Book Description
At the dawn of a new century, a newly elected U.S. president was forced to confront an escalating series of unprovoked attacks on Americans by Muslim terrorists sworn to carry out jihad against all Western powers. As timely and familiar as these events may seem, they occurred more than two centuries ago. The president was Thomas Jefferson, and the terrorists were the Barbary pirates. Victory in Tripoli recounts the untold story of one of the defining challenges overcome by the young U.S. republic. This fast-moving and dramatic tale examines the events that gave birth to the Navy and the Marines and re-creates the startling political, diplomatic, and military battles that were central to the conflict. This highly interesting and informative history offers deep insight into issues that remain fundamental to U.S. foreign policy decisions to this day.
Customer Reviews:
A good history of how little has changed in 200 years.......2007-08-25
Josh London has written a pretty good book about the challenges that the newly formed United States of America faced when it decided to move out from the wing of its mother country and strike out on its own. One of those challenges being the band of criminals who essentially controlled access to the Mediterranean Sea along the Barbary Coast.
While he is not a writer who knows how to turn a very interesting piece of history into a page-turner as Wright does with his book The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 (Vintage) it is fine when compared to many other rather dull writers of history. At least he seems to get his facts straight and does not have some political agenda get in the way of an interesting story.
The most interesting part of the book is actually not something in it, but the fact that little has changed in two hundred years. Pirates still threaten the seas all over the world, politicians debate and deflect about serious issues concerning national security and national interests, and the consequences of being on the wrong side of history are soon forgotten as a new generation of voters and politicians who are ignorant of history get a chance to relive it again at great expense.
Neo-Con Rubbish.......2007-07-29
I actually enjoyed the history portion of the book. Unfortunately, London's conclusion -- Arabs are greedy, untrustworthy and only understand force so America was right to invade Iraq and we must stay the course -- is horse poop.
According to London -- who's written articles on his book's relevance to Iraq at the National Review and the Heritage Foundation -- Jefferson (the father of the Democratic Party) was a vacillating appeaser and was wrong to end the war with Tripoli without toppling the Pasha and grinding the city beneath the heels of American military might.
This ignores, of course, the fact that America had no subsequent serious problems with Tripoli.
London conflates James Madison's war against Algeria -- a decade later -- with the war against Tripoli and credits the "strong and resolute" Madison (a conservative, of course) with leading the charge against the North African Muslim evil-doers which culminated in France and Italy's colonial occupation and subjugation of the region. Mission accomplished. Hah!
It's easy to convince yourself that the simple-minded direct action and occupation of annoying nations that London advocates in this book is the best course of action in any situation -- diplomacy and negotiation really is hard and complex -- until you remember that France was brutally forced out of Algiers and our own occupation in Iraq has left America worse off in the region than before.
This book is nothing but a shameless plug for the neo-conservative notion that America must use its military might to reshape the world in our own image. We now see how far that got us.
Great read.......2007-07-03
Compared to other books on the subject of the Tripolitan War published around the same time Victory in Tripoli is a superior read. The author strikes a great balance between providing penetrating detail and keeping the story moving along. In other words, it's engaging, insightful, and detailed but, not boring.
Fascinating story marred by amateurish writing.......2007-06-12
While the history of a young America's naval adventures in the Mediterranean is clearly a fascinating one (and largely unknown, at least to me) it is done a terrible disservice by author Joshua E. London.
As much respect as I have for what appears to be his painstaking research in pulling together the events and happenings of those days, and placing them in the proper historical context, the telling of the tale suffers from his pedestrian, high-school text book writing style of the sort in which "this happened, then this happened, then this happened."
You need look no further for an example of the decline of the once-valued craft of book editing.
Poorly written and, overall, very disappointing.......2007-05-29
I'd been waiting to read this book for a long time, ever since I'd read London's brief piece "America's Earliest Terrorists: Lessons from America's first war against Islamic terror" -- obviously drawn from this book -- at National Review Online. (Google on "Joshua London" and "National Review Online" and you'll find it.) While I highly recommend that brief National Review Online article, anyone with the same motive as mine is probably going to be disappointed with the book.
Instead of fleshing out the points about the heritage of Islamic terror (how it's part of mainstream Islam and far antedates American involvement in the mideast and the existence of Israel), the book says hardly more on this subject than the brief article I cite.
Plus, reading the book was like having a stick poked in my eye, because the writing is so bad. (I'm not sure what book these other commenters reviewed!) Best to give some examples (and please remember, I **wanted** to like the book):
* On pages 16 and 17, Bernard Lewis is introduced **twice** (as "the historian Bernard Lewis")
* On page 41, the USS Chesapeake is introduced in one sentence as a "forty-four-gun frigate" and in the next sentence as a "thirty-six-gun frigate."
