Reviews (22)

Fascinating
This is a most interesting book.I am 75 years old and grew up in Los Angeles, visiting Chinatownmany times, and knew nothing of the people who lived there, so it was particularly interesting to me.I have read other books by Lisa See and find her to be an excellent writer.I highly recommend this book, especially to people interested in the history of California.

Skip this one but enjoy her others...
I absolutely loved two of Lisa See's other novels: "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" and "Dragon Bones" and recommend both of them highly - she is an incredibly talented writer.
Even After A Couple of Years, A Memorable Read
It has been a couple of years since I read this book, but it lives on in my memory as one of the best I've ever read. I took up an interest in Chinese history several years ago, when starting the process to adopt my first daughter from China. Now I read of nothing else. On Gold Mountain was an interesting, entertaining and highly informative relative to the drivers and experience of the Chinese as they came to and struggled to thrive in the United States. I've loaned this book to friends who now also share my passion for Chinese history and have stashed it away for both my daughters (both from China) to read when they are old enough. I've just also finished See's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" (excellent) and am moving on to "Flower Net". And next year, when we are in Southern California, I plan to visit the See's Chinese antiques business. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asians In The U.S.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. California    7. Chinese Americans    8. Family    9. Historical - General    10. Seay family    11. See, Lisa    12. United States - 19th Century    13. United States - 20th Century    14. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (91)

Most Moving Book I have Read this year
This book is incredibly moving.When I first started reading the book I felt like I was reading a work of science-fiction, not an auto-biography.The horrible life that Black South Africans had to endure is hard to comprehend.I cannot believe that a system was set up to so thoroughly break people down, and that most people in the country didn't know what was going on.And this wasn't during a time of war, this was a way of life.So horrible.This book made me cry but I also couldn't put it down.Now I'll have to buy the sequel and also try to learn more about apartheid.

Gripping story of one man's courage to escape the horror of apartheid
I first read Mr. Mathabane's story as part of the Reader's Digest Condensed book in the 1980s and was thrilled to find it again in its entirety.
The Strength of Mark Mathabane
This book should be a must read for anyone.Reading this book made me thankful for all the advantages I have had in my life, and how badly people in other parts of the world have it.Even though apatheid is now abolished, this book still has an impact on you.It's amazing how much Mark Mathane had to overcome to be where he is today.His strength is unbelivable, and even though he had times when he thought he could not live the way he was living any longer, he overcame that an is now living in the USA.What is the most remarkable is his changing throughout the course of the book from a boy who vows never to step into the white world to a young man whos closest friends are whites.
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Subjects:  1. Africa - South - South Africa    2. Apartheid    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Blacks    8. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    9. Historical - General    10. Mathabane, Mark    11. People of Color    12. South Africa    13. South Africa - History    14. African history    15. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color    16. Biography: general    17. Black studies    18. Republic of South Africa    19. USA   

Reviews (79)

Forget the Hype, Read the Book.
Stop listening to the revisionists, and just read the book.Ignore what historians say and just read the book.This book is as close to the man that was John F. Kennedy as we will ever see.
Examples of political courage
This is one of the books you always hear about, but never got around to reading.This time, I decided I would take the time to become familiar with it.It had, in 1956, won a Pulitzer Prize.The book was not quite what I had thought it would be.
One of JFK's best, along with Why England Slept
Profiles in Courage is one of author
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Congress    3. Congress.    4. Courage    5. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    6. General    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. History - U.S.    10. History: American    11. Legislators    12. Senate    13. United States    14. United States - General    15. United States.    16. History / United States / General   

Reviews (8)

Beautifully & movingly written blend of memoir. journalism, history
Finding/discovering a vanished father. Untangling a terrible and terrifying, deeply saddening history of a place, personal and poltical, on which colonialism, broken promises, fear, racism, and inter-tribal rivalries and conflicts have all trod. What happens when ideals, hope, and education run up against such a history. The close-up, precise remains of a child's memory, feelings, and confusions overlaid with an adult daughter's detailed investigative and journalistic skills. All of these are part of this compulsively readable book, which tells the story of a family, a country (Sierra Leone), and a world torn apart and painstakingly, to whatever extent possible, reconstructed --- at least in the author's own hard-won understanding. I am a white American who happened on this book by accident. I love and respect memoirs where the author is transparent of heart and mind, especially in the context of a larger societal, political, or situational challenge. This book met these criteria with stunning precision. I could not put Aminatta Forna's courageous book down, and have been recommending it to everyone I know.

