Amazon.com
Who is the real John Quincy Adams? The brilliant secretary of state, prime mover behind the Monroe Doctrine, and principled opponent of slavery, defender of the Africans shanghaied aboard the Amistad? Or the ineffectual president stymied by a hostile Congress and his own self-righteousness, the vindictive political foe famed for his cold, disagreeable character? Paul C. Nagel, author of two previous books about the Adams family, seeks to give readers a more human Adams (1767-1848) whose complex nature contained many contradictions. John Quincy Adams is a valuable revisionist biography of a misunderstood figure at the crossroads of American history.
Book Description
John Quincy Adams was raised, educated, and groomed to be President, following in the footsteps of his father, John. At fourteen he was secretary to the Minister to Russia and, later, was himself Minister to the Netherlands and Prussia. He was U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, and then President for one ill-fated term. His private life showed a parallel descent. He was a poet, writer, critic, and Professor of Oratory at Harvard. He married a talented and engaging Southerner, but two of his three sons were disappointments. This polymath and troubled man, caught up in both a democratic age not to his understanding and the furies of passion, was an American lion in winter.
Customer Reviews:
THE LIFE OF THE PARTY.......2007-10-15
It was obvious from tne start that John Quincy Adams was going to be a great man,like it or not. His father,John, second in his class at Harvard, immediately began bombarding the youth with Greek, Latin, English and history. His mother, Abigail Smith of Mayflower descent, simultaneously joined the festivities, instilling a religious morality that might have frightened Calvin himself.Trips abroad with Quincy's father were to be educative,with little time to be "wasted".Little wonder that J.Q. would also graduate second in his Harvard stint. The real surprise to this reviewer is that the future 6th president ever married since he seemingly knew nothing about intimacy, only work and duty.His beratings and impudence towards his wife are carefully preserved, perhaps sadly. Certainly no family wrote or retained more for future historians.That he was a competent diplomat, an historic Secretary of State under Monroe, and a highly respected Representative for Massachusetts until his death in 1848 (stricken on the floor of The House) is almost completely forgotten.It's simply that his presidency was a complete bust,due mostly to the infamous alleged "corrupt deal" with Henry Clay in the election of 1824. No president was better trained for the office, few presidents were treated more callously by Congress.(Which came first,the chicken or the egg)? Paul Nagel writes an anecdotal, not too heavy biography of a difficult man. The results are generally favorable to the reader, even if the subject himself tends not to be, Is there a psycho-historian in the house?
An inexcusably poor biography.......2007-08-19
After noting the ratings and browsing the titles of other reviewers, I realize I am in the minority in the low review I have given this book. I find it even more peculiar given my disposition to normally be quite favorable in my reviews. I will not flinch, however, in my belief that this biography is ill conceived, inadequately researched, and poorly written.
First, I will tackle why this book is ill conceived. Nagel makes the assertion that he will be able to add knew insight into the inner workings of John Quincy Adams, a task he points out that no previous biographer has been fully successful, by writing a biography utilizing JQA's diary. This certainly seems like an acceptable approach but in practice Nagel simply uses it as an excuse to write a biography without doing any real research. In fact, you will not find a single footnote in this entire volume, simply an explanation basically telling you that his primary research was JQA's diary with the gaps filled in by other biographers work. Even more inexplicable, beyond a couple of lines of poetry, Nagel never quotes directly from JQAs diary except for short sentences or phrases trapped within his mechanical prose. The dumbfounding outcome of this is a book that purports to tell JQAs story utilizing his diary, yet never gives the reader any sense of what JQAs diary was actually like.
The preceding criticism might be overlooked had Nagel actually written an enjoyable biography. Unfortunately, Nagel's writing is as lazy and thoughtless as his research. Nagel makes no effort to craft his work in a way that would be appropriate to his subject matter or complement his desire to use JQAs diary as the basis for the book. I would encourage anyone thinking of buying this book to read the excerpts available through the "Look Inside" feature. Nagel continues the exact same paragraph structure throughout the entire book. The book is strictly chronological, basically following a "then this happened, then this happened, and then this happened..." approach that is about as compelling as a high school level history assignment. Nagel treats events big and small with the same level of detail (not much) and never elaborates on events that seem to provide an opportunity for adding interest or bringing the reader to a better understanding of John Quincy Adams and his place in history. I would call this a "feather duster" biography - it glides along the surface without ever taking the time to go into any depth.
