North Korea Under Kim Jong Il: From Consolidation to Systemic Dissonance
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    North Korea Under Kim Jong Il: From Consolidation to Systemic Dissonance
    Sung Chull Kim
    Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    1. North of the Dmz: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea North of the Dmz: Essays on Daily Life in North Korea
    2. The North Korean Economy: Between Crisis and Catastrophe The North Korean Economy: Between Crisis and Catastrophe
    3. Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform
    4. Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty

    ASIN: 0791469271

    Book Description

    Examines internal changes in North Korea under the expanding rule of Kim Jong Il.
    From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea 1945-1960
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • A disjointed book
    • Little-known facts abou the early history of North Korea
    From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea 1945-1960
    Andrei Lankov , and A. N. LAN'Kov
    Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Library Binding

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    1. Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty
    2. The Guerilla Dynasty: Politics and Leadership in North Korea The Guerilla Dynasty: Politics and Leadership in North Korea
    3. The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 (Studies of the East Asian Institute, Columbia University) The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 (Studies of the East Asian Institute, Columbia University)

    ASIN: 0813531179

    Book Description

    To understand how North Korea has survived as the world's last Stalinist regime, despite international isolation and at enormous human cost to its people, one must look at how its political system was created. The country's foundations were laid in the late 1940s and the 1950s as a result of interaction between the Soviet Stalinist model, imposed from outside, and local traditions. Andrei Lankov traces the formation of the North Korean state and the early years of Kim Il Sung's rule, when the future "Great Leader" and his entourage were consolidating their power base. Surveying the situation in North Korea after 1945, Lankov explores the internal composition of the ruling elite, the role of the Soviets, and the uneasy relations between various politcal groups. He also focuses on how in 1956 Kim Il Sung defeated the only known attempt to oust him and thereby established personal rule beyond either Soviet or Chinese control. The book is based on previously secret Soviet documents from Russian archives, as well as interviews with Russian and Korean participants.

    Customer Reviews:

    2 out of 5 stars A disjointed book.......2006-12-21

    This book seems to be a series of essays or lectures quickly cobbled together in book form. Difficult reading and uninteresting. A disappointing purchase.

    5 out of 5 stars Little-known facts abou the early history of North Korea.......2006-01-02

    Kudos to Andrei Lankov. Lankov is known for his expertise on North Korea and this book is a great example of his credentials.

    Even those who have studied Korean history (in the west and in South Korea) often state that North Korea was erected immediately upon Japanese defeat in World War II. THese pundits claim Stalin had plans to build a friendly communist state in Korea - and Lankov shows this is absolutely untrue.

    Lankov is honest enough to admit that he does not have access to all the existing Soviet archival material on the Korean War and on Soviet-North Korean relations between 1945 and 1950. However, he does a great job detailing the early history of political events in northern Korea, from the moment Soviet troops arrived, until the post-Korean War years.

    A must, with many facts and easy to read, for anyone who wants a good grasp on the origins of North Korea.
    Kim Il Sung
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Napoleonic complex on a national level
    • Good for explainig North KOrea and understanding it.
    • Very helpful book if visiting North Korea
    • Advanced but Very Good
    Kim Il Sung
    Dae-Sook Suh
    Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    Similar Items:
    1. Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History, Updated Edition Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History, Updated Edition
    2. The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Revised and Updated Edition) The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History (Revised and Updated Edition)
    3. North Korea through the Looking Glass North Korea through the Looking Glass
    4. Age of Hirohito: In Search of Modern Japan Age of Hirohito: In Search of Modern Japan
    5. The Emperor The Emperor

    ASIN: 0231065736

    Book Description

    -- American Historical Review



    This book is especially important now with Kim Il Sung's death, the ending of the nuclear crisis between North Korea and the United States, and the obscured emergence of a successor regime ostensibly headed by Kim Il Jong, Sung's son. Suh's book investigates the impact of Kim Il Sung on the history and politics of North Korea and what his death will mean for the future of the country and its relations with the rest of the world.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Napoleonic complex on a national level.......2003-04-24

