Book Description
Kerry Cook is an innocent man who wrongly served two decades in Texas's notorious death house for the brutal 1977 rape and murder of 21–year–old Linda Jo Edwards. His struggle for freedom is said to be one of the worst cases of police and prosecutorial misconduct in American history.
In the summer of 1977, Cook was staying in Tyler, TX. He met an attractive young woman named Linda Edwards and was invited back to her apartment for a drink and left his fingerprints on the sliding glass door. Four days later, Ms. Edwards was found brutally murdered. When the police dusted for prints, they found Cook's and immediately arrested him. Edward Jackson ly testified that Cook confessed to the murder during a jailhouse conversation. Jackson was set free, only to kill again several years later. Cook, on the other hand, was convicted and sentenced to death.
He was thrown into a world for which no one could be prepared, and he survived beatings, sexual abuse, and depression; all the while, he fought against a justice system that was determined to keep him quiet and loath to admit a mistake. Through the work of a crusading group of lawyers who forced a series of retrials, his case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ordered the case be reconsidered.It wasn't until the spring of 1999 that Cook was finally able to put the nightmare behind him: long–suppressed DNA evidence had linked James Mayfield, Linda Edwards's ex–lover, to the crime.
Customer Reviews:
You will not be able to sleep until you finish this book.......2007-06-04
I have read the book twice. This is a first hand account of one of the worst cases of injustice in American History. Kerry Max Cook has brilliantly written his own book about life before and after death row and the scars that he still carries with him from the experience. I highly recommend this book to all. I have already bought copies for all my friends.
Moving true-life account of perfidious injustice.......2007-05-30
There have been a spate of books lately about how poorly the American criminal justice system performs. This is surely among the best, though it is not without fault.
Kerry Max Cook was convicted in 1978 of a brutal rape and murder. He was sentenced to death. Over the course of 21 years with the help of a series of committed criminal defense attorneys and capital punishment opponents, he was able to obtain three re-trials. One resulted in a hung jury, another in guilty verdict and the fourth pending trial led to an agreement that saw him released from prison and death row, still as a convicted murderer.
After 20 years on death row, several appellate court decisions and DNA testing, it is abundantly clear that Kerry Max Cook didn't committ murder, rape or any other crime against Linda Jo Edwards in 1977. It is also clear that a long line of Smith County, Texas prosecutors, police officers and others committed crimes against Cook, the least of which is perjury. Nothing of course happened to those who perpetrated frauds upon the court, violated their canon of professional responsibility or flat out perjured themselves. The man the DNA evidence and early eyewitness account pointed to as the murderer has never been charged. In fact, the Smith County, Texas District Attorney's office still maintains, despite the proverbial mountain of evidence against it, that Cook is guilty.
Cook is literate, but not overly articulate. His tale of unbelievable hardship drags in places, but the message resonates clearly: there are proecutors and cops who lie simply to get a conviction. There are criminals who will conjure up stories with the help of prosecutors and cops to get a good deal for themselves while an innocent person is condemned.
I live in the Chicago area where dozens of convicted murderers have been set free because DNA evidence, unavailable or untested at the time of their trial, has established that they could not have been the perpetrator of the crime. The man who headed the State's Attorney office that secured many of these false convictions, Richard M. Daley, has been repeatedly elected Mayor of Chicago. The media never questions him about how all these innocent men were convicted. The same holds true in Smith County, Texas: the several District Attorneys who used perjured evidence or even perjured themselves go unpunished as does the suspect most likely to have committed the murder.
With the recent case of the three Duke University lacrosse players accused of a non-existent rape by Mike Nifong, dubbed a "rogue prosecutor" by the North Carolina Attorney General, we've seen once again how easy it is for prosecutors with the help of dishonest law enforcement officers to frame totally innocent victims. (The NC Attorney General called the three accused innocent.)These three young men were fortunate in that their families had enough resources to get them good legal help and that mostly conservative bloggers investigated and started poking holes in Nifong's stories. It was months before even parts of the mainstream media began to doubt Nifong and the accuser. Kerry Max Cook and the many other convicted innocents weren't as fortunate.
Kerry Max Cook has written a compelling account of his life. That he can have any hope at all is indeed inspiring. His story is a caution that the guardians, above all, must be guarded. The innocent are, as we learn almost monthly as more convicted murderers are found to be innocent through DNA testing, condemned to lengthy prison terms or even death based upon mistaken or knowingly false testimony.
Jerry
Justice-Texas style.......2007-05-08
In March 2007, I attended a talk by Kerry Cook with a 80+year old nun who asked me to go with her. I did not have a clue the subject, I just went to drive for her. What an eye opening experience hearing Cook talk about his experiences in the small room crowded with college students, some of whom are part of various programs to help those imprisoned who are innocent. I later bought the book and I was angry the entire time I read it and ashamed I am a Texan, but relieved that Texas lawyers were the ones who finally helped Cook get free. Cook's story will change your life; if you are in favor of the death penalty, it will change your mind. If you are on the fence, you will get off it. You know in your heart and by current events that there are many more innocents wrongly on death row, put there by "evil" prosecutors, sheriffs, lawyers, etc., not to mention just sloppy police work. It's a crap shoot how you are treated. Kerry Cook is white, can you imagine how Blacks and Hispanics are treated in the criminal justice system?? I am still reeling and Kerry Max Cook has the rest of his life to have nightmares....
If you believe in Justice in our court system, read this...........2007-03-17
because you won't be a believer for long.
Kerry Max Cook tells us exactly how it is to be on death row in this country. He paints the picture of being wrongly convicted that chills one to the very core of their being.
If your pro death penalty... you won't be so sure of that belief after reading this.
One has to give this man KUDOS for enduring a 20+ year nightmare. As well as the attorney's that stuck by his side and believed in him and worked pro bono. It takes a hell of a belief system to get through what this man survived.
I recommend this book to everyone, pro or anti death penalty. It is very educational on our justice system, prosecutor misconduct, judges who are blind to "real justice" & Investigators who will stop at nothing to gain a conviction.
TRUST THE EVIDENCE, NEVER TRUST THE AUTHORITIES.
Justice?.......2007-03-15
Having just finished reading Chasing Justice I probably should be waiting a few days - or even months - to calm down a bit, but I'm finding that impossible. The anger I feel, not only for what the author somehow managed to endure for over 20 years, but how little has been done by the people of Texas to rid themselves of the continuing menace that infects their legal system makes me wonder what kind of a people we are, to continually put our heads in the sand, ignoring the continuing abuses perpetrated by the police, prosecutors, judges and politicians that are supposed to be serving us.
In one of Cook's final chapters he tells us what most of the main participants are doing today. Aside from a few that have died or retired, all police, prosecutors and judges are still doling out Texas-style justice. The person who all of the legitimate evidence points to as the real murderer is still free. Of course all of the residents of Death Row who were there with Cook have been executed. I realize that this thirst for blood is not just peculiar to Texas - much the rest of our nation isn't that much better - but one would think that if we're going to be handing out the ultimate punishment so frequently, even though it doesn't accomplish anything other than satisfying a savage hunger for revenge, it might be wise to make sure that we get it right and make sure that the innocent don't get flushed down with the guilty. One also has to wonder how the family of the murdered girl managed to go along with the charade all of this time, knowing full well that the wrong man was being persecuted.