* Prominent character James Leander Cathcart is introduced on page 54, quasi-introduced again on page 56, and effectively introduced **again** (including his middle name) on page 109.
* On page 108, whle detailing the lineage of one of Jefferson's naval appointments, Captain Richard Valentine Morris, author London mentions one of Morris's uncles, "Governor Morris." He means, of course, **Gouverneur** Morris.
* Another howler is this passage from page 117: " ... but stormy whether forced them to the Bay of Tunis. They arrived on February 22, 1803. Their arrival had little affect on the Tunisians ..." [precise transcription]
There's lots more where those came from. But maybe those seem too picayune for you to agree that the quality of thought that went into writing the book leaves something to be desired? There's bigger stuff, too.
For example, after awhile, I was dying to see a map that would give the relative placement of Tangiers, Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis, Malta, and Syracuse, among other ports of call. Then I discovered there **is** a map among the clutch of illustrations near the center of the book, but labels on it smaller than "Mediterranean" are too blurry to read.
The welter of individuals' names really calls for a "dramatis personae" at the start of the book, so one has a hope of keeping track of the characters. Go fish!
And the description of all the comings and goings of various ships and people doesn't add up to anything useful. It's similar to reading an airline's schedules for entertainment.
In short, the book reads like a first draft, or perhaps even a zeroth draft. The author acknowledges two editors at Wiley, but it's hard to believe either had more than a nodding acquaintance with the book. At least a couple hundred hours of [additional?] editing would be needed to whip this mess into shape.
So I give it two stars because it **does** contain interesting material that could be the basis for a vastly better book (and one star would suggest I have an axe to grind on the subject of the book) . Very disappointing.
Book Description
Filipino Americans, who experience life in the United States as immigrants, colonized nationals, and racial minorities, have been little studied, though they are one of our largest immigrant groups. Based on her in-depth interviews with more than one hundred Filipinos in San Diego, California, Yen Le Espiritu investigates how Filipino women and men are transformed through the experience of migration, and how they in turn remake the social world around them. Her sensitive analysis reveals that Filipino Americans confront U.S. domestic racism and global power structures by living transnational lives that are shaped as much by literal and symbolic ties to the Philippines as they are by social, economic, and political realities in the United States.
Espiritu deftly weaves vivid first-person narratives with larger social and historical contexts as she discovers the meaning of home, community, gender, and intergenerational relations among Filipinos. Among other topics, she explores the ways that female sexuality is defined in contradistinction to American mores and shows how this process becomes a way of opposing racial subjugation in this country. She also examines how Filipinos have integrated themselves into the American workplace and looks closely at the effects of colonialism.
Customer Reviews:
A must-read Asian American Studies, Post-Colonial Studies, Immigrant Studies Text .......2006-01-19
Yen Le Espiritu, in her book, Home Bound: Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries, "contends that Filipino American racial formation is determined not only by the social, economic, and political forces in the United States but also by U.S. (neo)colonialism in the Philippines and capital investment in Asia" (1). Moreover, not content with the narrow, one-sided focus that Filipinos are transformed through the experience of colonialism and migration, Espiritu highlights how Filipinos "in turn transform and remake the social world around them" (2). Home Bound is most specifically an ethnographic study of Filipino Americans in and around San Diego, CA, that is grounded nicely by Espiritu through U.S. immigration laws, U.S. imperialism and colonialism, and intersectional analyses. Espiritu presents the experiences of Filipino Americans in order to educate us about this often overlooked population through their own voices.
Scholars in Women's Studies and Gender Studies may be especially drawn to chapter 7, where Espiritu focuses on the way gender is used by racialized immigrants to assert their superiority over the dominant (white). In this chapter Espiritu turns to second generation daughters and the way in which it is through them, specifically the enforcement of their "female morality-defined as women's dedication to their families and sexual restraint" (160), that racialized immigrants construct themselves as superior. In other words, in light of the racist oppressions they face, one method of responding that immigrants have deployed is to assert their (daughters') moral superiority over whites. Through the lens of generations (first, second, etc.) of immigration, Espiritu challenges us to think of the multiple, intersectional systems, at play, while making clear that this manner of response is not without its own complications and contradictions (namely, the perpetuation of sexist oppression and patriarchal power over daughters).
In addition, I found particularly compelling the end of Espiritu's book, chapters 8 and 9, where she delves more in depth to the ways in which Filipino Americans transform and remake the world around them. These two chapters excitingly point to the new and creative relations constructed by Filipino Americans in regards to cross-racial social relations and immigration as a technology of racialization and gendering.
