1K word limit).

Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen is a concisely written historical account of the struggles faced by young black men during World War II to establish themselves as pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps, though it leaves something to be desired. The concise details and statistics show an obvious effort to preserve the accuracy of the records kept of the events surrounding the Tuskegee Experience. With that in mind, it should also be noted that when describing certain controversial issues, the authors offer a mostly unbiased perspective. However, certain areas of the book are somewhat lacking. Some elements seem slightly out of place, almost as if they were thrown in solely for the purpose of increasing the bulk of the book. It can be appreciated that the authors took considerable effort to give credit not just to the fliers that saw combat, but also to the entire support structure that gave them that chance. On the other hand, this may have been slightly overdone. Overall, Black Knights is good source of factual history, but is not an overly compelling piece of literature.
The authors, Lynn Homan and Thomas Reilly, wrote this book as a sort of rewrite of a previous work of theirs, The Tuskegee Airmen, with the intention of creating a more complete historical account. Out of respect for the airmen, the Tuskegee Experience is a term used throughout the book in reference to the social experiment that was formulated by the United States War Department to prove that black men could not fly advanced warplanes. Having previously been referred to as the Tuskegee Experiment, the term Tuskegee Experience has been requested by the airmen themselves as an alternative to the former term which has been confused with an unrelated government medical research project, as explained in the preface. This is the ninth book that Homan and Reilly have written together during their time together in which they have traveled across the country giving lectures and organizing museum exhibits on the Tuskegee Experience. Black Knights is simply an extension of their work, intended to present the Experience as a whole.
The first part of the book is a chronological account of how the Tuskegee Airmen came to be. Two distinct views are presented; while blacks were finally being given the chance to fly, there were some who were against the idea of an all-black flight training facility. Besides the obvious racist opponents, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was among those who did not want to see a segregated airfield. The supporters of the idea believed that the young black soldiers would thrive in an environment of their own, kept isolated from the hardships that would be imposed upon them in an integrated military. If segregated, they would not have to be subject to cruelties dealt them by fellow soldiers that would have been detrimental to their morale. Others argued that it only added to the problem of ending segregation and opposed the creation of an all-black airfield on the grounds that separate training facilities and unit organizations would be more costly than an integrated military.
The authors seem to express a slight leaning towards being in agreement with the NAACP's standpoint on the issue, that is, anti-segregation. What they fail to point out, however, is that while segregation is inherently evil, the effect it had actually benefited the outcome of what was to become the Tuskegee Experience. An analogy can be made to illustrate this point. A wall representing racial segregation had to be taken down to make integration possible. If the military integrated black fliers into the white ranks, they would have been subject to unknown cruelties by racist whites and would have had nowhere to turn. One could compare this to attempting to disassemble the aforementioned wall piece-by-piece. On the other hand, as one united, all-black unit, all obstacles in their way were faced by the group as a whole. By having been given the chance to prove themselves in war, they acted as a battering ram to demolish the barrier of segregation. The authors seem to present the arrangement as a failure as far as the battle for integration was concerned; rather, the Tuskegee Experience provided unmistakable proof that black pilots could perform admirably, and effectively paved the way for future desegregation.

Depth of research: 5 stars. Quality of editing: 3 stars........2001-10-18

You have to appreciate the amount of effort that went into assembling this book. Even the casually interested reader will finish "Black Knights" with a greater appreciation for the young men who completed the Tuskeegee Experience and went on to serve their country in WWII and beyond. Archival detail is impressive, down to an appendix that offers a roster of all Tuskeegee graduates. Can a future reprint offer the service history of each individual as well?

The book itself presents exhaustive research into the the origins of the program, testimony for and against its development, and records of Tuskeegee-trained airmen in combat and in the post-war USAF. But two-thirds of the way into the book, once the title material is exhausted, it begins a survey of pre-WWII black aviation pioneers. This material is also well-researched, but a bit awkward in its sequence and given the title. Should this have been published as two separate books?

Voluminous research presented the authors with a great challenge: how could all the information be made readable? The authors often succeeded at this task. Note the story of the 99th squadron's first air-to-air kill, and how that is woven back into the discussion of the Army Air Corps' resistance to establishing the squadron in the first place.