    Ever wonder why North Korea is such a ... arrogant little country? This book will tell you exactly why. Guerrilla leaders scarred by years of eating rats, living in the hills, and butchering Japanese invaders do not necessarily possess the skills needed to run a country! This book is a must for anybody interested in the current standoff between America and Pyongyang, which North Korea seems to believe will end with the Korean peninsula being devoured by a sea of fire. Kim Il Sung's early days as a revolutionary and guerrilla fighter are given much attention, as are the purges he carried out in order to become the supreme leader. If you're looking for a play-by-play account of the Korean War, look elsewhere though- this book sweeps quickly through that period. The author focuses primarily on Kim's tight-rope act between the Soviet Union (which gave him the job in the first place), China (which saved his butt from the American-led U.N. forces), and the U.S. (which has refrained from crushing lil' Kim's summer camp of starvation in the name of East Asian harmony). Other topics addressed by the author include: Kim's frustration at not being acknowledged as the Emperor of the Third World, Kim's frustration at not being able to feed his population while spending 99.99% of his country's slight earnings on military hardware, Kim's frustration that the rest of the world didn't care much about the Korean problem (until now, of course), and Kim's frustration at not receiving a THIRD honorary degree from some university in Africa or Southeast Asia (naw, just kidding...but you get the point). The only complaint I have is this: the avalanche of names and details that sometimes disrupts the narrative. Perhaps a little too scholarly for anybody not specifically interested in the history of the North Korean Communist Party from 1946-1980's. Still, if you can get past this, the book is rewarding, and one will walk away knowing who Kim Il Sung was, how his son maneuvered into power, and why North Korea is a country with a Napoleonic complex.

    5 out of 5 stars Good for explainig North KOrea and understanding it........2003-02-04

    This is essential for understanding North Korea and how it relates to the world of today. To undestand North Korea you must understand it's founder Kim Il Sung. The book goes on to show how he created a Stalinist State and huge army to insure it's survival. It talks about the many attempts on the lives of south korean presidents and his unpredictable nature that he passed on to his son and successor. Understandin Kin Il Sung will help the reader understand why Noth Korea is today run more like a cult than a country and why it is the most secretive country in the world today and a failed society.

    5 out of 5 stars Very helpful book if visiting North Korea.......2003-01-10

    In 2001 I visited North Korea and found this book very helpful because our guides would only give us the official version of their history. The book is packed full of information and the only one I have found that explains how Kim Il Sung gained and kept power. Dae-Sook Sue has put a great deal of reseach into the book and let's hope he writes another book on North Korea covering Kim Jong Il present reign and the future of the country. There is no other county like North Korea so I recommend reading the book then visiting the country.

    5 out of 5 stars Advanced but Very Good.......2000-07-02

    This book is advanced but very good. It is complicated at times but in the long run it is good for reports or projects. It is very interesting. Kim Il Sungs career is much more interesting than Lenin's or Stalins. Very Good!
    Prison Writings
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Minjok e han eh ango
    Prison Writings
    Kim Dae Jung , and Schoi Sung-Il
    Manufacturer: University of California Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0520054822

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Minjok e han eh ango.......2001-06-16

    A prison wrtings, mostly letters the current president of south Korea sent to his family members while he was incarcerated. It shows the depth of President Kim's Christian faith, and his faith in human nature.
    Kim Il Sung in the Khrushchev Era: Soviet-DPRK Relations and the Roots of North Korean Despotism, 1953-1964 (Cold War International History Project Series) (Cold War International History Project)
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Kim Il Sung in the Khrushchev Era: Soviet-DPRK Relations and the Roots of North Korean Despotism, 1953-1964 (Cold War International History Project Series) (Cold War International History Project)
      Balazs Szalontai
      Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      Similar Items:
      1. Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, And Legacy (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center) (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asi) Ethnic Nationalism in Korea: Genealogy, Politics, And Legacy (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center) (Studies of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asi)
      2. The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 (Studies of the East Asian Institute, Columbia University) The North Korean Revolution, 1945-1950 (Studies of the East Asian Institute, Columbia University)
      3. Two Dreams in One Bed: Empire, Social Life, and the Origins of the North Korean Revolution in Manchuria (Asia-Pacific) Two Dreams in One Bed: Empire, Social Life, and the Origins of the North Korean Revolution in Manchuria (Asia-Pacific)
      4. Colonial Modernity in Korea Colonial Modernity in Korea
      5. Japan's Colonization of Korea: Discourse and Power (Peoples of Hawai'i, the Pacific, & Asia) Japan's Colonization of Korea: Discourse and Power (Peoples of Hawai'i, the Pacific, & Asia)

