Ideas & Opinions
by Gramercy
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (12 December, 1988)
list price: $5.99 -- our price: $5.39
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (20)

decent
interesting work

check out something by Peter Kreeft for further reading

Other sides of the great scientific genius
In some sense we all live in the age of Einstein. His major discoveries at the turn of the twentieth century in the papers published in his annus mirabilis 1905 totally changed the way mankind thought about the physical world. In these papers he helped lay the basis not only of special relativity but of quantum theory. Einstein later went on to extend our understanding of the universe with his more comprehensive theory of general relativity which was confirmed in the famous experiment of 1919. Einstein spent the latter years of his life looking apparently unsuccessfuly for a unified field theory which would unite all the forces of nature.
Einstein was a legend in his own time, one of the icons of the twentieth century. He played an important historical role when he helped forward the Manhattan Project and the US effort to build an atomic bomb. This is a step he had great regrets about. And the irony and painful truth is that this gentle man was responsible for the discovery which helped give Mankind for the first time in its history the power to wholly destroy itself. The truth is however, however Einstein may have regretted this the conversion of matter to energy which made the bomb possible would have been discovered by someone else.
These writings contain a wide variety of work on a wide variety of subjects. He writes on friends, and on freedom on education and on religion, on politics, government and pacifism.He writes on the Jewish people on Anti- Semitism on Zionism, and on his connection with the Jewish people.He writes on his relation to his native Germany. And he writes on his contributions to science.
One does not have to always agree with him to respect his greatness, his humility, his intellectual integrity and his devotion to truth and to mankind.
He like all scientists before him even Newton ' stands on the shoulders of giants' But in our time and for it seems the foreseeable future to come he is the greatest giant of all.
And the consequences of his work, and the questions raised by him will be with us for so long as mankind seeks to comprehend the world.

Important texts from the most famous genius
This is a good book to learn what Einstein really thought. It explains which ideas led him to special relativity as well as general relativity. It explains how important the insights of Maxwell, Lorentz, and Planck were for his physics.

The book also reveals Einstein's opinions about religion and moral values; about peace, governments, human rights, and Nazists; about the nuclear bomb, and about many other topics.

Einstein has revolutionized science several times, but he could not do it indefinitely. The book also illuminates Einstein's understanding of quantum mechanics, the origin of his "paradoxes", and the limitations of his purely classical quest for the unified theory. ... Read more

Isbn: 0517003937
Sales Rank: 2644
Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Bargain Books    3. General    4. Philosophy & Social Aspects    5. Sale Adult - Science    6. Philosophy / General   

LINCOLN
by Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (05 November, 1996)
list price: $18.00 -- our price: $12.24
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (72)

Lincoln the man, not the myth
David Herbert Donald accomplishes with this biography the difficult goal of presenting Lincoln as a character at once thoroughly ordinary and exceptional. Although millions of words have been written about his subject, Lincoln remains shrouded in myth for many of us, but a reading of this fine biography parts those mists and reveals that the sixteenth president is not difficult to understand or relate to, onerous as his burdens may have been to bear.

Donald's prose is as plain-spoken as the words favored by Lincoln, but that is not to say that it is ordinary. On the contrary: Donald's mastery of his subject allows him to write with exceptional clarity and admirable dispassion.

While it is clear that on balance Donald greatly admires Lincoln, he never glorifies him. He is critical, for example, of Lincoln the Whig's occasional taste for demagogery in his partisan attacks on the rival Democratic Party early in his political career. In analyzing Lincoln's writings and speeches, he doesn't shy away from pointing out flaws and speciousness in their reasoning.

The book is also valuable for its ability to present landmarks in Lincoln's career in a clearer light. The best example of this is the recounting of the famous series of debates in pursuit of a Senate seat between Lincoln and his primary rival of the time, Stephen Douglas. History, particularly as it is taught in high school, often presents these debates as lofty philosophical interchanges between the two on slavery, individual rights and the nature of liberty. Donald's careful analysis of each of the seven debates shows that while they contained moments of high drama and keen insight, they were all dragged down by petty attacks -- on both sides -- repetitive arguments and occasional poorly prepared remarks.

Similarly, Donald points out a fact that is often forgotten: while Lincoln deplored slavery on moral grounds, he never believed that African-Americans were the equal of whites on any level. In fact, the author is quite critical of Lincoln's stubborn adherence to the idea that blacks could be relocated to Africa -- one that he held on to far longer than it merited, if indeed it ever did.