This is a good read, if not always compelling. Youth in search of heros need to look beyond the sports and recording industries to discover the Tuskeegee Airmen. Excerpts from this book may provide that introduction.

Good job, could have been better.............2001-08-29

A mixed bag to me, this book was an ordinary book about an extraordinary subject, those brave black men whose more subtle enemy was the pervasive racism back home. When he authors stick to the stories told about the racial obstacles placed in the "Black Knights" paths in such AAF bases as Alabama, Michigan, and Indiana, a compelling story is told. The Army wanted and expected black fliers to fail, and they not only didn't fail, they were superb soldiers and pilots. But, when the book moves into their combat experiences, the pace of the book slows down, instead using a day-to-day litany of the various units, culled directly from daily unit reports. This section of the book could have used more personal reminiscences from the many old fliers interviewed for the book. It's just page after page of mundane, "flip through" stuff. And the book suffers from spotty editing(Thurgood Marshall never was Chief Justice; the famous and versatile German flak gun was the 88, not the 188, for example). For a better look at combat conditions in the Italian Theater in '44-'45, read Stephen Ambrose's new book "The Wild Blue", about the men who flew the B-24s. Feel the absolute admiration that young B-24 pilot(and future Presidental candidate) George McGovern felt towards the Tuskegee Airmen, who got his crew home safe and sound every time. The excellent last chapter is curiously a history of early black aviation. I would have opened the book with it, rather than closed. The best chapter to me was about the 1945 Freeman Field Mutiny, when over 100 officers risked court martial because they were denied entry to the segregated base Officer's Club; early civil disobedience. The Army, faced with an uncertain outcome to the Japan Theater, backed down eventually. The hero of the book? Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr, a superb officer and a great leader.

Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen.(Book Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Southern History

Average customer rating:

Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen.(Book Review)(Brief Article): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Robert J. Jakeman
Manufacturer: Southern Historical Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008GA7PY
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on November 1, 2003. The length of the article is 431 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: Black Knights: the Story of the Tuskegee Airmen.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Robert J. Jakeman
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2003
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 69 Issue: 4 Page: 980(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Since ancient times humans have felt intuitively that emotions and health are linked, and recently there has been much popular speculation about this notion. But until now, without compelling evidence, it has been impossible to say for sure that such a connection really exists and especially how it works. Now, that evidence has been discovered.A thrilling scientific detective story, The Balance Within tells how researchers finally uncovered the elusive mind-body connection and what it means for our health. In this beautifully written book, Dr. Esther Sternberg, whose discoveries were pivotal in helping to solve this mystery, provides first hand accounts of the breakthrough experiments that revealed the physical mechanisms - the nerves, cells, and hormones - used by the brain and immune system to communicate with each other. She describes just how stress can make us more susceptible to all types of illnesses, and how the immune system can alter our moods. Finally, she explains how our understanding of these connections in scientific terms is helping to answer such crucial questions as "Does stress make you sick?" "Is a positive outlook the key to better health?" and "How do our personal relationships, work, and other aspects of our lives affect our health?"A fascinating, elegantly written portrait of this rapidly emerging field with enormous potential for finding new ways to treat disease and cope with stress, The Balance Within is essential reading for anyone interested in making their body and mind whole again.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for anyone who has experienced an autoimmune attack.......2007-01-22

This well written & interesting book became my bible in learning how stress can influence and/or cause an autoimmune attack. Understanding the connection between mind and body, and learning to cope with stress, is paramount to a complete recovery, so well explained by Dr. Sternberg.

a fascinating look at stress and the immune system.......2006-04-23

This book is useful for students, scientists, and those who are otherwise interested in integrative medicine. Sternberg augments her explanation of the stress-immune connection with interesting and relevant research studies. I found it useful as a student studying neuroscience and as an individual trying to understand and manage stress in my life.

Solving The Mind-Body Conundrum.......2002-12-12

I am a writer who is currently at work on a book on my living through colon cancer. I was diagnosed at age 47 with Duke's C-3 colon cancer. Because of the early onset of my disease, I was three years too young to be considered for routine colon cancer screening, which doctors are supposed to offer to patients when they reach age 50. I was lucky. Even with one year of chemotherapy (due to minor lymph node involvement) medical textbooks and doctors said my chances of surviving five years (a five year colon cancer survivor is considered "cured") were about 35 percent. Now, seven years later, I can say that Esther Sternberg's work validates some key elements of the survival strategy I developed for myself that links health and wellness and emotions.

