Reviews (8)

Lots of old news, interesting bits about movies
Hollywood Nation : Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin, and the New Media Revolution by James Hirsen is a bit dishonest in its title.While Hirsen does cover some interesting aspects of how Hollywood's politics is affecting what we see and hear in the media, it doesn't cover all of the aspects I was hoping for.Hirsen trots out the same old liberals names everyone knows: Sarandon, Robbins, Streisand, etc, but doesn't really bring anything new to the table.Yes, we know that the mainstream media is remarkably left of center, but that's nothing that Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, and many others have written about already.The most interesting chapters were those that discussed the hidden messages of movies like Kingdom of Heaven and Million Dollar Baby.I would have enjoyed reading an entire book about more of that along with information about the TV shows that are beamed into our homes claiming to represent middle-class America.One chapter Hirsen could have done without is the long love letter to Mel Gibson about The Passion of the Christ.I was moved by the film, and I deeply respect Gibson for making it, but Hirsen's devotion to him makes the book lose some credibility.Hirsen also interviews several celebrities for the book like Bill O'Reilly and Dayna Devon.The interviews make for interesting reading, but sometimes it feels like Hirsen was throwing Nerf balls instead of hardballs at them.This book is not a must read, but it could have been.

There's a lot to like about this book but.....
A lot of the material in this book is rehashed.
Films & Politics Collide in Today's Hollywood.
Hollywood 'elites' might like to think they live in a Nation apart from the rest of us, but I have news for them:They are just a small part of the city of Los Angeles and, as such, don't have the clout they may think they do.James Hirsen used to play keyboard for the Temptations; this makes him an expert on the movies of today and yesterday?Previously, he wrote about Hollywood's political activity -- as if the rest of the country really cares! -- in TALES FROM THE LEFT COAST.Perhaps the same thing he is accusing Oliver Stone and Michael Moore of doing is what he also does, tell tales.
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Subjects:  1. Mass Communication Media And Politics    2. Mass Media - General    3. Mass media    4. Media Studies    5. Objectivity    6. Performing Arts    7. Performing Arts/Dance    8. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Propaganda    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Current Events / General   

Subjects:  1. Current Events / American    2. Diplomatic history    3. International Relations - General    4. Iraq War, 2003    5. Iraq War, 2003-    6. Military policy    7. Political Ideologies - General    8. Political Science    9. Political Science / International Relations    10. Political Science / International Security    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. United States    14. War on Terrorism, 2001-    15. Current Events    16. Government policy    17. Military Science    18. National security    19. Political Freedom & Security - International Security   

Editorial Review

Catastrophic, world-altering events like the September 11 attacks on the United States place the millions of us who experience them on the "fault line where World History and Personal History collide." Most of us, however, cannot document that intersection with the force, compression, and poignancy expressed in Art Spiegelman's Read more

Reviews (48)

Not quite what I expected
I thought this would be more of a story of the artist's personal experience & less political.I don't disagree with his politics, but it was still somewhat of a disappointment.Spiegelman's artwork is always amazing, often moving & thought provoking.I was really moved by his quote: "I finally understand why some Jews didn't leave Berlin right after Kristallnacht!"I also enjoyed the section on old political cartoons

"I finally understand why some Jews didn't leave Berlin after Kristallnacht"---Art Spiegelman
Before this book, I had never picked up a book on 9/11, being that I assumed they are all so politically biased (be it one extreme or another). There are also so many of them, some released very soon after the attack. It is frustrating to look at the "new books" section of the local library and see � the shelves filled with 9/11 books. I couldn't help myself with this curio, however. I am a fan of history and comics. Browsing through the large, thick, colorful cardboard panels of "In the Shadow of No Towers", I saw a vintage newspaper page on the shooting of President McKinley (the author doesn't elaborate on why this was used, must be the terrorism theme, in this case anarchism) and what looked like on first glance a vintage comic on the Titanic (it turned out to be an even older comic). I knew this book was right up my alley. Having never read Maus, I wasn't sure what to expect but looked forward to checking it out.
Go Shopping and Be Afraid
There's no way this project could be as tremendous as Spiegelman's life's work, "Maus," but it's tough not to make comparisons. This book consists of just ten large-scale comic strips that Spiegelman created to explore his feelings about 9/11 and its aftermath. Spiegelman's personal experience of the disaster – his family lives and works literally next to the World Trade Center – gives his accounts a direct poignancy, with more strength and emotion than the jingoism you get from pundits who weren't there. And as always, Spiegelman's artwork is outstandingly expressive, with his gifts for artistic allegory and surrealism in full eye-popping display. However, things go asunder when Spiegelman extends his comic strips to the political aftermath of 9/11. I don't disagree with the idea that the Bush administration has used the disaster to consolidate votes and bully a fearful public into backing their political agenda, and I won't accuse Spiegelman of conspiracy theorizing as others have. However, Spiegelman's social and political philosophy is rather undeveloped and sketchy, and frankly too weak to stand next to his outstanding artwork. Meanwhile, the second half of this very meager book consists of reprints of old comic strips from the early 1900's, which Spiegelman says have influenced his artwork and his opinions on the post-9/11 American political landscape. These strips are certainly interesting from a historical standpoint, but I'm not really buying Spiegelman's claims of a direct connection to the rest of the book. [~doomsdayer520~] ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comic books, strips, etc    2. Comics & Cartoons    3. Comics & Graphic Novels    4. Fine Arts    5. General    6. Humor    7. Literary    8. Political Freedom & Security - General    9. Political Science (General)    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Public Policy - General    13. Current Events / American   