Compelling, but....
It is a difficult topic to write about, that relationship between father and daughter. In this case, the narrative is compelling and intensely personal, so much so that it is difficult to get a sense of who Mohammed Forna actually was. Sierra Leone, contrary to its image in the media, was a complex society, and the whole relationship of the Creoles and the 'upline' people is at the very centre of the post colonial struggle. Ms. Forna treats very very lightly with that.
Gripping introduction to Sierra Leone?s convoluted politics
As a gripping introduction to Sierra Leone's convoluted post-Independence politics, this book is unmatched. Read more

Subjects:  1. 1961-    2. Africa - General    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood and youth    7. Forna, Aminatta    8. Forna, Mohamed    9. Historical - General    10. History & Theory - General    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Political    13. Political History    14. Politics and government    15. Sierra Leone    16. West Africa - History    17. Women   

Reviews (45)

The Prophet in perspective...
I have often found it difficult to find any good biographies regarding the Prophet of Islam, but this one is truly a gem. Martin Lings has done an amazing job of taking the life of this Man from the most earliest and reliable sources, then turning it into a narrative that is such a pleasure to read. It feels as though one as reading a novel, and it is difficult to put this book down once one has picked it up. The author shows real talent and i can only imagine how great and difficult a task it was to have done research to such a deep level, and then taking it all and writing it in story form. If i remember correctly i think Martin Lings is a Professor at the famous University of Cambridge, England.
Another whitewash of Muhammad
A real waste of time. It is a highly selective suspect interpretation of both Muhammad and Islam drawn from a single source. At least, try to read some of the works by Abdul Hasan al-Tabari, the most prolific writer-doctor-scholar on Islam and Muhammad from the 10th century.
Come out to play Warriors
This book lay on the shelves for years before I read it. As a simplistic narrative about the Prophets life I thought it had nothing significant to say to my esoteric taste.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Historical - General    7. Islam - Mohammad    8. Muslims    9. Muòhammad,    10. Prophet,    11. Saudi Arabia    12. d. 632    13. Biography & Autobiography / Religious   

Reviews (12)

Of Benjamin, Dwarfs and Angels
The depth of Benjamin's pessimism has, I think, been underestimated.
Clarity and Brilliance
In 1940 Walter Benjamin committed suicide at the Franco-Spanish border fearing that he would be unable to escape the grasp of Hitler's regime. He left behind perhaps one of the finest collections of literary theory of his era, complete with lucidly brilliant essays on Kafka, Proust, Baudelaire, and general Marxist theory.
Just a quick note
I have nothing to add to the reviews below except to note for scholarly interest that the essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' included in this collection is not Benjamin's final version. (Neither is this title a good translation of the German: 'Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit'. Zohn's translation in the selected writings is better: 'The Work of Art in the Age of its Technological Reproducibility'.) The text in this collection is the 1935 manuscript, as originally published in 1936; the text collected in the Selected Writings, Vol. 3 is the final 1936 version that, as far as I can tell, was not published in Benjamin's lifetime. The difference between the two texts is slight, consisting mainly of some additional sentences here and there and some changed words. At least one of these revisions is, I hypothesize, the result of Adorno's criticisms of his letter to Benjamin of 18 Mar 1936.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. General    4. Historical - General    5. History and criticism    6. Literature    7. Poetry    8. Semiotics & Theory    9. English    10. Literary Criticism & Collections / Essays    11. Literary studies: general   

Reviews (22)