It's also interesting that who should make an appearance in this Kafka-like saga other than George W. Bush himself. As Texas Governor between 1995 and 2000 one of the first things he did was to sign off on legislation to make it easier to execute those on Death Row by limiting the appeal process available to them, resulting in him signing off on over 150 executions in 5 years. How many of those men were innocent? Is this where he developed his officials-can-do-no-wrong attitude that he has ruled with since he came into power in 2001? In the case of Texas vs. Kerry Max Cook errors and incompetence led to lies and cover-ups which led to more lies as witnesses were coached into changing stories, forensic evidence misinterpreted and pages from witness accounts "lost." All this so officials in charge of the case wouldn't have to admit that they erred in the first place -something that they've refused to admit to this day. In the case of the Bush Administration vs. the U.S. - or perhaps it should be the World - errors and incompetence made after 9/11, accompanied by a huge dose of arrogance resulted in lies and cover-ups which have led us to where we are today. If those parallels aren't enough and we need more all we have to do is throw in a huge portion of a public that is willing to accept practically anything that is told to them because we must "trust our leaders."
Kerry Max Cook is an example of what a human being is capable of. He's managed to take those 20 years that were stolen from him and make them meaningful to all of us. He shouldn't be ignored.
Book Description
Phillip E. Johnson offers a reasoned and scientifically sound evaluation of the support for Darwinism--from fossil records to molecular biology.
Customer Reviews:
Naturalistic Evolution - a fundamentalist religion - natural select breakdown - fossil problem.......2007-09-28
The case against evolution examines the logical errors in the theory. Evidence does not create law. There are man made laws and there are divine laws. Divine laws can only be discovered and not created. 1 Cor 15:38-39 38. "But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body". 39. "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds". All life has a spiritual pattern. Each life form operates within a sphere of glory and intelligence. A flower does not evolve into an elephant. Breeders can produce specific traits in offspring. However, no new species have been breed that can survive outside their original sphere. The resurrection is proof that evolution is false. Christ was the first fruits to overcome death and receive a glorified and exalted body of glory. It is impossible for a lesser sphere to evolve into a greater sphere of glory. D&C 130:22-23. 22. The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." 23. "A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him." Life came from older sphere and was brought to earth during the creation. Life did not evolve. The earth was organized from existing matter. Scientist claim the cosmos may be 12 billion years old and the elements the product of super nova stars. The elements are eternal and the elements can neither be created nor destroyed. Jesus Christ was the creator of many worlds. D&C 76:24. "That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters of God." A spiritual transformation must be in place affecting life forms before Christ's second coming to withstand his glory. Evolution can't and will not address what would happen in the presence of a being of glory. Evolution must maintain a narrow scope for its explanations. Evolutionary explanations must be incremental and malleable enough to predict small naturalistic changes resulting over millions of years. Any cataclysmic change can't be predicted or explained and should be avoid. Naturalistic evolution is a political, economic, and social tool. Evolution destroys morality and does not acknowledge Christ's resurrection and atonement. Evolution does not answer the question, "What is the purpose of life?" Evolution doctrines can't be falsified until a substitute theory is in place as a working solution. Evolution can't explore the non- verifiable data nor can it explore all the possibilities. Evolution can't prove entropy. Evolution is improvable because it is incomplete. D&C 101:24 "And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beast of the field, or the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon the all the face of the earth, shall be consumed." Adam was the first man on the earth. All major civilizations start after the flood. Prehistoric man has limited about of physical evidence and could fit all on one table. Evolutionist have created a fantastic fantasy about the origins of man, yet are unable to demonstrate the common ancestor from which man came. Adam was created in the image of God and not ape. "Evolution in the Darwinist usage implies a completely naturalistic metaphysical system, in which matter evolved to its present state of organized complexity without any participation by a creator." Darwin conclusion that "mutability" provided the mechanism for all life is parasitic. Evolution can't create higher life forms. Mechanized evolution has not demonstrated life. Evolution accommodates to make the theory fit fossil evidences.
Evolution is a hypothesis a not a fact. "Scientist were believed to formulate theories in order to explain pre-existing experimental data, and to verify their theories by accumulating additional supporting evidence. " "In scientific practice the theory normally precedes the experiment or fact finding process rather than the other way around." A problem or question must be posed for discovery and explanation." Evolution insists on Logic positivism demanding verifiability. Evolution scientists are fanatics, desperate not to be wrong, and look for the breakthrough fact that will vindicate them. Popper believed that science began with an imaginative or even mythological conjecture about the world. Evolution is a fundamentalist religion. "Whenever science is enlisted in some other cause - religious, political, or racialistic - the result is always that the scientist themselves become fanatics."
The fossil problem is that the fossil records do not prove gradual change. The history of fossils suggests 1. "Most species exhibit no directional change during their tenure on earth. They appear in the fossil record looking pretty much the same as when they disappear; morphological change is usually limited and directionless." 2. "Sudden appearance. In any local area, a species does not arise gradually by the steady transformation of its ancestors; it appears all at once and fully formed." Therefore, one can conclude the theory of natural selection is not a fact, as an explanation of species origination and morphological directions.
Engaging read!.......2007-09-27
This is a great book and should be required reading for those studying Darwinism in school.
Christian Biologist says Oversimplified.......2007-06-19
This book is preaching to the choir... and oh, by the way, I'm in the choir, as a Christian... but the biologist in me found this much too simplistic. Of course, I've studied evolution at the graduate level and Mr. Johnson's background is in law. Johnson makes some good points, but doesn't have a full-orbed understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of evolution. This book doesn't really help or hurt the case for God.
3 1/2 stars - Mostly Uninspiring........2007-05-24
To begin with, as other readers have said, this book does show it's age. Having read many interesting books discussing both sides of evolution recently, this fell a bit flat for me for one reason.
In the first few pages of the book, the author takes the time to inform the reader of his personal beliefs and religious background. He goes on to say that he is not arguing in favor of Intelligent Design but merely examining and questioning the various aspects of "Darwinism". The problem arises when the author builds a case for his point, a case that is well executed and insightful, and then leans on the crutch of a "Creator". To me, that smacks of ID and refutes one of the few positive things I might have taken from a book of this nature.
NOT A RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALIST ... JUST ASKING.......2007-05-10
I admit it - I've always thought some aspects of the whole evolution idea didn't seem to hang together. Phillip E. Johnson questions all of it in this book, which obviously has been controversial. But why not look at all the claims of evolution and ask for the proof? Does everyone who questions whether one species can really turn into another, or who doesn't believe life began by chance in some primordial slime have to be labeled a "creation science" religious nut?
Johnson says the fossil record does not support the "transitional" species that should have been found by now. Others say the fossil record does provide examples of these. Hard for us non-scientists to sort that one out. Johnson raises the issue of macro-evolution vs. micro-evolution. Can a new species appear sudenly, or are changes made very slowly over the centuries, in line with the uniformitarianism thinking of Darwin's day? Johnson does not think tiny changes over time can really account for the changes in the animals on earth going back to the beginning, as demonstrated through the fossil record.
I was disappointed that Johnson says nothing at all about the most controversial species change - that of human beings. In the infamous Scopes "monkey trial," the main bone of contention was the idea that man and monkey were relatives who both descended from a common ancestor. How and when did human become human and not simian? When I was a kid, we used to make jokes about "the missing link." No one talks about the missing link anymore, but if I'm not mistaken, no transitional creature between human and our common ancestor with other primates has been found.
I think the strongest part of this book is Johnson's contention that science has become a religion for many who buy into the total evolution theory. Science is supposed to be about testable hypotheses, but evolution is argued mainly from logic. We cannot travel back millions of years to see if chemicals coming together in some swamp became alive. We cannot watch the process of a dinosaur turning into a bird, even though the fictional Paleontologist in Jurassic Park believed the one species was the ancestor of the other.