      ASIN: 0804753229
      Release Date: 2006-01-04

      Book Description

      Concentrating on the years 1953-64, this history describes how North Korea became more despotic even as other Communist countries underwent de-Stalinization. The author’s principal new source is the Hungarian diplomatic archives, which contain extensive reporting on Kim Il Sung and North Korea, thoroughly informed by research on the period in the Soviet and Eastern European archives and by recently published scholarship.

      Much of the story surrounds Kim Il Sung: his Korean nationalism and eagerness for Korean autarky; his efforts to balance the need for foreign aid and his hope for an independent foreign policy; and what seems to be his good sense of timing in doing in internal rivals without attracting Soviet retaliation. Through a series of comparisons not only with the USSR but also with Albania, Romania, Yugoslavia, China, and Vietnam, the author highlights unique features of North Korean communism during the period. Szalontai covers ongoing effects of Japanese colonization, the experiences of diverse Korean factions during World War II, and the weakness of the Communist Party in South Korea.

      Kim Il Sung and Korea's Struggle: An Unconventional Firsthand History
      Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
      • an important piece of the puzzle that is north korea
      Kim Il Sung and Korea's Struggle: An Unconventional Firsthand History
      Won Tai Sohn
      Manufacturer: McFarland & Company
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      ASIN: 0786415894

      Book Description

      In 1910, Japan took control over Korea by military and political force. Then, in 1945, Korea was arbitrarily divided by the Soviet Union and the United States into North and South Korea. The Soviets impeded all United Nations efforts to hold elections and reunite the country under one government. Korea has been struggling for independence and reunification ever since.

      In this memoir, Won Tai Sohn recollects the unusually harsh Japanese treatment of Korean people in Korea, Manchuria, China and Japan, and remembers his close relationship with North Korean president Kim Il Sung from their boyhood to President Kim's sudden death in 1994. According to Dr. Sohn, President Kim devoted his entire life to the liberation of Korea, starting with fighting against the Japanese stationed in North Korea and China. He became the first premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea when it was established in 1948, and led his nation in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. In 1993, President Kim's nuclear program and defense policy became a great concern for the United States when intelligence analysis estimated that North Korea was less than two years away from being able to strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear missiles. President Kim died two months after talks with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter about ending North Korea's nuclear program.

      Customer Reviews:

      3 out of 5 stars an important piece of the puzzle that is north korea.......2003-12-28

      Do not read Dr. Won Tai Sohn's "Kim Il Sung and Korea's Struggle" if you are seeking a sophisticated political analysis of how Kim Il-song and Kim Chong-il have built and run the North Korean state. But do invest in this book if you seek to know the pain and nationalistic hopes characteristic of the Korean people as they struggled under the yoke of Japanese occcupation from 1910 to 1945. And, above all, do pay close attention to Dr. Sohn's description of his childhood exile in Manchuria, for his family sheltered and worked with the young Kim Il-song in organizing the Korean youths in China to keep alive their love of the motherland.

      If your primary interest regarding this book is how the Koreans dealt with the Japanese occupation, then "Kim Il Sung and Korea's Struggle" is well-teamed with Richard Kim's "Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood." On the other hand, if your interest lies primarily in Dr. Sohn's first-hand knowledge of Kim Il-song as a youth, then the book is best teamed with Professor Dae Sook Suh's definitive biography of Kim Il-song.
      History's Villains - Kim Il Sung (History's Villains)
      Average customer rating: 1 out of 5 stars
      • Terrible
      History's Villains - Kim Il Sung (History's Villains)
      Scott Ingram
      Manufacturer: Blackbirch Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Board book

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      ASIN: 1410302598

      Book Description

      The course of world history has often been set by powerful individuals who had an insatiable hunger for power, wealth, fame, and glory. In many cases, these villains have ruled countries and empires with violence and oppression--inflicting their ideals on innocent people.