The most intriguing and insightful portions of the book center on Lincoln's presidency, for which he was wholly unprepared, by his own admission. While many of us are aware in a general sense that Lincoln was under great pressure during his first term as a wartime president, Donald dramatizes the difficulties in great detail, bringing to life the nearly unbearable weight that Lincoln bore in trying to juggle the demands of a highly disputatious cabinet, a stubbornly unresponsive military leadership, and a Republican Party that was in many cases more hostile to him than were the Democrats.

Lincoln's final success in bringing the war to a successful conclusion -- albeit at staggering human and financial cost -- is all the more satisfying and poignant for Donald's attention to the four years of disappointments. With the description of his death and the knowledge of the unfinished business that awaited his second term in rebuilding the nation, one is left to ponder more than ever what might have been had he not been assassinated.

As a finely drawn portrait reveals something of its subject's inner life, "Lincoln," through its meticulous attention to detail, gives the reader a greater understanding of the man than any mere collection of facts could ever provide. Highly recommended.

completely misses the mark
This is one of the few books I have ever read, where, upon finishing the last page, my first inclination was to throw it directly into the trash.

The author's central thesis that Lincoln was essentially passive misses the mark so completely, that one can't help but wonder if he chose this position merely to be different.It so far mistakes Lincoln's nature as to be laughable, except that for many people this will be the only book they will read on Lincoln, and to them the author has also done a disservice.

I think it not a coincidence that the bookcover contains no blurb of praise from the pre-eminent author on the Civil War today, James McPherson, and that this book was not mentionedwhen a panel of authors and scholars at a recent forum were asked to name the best single volume biography of Lincoln.

Read the biography by Benjamin Thomas instead, as the first book to read on Lincoln.

Mr.Lincoln
This is perhaps one of the largest volumes on Lincoln but also one of the best. It goes from his home life to his political career. The book is very fascinating and also very easy to read and understand. This will answer a lot of questions you have on Lincoln, but I also think it will make you want to learn more about him. ... Read more

Isbn: 068482535X
Sales Rank: 9840
Subjects:  1. 1809-1865    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Historical - U.S.    6. Lincoln, Abraham,    7. Literary    8. Political Process - Leadership    9. Political Science    10. Presidents    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Literary   

Smithsonian
by Smithsonian
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $48.00 -- our price: $12.00
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (19)

The most fulfilling magazine to read cover to cover
Even if you can only afford the time to read a sporadic issue here or there, this is by far the most gratifying magazine to read.

This is more like an encyclopedia of current events affecting out world than a magazine.The gamut of topics is amazing and can in one article cover a topic with comprehensive, excellent writing.The consistency of quality makes it a number once choice.

It continues to carry the most intriguing articles I have ever read.If you're thinking about a subscription- pick one up at a newstand and revel in the pages of information.Chances are good you'll be so impressed you won't hesitate to indulge in a subscription to satisfy your appetite for more.

Look forward to every issue
I started receiving Smithsonian magazine a few months ago.It was the best choice I could have made in selecting a magazine.I find myself reading the articles out loud to my husband.I want to read every article because I am afraid I am going to miss something.I am saving them so my young son can enjoy them when he is older.

We are impressed with every issue
Every issue we get, we say the same thing: "WOW! This is the best issue ever!! Just look at this article, and this one...."

We took a visit to the Smithsonian in Washington, hosting some guests from Germany who had the treasures of the mineral exhibit on their "must see first time to the US" list of attractions. We were a bit nonplussed by this--we didn't know that foreigners would be interested in the Smithsonian Museum. We spent an entire day, seeing just a small percentage of thenational treasures in this montsrous museum complex. While we were shopping in one of the gift shops, we were offered a membership. We signed up to support the Smithsonian and to get this magazine.

Recently, there was an article on Cambodia's huge temple complex Ankhor Wat (filmed in "Lara Croft"), an article on sled dogs and an article onthe Kansas-Nebraska Act, a key law that added to the tinder sparking the Civil War. And best of all, an article on Diane Arbus, the photographer who was famous for her portraits of seemingly ordinary people, somehow caught with an eye to freakishness or evil. Though I've been familiar with Arbus' work for year, this article had so much new information.