The "She-Wolf" of France
First off let me just say that I have read a number of books by Alison Weir and she really has shown herself to be the best biographer of English Monarchs currently alive today. With Isabella we may very well have her best biography yet. She sets out to give people a sense of who Isabella really was, not simply the Braveheart version of her or the "she-wolf" version of her. She shows her as who she really was, a very brave, caring, neglected, mis-treated, and powerful woman in a world where women were regarded as little more than property.
Very well written biography of Isabella, but.....
I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Weir's biography of Queen Isabella and the demise of Edward II of England.Very well written, and much easier to read than Weir's earlier biography of Eleanor of Aquataine.Having said that, I found myself a bit dismayed by two things: 1. Very difficult to figure out what year events occurred; this author, like many others, wrote entire chapters which gave months & days, but I found myself going back in the narrative repetitively to try and determine the year...and 2. Clearly Ms. Weir's purpose was to do her best to absolve Isabella of Edward II's death!She tries very hard to make a case that Edward was in fact not killed at Berkeley Castle, but rather escaped and lived the rest of his life in exile, primarily in Italy.I found this hard to believe, and the evidence to that effect a bit lacking.One situation which really caught my eye was Weir's statement that Edward's body (or that of a substitute if he in fact was not killed but escaped?) was IMMEDIATELY embalmed and completely wrapped in waxed "cerecloth" after his death in October, 1327.The body was then kept at Berkeley until December when it was released to the Abbot of Gloucester to be buried in St. Peter's Abbey, Gloucester...at which time "the corpse had been dressed in the late King's coronation robes, including his shirt, coif, and gloves...".I found myself wondering how they "dressed" a body that was COMPLETELY wrapped in waxed cloth? Interesting! From my perspective, I don't see that Isabella needed then or now "absolution" for the death of Edward II.He was a very bad king, betrayed her repeatedly with both Gaveston and De Spenser, took away her income, seperated her from her children, etc.The way I see it, Isabella likely harbored a deadly and undying hatred for her husband, and would've wanted to ensure that, after his overthrow, he would NEVER be able to return.Nevertheless, an outstanding book and well worth the time of any reader wanting to better understand the life and times of Isabella of France and her husband, Edward II.

Outstanding author
Allison Weir is an outstanding author who takes a fresh look at Queen Isabella.She paints a picture of a woman who takes on the debauchery and misrule of Edward II and his consorts, and saves England from tyranny.Not only does Weir provide a convincing argument that Isabella was a strong and intelligent ruler, she also shows evidence that Isabella was compassionate and spiritual.Isabella did what needed to be done in a time when women were easily pushed aside simply because of their gender.
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Subjects:  1. 1292-1358    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Edward II, 1307-1327    8. General    9. Great Britain    10. Historical - British    11. History    12. Isabella,    13. Queen, consort of Edward II, King of England,    14. Queens    15. Royalty    16. Women    17. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (62)

The limit of human endurance...
Imagine driving two hundred miles, a long boring journey no doubt. Seems like ages...
comparison
this is a fantastic book.the SAS are phenominal.this mission was flawed, and this book is a testiment to the hardcore training and personnel of the SAS.however, to address another reviewer's comments, i fully disagree with the assessement that the SAS are vastly superior to Delta Force.firstly, for a number of years ive had close affiliations with the special operations world, and personally know a great number of both Delta operators and SAS soldiers and have conversed with them greatly on training, tactics, and so forth.no arguement that both are superior to the SEALs, who have always been overrated and hollywood.but the fact is, it is a complete and utter fallacy to state that Delta dont have the training to survive the way this SAS team did.thats absurd.first, delta's founder, charlie beckwith, a green beret who spent time with the SAS, used the SAS unit structure and training criteria as a template for Delta.second, Delta and the SAS are two of the most closely aligned units in the world, with frequent exchanges, putting Delta operators through SAS training and vice versa, as well as executing missions together from time to time.bottom line, Delta is the US military's MOST elite, MOST well trained, and MOST combat experienced unit of the last 25 years.Delta operators and SAS soldiers dont bother with the comparison themselves, because they're of the same caliber and embrace each other.further, the reason Delta has never done what mcnab's team did is because they've never been in the situation, which by the way was caused by MISTAKES.now im not bashing the SAS, even the most elite units make mistakes, Delta has as well.ultimately, these men survived through a undominable will, and escape, evasion and survival tactics, and to assume that Delta does not have this training is ludicrous, not to mention wholly untrue.

good book
i think this book is very good.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1961-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Europe - Great Britain - General    6. Great Britain    7. Military    8. Military - Persian Gulf War    9. Military History - Persian Gulf War    10. Military Personal Narratives    11. Persian Gulf War, 1991    12. Personal narratives    13. Personal narratives, British    14. Ryan, Chris,    15. Biography: historical    16. History    17. History / Military / General    18. Middle East    19. Ryan, Chris    20. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (33)