      History's Villains takes a two-sided look at some of history's most influential villains; the series explores simultaneously the influences and experiences that shaped the figure, but does so in the context of the time. What emerges is a unique story about a world that changed a person and a person that changed the world.

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars Terrible.......2004-05-08

      What a terrible and un-objective book!If anyone here is actually interested in reading a mostly fair and balanced book on Kim, I suggest you read Dae sook Suh's work on him.
      North Korea After Kim Il Sung: Continuity or Change? (Hoover Institution Press Publication, No 438)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        North Korea After Kim Il Sung: Continuity or Change? (Hoover Institution Press Publication, No 438)

        Manufacturer: Hoover Institution Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        1. Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas Avoiding the Apocalypse: The Future of the Two Koreas

        ASIN: 0817994629

        Book Description

        A distinguished group of international scholars debates the state of change or continuity in North Korea's post--Kim II Sung regime--shedding light on one of the world's most closed societies, its potential to adapt to post--cold war realities, and the prospects for a peaceful and stable Korean peninsula.

        Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il (Major World Leaders)
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il (Major World Leaders)
          Rachel A. Koestler-Grack
          Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Hardcover

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          ASIN: 0791076482
          Brief History of the Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Kim Il Sung
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            Brief History of the Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Kim Il Sung

            Manufacturer: Foreign Languages Publishing House
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover
            ASIN: B000FGVZB2

            River of Traps: A Village Life
            Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
            • An honest story of an unusual friendship, words & pictures
            • Lovely, lovely, lovely.
            • A deserving Pulitzer finalist and a NYTimes Notable Book
            • A powerful blend of imagery and interpersonal relationships.
            River of Traps: A Village Life
            William De Buys , and Alex Harris
            Manufacturer: Univ of New Mexico Pr
            ProductGroup: Book
            Binding: Hardcover

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            ASIN: 0826311822

            Customer Reviews:

            4 out of 5 stars An honest story of an unusual friendship, words & pictures.......1999-07-27

            DuBuys' and Harris' friendship with Jacobo Romero was an education for their minds and spirits and they share what they learned in this elegant volume. New Mexicans are hard to write about, because they use language more directly, to a different purpose, than most other Americans. It's difficult to tell a New Mexican's story, because it's hard to use a New Mexican's language. DuBuys has stood in a neutral place to see himself, his friend Alex Harris, their women, and his friend Jacobo Romero, his wife, and others, and to tell a story that is from the heart without being romanticized, that shares what he learned with striking generosity. The pictures are beautiful--the landscape of New Mexican people is even more stirring than the landscape of New Mexican land.

            5 out of 5 stars Lovely, lovely, lovely........1999-05-05

            A captivating read, a joy, a lovely picture book. You will fall in love with this book... You will not be able to help yourself.

            5 out of 5 stars A deserving Pulitzer finalist and a NYTimes Notable Book.......1999-01-06

            This is a fluid and absorbing book. Each chapter/vignette builds carefully upon the preceding one. The author's knowledge of the Southwest and its intertwined cultures and his affection for the land and his friends makes this a powerful read. Anyone interested in the Southwest, biography and/or photography should read this. It's wonderful!

            4 out of 5 stars A powerful blend of imagery and interpersonal relationships........1998-10-14

            River of Traps is not your typical conservation book. This is a drama, provided to the reader in subtle, sweeping prose and powerful photography by the co-authors.

            This book is about transitions: young adults, coming of age in world still not comfortable with the overwhelming changes wrought by the turbulent 60s; the politics of water in the southwest; and the transition of a wizened native seer who knows he only has so much time left to impart the wisdom he has gained from his life in the native land he loves.

            Never overwritten, but requiring a fair amount of patience, I highly recommend this non-fiction account of three young adults coming into their own, in a new world, only partly of their making.