If you like magazines about nature, culture and history, this is the one to get. We get excited by every issue. ... Read more

Asin: B00005Q7DP
Sales Rank: 13
Subjects:  1. History    2. Art (Arts)    3. Fine Arts   

American History
by Primedia Special Interest-History Group
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $29.94 -- our price: $19.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (2)

Wonderfully Written, Fun to read
This magazine is GREAT.It covers the things you may know in history, but also tells the 'whole story'.The stories cover from 1492 to Post WWII.This magazine is the only one I have found that tells the full whole history in a easy to read interesting format.I would reccomend it for all Americans who want to know the true interesting history of America and not the shallow 3 minute news driven or HollyWood slanted history.

I Look Forward to Every Issue
This is an excellent magazine about American History.The magazine provides a wide range of stories on a bi-monthly basis.It doesn't repeat the same stories that most people know but it tries to tell instances that are not as well-known.In some cases it is little known stories about significant events and other times they have stories about little known pieces of American History.I only wish the magazine had a monthly publication. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N7OF
Sales Rank: 122
Subjects:  1. History    2. American History   

Civil War Times
by Primedia Special Interest-History Group
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
list price: $29.94 -- our price: $19.95
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (5)

Best on the market for the War Between the States
Civil War Times gives its readers exactly what they want - accurate historical reporting on America's bloodiest conflict. The articles give exciting, in-depth examinations of the battles to soldier profiles, both famous and obscure. The modern effects of the war don't escape notice, with valuable information on heritage preservation efforts and reenactments. Also recommend America's Civil War, but this one is the best

Never received the magazine
I ordered this magazine as a gift to my brother.Six months later he advised me that he never received a single copy even though he did get the gift subscription notification.After calling the publisher's subscription dept. I was told the magazine was shipped but returned as undeliverable.It turns out the street number was incorrect.I only wish they had notified me three months earlier, instead of waiting for me to call them.They also promised to call me in 24 hours to follow up, that never happened.This is a very good magazine, but my beef is with the subscription handlers.If something went wrong with the delivery I would expect them to initiate contact, especially in the case of a gift subscription.I ended up cancelling the subscription and just buying it off the shelf at a major bookstore and giving it to my brother, and he loves it.

Where does one go?
As a fan/reenactor and hobbyist of the Civil War, where does one go for further insight or keep up on current events?I would say to start reading this magazine.It covers many subjects and offers new insight while bringing forth reader response.The articles are very intriguing and offer a lot of information.This magazine is indeed probably the best out there on the subject. ... Read more

Asin: B0000B0NHW
Sales Rank: 661
Subjects:  1. History    2. American History    3. Military History    4. Civil War, 1861-1865   

Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Ballantine Books
Average Customer Review:
Mass Market Paperback (12 October, 1987)
list price: $7.99 -- our price: $7.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Malcolm X's searing memoir belongs on the small shelf of great autobiographies. The reasons are many: the blistering honesty with which he recounts his transformation from a bitter, self-destructive petty criminal into an articulate political activist, the continued relevance of his militant analysis of white racism, and his emphasis on self-respect and self-help for African Americans. And there's the vividness with which he depicts black popular culture--try as he might to criticize those lindy hops at Boston's Roseland dance hall from the perspective of his Muslim faith, he can't help but make them sound pretty wonderful. These are but a few examples. The Autobiography of Malcolm X limns an archetypal journey from ignorance and despair to knowledge and spiritual awakening. When Malcolm tells coauthor Alex Haley, "People don't realize how a man's whole life can be changed by one book," he voices the central belief underpinning every attempt to set down a personal story as an example for others. Although many believe his ethic was directly opposed to Martin Luther King Jr.'s during the civil rights struggle of the '60s, the two were not so different. Malcolm may have displayed a most un-Christian distaste for loving his enemies, but he understood with King that love of God and love of self are the necessary first steps on the road to freedom. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Reviews (241)

The single-most powerful biography I've ever read
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a truly unforgettable book. This book describes Malcolm X's remarkable journey from a childhood marred by his father's murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, to his racist school teachers refusing to acknowledge his academic potential, to a youth of crime and preference for white standards of beauty (both in his conk hair style and in females), to his prison days and rebirth, and finally his meteoric rise to one of America's most influential and controversial public figures.

Reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X has been one of the most important intellectual experiences in my life.

One of the Best Autobiographies Ever!
I vaguely remember when I was a teenager (1990, maybe) watching an episode of Charles S. Dutton's short-lived television show Roc in which his nephew had read The Autobiography of Malcolm X and wanted to become a Muslim. I recall the moral of this episode was something like: never allow another's passion for their religion to influence your choice to become a follower of that religion, as you should always join up for the right reasons, and that should always be borne out of your own self-awareness. Recently, when thinking about the point in my life when I first heard the name "Malcolm X," I thought about this episode.