Those interested in learning about JQAs presidency will be the most disappointed. Nagel explains that he only devotes a chapter to JQAs presidency because JQA himself did not think his presidency was very important. This is an absurd defense and a smokescreen for the fact that he did not do the necessary research. In fact, the chapter devoted to JQAs presidency is mostly about events that happened to JQA during his presidency unrelated to his presidency.
In conclusion, I will call this book exactly what it is - an abridgement and paraphrased version of JQAs diary and a very poor one at that. I am still perplexed at how so many others found this book satisfactory, but I found it to be the worst biography that I have ever read.
Very readable and entertaining.......2007-01-17
On the one hand this is a well written and highly readable book. It does a much better job of focusing on the personal life of JQA than most biographies of people from this era. It gave a different perspective on Abigail Adams than I've seen other places and it also does not take his assertion of not seeking public office at face value, which so many other biographies do.
The stated purpose of the author is to explore JQA as a person, and he succeeds. But the glossing over of the events of the day is quite glaring in a few cases. For example, I think JQA's role in the genesis of the Monroe Doctrine gets only 2 pages. And he really didn't explore the "corrupt bargain" around the election of 1824. He explores some of the the facts around the election but, not it's impact on the American public and role in the rise of Jacksonian Democracy.
A Private Life - YES! ... A Public Life - Sort of?.......2006-11-05
This books primary source is John Quincy Adams (JQA) remarkable diary, which spans a period of over 60 years, for the 1780's to the 1840's. Thanks to this source, the author delivers on his promise to describe the private life of JQA. I think the author is less successful at giving the reader an understanding of JQA's public life. The book contains a very detailed account of the life style, personality, character, and intellectual pass times of Adams, but it fails to put his life in historical context, at least from a "BIG Picture" perspective. I believe this is what the author intended, so it is really up to the reader to decide if this is the type of biography they wish to read. As a meticulous study of the inner workings of a man who was at the center of American politics from it's founding to the period just before the civil war the book is well worth reading. But if you are like me, you will be left wanting to read more.
Perhaps this was one biography too many for the author.......2006-10-10
The biography of this fascinating man lets the reader down. Based entirely on secondary sources (primarily JQA's Diary), we miss the flavor of events he lived through, such as the War of 1812, the Jacksonian revolution, the Free Soil movement, the Nativist Movement, the Know Nothings, the Loco Focos, the Wilmot Proviso, the breakup of the Whigs, and his enemies' epithet for him, Prince Hal. But there's plenty of interest in the book without that. Adams was a proud man, a devout New Englander, bitter about personal attacks, full of self-doubt, wanting to leave a legacy of public service; in his teens he spent eight years overseas assisting his father as a diplomat in Paris, London, Prussia, and Katherine the Great's Russia. It's interesting that his son, Charles Francis Adams, took JQA's young grandson, Henry Adams, along with him to represent the Union government in London during the Civil War. The author fails to probe ex-President Adams's relationships with Clay, Calhoun, Webster, Van Buren, and the other political luminaries of his day. We do learn, however, of enormous time and energy poured into research about arcane topics, and poetry writing. People were hardy in those days. In his 70s, JQA could walk eight miles in three hours, swim, fish, and deliver orations lasting up to three hours. No channel surfing in those days! Three stars for a good try.
Product Description
Brand new LEATHER BOUND book accented in 22kt gold.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on May 1, 2001. The length of the article is 934 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: John Quincy Adams: A Public Life, A Private Life.