            Four and a half stars.
            River of Traps A Village Life
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              River of Traps A Village Life
              William and Alex Harris deBuys
              Manufacturer: U of New Mexico Press
              ProductGroup: Book
              Binding: Hardcover
              ASIN: B000J0SFRQ
              River of Traps: A Village Life
              Average customer rating: Not rated
                River of Traps: A Village Life
                William and Alex Harris DeBuys
                Manufacturer: Univ New Mexico
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover
                ASIN: B000GR6WTU

                My Spy: Memoir of a Cia Wife
                Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
                • very interesting
                • AN EMOTIONAL STORY FIT FOR A KING OR A QUEEN
                • --From the wife's point of view--
                • A truly remarkable story
                • Good Book, Misleading Title
                My Spy: Memoir of a Cia Wife
                Bina C. Kiyonaga
                Manufacturer: William Morrow
                ProductGroup: Book
                Binding: Hardcover

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                3. A Spy's Journey: A CIA Memoir A Spy's Journey: A CIA Memoir
                4. Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying
                5. The Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World The Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World

                ASIN: 0380975874

                Book Description

                Our story spans fifty years, four continents, three wars, a revolution, five children, two races and one faith. It is the story of an often stormy, sometimes blissful, but never dull marriage. It lasted thirty years - and then death did the parting.

                So begins the love story of Joe Kiyonaga, the striking Japanese-American war hero from Hawaii, and Bina Cady, the irreverent Irish-Catholic redhead from Baltimore. Similar in their convictions, different in most every other respect, the two leaped into a marriage in 1947 that defied the anti-Japanese sentiments of the day. Their unlikely union would come to include a powerful, top-secret cohort: the CIA.

                During the darkest days of the Cold War, Bina, as a CIA wife, was initiated into a world of silence. She would learn not to ask who had called at 2:00 A.M., where Joe had disappeared to for days at a time, or why a notorious dictator had shown up at their door unannounced. Joe's "cover' had to be maintained, and no one could be trusted with the truth. Bina would learn to live a lie and lie bravely.

                From the surreal intrigue of post-war Japan to the raucous mariachi-band parties of 1960s El Salvador and the "Yankee Go Home" Panama of the 1970s to the planning of a coup d'etat in Brazil, Bina would become Joe's unwitting partner, playing the traditional role of wife and mother for the most untraditional of ends: helping Joe recruit agents. Everything from cocktail parties to the children's swim meets would become possible venues for agent recruitment, every casual acquaintance-even the parish priest-a potential intelligence source. Through Joe's work, Bina was introduced to foreign leaders, military strongmen and influential journalists secretly working with Washington-a cast of like-minded souls who believed, as did Joe and Bina, that the CIA's cause was noble and that its methods served a greater good.

                In the end, Bina's story is the story of the spy she loved. Born out in the cold, on an island where being too tall and too western-looking made him a rumor incarnate, Joe Kiyonaga was all the more remarkable for what he became, and overcame. A man with a foothold in many worlds, but at home in none, he was ready to kick over the traces and re-invent himself as the consummate spy.

                Only after thirty years, as Joe lay dying, did Bina finally meet the husband she never knew, and hear the full details of the secret life and global cause of which she and their five children had been a part.

                This is the story that Joe entrusted to Bina, a story she promised him she would tell. A story of a time to remember, and of a marriage forged by trust and faith in a world full of lies.

                Our story spans fifty years, four continents, three wars, a revolution, five children, two races and one faith. It is the story of an often stormy, sometimes blissful, but never dull marriage. It lasted thirty years---and then death did the parting.

                So begins the love story of Joe Kiyonaga, the striking Japanese-American war hero from Hawaii, and Bina Cady, the irreverent Irish-Catholic redhead from Baltimore. Similar in their convictions, different in most every other respect, the two leaped into a marriage in 1947 that defied the anti-Japanese sentiments of the day. Their unlikely union would come to include a powerful, top-secret cohort: the CIA.

                During the darkest days of the Cold War, Bina, as a CIA wife, was initiated into a world of silence. She would learn not to ask who had called a 2:00 A.M., where Joe had disappeared to for days at a time, or why a notorious dictator had shown up at their door unannounced. Joe's "cover" had to be maintained, and no one could be trusted with the truth. Bina would learn to live a lie and lie bravely.

                From the surreal intrigue of post-war Japan to the raucous mariachi-band parties of 1960s El Salvador and the "Yankee Go Home" Panama of the 1970s to the planning of a coup d'etat in Brazil, Bina would become Joe's unwitting partner, playing the traditional role of wife and mother for the most untraditional of ends: helping Joe recruit agents. Everything from cocktail parties to the children's swim meets would become possible venues for agent recruitment; every casual acquaintance---even the parish priest---a potential intelligence source. Through Joe's work, Bina was introduced to foreign leaders, military strongmen and influential journalists secretly working with Washington---a cast of like-minded souls who believed, as did Joe and Bina, that the CIA's cause was noble and that its methods served a greater good.