But, no, wait. Surely I heard about Malcolm X back in Mrs. Buckner's fourth grade social studies class, during that week we studied the famous figures in black history. Was his image there, sandwiched in between the large, laminated flash cards of Sojourner Truth and George Washington Carver? Yes, I believe he was, now that I think about it. I still to this day take a lot from that week, associating Carver with peanut butter and Harriet Tubman with the Underground Railroad. The only thing I remember thinking about Malcolm X was where in the world a man would get a single letter as a last name.

So, I was exposed to Malcolm X for the first time back in fourth grade. Being arguably the most volatile and interesting personality that we studied during that week, why do I not remember anything more about him?Perhaps in 1984, public schools in Kentucky did not know how to handle Malcolm X. How do you explain to a group of young students (mostly white and overwhelmingly Christian) what Minister Malcolm stood for? Here was a man who was not a Christian, damned the government at every opportunity, and was betrayed and murdered in cold blood by his own race (albeit, with government assistance) in a bitter power-struggle. That is a can of worms that Mrs. Buckner, though courageous enough, knew she could not open back then.

But now is the time, I think, for Minister Malcolm to be exposed.

As a father and future teacher, I think Minister Malcolm's legacy is exactly what we should be teaching children, whether they be black, white, brown, yellow, or red, to borrow a familiar refrain from his speeches. Malcolm X has left something for everyone if we are courageous and open-minded enough to look.

In his autobiography, written with then-journalist Alex Haley (who would soon after make history with another work, Roots, in 1976), Minister Malcolm narratedhis journey from Harlem's criminal underworld to his pilgrimage to Mecca, impressing us with the courage he displayed in search of human truth. His legacy for African-American literature is the record of his life, in the form of his autobiography. It is proof that anyone can dig themselves out of the deepest hole.

While the source-work for Minister Malcolm's life may not satisfy a historian's devout standard of authenticity, the question remains: What do we really want from Malcolm X? His legacy, whether real or feigned, is much more beneficial to the world than the small lesson one might take from preserving authentic history. The Malcolm X that we all know is the one that was courageous enough to develop his life's philosophy in full view of the public eye. He is the one that is portrayed in this day and age as a martyr, a perfect example of how a human being can evolve spiritually, emotionally, and philosophically from the deepest pits of self-destruction and debauchery. He is the one that, above all, illustrates redemption, whether it be with a secular, lower-cased "r" or a religious, capitalized "R."

My journey through Minister Malcolm's autobiography has earned for me a great lesson in perseverance and courage. All people, especially young African-Americans languishing in crumbling neighborhoods with seemingly no way out, would serve themselves well to experience his life as written in the autobiography. There is nothing quite like this work in literature. It is metamorphosis, it is a quest. It is perhaps one of the most important works of any century, and will be at the top of the list in the literature of the African-American struggle for as long as the memory of that struggle endures.

Back in fourth grade, as I said, I remember wondering where in the world a man would get a letter for a last name. Now I know how he got it and why. I promise that my son will not have to wait as long. The ability to shed falsehoods when we come upon truth, no matter how painful the transition, is the least of which we can teach the young. We are all wrong about something, at one time or another; and Minister Malcolm shows us that it's okay to be wrong, as long as we keep an open-mind.

One of the most important books I've read.
I totally agree with the Time magazine's characterisation of this book as being in the top 10 most important non-fiction books in the 20th century. Certainly it is a great autobiography, and although I haven't read many others as it's not my preferred genre, I can hardly imagine another one being so poignant and sharp.

People's knowledge of someone as controversial as Malcolm X will come from a whole range of different and patched sources. As a precursor to this book, I recommend the film (by Spike Lee), not because I think it's somehow "objective" but because it is based on this book (although it's very interesting to see the differences). Malcolm has been described as both a fanatic and a savior, as a racist/anti-Semite/hater and as a man who has dedicated his life to freeing his race. It's a humbling and rewarding exercise to leave your pre-conceptions about who and what he was behind and read about what he says on his life of street-hustling, drugs and crime, his prison conversion to Islam, his ministry, breaking away and the forming of his final beliefs and goals.

Personally, by the end, I found him to be strangely compelling. In my opinion, a lot of what he says comes off as offensive to many because he words things so strongly. However, after penetrating his rhetoric, I got the picture of an amazing man who has come out of both apathy and black supremacy to emerge as one who truly cared about justice for all. I wonder what he would have accomplished with his new-found views had he not been killed.