Unforgettable
The last century was so fast-moving, so eventful -so strange and dense in colossal, nightmarish events -that it will be very difficult for future generations to get an accurate feel for it.Indeed, even for someone like me, who lived through half of it, I know that my knowledge and memories are too patchwork and too personal to allow for a deep understanding of the 20th Century, unless I keep working at expanding my knowledge of it.That is why records such as A Woman In Berlin are so important.Here is a rare, direct, honest account of momentous events from the heart of the greatest human conflagration of all time.
True enough, but something's fishy
Any diary written by a German adult that begins on April 20th and does not immediately note that that was the Fuhrer's birthday is immediately suspect. But if it is fraudulent, fraudulent in what regard? Certainly the author's experience rings true as any surviving Berlinerin of the spring of 1945 can attest. What makes the book so interesting--captivating, even--is the spunk of the author. She keeps her spirits up in spite of having to sleep for food; indeed, in order to lessen the crudeness of her attackers' rapes, she maneuvers her overnight guest list from Russian recruits to Russian officers.
Excellent
This book provides excellent insight into the dangers that women face in the midst of a war zone. Though it lacks a broad overview of the issue, this book offers perhaps the frankest account of mass rape during war. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography And Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. General    6. Historical - General    7. History - General History    8. Military - World War II    9. Modern - 20th Century    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Women    12. Women's Studies - General    13. World War II    14. History / Modern / 20th Century   

Editorial Review

Howard Zinn is famous primarily for Read more

Reviews (11)

Incredible Resource
I am a high school history teacher and I use this in class. It has been extremely helpful especially combined with the free teacher's guide which you can find online. Each primary source is introduced with a brief background which provides some context.

A strong intellectual perturbation
History is sometimes written with the goal of documenting the attitudes or opinions of a particular class of people, such as the intellectuals, the politicians, the scientists, or the warriors. Each of these groups has made important contributions to human accomplishment, which should not be forgotten or discarded under the guise of some egalitarian or multicultural reading of history. But when the stories of these groups are documented in history, too often other voices are deafened, and these voices represent the vast majority of historical participants. It is not enough to view history through the eyes of intellectuals, politicians, or warriors. For an historical account to be meaningful, it must offer insight into the collaborations, opinions, belief structures, and longings of those who chose not to become famous, but instead chose to indulge themselves in the unique fascinations that each historical epoch possesses.
Simply terrific
Howard Zinn does a magnificent job bringing American history alive in this book. He tells history from a different point of view than most history books.History is shown from the point of view of people such as war protesters, civil rights activists, and even a Hiroshima survivor. I am a big fan of American history, and I can say I enjoyed this book as much as any one I have ever read on the subject. Whether the reader is conservative or liberal, he will enjoy this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. General    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Sources    8. United States    9. United States - General    10. American history    11. Biography: historical    12. Political Science / General    13. USA   

Subjects:  1. 1722-1803    2. Adams, Samuel,    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Constitutions    6. Declaration of Independence    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Political Ideologies - Democracy    9. Political Science    10. Politicians    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Signers    14. United States    15. United States - Colonial Period    16. United States - Revolutionary War    17. United States.    18. Political Science / Constitutions   

Editorial Review

In the summer of 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set off aboard theRead more

Reviews (361)