                In the end, Bina's story is the story of the spy she loved.

                Customer Reviews:

                4 out of 5 stars very interesting.......2004-09-15

                I just finished this book (having picked it up for .25 at a library book sale) and it was a real page-turner. I hated to have it end! I cried at the end. It reminded me of reading about my parent's generation (keeping their virginity, etc.) and thought she gave enough personal details to fulfill our interest but not too much to embarrass their whole family! Having read so much about her and her children, I would be very curious to hear more in an epilogue. I guess I also am interested because a relative has a mixed marriage as hers and mixed children. That part was very interesting to me. She has a good writing style. Very enjoyable book. I'm getting one for a friend my parent's age so I will be curious to see if it is interesting to someone in that generation as well.

                5 out of 5 stars AN EMOTIONAL STORY FIT FOR A KING OR A QUEEN.......2002-12-19

                You're not going to learn much about the profession of "spying," but you are going to experience a wonderful true story of a family held together by the wife and backed up and nourished by the father. It is a little like a travelogue and a lot of how to have a successful marriage even while having problems and a husband who is away from home a lot. At the end, you should shed a tear or two if you have a heart within you!

                5 out of 5 stars --From the wife's point of view--.......2002-04-16

                This is an interesting book about the marriage of a middle class woman of Irish descent to a Hawaiian man of Japanese descent. Aside from the differences in their backgrounds, their lives were further complicated by Joe Kiyonaga's career as a CIA agent. Throw in several children, add tours of duty to Japan, Central and South America and you have a lifetime of various adventures. The author, Bina Cady Kiyonaga writes with feeling, and tells the story of her marriage to Joe Kiyonaga with a great deal of candor, even describing the racial prejudice that her husband had to endure. Her rich descriptions of the various places that the family lived really enhance the story and give it an extra dimension.

                Bina has an easy style of writing and describes her life with a great deal of wit and humor. I recommend the book to anyone who might be interested in what it was like for the wife and family of a CIA operative.

                5 out of 5 stars A truly remarkable story.......2002-02-25

                I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought this book. However, after the first chapter, I was hooked. Bina Kiyonaga has effectively portrayed the difficulties of trying to strike the delicate balance between maintaining a semblance of normalcy for her family, while supporting her husband's career as an officer of the CIA. Having lived overseas, I can certainly appreciate Bina's problems of having to raise a family without the normality and convenience of life in the United States (not to mention having to raise 5 children in this environment!).

                While the details surrounding much of what her husband accomplished during his tenure at the CIA will never be disclosed, Bina has done an excellent job of providing background to lend a certain aura to what her husband was all about. I was awestruck by the devotion she lavished on her husband during good times and in bad. Her faith and her family certainly allowed her to become the women she is today. And is portrayed in the book in a very effective manner.
                I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Despite the minor redundancies throughout the narrative, I think this is a remarkable story...truly something in this book for everyone!

                4 out of 5 stars Good Book, Misleading Title.......2001-09-29

                I really enjoyed this book, but its title is a bit misleading. It Should have been titled, "My Life, While Married to a CIA Spy." The thing which struck me the most was that I'd never make it as the wife of someone in the CIA. Maybe as a spy, but never as the wife. The wives had to sit at home whenever their husbands disappeared, with no advance warning, and perhaps for weeks on end without EVER picking up the telephone to call and enquire as to the husband, or when he might be back--or a mission could be compromised. One woman was in the last weeks of her pregnancy, and her husband had disappeared for several weeks. This finally did make that call, and the husband's mission was compromised. It was the husband's last mission. Later he left the agency, and also divorced his wife. Anyway, there were a lot of interesting anecdotes in the book. Bina tells as much as she can without compromising anyone who could now be hurt by the book.
                My Spy
                Average customer rating: Not rated
                  My Spy
                  Bina Cady Kiyonaga: Memoir of a CIA Wife
                  Manufacturer: Avon Books
                  ProductGroup: Book
                  Binding: Hardcover
                  ASIN: B000U3Y1D4
                  My Spy: Memoir of a CIA Wife
                  Average customer rating: Not rated
                    My Spy: Memoir of a CIA Wife
                    Bina Cady Kiyonaga
                    Manufacturer: Avon Books
                    ProductGroup: Book
                    Binding: Hardcover
                    ASIN: B000NQLZSW