Book Description
Filipino Americans are now the second largest group of Asian Americans as well as the second largest immigrant group in the United States. As reflected in this collection, their lives represent the diversity of the immigrant experience and their narratives are a way to understand ethnic identity and Filipino American history.
Men and women, old and young, middle and working class, first and second generation, all openly discuss their changing sense of identity, the effects of generational and cultural differences on their families, and the role of community involvement in their lives. Pre- and post-1965 immigrants share their experiences, from the working students who came before WWII, to the manongs in the field, to the stewards and officers in the U.S. Navy, to the "brain drain" professionals, to the Filipinos born and raised in the United States.
As Yen Le Espiritu writes in the Introduction, "each of the narratives reveals ways in which Filipino American identity has been and continues to be shaped by a colonial history and a white-dominated culture. It is through recognizing how profoundly race has affected their lives that Filipino Americans forge their ethnic identities—identities that challenge stereotypes and undermine practices of cultural domination."
Customer Reviews:
Experiences of being uprooted.......2003-03-23
Tells the story, of families being uprooted from the Philippines to a new life in the USA. This wasn't always of their choosing or likes. The book is enjoyable to read and is especially recommended to those who have went through this process.
The truth about Filipino Americas.......2001-03-17
Filipino Americans have often fought to have their stories heard. The histories of their ancestors have been written from the perspectives of everyone but actual Filipino Americans. The book Filipino American Lives, by Yen Le Espiritu is just a stepping-stone toward developing the true history of Filipino Americans. The book tries to give an overview of Filipino American life, as the title reveals. The introduction is a brief outline of the main events that occurred throughout Filipino American history. Yen Le Espiritu is a well renowned author and professor. She teaches at the University of California, San Diego in the Department of Ethnic Studies. Her encounters with Filipino Americans and their hunger for information about their identities prompted her to begin a study on Filipino Americans. Espiritu's first intention was to understand the multiple facets of Filipino American identities, paying particular attention to regional, generational, gender, and class differences. She planned to use the life-history method as the main tool of research, tracing the connections between the life experiences of Filipino Americans and their changing sense of identities. It was during her interviews when she took a different approach toward writing this book. Espiritu realized the importance of presenting some of these accounts in full- not only because they are rich and compelling, but also because the narrators desire to see their life stories in print. And that is what this book as developed into. It is a book that brings to life the stories of many Filipino Americans from a span of three generations. Topics include family and immigration history, ethnic identity and practice, and community development among San Diego's Filipinos. These are the stories of those interviews. This is the history that is yet to be exposed to all of America. After reading some of the few books about Filipino Americans, I believe this book is a great book to have as a class textbook, as a leisure reading book, or even as a bedtime story to read to the children; our future Filipinos of America. It is very accurate, as accurate as first hand stories go. You cannot get any more accurate then this book shows. The best way to present, teach a history subject is by showing the first hand stories. These stories are what make history books into books of facts. What history books need to model is Espiritu's book because this book gives details that no one else could give unless they were right there at the same event at the same time. I feel this book could catch anyone's attention. It is the stories of these Filipino Americans that will stick in my mind. How can someone learn history and remember history by just reading the facts? Filipino American Lives gives narrative after narrative of different stories, similar stories. And these are the stories that will help me to remember what happened during the days of racism and anti-miscegenation laws, of Navy years and 2nd generation history. I recommend this book, and I hope that many people in the future pick up this book to read even if it is not for a class. These are one of the only Filipino American books that have been co-written by actual Filipino Americans. This is what history is all about, finding out the facts from the actual people who experience it. By reading this book, we are fighting the long battle that many Filipino Americans have. For once, our stories will be told and written. For once, the writer will not be a person with any relation to this ethnic group. The battle is not over yet, but Filipino American Lives is a great stepping-stone toward our goals for us and for our future generations.
Why aren't Filipinos politically powerful in the US?.......2000-03-19
Several streams of thought are reflected within the oral histories compiled by Espiritu. None is more apparent than the lack of Filipino voices within the political establishment.
If you have ever wondered why the Filipino community is, paradoxically, a putatively cohesive ethnic group (with shared pasts and struggles in America) yet divided (along class/profession lines or along regional/province rifts), then this book is for you. The variety of stories presented- ranging from those who lived during the Spanish and American colonial periods to the American-born- present an overall picture of why Filipinos today are not politically powerful. The megalomania of community leaders, as expressed by some of the interviewees, who seek to further their personal interest rather than of the community as a whole speak much for the impotence of the Filipino voice in the realm of policy. Is it no wonder, then, that our grandfathers are still fighting for the rights due them for their World War II service? Is it not surprising that the younger generations are encouraged to adopt assmiliationist attitudes in this country? In essence, the younger Filipinos are taught not to appreciate their own heritage (this is apparent in the demeanor of at least two interviewees).