Author: John R. Howe
Publication:
Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2001
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 67
Issue: 2
Page: 444
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Plumbing the hearts of women and men in India and exploring the relations they engage in, Sudhir Kakar gives us the first full-length study of Indian sexuality. His groundbreaking work explores India's sexual fantasies and ideals, the "unlit stage of desire where so much of our inner theater takes place."
Kakar's sources are primarily textual, celebrating the primacy of the story in Indian life. He practices a cultural psychology that distills the psyches of individuals from the literary products and social institutions of Indian culture. These include examples of lurid contemporary Hindi novels; folktales; Sanskrit, Tamil, and Hindi proverbs; hits of the Indian cinema; Gandhi's autobiography; interviews with women from the slums of Delhi; and case studies from his own psychoanalytic practice. His attentive readings of these varied narratives from a vivid portrait of sexual fantasies and realities, reflecting the universality of sexuality as well as cultural nuances specific to India.
Moving from genre to genre, Kakar offers a brilliant reading of verses from the Laws of Manu, the original source of Hindu religious laws, to uncover their psychological foundations—male terror of the female sexual appetite that shields itself by idealizing women's maternal role. Kakar also examines the psychosexual history of Gandhi at length, though his near-lifelong celibacy makes him an atypical subject. Gandhi's story is universal, Kakar says, because "we all wage war on our wants."
In India's lore and tradition, complex symbols abound—snakes that take the shape of sensual women or handsome men, celibates sleep with naked women, gods rape their daughters, and a goddess fries a king in oil. With the analyst's "third ear," Kakar listens, decodes, and translates the psychological longings that find expression in Indian sexual relations.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent!.......2000-02-27
There are too few books on the market on Eastern Indian sexuality and stories that form the basis for much insight into the Indian psyche. I highly recommend this book, I only wish Dr. Kakar would write a book of East Indian - American intimate dynamics...
Book Description
The way to inner peace is illuminated in this accessible guide to tending one's inner landscape. The lives of outstanding figures such as the Buddha, Walt Whitman, and Gandhi are used to connect the ideal of inner peace with how real people cultivate peace in their everyday lives. Peacefulness as dynamic, selective, and egoless is shown through the constructive act of choosing different ways of life, such as having a smaller family or a more modest career. A message of hope and inspiration permeates this pragmatic approach and is exemplified by the author's own practice of meditation.
Product Description
Fresh study of Gandhi's life and ideas by a prominent philosopher. attention to lies, the truth, war, oaths, comparisons with Mazzini.
Average customer rating:
|
Exploring Gandhi
Manamohana Caudhurī
Manufacturer: Gandhi Peace Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 South Asia
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007BO2Y2 |
Average customer rating:
|
Exploring Gandhi
Manmohan Choudhuri
Manufacturer: South Asia Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Reference & Collections
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
India
| Asia
| History
| Subjects
| Books
| Ancient
Political History
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 9993958999 |
Average customer rating:
- The Truth Hurts
- The Truth Hurts
- Great Photos of el Che
- Best photos
- A very interest book . . .
|
Che: Images of a Revolutionary
Oscar Sola
Manufacturer: Pluto Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Portraits
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Historical
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Political
| Leaders & Notable People
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Guevara, Che
| ( G )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Cuba
| Caribbean & West Indies
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Central America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| 20th Century
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| South America
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Terrorism
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Che Handbook
-
Fidel's Cuba: A Revolution in Pictures
-
El Che - Investigating a Legend
-
Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
-
Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life
ASIN: 0745317006 |
Book Description
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-67) is the twentieth century's most famous revolutionary. Che grew up in a bohemian family drawn from the landed gentry and went on to train as a physician. As a young doctor his travels in Latin America produced a political awakening that altered the course of his life. He joined the1952 riots against Juan Peron in Argentina, joined agitators in Bolivia, worked for the pro-Communist regime of Jacobe Arbenz Guzman in Guatemala and, when Arbenz was overthrown in 1954, fled to Mexico, where he first met Fidel Castro. Che became one of Castro's closest and most trusted friends, and after the 1956 rebel invasion of Cuba became his chief lieutenant. Che proved to be a resourceful guerilla leader and was instrumental in establishing the Communist state in Cuba. He continued to foster revolutionary activity in other countries until the time of his death in 1967 when he was captured and executed by government troops in Bolivia while directing a guerrilla group there. Che: Images of a Revolutionary features nearly 400 photographs--many of them never previously published. The book follows Che's life from early childhood to his career as a political activist. Writings by Che, including a number of his speeches and examples of literature written about him, by Fidel Castro and Allen Ginsberg and others, complement the visually stunning photographic collection. The book is a result of exhaustive research in public and private archives in Cuba, Argentina, Bolivia, Europe, and North America. A concluding chapter discusses the "Guevara myth" from his death until the present day.