                    I Must Fly
                    Average customer rating: Not rated
                      I Must Fly
                      Sheila Scott
                      Manufacturer: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Hardcover
                      ASIN: 0340042818
                      Release Date: 1968-11-01
                      I Must Fly
                      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
                      • A great read!
                      • Reviews
                      I Must Fly
                      Johnny Moore
                      Manufacturer: Sugarpine Aviators
                      ProductGroup: Book
                      Binding: Paperback

                      GeneralGeneral | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Specific Groups | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Aviation | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                      GeneralGeneral | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
                      ASIN: 096587205X

                      Customer Reviews:

                      5 out of 5 stars A great read!.......1999-09-22

                      Johnny writes with great personal candor. Learn from the wide experiences of a 25,000+ hour pilot! A slice of aviation americana; start with Johnny's humble and tragic beginnings and conclude the proprietor of a widely respected FBO and pilot examiner. A must read for any aviation enthusiast.

                      5 out of 5 stars Reviews.......1999-01-27

                      Jim Magoffin, with whom Johnny flew was founder of Interior Airways, Alaska International Air and MarkAir and author of "Triumph Over Turbulence." He writes, "I finally wrenched your book away from Dot and have finished reading it. You have produced a fine book, Johnny-especially interesting to pilots. You've certainly been involved and have skillfully recounted many episodes in a most interesting career.

                      Former Alaska Bush Pilot and Aviation Safety Consultant John Hein writes, "Ride along with Johnny Moore as he learns to fly, buys his first plane, and makes a living as a commercial pilot. Avgas, adrenaline, and determination are the only things that keep this cool young pilot headed toward success. Johnny and Judy marry and begin their family as he works as a crop duster, fire bomber pilot, and Alaska bush pilot. The ups and downs of flying create an adventure on every leaf of this 383 page autobiography. The stories contain advice and lessons, some learned the hard way. There are safety tips for those who are willing to learn from the mistakes of others. Excellent reading for the pilot or would-be pilot. You will not want to put this book down until you reach the last page, then it will leave you wishing for "Moore."

                      "I enjoyed this book immensely and was impressed with the author's honesty and frankness. I felt that I was in the cockpit with him as he frantically searched for a place to land his crop duster as he is trapped in a killer ground fog. I shared his grief at the loss of friends or a favorite plane. The cycle of fate predicts whether or not we succeed or lose. Johnny Moore succeeded. Read the book to find out how he did it."

                      "I Must Fly! has sold so well it is now in reprint. Also its prequel, "Family Centennial" is on the market and available!
                      "Whither must I fly?": A key to current plans for a warless world order
                      Average customer rating: Not rated
                        "Whither must I fly?": A key to current plans for a warless world order
                        Alexander D Mebane
                        Manufacturer: n.p.]
                        ProductGroup: Book
                        Binding: Unknown Binding

                        International RelationsInternational Relations | Political Science | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
                        ASIN: B0007HILPC

                        Books:

                        1. P. A. Stolypin: The Search for Stability in Late Imperial Russia
                        2. Paradoxes of Mahathirism: An Intellectual Biography of Mahathir Mohamad
                        3. Pinochet: The Politics of Torture (Fast Track)
                        4. Prince of Edisto: Brigadier General Micah Jenkins, C.S.A (Confederate Biography)
                        5. Reaching for Glory: Lyndon Johnson's Secret White House Tapes, 1964-1965
                        6. Rebekkah's Journey: A World War II Refugee Story (Tales of Young Americans)
                        7. Saint, Sinner, Sailor
                        8. Scanlon's War : An Enlisted Man Remembers 1941-1945
                        9. Self Portrait Che Guevara
                        10. Smoke, Sound & Fury: The Civil War Memoirs of Major-General Lew Wallace, U.S. Volunteers

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