Sternberg flies in the face of conventional medical wisdom by providing proof that stress can make you sick. She provides evidence that the immune system can be trained, citing the work of Bob Ader and Nick Cohen. And she offers evidence that nerve chemicals or hormones can affect immune-cell function in a physiological way.

This is ironic considering that when you ask a psychiatrist or even a psychopharmachologist how the latest generation of SSRI anti-depression/anti-anxiety drugs (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa etc.) work, the answer is that they are not exactly sure.

The medical establishment in the US tends to hive off the debate about health and emotions (the mind-body connection) to the area of alternative medicine. New age healing and some of the Eastern approaches tend to overlook the scientific connection. Sternberg taps history and science to frame the issue and if it were simpled down to the level of a mass market audience her book would be a best seller.

Through the Eyes of a Sensitive Human Being.......2002-02-19

Brilliant scientific exploration of the mind-body connection expressed in compelling, animated realism. I enjoyed this delightful learning experience. Dr. Sternberg not only demonstrates outstanding knowledge and expertise in the field of psychoneuroimmonology, but she does so through the eyes of a sensitive, caring human being. A true inspiration to read many times over. Especially recommended for anyone who is looking for a way to enhance their health and well-being....

Bold and Daring, Advanced Knowledge!.......2002-01-28

Dr. Esther Sternberg from the outset tells us that she wrote this book "out of a question" that "seemed ostracized from the rest of the scientific community." Clearly, it seems that the information in "The Body Within" is a daring challenge to present new brain-immune connection information to the lay public, and is determined to not let it stagnate only among the doctoral elite. I found all 11 chapters fascinating and richly detailed, gloriously free of slanted opinions and filled with highly intelligent questions. All 250 pages inform, with its interesting anecdotes and illustrations, and my gratitude goes out to Dr. Sternberg for ensuring that some of us, even though we do not have a "Ph.D" attached to our name, are nonetheless able to grasp concepts as the workings of the brain, the immune system and the role of various hormones and neurotransmitters.

"The Balance Within" is solidly founded in irrefutable facts "collected from rigorously performed experiments." It is a real treat to read about such things as Chapter 5, "It's a Two-Way Street: The Immune System Talks to the Brain and the Brain Talks Back" and Chapters 6 and 7, "When the Brain-Immune Communication Breaks Down" and "Can Stress Make you Sick?" I could easily spoil the conclusions of this book, which I dare not out of pure respect for Dr. Sternberg, especially when she so adeptly investigates such ideas as "Can Believing Make You Well?" Gradually the walls between the public and the scientific community are crumbling down, allowing us to make up our own minds and deciding what is right for our own bodies. This book is groundbreaking, indispensable and should not be out of your hands for another second. You may encounter resistance at first, as the author put it, "Whenever a new field comes into being, it comes up against the older dogmas. So the resistance that we felt was real and steeped in traditions going as far back as Galileo, Copernicus, and beyond...Whenever one tries to change prevailing opinion, resistance is inevitable..." Esther, I want to party with you, sister. A little less I talk, a little more I listen. I'm taking a page from your book!

Book Description

The damaging environmental impact of urban transport, as recognised by the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, is a worsening global problem that needs to be tackled with local solutions. At the same time, urban transport has been causing serious local environmental problems, particularly in developing countries. This book was commissioned with the aim of helping to develop solutions by sharing experience from around the world.

Four extensive chapters by leading researchers give an overview of the problem, analyse structures and trends in urban transportation, list the various ways transport affects the environment, and critically review the whole range of policy countermeasures available.

The second half of the volume is given over to a uniquely valuable collection of case studies of 21 metropolises, carefully selected to provide a cross-section of different types of city from across the developing and developed world. The relevant characteristics of these cities are systematically described: socio-economic background; local condition of transport and the environment; policy planning, implementation, and evaluation, all with concrete examples. Key data are then presented in charts with a common structure to facilitate comparisons between cities.

Urban Transport and the Environment : An International Perspective
Average customer rating:
Urban Transport and the Environment : An International Perspective
World Conference on Transport Research Society Institute for Transport Policy Studies
Manufacturer: Elsevier Science
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OH0C34

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books