It is obvious that some scientists are so wedded to their atheism that they start with the concept that all life is accidental, without purpose, the result of natural selection. Clearly, the concept of natural selection works within one species (animals that change color to match their environment and conceal themselves form predators, for instance), but Johnson rightly asks how one species becomes another. It's not ok to ask a dedicated evolutionist: What if you are wrong? But it is ok for them to ridicule any suggestion that there is a purpose behind the universe, that life is more than a chemical reaction, and humans are more than relatives of apes. Strict evolutionists cannot prove their claims, yet maintain that it's all true. Evolution does make some sense, and does have some evidence to support it, but absolute proof is not obtainable. Evolution is a theory, not a religion.
And speaking of religion, fundamentalists are entitled to have their say, but should not promote "creation science" (which is no science at all). I DO want to see children learn about Darwin and his ideas about evolution, which have been so influential, but I also want to have future generations that ask questions, think for themselves, and ask for proof about anything they are told they must believe. Johnson may be wrong in much of his criticism, but I applaud him for making a rational case against insistence that evolution, like any religious belief that is without proof, is a fact.
Book Description
In 1960, five young men arrived at the imposing gates of Parkminster, the largest center of the most rigorous and ascetic monastic order in the Western world: the Carthusians. This is the story of their five-year journey into a society virtually unchanged in its behavior and lifestyle since its founding in 1084.
An Infinity of Little Hours is a uniquely intimate portrait of the customs and practices of a monastic order almost entirely unknown until now. After five years each man must face a choice: if they stay to make "solemn profession" they will never leave. But if they leave, they will be turning their backs on a journey to find God in solitude--their life's ambition. A remarkable investigative work, the book combines first-hand testimony with unique source material to describe the Carthusian life. And in the final chapter, describing a reunion forty years after the events described elsewhere in the book, Nancy Klein Maguire reveals which of the five made it to the top of the mountain.
Customer Reviews:
Many are called but few are chosen.......2007-09-03
I have to admit to an historic link with Parkminster (the location of this book) and the monastery in Switzerland through professional work not religious in the 1980s. My dealings with one of the monks named (Dom Bruno Sullivan) entailed a one day visit to Parkminster and the memory still lives with me (the bus trip into the middle of forest land from Worthing after a train ride from Victoria station and the long walk from the bus stop to the Carthusian abbey gate to ring the bell to gain entry are exactly as depicted in the book). The photo contained of the two floor library with all its old priceless editions of religious books was one of my fondest memories during my visit.
But this book is much more than just story telling - it is a well recorded journey of how five novices in the early 1960s took the step close together in time to enter Parkminster to see if they had sufficient spiritual vocation to be able to remain for life in a virtually silent contemplative religious order where monks, brothers and novices spend most of their time in their private cells praying or involved in solo activity, mainly leaving their cells to only participate in set daily services with the rest of the Order. The repetitive daily routines little changed from the Middle Ages with no major routine changes except in diet and religious prayer when holy feast days arise, would be a test of anyone's spirit. The fact few made it through the five years to becoming a monk did not leave any of those failing as bitter - rather they saw it subsequently when the author contacted them recently as the high point of their lives.
What makes this book so exceptional is that in covering a very private and personal approach to religious life where the inward thoughts and emotions are everything, is all accurately captured by the writer, herself a lady married to one of the ex-novices. Over the nearly seven years writing the book she was surprised at the level of openess and honesty she encountered both with the ex-novices and the monks currently still at Parkminster. She also is able to balance the personal stories with the history of the Order, the Order's approach and administration in their chosen life and the wider context within the Catholic church.
Overall she writes lucidly and keeps your interest - never once in the 240 odd pages did I find the lack of action or her coverage of the simple repetitiveness of the lifestyle boring.
As with the almost contemporary film release "Into great silence" on the French monastery at Grande Chartreuse, one wonders why the Order has decided to open itself up in this way at this point in time but we are certainly the richer for the knowledge gained as a consequence.
Much food for thought.......2007-08-21
Reading this book is like finding an oasis in our hectic world. It moves the reader to look at the pace of his/her life and distinguish the "worthwhile" from the "not as important as I thought" - a fascinating study.
Interesting look into the lives of 5 young men.......2007-08-21
I found this interesting as I learned more about the monk's structured society and the types of men they enticed to join them. The five young men that rang the bell that day had a path that most wonder about. This book helped explain how a person's seeking to get closer to God can influence others as well. Nancy has done a lot of research and it paid off.
A life of simple, quiet contempation.......2007-08-10
I concure with many of the reviews posted and would also recommend both the movie and the soundtrack as means of having a little quiet conememplation added to our already hectic modern lives.
By the way, Amazon has the BEST price I've found on the hardcover edition, it's even CHEAPER than most people want for the paperback edition.
A Beautiful Sojourn.......2007-07-22
A nearly perfect book, AN INFINITY OF LITTLE HOURS is one of the best non-fiction works I've read on any subject in some time. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, the book serves as a guide to the austere, eremitic Carthusian life as it was experienced prior to Vatican II. As the author, Nancy Klein Maguire, notes, there's not a lot available for the layperson to read about this order of monks cut off from the world, and whose way of life has changed little since the 11th century. We are truly fortunate, then, to have Maguire as our host for this journey.
Maguire follows the lives of five young men who entered the Parkminster Charterhouse in England in the years 1960 to 1961: three men from the U.S. (Chicago, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn), one from Germany, and another from Ireland. That they do not all stay in the life quickly becomes clear, but wondering who stays and who leaves is part of the charm. (Warning: the photos are spoilers for the ending.) What's really wonderful is how Maguire gives the reader a chance to experience vicariously these men's lives from the point they literally approach the door of the Charterhouse and enter into its life to the time they leave or become professed. We are seduced by the life, but also acutely feel its physical discomforts. We grow with the men as the initial romance wears off, and the political reality of divisions between the monks becomes apparent. In the end, we are enchanted by the monks who persevere in the life, but also embrace the men who leave, fully sharing their relief. Maguire is a gifted writer; her prose is like freshly made butter, smooth and delicious. I think I could read anything she chose to write next, and plan to.
What profoundly struck me in reading Maguire's book was how these men, in entering the Carthusian life presumably to stay to the end of their lives, were essentially preparing for their deaths. At first I found the notion bewildering, even suffocating. I mean, our culture celebrates youth and fears death, doesn't it. Reading this book really made me think a lot about death. Could I forgo all that the world offers, close myself off forever within stone walls, and search for God while awaiting death under the same routine for decades? Happily married and middle aged (the Carthusians don't accept candidates older than 45), I know that the question is moot--but would I have been able to accept the life at 21? And am I ready now to look straight in death's face? How deep is my faith?
If you have any interest at all in the Carthusians or in monasticism, you will want to read this book. It makes a nice companion to the recently released, splendid documentary on the Grande Chartreuse, INTO GREAT SILENCE.
Amazon.com
Voodoo. Decadent socialites packing Lugars. Cotillions. With towns like Savannah, Georgia, who needs Fellini? Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil takes two narrative strands--each worthy of its own book--and weaves them together to make a single fascinating tale. The first is author John Berendt's loving depiction of the characters and rascals that prowled Savannah in the eight years it was his home-away-from-home. "Eccentrics thrive in Savannah," he writes, and proves the point by introducing Luther Diggers, a thwarted inventor who just might be plotting to poison the town's water supply; Joe Odom, a jovial jackleg lawyer and squatter nonpareil; and, most memorably, the Lady Chablis, whom you really should meet for yourself. Then, on May 2, 1981, the book's second story line commences, when Jim Williams, a wealthy antique dealer and Savannah's host with the most, kills his "friend" Danny Hansford. (If those quotes make you suspect something, you should.) Was it self-defense, as Williams claimed--or murder? The book sketches four separate trials, during which the dark side of this genteel party town is well and truly plumbed.