Most readers will disagree with a lot of things he says, or think that he exaggerates. Whether that's true or not, this book is an entire cross-section of 20th century African-American history and society that most people do not know much about. Furthermore, his ideas (in terms of things such as the loss of identity) can echo through to many other peoples and cultures. And it's amazing how many things he says are actually not that outrageous if you think about it!

I tend to agree with those who think this should almost be required reading. Malcolm was an extremely intelligent, outspoken and passionate human being and no matter what you may think of his views, this book is THE 20th Century tome of mutual respect and the fight for justice. ... Read more

Isbn: 0345350685
Subjects:  1. Afro-Americans    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Black Muslims    7. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    8. Islam - General    9. People of Color    10. Political    11. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    12. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color   

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
by Warner Books
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 January, 2001)
list price: $15.95 -- our price: $10.85
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Celebrated Stanford University historian Clayborne Carson is the director and editor of the Martin Luther King Papers Project; with thousands of King's essays, notes, letters, speeches, and sermons at his disposal, Carson has organized King's writings into a posthumous autobiography. In an early student essay, King prophetically penned: "We cannot have an enlightened democracy with one great group living in ignorance.... We cannot have a nation orderly and sound with one group so ground down and thwarted that it is almost forced into unsocial attitudes and crime." Such statements, made throughout King's career, are skillfully woven together into a coherent narrative of the quest for social justice. The autobiography delves, for example, into the philosophical training King received at Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, where he consolidated the teachings of Afro-American theologian Benjamin Mays with the philosophies of Locke, Rousseau, Gandhi, and Thoreau. Through King's voice, the reader intimately shares in his trials and triumphs, including the Montgomery Boycott, the 1963 "I Have a Dream Speech," the Selma March, and the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. In one of his last speeches, King reminded his audience that "in the final analysis, God does not judge us by the separate incidents or the separate mistakes that we make, but by the total bent of our lives." Carson's skillful editing has created an original argument in King's favor that draws directly from the source, illuminating the circumstances of King's life without deifying his person. --Eugene Holley Jr. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

APROPHET OF GOD I SHALL MEET WITH GRANDFATHER SOMEDAY
I jumped with joy as Mr. King marched with others for our freedom putting their life on the line, so badly I wanted to join them but I was to young. At school we sing we shall overcome, the song still rings in my ears to this day.
I still give Rev King highly respect to this day also those others whom marched with him, never have I disrespected Rev King or those whom marched with him name by getting in trouble with the law. With God help Mr. King and those whom marched with him worked hard to give us a better life, we all should thank God and live His way, like Mr. King and those marched with him would have wanted. It sadden me a great deal that some of us is not living the way Mr. King and those whom loss their life for wanted. I know for a fact Mr. King and those whom fought for our freedom and lost their life lives eternal. Rev King was a man like Moses, those whom march with him were very brave soldiers they obeyed God until their mission was finished. I was a child when Rev King and the others mission were finished, but will never for get them. I dream since a child to meet Mr. King family, I am still hoping someday my dream will come true. Thank you heaven Father for a prophet such as Rev King and for Your soldiers whom marched bravely beside him. Mr. King books is a wonderful read, my grandchildren have learned a lot about the prophet Mr. King, I teach them well. I will never forget the day Grandfather told me Mr. King visited him and sit in my chair. I am a prophet of God guiding souls to Him to be saved, every souls is worth being saved. You can visit my web page www.lenacmartin to see my picture. You don't have order my book unless you wants, if you do order thank.Author Lena C. Martin

Required reading!
Martin Luther King, Jr., is without a doubt one of the most influential and pivotal figures in twentieth-century history.In addition to his work as a Civil Rights leader, his role as a father and pastor, he also was an extensively published writer.However, he never had the chance to write an autobiography in the traditional sense.We as readers in the present day and the future have lost the private details that might have been fleshed out in a proper autobiography, but this skillfully crafted work by Clayborne Carson has given us a religious and political autobiography, revealed in King's almost countless papers (published andunpublished), interviews, letters, sermons and public statements.

Carson, author and editor of many books relating to the Civil Rights struggle, edited a collection of King's speeches entitled 'A Knock at Midnight', and was selected by the King estate to put together this in conjunction with (according to Carson) dozens of staff and student workers forming part of the King Papers Project.Carson used particular methodology consistently in his reconstruction - that of relying primarily on the words of King himself (utilising early drafts of later writings to discern the difference between authorial and editorial intentions) and developing them as if this overall narrative account was constructed near the end of King's life.