Customer Reviews:
The Truth Hurts.......2002-12-07
This is not a book for the general public but for leftists.
And it isn't about HISTORY but about Communist mythologie.
Contains several omissions:
.It forgets to informate the readers about what Che Gue Vara did
when he and his guerrileros went to Bolivia to "Liberate" the Bolivian peasants: they assassinated about 50 people ( peasant and soldiers in ambushes ) BEFORE he himself was captured and executed.
The Bolivians felt strange about this "Liberation" and not even one (!) joined his "red terror" band ( they actually told the Bolivian army the precise local where the che's band was ).
In other words, CHE GUE VARA TASTED HIS OWN POISON but the author (and some reviewers) made him a martyr and think America is the real guiltie....
it hurts the intelligence of a rational person
.it says very little about Che's cruelty and crimes: in Las Cabanas prison he ordered the execution of hundreds of people( some of them former brothers in arms which refused communism and stayed democratic ).SOME OF THEM WERE SHOT BY HIM, to give the example...
CHE incentivated their followers during those executions: « DON'T WAISTE TIME WITH THE CAUSES, THIS IS A REVOLUTION, DON'T USE LEGAL METHODS OF THE BURGUEOSOIS, THE PROVE IS SECONDARY.
IT'S NECESSARY TO ACT BY CONVICTION!»
We bet they did.
And the Mass Killings of the "enemies of the people" in Santa Clara Prison (some years later )is practically omissed by the author.
etc etc i could go on AD INFINITUM..
Omited too is the TROPICAL GULAG, the concentration camps and prisons system( or "REEDUCATION" CAMPS like CHE used to called them),where have been imprisioned since 1959 until today about 100 000 political prisioners.
Read how they were and still are beaten and forced to drink they own urine in AGAINST ALL HOPE of Valladares in Amazon.com
The Truth Hurts.......2002-12-07
This is not a book for the general public but for leftists.
And it isn't about HISTORY but about Communist mythologie.
Contains several omissions:
.It forgets to informate the readers about what Che Gue Vara did
when he and his guerrileros went to Bolivia to "Liberate" the Bolivian peasants: they assassinated about 50 people ( peasant and soldiers in ambushes ) BEFORE he himself was captured and executed.
The Bolivians felt strange about this "Liberation" and not even one (!) joined his "red terror" band ( they actually told the Bolivian army the precise local where the che's band was ).
In other words, CHE GUE VARA TASTED HIS OWN POISON but the author (and some reviewers) made him a martyr and think America is the real guiltie....
it hurts the intelligence of a rational person
.it says very little about Che's cruelty and crimes: in Las Cabanas prison he ordered the execution of hundreds of people( some of them former brothers in arms which refused communism and stayed democratic ).SOME OF THEM WERE SHOT BY HIM, to give the example...
CHE incentivated their followers during those executions: « DON'T WAISTE TIME WITH THE CAUSES, THIS IS A REVOLUTION, DON'T USE LEGAL METHODS OF THE BURGUEOSOIS, THE PROVE IS SECONDARY.
IT'S NECESSARY TO ACT BY CONVICTION!»
We bet they did.
And the Mass Killings of the "enemies of the people" in Santa Clara Prison (some years later )is practically omissed by the author.
etc etc i could go on AD INFINITUM..