Book Description
Shots rang out in Savannah's grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt's sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.
It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman's Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the "soul of pampered self-absorption"; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.
Customer Reviews:
oustanding read.......2007-09-21
This was a very well written and funny historical book. Inspired my recent trip to Savannah Georiga, to actualy visit some of the places described in the book.
Hello Savannah!.......2007-09-18
One of my favorite books. I am one of the few that actually liked the movie as well as the book. The book goes into great detail much more then the movie. The characters are so crazy I actually considered moving to Savannah...seriouly! An excellent read, highly recommended!
Nothing special.......2007-09-03
First, the characters are somewhat interesting in the way that many alcoholic, affluent types are, but the storyline never weaves them together in a way that makes the book itself intersting. Second, the author is trying to strike a balance between 1. historic integrity and theme, 2. his first account experiences, and 3. what might make for an interesting read. I think he relies heavily on his first account experinces at the expense of history and an interesting story. My real motivation for finishing the book was to see if I knew any of the characters - I grew up not far from Savannah.
Non Fiction.......2007-09-03
Truth is stranger than fiction.
The bizarre cast of characters in Savannah, Geporgia, or thereabouts has to be seen to be believed. This is probably why it makes a decent book, as any novelist would have been happy to come up with stuff as whacky as guys walking invisible dogs, and other oddities, as well as having an interesting murder mystery in the middle of it.
Plenty of Evil, but "Good?".......2007-09-03
So, having survived my 10 and 11 year old daughters' recent Girl Scvout trip to Savannah for the pilgrimage to visit the Juliette Low birthplace, the troop leader(one of my best friends)and I decided to revisit the book we read a few years ago for our book group. I didn't really like it much the first time. I enjoy nonfiction, but I've come to since learn this book isn't all "non fiction" anyway. Lots of artistic license taken here!
Savannah is a beautiful old city, very historic and charming. I usually first think of Ellen O'Hara when I think of Savannah, being a big GWTW fan. BUt while on my first trip to Savannah, the Mercer name and Jim Williams' name as well is mentioned over and over on various tours of the city and local cemetaries. You can't help but be reminded of the book, especially if you've read it before your visit. It had been a few years though, so not all the locations/squares of the various famous homes mentioned in the book were very fresh in my mind.
The book itself is a montage of "Life in Savannah." Jim Williams, the "Lady" Chablis, Danny Hansford, Lee Adler, Minerva, Jim Odom and Mandy, Luther Driggers and Serrena Dawes, The Married Ladies' Club and Sonny Seiler are interesting enough characters. My problem with the whole story was really that I didn't like or feel any sympathy with any of these characters. Except maybe Uga. I'm partial to English Bulldogs. But really, there was no plot, except for the killing of Hansford and the subsequent trials of Jim Williams. I found little to laugh at concerning Chablis; in fact I was not a little repulsed by her behavior. I can handle a drag queen, but so ill mannered and ill behaved! I wouldn't want to be aquainted with anyone like that! I didn't really like John Berendt's "character" either. I guess the voyeuristic tone was supposed to be engaging, but I really had a difficult time getting through this book for a second time without falling asleep.
Every city has its characters and intrigues, even small historical ones, like Savannah. If you go, visit Bonaventure Cemetary--it truly is a beautiful and haunting place. Forget about Williams and Hansford and the "Lady" Chablis, though. Don't let their spirits ruin your visit to a lovely historical city. The intrigues that went on in the founding and growth of the city (i.e. the ban on liquor, lawyers and Catholics, the pirates, the Gordon and Low families, literary greats Flannery O'Conner and Conrad Aiken, [who did get cursory mention in the book] the Civil War history as the gift the city became to save itself, etc.) are much more interesting than the Peyton Place soap opera presented in this rather sullying book. Not bad writing, but a little dull, if you ask me. I just wasn't all that interested in these folks and their problems. They seemed to be dedicated to creating them.
Book Description
Out of the Wilderness…
Three Women. Three Eras.
Three Miracles.
1901
Plagued by loneliness on the Big Muddy Ranch, a sheepherder’s wife awaits the outcome of her husband’s trial for murder. He is sentenced to life in prison–and she to life without him. But a startling event could redeem their pasts and transform their future.
1984
Against a backdrop of attempted murder, federal indictments, and the first case of bio-terrorism in the U.S., one woman seeks to rescue her granddaughter from within the elaborate compound of a cult that has claimed the land.
1997
On the much-reviled, abandoned cult site, one woman’s skepticism turns to hope when she finds that what was meant to destroy can be used to rebuild–and in the process realizes a long-held dream.
For three women seekers united across time, a remote and rugged stretch of land in the Pacific Northwest proves to be a place where miracles really happen–and the gifts of faith, hope, and charity are as tangible as rocks, rivers, and earth.
Based on True Stories.
Customer Reviews:
A Land of Sheltered Promise: Faith/Hope/Charity.......2007-07-26
Having grown up in the Central Oregon area, I could relate to a lot of the images that the book conjured. I remember seeing the red-clothed followers on the streets of Bend as a teenager. I enjoy Jane Kirkpatrick's books and would recommend this to anyone who is a fan.
A slight change of pace.......2005-09-07
This is somewhat of a change of pace for Kirkpatrick in that she is mixing characters from the early 1900's then jumping into characters we are all familiar with in more recent years. It is a fascinating book and as always, Kirkpatrick does a wonderful job. I did not want to put it down.
A Land of Sheltered Promise.......2005-08-02
This is a wonderful book centered around a place in North- central Oregon where the Rashneesee were, that covers three generations of people who lived there. The author always does a lot of reserch before she writes a book, using diaries and any information she can get and it makes the books come alive for the reader. It is a wonderful story of faith, endurance, and determination.
Appealing, Authentic Characters and the Early West.......2005-06-03
Jane Kirkpatrick again has succeeded in bringing to life not only appealing, authentic characters but also portions of the early west itself. With the Big Muddy Ranch in southern Oregon as the setting, she presents three separate stories that span one hundred years, from 1897 to 1997. In each story a woman of faith demonstrates unique courage and strength that is rewarded with hope, miracles, redemption and love.
In Part One Eva Cora Thompson Bruner gets her first delighted glimpse of the Big Muddy Ranch when she is merely four years old. Eva's youthful joy is short-lived. Her father kills a man and gets life, and her mother relinquishes hers to despair. Soon Eva finds herself being raised by her aunt and uncle. But her love for them and the Big Muddy grows, and at age 17 she falls in love with D.L. Bruner and becomes his child bride. Yet, once again, her joy is snatched away as Dee is accused of murder and seems destined for the same fate as her father. Eva is determined, however, not to follow the steps of her mother and is blessed with an inner strength that carries her through betrayals and the ordeals of his trial. She demonstrates her faith by setting up a homestead near the Big Muddy and prays for a miracle that will return her husband to her and their baby girl.
Part Two brings Cora Swenson to the Big Muddy. She is the daughter of a woman who had been close friends with Eva's grandmother. The year is now 1984 and the Muddy has been taken over by the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers. While purporting to be a mystic sect based on "oneness, obedience to the One, and the forsaking of individuality, including earthly goods," it is actually a cult designed by shrewd lawyers to bilk the rich and foolish out of enough money to support the Bhagwan, his 90 Rolls-Royces, and his team of fawning sycophants. Ultimately, a scandal caused by cult members who engineered a bio-terrorist attack ends the Bhagwan's reign, but many of the Sannyasins stay on and await his return, a testimony to the thoroughness of his indoctrination.