This book really does make you think. Whether you see the histories as representing what I feel ought to be addressed or whether you see them as an affirmation of shared pasts, Espiritu chose her subjects well. They were open and didn't leave much to chance with their responses.
Excellent Book on Individual Experiences and Group Identity.......2000-01-18
This book is a compilation of interviews with 13 Filipino Americans, and it is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The individuals interviewed have a very wide diversity in age, education, economic status, and experience, and their individual stories are each very interesting in their own right. As you get further along into the book, however, you are struck by how similar many of their personal thoughts and experiences are despite their diverse backgrounds. The most interesting similarity is the experience of all of them in struggling to define their own identity: "Am I Filipino? American? Filipino/American? What do those terms mean? How do I fit in?" Among the younger interviewees this takes on the added dimension of "FOB" (Fresh Off the Boat) vs. "AB" (American-Born) Filipino Americans. There are also similarities in the thoughts of many of the interviewees on what they want and expect for their children in terms of Filipino and American values, traditions, and identity.
The author (a Professor of Asian-American Studies at UCSD) is, in my estimation, a very adept interviewer as he is able to spur very thoughtful, introspective commentaries from the interviewees. This book does not make any generalizations or force any conclusions about the Filipino American experience on you. Instead, it lets these interviews stand on their own and compels you to draw you own insights.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in thought-provoking material on Filipino-American experiences and identity.
Book Description
A true story based on the lives of Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo, their assassination and the trial that followed. Viernes and Domingo, Filipino-American cannery union organizers, were only twenty-nine at the time they were murdered. They had spent ten years reforming cannery workplaces, where bosses and mob-related union foremen were highly resistant to change. Both college educated activists, they angered many inside and outside the Filipino community because of their forceful, open fight for union reform and against the corruption taking place in the Philippines under the Marcos regime.
Customer Reviews:
Important book to read.......2004-01-15
This is the only book written to date about the important story of Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes. Though this book gives a fictionalized account of their story, it will give you a notion of what their story is about. Their story and the story of the struggle to uncover the truth of what happened to them is one of dedication to justice.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from California History, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2006. The length of the article is 761 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: Home Bound: Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries.(Book review)
Author: Howard A. Dewitt
Publication:
California History (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 83
Issue: 4
Page: 79(2)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
- A very good introduction to chaos and fractals
- Too Little Color and Not Enough Exercises
- examples and activities give you a real feel for chaos
|
Chaos Under Control: The Art and Science of Complexity
David Peak , and
Michael Frame
Manufacturer: W.H. Freeman & Company
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ASIN: 0716724294 |
Customer Reviews:
A very good introduction to chaos and fractals.......2005-10-10
Chaotic dynamics is one of the most fascinating areas of mathematics and one that every mathematician should have some knowledge of. This book is an excellent primer on the geometry of fractals, chaotic dynamics and cellular automata. It is written for a popular audience, although the authors were not afraid to include the appropriate equations when they were needed for a full explanation. Many examples of how fractals and chaos can be used to describe the physical world are included. A large number of figures are used to demonstrate the consequences of the equations.
If your background in mathematics is limited to basic algebra, then there are areas of this book that you will struggle with. However, if you are determined to learn, you will be able to do so. It is one of the best introductions to fractals and chaos that is available.
Too Little Color and Not Enough Exercises.......2005-08-22
CHAOS UNDER CONTROL lies somewhere between a standard textbook on chaos and fractals and the more popular works on the subject. There are suggested experiments to be performed by the reader, but no sets of exercises at the end of sections or chapters. I chiefly want to warn potential buyers that the paperback edition contains 16 "color plates" that are unfortunately reproduced in black and white. The discussion of the plates by the authors refers repeatedly to the colors, which are indeed significant. Many of the other black and white figures scattered throughout the text would provide the reader with more information (and enjoyment) if reproduced in color. If you wish to purchase this book, at least try to find a hard cover edition with true color plates.
examples and activities give you a real feel for chaos.......2000-04-21
As a teacher attempting to introduce chaos theory into high school physics and mathematics classes, the book gave many examples of practical activities. It also gave many examples of how chaos could and would become useful. There are currently so many false methods being used to integrate subject matter in education; chaos theory has great potential to demonstrate clear connections between arts, sciences, and social sciences, and Peak and Frame in a simple manner bring this to light.
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