King's autobiography begins at the beginning, with is childhood as a preacher's kid (who was himself a preacher's kid, who was himself a preacher's kid, etc.).King said, 'of course I was religious.... I didn't have much choice.'King explains the different strands in his life, that of being both militant and moderate, idealistic and realistic, as beginning here.Here he developed questions ('how could I love a race of people who hated me?') and some answers (he learned that racial injustice was paralleled by economic injustice, and realised that poor white people were exploited also).

King's call to ministry and call to ethical and prophetic witness in the world developed through his schooling at Morehouse College, Crozer Seminary, and Boston University, where he developed interest in theology and social philosophy that would lead him to eventually to his ideas of civil rights activitsm.This would not take practical shape, however, until he was back in the South and working at churches and participating in actual events.He describes his involvement with Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Movement as a mountaintop experience, which also led to an awakening, both in King and in the community, of the power of nonviolent action a la Mahatma Gandhi.

It is almost incomprehensible to read this autobiography and realise that in a span of barely more than a dozen years (Rosa Parks was arrested for her action in December of 1955; King was assassinated in 1968) so much of what we consider to be the central history of the Civil Rights struggle occurred.Within the pages of text, King talks about the struggles of the common people and the dealings with the powerful, from the police in Alabama jurisdictions to dealing with federal government officials and organisations.

In the midst of all of this work, King managed to remain a family man, devoted to his wife and children, and a tireless worker in the church.Carson admits to not being able to develop too much of an interior autobiography in these kinds of sections (as even in King's private papers and writings, too much remains unrecorded), but his life in this regard still comes through many aspects of his writings, sermons and speeches.

This is an incredible book, and should be read as a required part of the education of an American, as it recounts a remarkable and astonishing part of history that continues to shape the direction of the nation to this day.

If Nothing Else
This book should be must reading (or in my case listening) for all Americans. The threads of a single man's search for freedom for all are woven in a tapestry of the times he lived with powerful choices of recorded speeches.
I had two of my daughters listen to his reading of his letter from the Birmingham jail and the conversation that followed enriched all of us. Current "Black Leaders" would do well to seek inspiration from his words and recall a time when the motivating factors were the need for freedom, justice and equality independant of financial desires other than the monies needed to accomplish the task at hand. His views of Malcolm X were also well laid out and deserve attention beyond the hollywood version.
If you weren't black then, sympathy is easy but empathy requires study ... this book goes a long way. ... Read more

Isbn: 0446676500
Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - U.S.    5. Political    6. Religious    7. Biography & Autobiography / Religious   

Excellence : A Magazine About Porsche Cars
by Ross Periodicals Inc
Average Customer Review:
Magazine
-- our price: $23.00
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Magazine Subscription

Reviews (4)

Simply the best
I read a quantity of automotive magazines. I have been driving, modifying, and enjoying Porsches since the late 60s.

If your interests lie in Porsche-land, the hands down best magazine is "excellence". From the early days when it was called "Porsche" [PCNA didn't like that and forced a name change], through the latest issue, "excellence" has always had the best, most original reading on the planet.

Sure, sometimes they have inaccurate technical information and incorrect specifications. Sometimes their writers and editors have missed the enthusiast's point. BUT, nothing else even comes close for issue after issue of superior reading enjoyment.

All I can say is keep them coming!
John Rice

Must Read
This is a great magazine for both owners and fans of Porsche. Bruce Anderson's columns alone are a good enough reason to purhcase it. The mix of topics makes it a magazine for everyone; from reviews of the latest and greatest to articles on older Porsches which well within the reach of any enthusiast. I have subscribed for many years and can't conceive of it not arriving in my mailbox.

The market section and owner reports make it invaluable for someone looking to purchase a Porsche (no one would sell one would they?), I have been trying hard not to to use excellent or excellence in this description, but quite frankly it is an excellent magazine!

Excellence was expected
Great magazine with minimum fluff for advertisements.Good technical articles and an interesting mix of street and track and restoration.Nice to see original articles and columns not recyclyed stuff like I used to see in R & T and Car & Driver before I cancelled them.

If you are an enthusiast then this magazine will be your first read ...even before pano. ... Read more

Asin: B00009MQ5Q
Sales Rank: 244
Subjects:  1. Automotive    2. Cars    3. Electrical Engineering. Electronics. Nuclear Engineering    4. Automotive (Automobiles, Cars, Auto, Autos)