For those who remember the headlines during that time, Kirkpatrick provides a grim reminder of life on the Big Muddy under the Bhagwan's leadership. Where sexual freedom always trumped decorum. Where the faithful worked like slaves and their children were left to wander around, attended by all but cared for by no one. It is one of these children, her granddaughter Charity, whom Cora Swenson hopes to rescue from the ranch.
Part Three returns us to the Big Muddy Ranch in 1997 after it has been abandoned by the last of the Sannyasins and is now part of a land parcel that the Washington family wants to donate to Young Life, a non-denominational youth organization that serves teens. The conversion of this rugged, untamed land into a Camp for kids that promises them "the best week of your life" is both touching and telling as Kirkpatrick deftly parallels the conversion of the Big Muddy with the conversion of a skeptical sociology grad student. When Jill Hartley allows her love for husband Tom to nudge her toward faith, she begins to experience the love and miracles of God. Her questions and doubts are met with kindness and gentleness from those involved in this project of reclamation, and she soon finds herself caught up in the reality of a new life in Christ.
Just as there is a special place in Heaven for those who practice the tenets of God, I believe there is a special place in Hell for those who hurt their fellows in the name of God. Jane Kirkpatrick has an extraordinary talent for compelling us to explore our beliefs while telling a whopping good tale.
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding
A Land Redeemed.......2005-05-05
Once again Jane Kirkpatrick does not disappoint with her new book A Land of Sheltered promise.
What a beautiful picture of God's redemption! How He can make something bright and beautiful out of something so tarnished.
I wasn't too sure how much I wanted to read about the Rajneesh again. Living here in Oregon and reading about all their exploits in the newspaper at the time was enough to last a life time. Her story line of Cora, Razi and Charity made it palatable.
After reading about that period of time and then reading about the redemption of the land through all of God's miracles was like a welcome spring of cool water in a dry desert! Her book is truly a wonderful picture of God's fulfilling of prayer requests and making something good for His people out of something so broken and abandoned.
This is a book to add to your collection of books by this talented and caring author, Jane Kirkpatrick.
Amazon.com
If you haven't seen the film version of Inherit the Wind, you might have read it in high school. And even people who have never heard of either the movie or the play probably know something about the events that inspired them: The 1925 Scopes "monkey trial," during which Darwin's theory of evolution was essentially put on trial before the nation. Inherit the Wind paints a romantic picture of John Scopes as a principled biology teacher driven to present scientific theory to his students, even in the teeth of a Tennessee state law prohibiting the teaching of anything other than creationism. The truth, it turns out, was something quite different. In his fascinating history of the Scopes trial, Summer for the Gods, Edward J. Larson makes it abundantly clear that Truth and the Purity of Science had very little to do with the Scopes case. Tennessee had passed a law prohibiting the teaching of evolution, and the American Civil Liberties Union responded by advertising statewide for a high-school teacher willing to defy the law. Communities all across Tennessee saw an opportunity to put themselves on the map by hosting such a controversial trial, but it was the town of Dayton that came up with a sacrificial victim: John Scopes, a man who knew little about evolution and wasn't even the class's regular teacher. Chosen by the city fathers, Scopes obligingly broke the law and was carted off to jail to await trial.
What happened next was a bizarre mix of theatrics and law, enacted by William Jennings Bryan for the prosecution and Clarence Darrow for the defense. Though Darrow lost the trial, he made his point--and his career--by calling Bryan, a noted Bible expert, as a witness for the defense. Summer for the Gods is a remarkable retelling of the trial and the events leading up to it, proof positive that truth is stranger than science.
Book Description
Reissued with a new preface: the Pulitzer Prize-winning book that is "quite simply the best book ever written on the Scopes Trial and its place in American history and myth."
In the summer of 1925, the sleepy hamlet of Dayton, Tennessee, became the setting for one of the 20th century's most contentious dramas: the Scopes trial that pit William Jennings Bryan and the anti-Darwinists against a teacher named John Scopes into a famous debate over science, religion, and their place in public education.
That trial marked the start of a battle that continues to this day--in Dover, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Cobb County, Georgia, and many other cities and states throughout the country. Edward Larson's classic, Summer for the Gods, received the Pulitzer Prize in History in 1998 and is the single most authoritative account of a pivotal event whose combatants remain at odds in school districts and courtrooms. For this edition, Larson has added a new preface that assesses the state of the battle between creationism and evolution, and points the way to how it might potentially be resolved.
Customer Reviews:
De-simplification.......2007-08-21
A Tennessee newspaper called the Scopes trial at the time a 'publicity stunt'. Meaning publicity for the city of Dayton.
America never ceases to surprise me. Until not so long ago I had never heard of the Scopes trial. I stumbled over it once in a while when reading about the disputes between Christian fundamentalists and 'science', specifically evolutionists. I imagined something like a fight of the titans, Evolution versus Creation.
Not so. Now I learn from Larson that everything was a little different. (This is by now also a cliche: things are not what they seem. Are they ever?)
Actually it had aspects of a farce.
The more interesting aspects are not the farcical ones though, but rather how this event was the focal point not so much of two strong opponents clashing, but of a much more diverse field of issues.
I had forgotten that evolution, by the mid 20s, was a different thing from what it seems now. First of all, the so-called Darwinian synthesis had not yet happened, which led to 'neo-Darwinism', basing Darwin's theory of natural selection on knowledge of genetics (of which Darwin himself had had no idea yet).
In the 20s, Darwinism was much more attached to the smelly and dead ideology of so-called Social Darwinism (for which Mr.Darwin should not be blamed), than it is nowadays. At that time, eugenics were still considered an honorable pursuit, it appears. That was the attempt to improve mankind's genetic substance by a kind of human breeding program. Going for Nietzsche's Uebermensch. Now we know how it ended with the Nazis' euthanasia programs. Even World War I, which had been over not so long past, had brought implications of 'Darwinism' in the ideology of Wilhelminian militarism. Overall a rather dubious surrounding and not as squeaky clean as pure science.
At the same time there was the aftermath of the social earthquakes that WWI had shaken loose: the Russian revolution, the spreading hysteria in America about the 'Red Scare', labor prosecution, leading to McCarthyism later on. And among the Christian denominations the fight between the modernists and the fundamentalists, whose primary opponent seems to have been their deviating fellow Christians more than the evolutionists, who became sort of a derived target.
The trial itself is a ridiculous affair about a substitute teacher who used a book which mentions evolution, which broke a newly introduced law against teaching evolution in Tennessee. What a joke. Particularly as the teacher volunteered to be the defendant in this mock trial.
The book also de-simplifies the aftermath by showing how the real events were mystified in later texts, and by showing how fundamentalism, rather than accepting defeat, just moved away from the general public into an own strong subculture.
The Facts, yes--but still more Drama than Debate.......2007-08-15
In order to be credible to all sides in a highly-partisan cultural war, professor of law and history Edward J. Larson in his book "Summer of the Gods: The Scopes Trial And America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion" had to present the facts and nothing but the facts ("so help him God" or not). This is the book's necessary strength and its unfortunate weakness. I would like to have heard more reflection.
Much light could come just from placing the historical scene in a larger context. For example, what connections can be made between the meaninglessness and despair of World War I, the recent Marxist-Leninist revolution, the red scare of the 20's, Darrow's agnosticism and membership in the Communist party, and the fears of an attack on traditional values and beliefs this all must have engendered?