The original book of Shackleton's adventure
When the Endurance steamed south into the splitting ice pack of the Weddel Sea in the summer of 1914, she carried aboard the renowned British explorer Earnest Shackleton.The Endurance was specially designed and massively constructed by one of the world's finest shipyards, staffed with scientists and qualified volunteers and outfitted with meticulously tested equipment. Shackleton himself was an experienced polar veteran who had once come within a day's march of being the first to reach the south pole.But in spite of careful planning, the Endurance was doomed, and this expedition would be Shackleton's last Antarctic voyage.Unexpected cold weather froze the ship solidly into the ice, and 7 months later, the mounting pressure of millions of tons of ice crushed the three-foot wooden hull. The Endurance sank into the black water, and left the 30 exhausted men marooned on the treacherous melting ice flows of the storm-churned antarctic sea.For six months the poorly-equipped castaways wouldstruggle under inconceivable hardship until the drifting ice broke up enough for Shackleton to lead his expedition in three open lifeboats through freezing open water to a lifeless bit of rock called Elephant Island.With 5 companions aboard the remaining battered lifeboat, Shackleton left his crew and stuck out across the open ocean in a desperate attempt to reach a remote whaling station to obtain help.His faithful men would remain behind to weather the winter storms sleeping under the upended wreckage of a lifeboat -- their lives dangling by the frail promise that he wouldsomeday return. Alfred Lancing is an experienced journalist whose detailed research combines with direct and perfectly-paced prose and a handful of the expedition's original photographs.It is a tale ofleadership, unflagging courage, and determination in the face of impossible odds.But maybe the real definition of heroism is to be undaunted by the impossible.After sixteen days covering 900 miles of water in an amazing feat of open boat navigation, Shackleton struck land at South Georgia Island -- and after a three-day sleepless march over the 10,000 foot mountains in the huge island's interior, Shackleton and his remaining companions finally stumbled into a remote whaling outpost.And 450 days after being shipwrecked, after 5 attempts in three different ships, Shackleton managed to return to Elephant island to rescue his 22 remaining crew members in a tugboat borrowed from the Chilean government -- finally delivering all 29 of his men without the loss of a single life --and making Endurance one of the most inspiring stories of human survival every written.
An account of breathtaking courage
The author has clearly been rigorous in piecing together diary extracts and interview notes to put together this account of an adventure, or perhaps ordeal, which required of its survivors a degree of courage, composure and determination that cannot fail to humble yet uplift and inspire the reader.The style of narrative is rather matter-of-fact, rather than dramatic, and its coverage is limited to the expedition itself without dwelling much on the lives of the key players before or after.

An incredible book
Alfred Lansing's book, Endurance, dramatically details the 1914 expedition to the Antarctic led by Sir Ernest Shackleton.Although a non-fiction book, Lansing manages to make it read like a thriller, adventure.He wrote his story using first person accounts, interviews of survivors, journal entries, etc.While sometimes history can be a bit dry, this novel truly makes you feel a part of the adventure and reads very quickly.Ernest Shackleton's leadership abilities ensure not only the survival of the crew, but demonstrate his character as a man.Crew and officers were treated alike and shared in the duties of survival.Order was maintained and his personality and command of the situation enabled the group to survive what could have been a disaster. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (1914-1917)    2. 1874-1922    3. Adventurers & Explorers    4. Antarctica    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Endurance (Ship)    9. Historical - British    10. Historical - General    11. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition    12. Shackleton, Ernest Henry,    13. Sir,    14. Travel    15. History / Polar Regions    16. Journeys    17. Shackleton, Ernest Henry   

Editorial Review

The quintessential memoir of the generation of Englishmen who suffered in World War I is among the bitterest autobiographies ever written. Robert Graves's stripped-to-the-bone prose seethes with contempt for his class, his country, his military superiors, and the civilians who mindlessly cheered the carnage from the safety of home. His portrait of the stupidity and petty cruelties endemic in England's elite schools is almost as scathing as his depiction of trench warfare. Nothing could equal Graves's bone-chilling litany of meaningless death, horrific encounters with gruesomely decaying corpses, and even more appalling confrontations with the callousness and arrogance of the military command. Yet this scarifying book is consistently enthralling. Graves is a superb storyteller, and there's clearly something liberating about burning all your bridges at 34 (his age when Read more

Reviews (40)

Very interesting, but long in spots
Before reading this book, I knew little about WWI. I saw it recommended somewhere and ordered it from our library. I'm not sure which issue it was. Anyway, it was very interesting and well written. I learned a lot about the way gas was used in WWI.
"Good-Bye To All That"
Purchased for a Summer Reading requirement for my son for school he said "it was verry boring".

Not the original edition!
Based on the description I thought this was the original 1929 text but, unfortunately, it turned out to be the heavily revised 1958 version. Very likely still a great read (this book was to be a gift and I've not read it myself) but not the edition I was after. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1895-    2. 20th century    3. Authors, English    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Graves, Robert,    9. Historical - British    10. Literary    11. Personal narratives, British    12. World War, 1914-1918    13. Biography & Autobiography / General    14. Graves, Robert    15. United Kingdom, Great Britain    16. Works by individual poets: from c 1900 -