Omited too is the TROPICAL GULAG, the concentration camps and prisons system( or "REEDUCATION" CAMPS like CHE used to called them),where have been imprisioned since 1959 until today about 100 000 political prisioners.
Read how they were and still are beaten and forced to drink they own urine in AGAINST ALL HOPE of Valladares in Amazon.com
Great Photos of el Che.......2001-09-02
Filled with photos of Che from childhood until his death, if you want to know more about him thru photography then this book is a fine start. Also to read Che: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson, the best biography ever written about him.
Best photos.......2001-07-18
Anyone interested in one of the 20th centuries most enigmatic and charismatic figures will love this book. This is an excellent source to compliment the book by Jon Anderson or to enjoy by itself. Filled with over 400 photgraphs, many rare and never seen before, this book captures the image of the man in the various years of his life, most notably his years spent in Cuba. To see the man in all his glory, whether it be sipping his beloved mate, smoking a cigar or fighting his guerrilla war somewhere, his face is unforgetable and this book shows the many facets of his personality. The text is an easy read that can be read in one sitting but the pictures are priceless and require one's attention over and over. This is a book that sits prominently in full view in my house for quick browsing. The photos are exquisite, taken from various sources including one's taken by Che himself. Of particular interest is a section of the book that deals with the now fanous photo taken by Korda that is the image most people know of Che. This is the image that adorns everything from t-shirts to money that was taken during a service for for the victims of an explosion on a ship in 1960, one of the images of our times. The contact strip is included and the various degrees of differences can be noted. Of even more interest is the image of Che's corpse that was displayed by the Bolivian authorites and a comparison to the art of Mantegna's Dead Christ. The resemblance is uncanny. The open eyes of Che, even in death, are more alive than many of the people alive who walk around with tombstones in their eyes. This is an excepional book that chronicles the life and times of Ernesto Guevara, portraying an image in text and magnificent photographs of the man, not the myth, known as Che.
A very interest book . . ........2001-05-22
I think this is the best book of Che Guevara that I've read, and im really read a lot of him. It's perspective it's ecuanimous and objetive and show to the readers, many pictures of his life than we never know. I'm not triying to write some kind of promotion but i feel compromised to say my experience with the book.
Average customer rating:
|
Growing Up in Manitoba (CPS,)
Harold Draper
Manufacturer: Canadian Plains Research Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Prairie Provinces
| Regional Canada
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Rural
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Canada
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0889771162 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Manitoba History, published by Manitoba Historical Society on September 1, 1999. The length of the article is 835 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: Growing up in Manitoba.
Publication:
Manitoba History (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1999
Publisher: Manitoba Historical Society
Issue: 38
Page: 55
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Books:
- Joseph McCarthy: Reexamining the Life and Legacy of America's Most Hated Senator
- Journey from Anxiety to Freedom: Moving Beyond Panic and Phobias and Learning to Trust Yourself
- Journey Not The Arrival Matters: An Autobiography Of The Years 1939 To 1969
- Juan Alvarado Governor of California 1836-1842
- Koba the Dread: Laughter and the Twenty Million
- La Conquista De Alejandro Magno / The Virtues of War (Novela Historica / Historic Novel)
- Labeling People (McGill-Queen's Studies in the History of Ideas)
- Lady Bird Johnson: Our Environmental First Lady
- Land Without Justice
- Let Every Nation Know: John F. Kennedy in His Own Words
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Understanding Sonet/Sdh and Atm: Communications Networks for the Next Millennium
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre
- Real Exchange Rates, Devaluation, and Adjustment: Exchange Rate Policy in Developing Countries
- Managing by the Numbers: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Using Your Company's Financials :
- Real Estate Rainmaker: Guide to Online Marketing
- The New Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry
- Shaping the Future: A Dynamic Process for Creating and AchievingYour Company's Strategic Vision
- Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves
- Russian Path Dependence: A People with a Troubled History
- The Mammoth Book of Vintage Whodunnits
James Monroe: The Quest for National Identity
James Madison: A Biography
Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time (Signature Series)
Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times
The Life of Andrew Jackson (Perennial Classics)