The facts about this "great," or at least highly significant, all-American trial are so often the exactly opposite of the myths that survived so long! Perhaps we now need a anthropologist of culture and religion to analyze how we could go so long believing utter falsehoods, and all without force of propaganda or threat of gulag.
Surely on the deeper issues of the philosophical debate between science and religion as reflected in American culture, Mr. Larson, whose background is exactly in this type of historical study, could lend a hand. Certainly he has done us a great service by his meticulously objective work for this well-deserved Pulitzer Prize winning effort, but there is little philosophical thought to be found.
The Scopes courtroom led to more drama than debate, more chance than justice or toleration. Both sides claimed to win, but all sides actually lost. Both the real trial and the mythic one reflected in the movie "Inherit the Wind" (and other cultural renderings passed down as folklore)--both failed to even satisfactorily debate let alone struggle with the underlying conflicts or seek answers to America's larger quest for clarity of identity.
Neither built toward a consensus. Hence our ongoing crazy cultural wars with Ten Commandments tablets allowed here but not there, all supported by highly reasoned legal arguments on both sides that will all look more like myth and superstition to the next eon--hopefully. Our capitalistic Mark Twainish show trial was mercifully free of the menace of Stalin's show trials of the 30's. Nevertheless, by failing to address the challenges of this chapter in our over-politicized mythic struggle, we neither evolve nor practice true religion.
Nevertheless, as a starting touchstone "Summer of the God's" deserves a place on all our book shelves. It has inspired me to want to read a biography about William Jennings Bryan, and Darrow's autobiography as well.
Great coverage of the trial; of its aftermath, not so much..........2007-07-05
The author did a great job of demystifying the trial, a task long overdue. The question was whether a state or community could prohibit teaching any theory or doctrine in the public classroom, and jury had decided that it could. If young Scopes was teaching Marx's theory of class struggle in history class, I think the outcome would have been the same, though I doubt there would have been even a fictionalized account opening on Broadway, thirty years later.
Yet somehow, because the theory in question was Darwinism, and because the trial was held in the Bible Belt, it has been misrepresented from the get-go as another icon in the ever continuing "...debate over science and religion." Unfortunately, this is the subtitle of this work, and the reason at least one star was dropped from my rating.
The author continued to equate "anti-evolutionists" with "Fundamentalists" throughout his book, which extended into the last decades of the 20th Century, long after the equation was valid. By this time, several scientists, many without any strong religious beliefs, had poked serious holes in Evolutionary theory, developing a formalized concept called "Intelligent Design." Furthermore, several other scientists, though not willing to dispute macro-evolution overall, had serious reservations about supporting Darwin's Natural Selection mechanism for the development of new species. Thus, Punctuated Equilibrium appeared on the scene, championed by the late Harvard paleontologist, Dr. Stephen Jay Gould, which weakened the theory most often taught in school, and understood by the public, even more.
Unfortunately, the author decided not to include these scientific controversies, perhaps not wanting to "dirty up the water."
But in doing so, he chose to represent the ongoing reluctance of some state and local school boards, some far from the Bible Belt, to teach Darwinism as anything more than a theory, as purely a product of "Fundamentalism."
He probably should have stopped his narrative about a chapter earlier...
The Echoes of the Past .......2007-05-28
Summer for the Gods
The echoes of the past continue to reverberate. Although it's been eighty years since the Scopes Trial, the debate over the teaching of the origins of life goes on.
The monumental intellectual battle pitted Williams Jennings Bryan against Clarence Darrow following the indictment and arrest of a Dayton, Tennessee public school teacher for violating a state law forbidding the teaching of evolution.
The controversy focused attention...not much of it favorable... on the South, which was still smarting from the Civil War and Reconstruction.
In "Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's continuing Debate over Science " Edward J. Larson takes the reader through the background of the Scopes matter; the involvement of the ACLU, which was seeking a test case at the time; and the role of the Prosecution and Defense. The media (or, the Press at the time) had an important role as well -- the Baltimore Sun's acerbic H.L. Mencken covered the story, and on one day of the trial journalists filed 200,000 words by telegraph. Larson's Pulitzer-prize winning account is an enjoyable and entertaining read. His "afterword," which compares the Scopes matter to the current debate between Science and "Intelligent Design", is especially useful. The recent attempts to restrict academic freedom in Kansas and other jurisdictions illustrate the currency of the debate.
A recent Google search revealed 29,600,000 hits for "intelligent design." There are societies, institutions, and now even a Museum designed to promote Creationism. (Interestingly, William Jennings Bryan founded his own college, Bryan College, to promote his views, much as the late Rev Jerry Fallwell.)
Larson makes ample use of the papers of Bryan, Darrow and other principals in the trial and contemporary news accounts. His book is an entertaining, enlightening, and gracefully-written addition to the literature on the subject.
As another reviewer has noted, the legal background of the story is of particular interest... particularly given than in 1925, many general principles which we take for granted today (for example, the application of the Establishment of Religion Clause to State as well as Federal law ) didn't exist at the time.
Pulitzer-prize winning book.......2007-04-30
It's easy to see why Edward Larson won a Pulitzer prize for this book. It's a fascinating, well-written account of the Scopes trial that avoids the hyper-partisanship that usually surrounds the issue.
Larson doesn't come across as an obnoxious evolutionist or an obnoxious creationist. Instead he comes across as a truly professional historian who gives a thorough and fair account of this famous trial.
Book Description
Since the earliest days of our nation, high-profile trials have captivated the American imagination. But such trials are more than mere spectacle: by providing a forum for discussion of contentious issues, they also serve as public ceremonies and barometers of thought. In The Trial in American Life, Robert Ferguson argues that we can only understand the importance of pivotal trials by examining their public impact as well as their legal significance.
In a bravura performance that ranges from Aaron Burr to O.J. Simpson, Ferguson traces both the legal implications and the cultural ripples of prominent American legal battles. He brings together courtroom transcripts, newspaper accounts, and the work of such writers as Emerson, Thoreau, William Dean Howells, and E. L. Doctorow to show what happens when courtrooms are forced to cope with unresolved communal anxieties and make legal decisions that change how America thinks about itself. How do such trials mushroom into major public dramas with fundamental ideas at stake? Why did outcomes that we now see as unjust enjoy community support at the time? At what point does overexposure undermine a trial’s role as a legal proceeding?
Ultimately, such questions lead Ferguson to the issue of modern press coverage of courtrooms. While acknowledging that media accounts can skew perceptions, Ferguson argues forcefully in favor of television coverage—and he takes the Supreme Court to task for its failure to grasp the importance of this issue. Trials must be seen to be understood, but Ferguson reminds us that we have a duty, currently ignored, to ensure that cameras serve the court rather than the media.
As comfortable with the intricacies of courtroom communications as with the law’s resonance throughout American literature, Ferguson in The Trial in American Life weaves his deep knowledge of American history, law, and culture into a fascinating book of tremendous contemporary relevance.
Customer Reviews:
What a great idea for a book!.......2007-08-31
While perusing the rack of "new books" at my local library the other day I came across Robert Ferguson's new book "The Trial In American Life". Ferguson is the Edward Woodberry Professor of Law, Literature and Criticism at Columbia University and as such is uniquely qualified to tackle this subject matter. This sounded like a very promising topic to me and as I scanned the table of contents I became quite excited. In what other book could you find a summary and analysis of some of the most historic and significant trials in the history of the republic all in once place??? I immediately checked this book out. I could not wait to get started.
"The Trial in American Life" spends a considerable amount of time focusing on a handful of the most high profile trials in our nations history. Aaron Burr was one of the Founding Fathers and served one term as Vice President of the United States. His fall from grace was spectacular even though he was ultimately acquitted of the charge of treason. You will come to see the wisdom in the way Chief Justice John Marshall handled this highly controversial case. Next, Robert Ferguson dissects for us the trial of John Brown who led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Many consider this action to be the opening salvo of the Civil war! It had been more than half a century since the trial of Aaron Burr. More than most, John Brown seemed to understand the influence and power of newspaper and magazine coverage of his trial. Some would say he played the media like a fiddle to get his most salient points across to the American people. See what you think. As an aside you might also be surprised to learn of the true origins of the popular song "John Brown's Body". Needless to say the true story is quite different from the conventional wisdom. In a subsequent chapter Ferguson tackles the trial of Mary Surratt who was implicated in the conspiracy to assasinate President Lincoln. Mary Surratt would be found guilty and become the first woman in the history of the United States to be executed. Yet most historians are convinced that she was innocent. A careful reading of this chapter will afford the reader an understanding of how such a travesty of justice could have taken place in this country. Finally, Ferguson discusses the tragic events in 1886 at Haymarket Square in Chicago and concludes with an analysis of the Rosenberg trial in 1951. Again, it is impossible to underestimate the influence exerted by the American media in each of these tragic cases. Robert Ferguson offer his readers much food for thought in his analysis of each of these proceedings.
In the final third of "The Trial in American Life" Ferguson discusses trials in the television age. There is seemingly much to worry about here and the potential for abuse is tremendous. However, televised trials and 24 hour cable channels are realities that are simply not going to go away any time soon. Robert Ferguson offers a number of practical suggestions to help mitigate the influence of media in the 21st century.
In general, I found "The Trial In American Life" to be a pretty decent cover to cover read. Readers are afforded a unique opportunity to compare and contrast important trials that cover a 150 year time span. However, at times I felt that the rather academic nature of this book made it a bit tedious. Nonetheless, Robert Ferguson has come up with an important work that will serve as a valuable reference tool for students for decades to come. Recommended.
Book Description
Contents
Preface To The Third Edition
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. The Scientific Method
1.1 The Logic of Scientific Reasoning
1.2 Variability of Phenomena Requires Statistical Analysis
1.3 Inductive Inference: Statistics as the Technology of the Scientific Method
1.4 Design of Studies
1.5 How to Quantify Variables
1.6 The Null Hypothesis
1.7 Why Do We Test the Null Hypothesis?
1.8 Types of Errors
1.9 Significance Level and Types of Error
1.10 Consequences of Type I and Type II Errors
Chapter 2. A Little Bit Of Probability
2.1 What Is Probability?
2.2 Combining Probabilities
2.3 Conditional Probability
2.4 Bayesian Probability
2.5 Odds and Probability
2.6 Likelihood Ratio
2.7 Summary of Probability
Chapter 3. Mostly About Statistics
3.1 Chi-Square for 2 x 2 Tables
3.2 McNemar Test
3.3 Kappa
3.4 Description of a Population: Use of the Standard Deviation
3.5 Meaning of the Standard Deviation: The Normal Distribution
3.6 The Difference Between Standard Deviation and Standard Error
3.7 Standard Error of the Difference Between Two Means
3.8 Z Scores and the Standardized Normal Distribution
3.9 The t Statistic
3.10 Sample Values and Population Values Revisited
3.11 A Question of Confidence
3.12 Confidence Limits and Confidence Intervals
3.13 Degrees of Freedom
3.14 Confidence Intervals for Proportions
3.15 Confidence Intervals Around the Difference Between Two Means
3.16 Comparisons Between Two Groups
3.17 Z-Test for Comparing Two Proportions
3.18 t-Test for the Difference Between Means of Two Independent Groups: Principles
3.19 How to Do a t-Test: An Example
3.20 Matched Pair t-Test
3.21 When Not to Do a Lot of t-Tests: The Problem of Multiple Tests of Significance
3.22 Analysis of Variance: Comparison Among Several Groups
3.23 Principles
3.24 Bonferroni Procedure: An Approach to Making Multiple Comparisons
3.25 Analysis of Variance When There Are Two Independent Variables: The Two-Factor ANOVA
3.26 Interaction Between Two Independent Variables
3.27 Example of a Two-Way ANOVA
3.28 Kruskal-Wallis Test to Compare Several Groups
3.29 Association and Causation: The Correlation Coefficient
3.30 How High Is High?
3.31 Causal Pathways
3.32 Regression
3.33 The Connection Between Linear Regression and the Correlation Coefficient
3.34 Multiple Linear Regression
3.35 Summary So Far
Chapter 4. Mostly About Epidemiology
4.1 The Uses of Epidemiology
4.2 Some Epidemiologic Concepts: Mortality Rates
4.3 Age-Adjusted Rates
4.4 Incidence and Prevalence Rates
4.5 Standardized Mortality Ratio
4.6 Person-Years of Observation
4.7 Dependent and Independent Variables
4.8 Types of Studies
4.9 Cross-Sectional Versus Longitudinal Looks at Data
4.10 Measures of Relative Risk: Inferences From Prospective Studies: the Framingham Study
4.11 Calculation of Relative Risk from Prospective Studies
4.12 Odds Ratio: Estimate of Relative Risk from Case-Control Studies
4.13 Attributable Risk
4.14 Response Bias
4.15 Confounding Variables
4.16 Matching
4.17 Multiple Logistic Regression
4.18 Confounding By Indication
4.19 Survival Analysis: Life Table Methods
4.20 Cox Proportional Hazards Model
4.21 Selecting Variables For Multivariate Models
4.22 Interactions: Additive and Multiplicative Models
Summary:
Chapter 5. Mostly About Screening
5.1 Sensitivity, Specificity, and Related Concepts
5.2 Cutoff Point and Its Effects on Sensitivity and Specificity
Chapter 6. Mostly About Clinical Trials
6.1 Features of Randomized Clinical Trials
6.2 Purposes of Randomization
6.3 How to Perform Randomized Assignment
6.4 Two-Tailed Tests Versus One-Tailed Test
6.5 Clinical Trial as "Gold Standard"
6.6 Regression Toward the Mean
6.7 Intention-to-Treat Analysis
6.8 How Large Should the Clinical Trial Be?
6.9 What Is Involved in Sample Size Calculation?
6.10 How to Calculate Sample Size for the Difference Between Two Proportions
6.11 How to Calculate Sample Size for Testing the Difference Between Two Means
Chapter 7. Mostly About Quality Of Life
7.1 Scale Construction
7.2 Reliability
7.3 Validity
7.4 Responsiveness
7.5 Some Potential Pitfalls
Chapter 8. Mostly About Genetic Epidemiology
8.1 A New Scientific Era
8.2 Overview of Genetic Epidemiology
8.3 Twin Studies
8.4 Linkage and Association Studies
8.5 LOD Score: Linkage Statistic
8.6 Association Studies
8.7 Transmission Disequilibrium Tests (TDT)
8.8 Some Additional Concepts and Complexities of Genetic Studies
Chapter 9. Research Ethics And Statistics
9.1 What does statistics have to do with it?
9.2 Protection of Human Research Subjects
9.3 Informed Consent
9.4 Equipoise
9.5 Research Integrity
9.6 Authorship policies
9.7 Data and Safety Monitoring Boards
9.8 Summary
Postscript A Few Parting Comments On The Impact Of Epidemiology On Human Lives
Appendix A. Critical Values Of Chi-square, Z, And T
Appendix B. Fisher'S Exact Test
Appendix C. Kruskal-wallis Nonparametric Test To Compare Several Groups
Appendix D. How To Calculate A Correlation Coefficient
Appendix E. Age-adjustment
Appendix F. Confidence Limits On Odds Ratios
Appendix G. "J" Or "U" Shaped Relationship Between Two Variables
Appendix H. Determining Appropriateness Of Change Scores
Appendix I. Genetic Principles
References
Suggested Readings
Index
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Quality of Life and Pharmacoeconomics in Clinical Trials
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Book Description
Expanded to four times its predecessor's size and scope, the Second Edition reflects the rapid progress made worldwide in quality of life assessment and the growing importance of quality of life issues and pharmacoeconomics in health care decision-making. Dr. Spilker has assembled more than 200 experts from diverse clinical, research, and social science disciplines to provide a comprehensive reference on the methodology, interpretation, and use of quality of life and pharmacoeconomic studies. The Second Edition features all-new sections on pharmacoeconomics and on crucial health policy issues such as outcomes research. The greatly expanded coverage of quality of life assessment includes a new section on cross-cultural and cross-national issues, more detailed information on specific tests, scales, and measures, and more comprehensive guidelines on choosing and administering tests and treatments and analyzing, interpreting, and presenting data. Many chapters cover new topics such as phenomenology, assessment of spiritual status, and alternative/complementary medical treatments.
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Winning Every Time: How to Use the Skills of a Lawyer in the Trials of Your Life
Lis Wiehl
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Book Description
Whether you’re hoping to obtain a raise from your boss, convince an insurance claim representative to reimburse your medical treatment, or persuade your spouse into spending less time watching TV and more time with you, Winning Every Time will be your guide for truly practical and helpful advice about how to make that case effectively—and win it hands down. Too often we argue conclusions without the benefit of a premise, react from anger instead of presenting hard facts, feel defensive when sensing resistance, or fail to make calm, irrefutable counterarguments. In this dynamic, groundbreaking book, Lis Wiehl shows how to apply the skills, smarts, and strategies of a lawyer and stay in command whenever life makes you feel as though you are on trial.
Writing in an engaging, accessible style, Wiehl teaches you how to become your own best advocate, so you can plead your case with precision—and win the hearts (and change the minds) of even the most recalcitrant “juror.” You’ll learn the eight easy-to-follow rules of persuasion to winning a case:
Know What You Want: The Theory of the Case—outline your premise clearly and establish your objective accordingly
Choose and Cultivate Your Audience: Voir Dire— bring your case to the person who “calls the shots” and know the perfect time and place to do so
Marshal Your Evidence: Discovery—assemble all the facts that support your cause, even information that may challenge your objective
Advocate with Confidence: Making the Case—present your opening argument and offer your evidence calmly and methodically
Counter the Claims: Cross-examination—challenge your opponent’s allegations consistently, but gently, through a series of “yes or no” questions
Stay True to Your Case: Avoid the Seven Deadly Spins—keep your argument authentic by avoiding false inferences, hearsay, and subjectivity
Advocate with Heart: Let Me Tell You a Story—make your case personal with a special story that will convey your message in a memorable way
Sum It Up: The Closing Argument—deliver a fervent and succinct summation of your theory and evidence . . . and close the deal
Along with practical advice on how to state your case effectively and come out on top, this remarkable book features incisive stories from real people who have transformed their lives through advocacy. With amazing, result-oriented strategies, Winning Every Times will help you stay in command whenever life makes you feel as though you are on trial.
Customer Reviews:
Salted Reviews?.......2007-03-20
Why are there so many 5-star reviews and yet several 1-star reviews? Legitimate difference of opinion in some cases. But when you click on a large sample of the 5-star reviewers' "See all my reviews," you mostly see all 5-star glowing book and/or CD reviews. My guess is that the real ranking would be about 3 stars, once you remove the more than half of the reviews that are fake.
More uses than one.......2007-03-13
The author has written a book to help others work through the different "trials" in their lives by using basic court procedure. The book is well edited and easy to follow. However, I found the book more useful than just seeing how I can use legal practice to help me deal with the trials of my life.
As I am working my way through law school, I continue to try and get the patterns and procedures down for the courtroom. I picked up this book for a class on negotiation, but see that it was more helpful in prepping for trial advocacy. Rather than looking at the process as merely a formality, I can see the common sense approach to it. With the examples from this book, I can better internalize what I am learning in school.
Although we can all say that logic will work better for emotion, but that is a bit too basic a read. This book has a bit more to it than that. I would highly recommend giving this a read.
Don't Be Discouraged .......2007-02-11
Lis Wiehl shouldn't be shorted of any praise for her original and excellently written landmark book. A prospectus reader who might be skeptical of reading another legal book to begin with will be astounded to learn the subject of the book is not one of a legal nature at all. Lis hit it dead on in introducing a lawyering book intended for those among us without a JD but teaches the advocacy skills attorneys utilize everyday. With the appropriate premise for the book, as she puts it: "This is not a book to make a litigious society more litigious. The eight steps should be your way to solve problems without the drama and without the need for a courtroom fight", she vigorously illustrates how her Eight Simple Steps can be used by anyone to resolute conflicts in their lives.
Where else can you find an attorney persuading readers to not take their conflicts to the courts but instead settle by your own means? Not to say it isn't always that simple. Wiehl lays down Eight Steps for a reader to follow from convincing your boss you deserve a pay raise to advocating a spouse you deserve more "intimate" time together, which she attests to can be potently used in many situations . Eight Steps you can learn to achieve small victories in your life which have been tried and tested in small personal disagreements to publicized Supreme Court legal battles . These amazingly simple & effective steps will help you make a big impact on the trials of your life.
A kickass book for dealing with people.......2007-02-11
I'm almost done with the case presentation part of the book, after which comes the application part. I've recently developed a strong fascination with the legal system and it's really changed the way I approach life and social situations. In fact it's made me a better employee at my customer support job. I make a real practice of active listening and using the principles of this book and I don't let people's impatience phaze me. Awesome kickass book.
When I was in a meeting with my fellow interns, I made it a point to have the boss clarify what she was saying, not stopping 10 steps before the finish line just because I didn't wanna look stupid. This has worked well with my sister too. I've also been helped immensely by the idea of not just gathering evidence beneficial to your case, but also harmful to your case because if you don't and the opposition brings it up, bamn your blindsided.
This book goes along rather well with "No More Mr Nice Guy" by Robert Glover. Contrary to the name, it has nothing to do with being an authoritarian self-gratifying viscous jerk (some reviewers assert this position but these are people who just read the title and maybe part of the book. I've read the ENTIRE book). Instead it's about running the middle ground: you stand for your position, never put up with crap from other people, look after your own needs first before others, etc & yet at the same time being kind, giving help when needed (never to your own expense), protecting those you care about, being assertive (not aggressive), asking for what you need (instead of expecting people to read you), etc.
Wiehl's book is good at picking up where Glover left off. He puts a major premium on facing conflict and talking to the person(s) that you have a problem with but he doesn't really teach you how to backup what you say. Wiehl's book is a godsend here.
Save Your Money.......2006-12-10
I couldn't agree more with JoAnne Goldberg's comment. I have never posted a review on a book before, but this book was such a waste of time, I felt it was criminal not to... I have to be honest, I couldn't finish it (only made it about 33% of the way through). The information is thin (the "theory of your case" point that trails on forever, could have been summed up in one sentence), and the analogies are weak. "How-To" books like this always seem to state a lot that seems obvious, but I honestly believe the average person will take nothing away from this book.
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