Reviews (50)

Do not be carried away by error
York gives us the inner workings of the far left and the financial supporters of the Democrats.Thisquick and disturbing read is well written and informative.He is able to get up close and personal by attending the Democrat/left wing rallies and functions.At times, fought to gain an interview with people such as Podesta and Franken. Byron also clears up some of the conspiracy theories made up by Moore and others.Gossip:"Do not spread slanderous gossip"--Leviticus 19:16
Vast Vast Conspiracy
It was Hillary who started this (now deservedly mocked) idiocy about "vast" conspiracies.Yes, Hillary, those evil Republicans forced Bill to abuse his power to get cheap sex (one word Bill: Hookers).
Only Promises What It Delivers
In this book, Byron York only promises to present the evidence of a vast Left-Wing conspiracy - and that is all he presents.The discussion here is limited to what left-leaning money has done. Primarily, this amounts to a muckraking castigation of George Soros for pointing out the fascistic tendencies inherent in Bush Administration policies and a denigration of Soros' concerns that the US is now, currently, moving in the same direction as NAZI Germany in the period between the World Wars.
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Subjects:  1. 2001-    2. Democratic Party (U.S.)    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Liberalism    5. Political Doctrines    6. Political Ideologies - Conservatism & Liberalism    7. Political Ideologies - General    8. Political Process - Political Parties    9. Political Science    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics and government    12. Politics/International Relations    13. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    14. United States    15. Current Events / General   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (63)

Drug War: The History and Politics of Failure
Author Mike Gray tackles the failed drug war in this book and effectively shows how the present war has many similarities to alcohol prohibition in early part of the twentieth century. Gray begins his discussion of the subject of drugs by taking the reader back to 1925, in the city of Chicago, during the height of the nightmare of prohibition. Gangs ruled the streets. The air was filled with the smell of cheap booze and the sound of gunfire. Police were defenseless to the total chaos going on all around them. They simply could not stop the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. There was too much money to be made by selling this "forbidden fruit". There was no possible way that this "war" on alcohol could ever be won.
An Excellent Comprehensive History -Not to Mention Futility of-The War On Drugs
This is the 1 book I've come across so far that gives a good, linear history of America's War on Drugs.It begins by comparing mid-90s Chicago with the Windy City of 1925; and all the attendent corruption, violence and hypocricy that comes along with prohibition.It then proceeds to pre-1914 (the year of the Harrison Tax Act) America, and discusses drug uses, patterns of abuse and addiction rates and profiles of the era of legalized drug use, and 1 prohibitionist's lament that "This Constitution thing keeps getting in the way."The thrust of the chapter is that drug abuse and addiction were rare and rarely harmful prior to their being made illegal.
History speaks for itself........we lost this war
Great Book
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Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Drug Abuse    3. Drug Crimes    4. Drug control    5. Drug traffic    6. History    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Sociology - General    10. United States    11. Alcoholism    12. Current Events / General    13. Drug addiction & substance abuse   

Editorial Review

The most vocal critics of Bill Clinton's presidency tend to be conservatives--think, for example, of William J. Bennett's Read more

Reviews (143)

FASCINATED FASCINATION FASCINATES
If you are a sucker for this kind of expose, you should note that, with the substitution of names and incidents, the general outlines of this volume apply equally to Clinton's successors in office.

Brilliant, Biting, Accurate --Well, Mostly Accurate
There shouldn't be anyone left to lie to, but somehow the public has a short term memory when it comes to the Clintons.This book should be required reading for anyone voting in the upcoming presidential primaries.If anyone still trusts Hillary, or thinks she has a soul.Read this.If you read it and still think so, reread.There is one thing, and one thing only, that either Clinton feels passionately about, and that is their political survival.

If Liberals talk about the author instead of the book.
The book must be true. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American    3. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    4. Current Affairs    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. History    7. Political corruption    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Truthfulness and falsehood    11. United States    12. American history    13. Central government    14. USA   

Editorial Review

Will America always fly the Stars and Stripes? Will its borders be the same in 50 years? It may sound crazy, but the answers to those questions are less certain than most Americans probably think. History shows flags and borders change frequently. Countries are like marriages--they fall apart all the time. Three-quarters of the countries in the United Nations were not there 50 years ago. In his book Read more

Reviews (8)

Sometimes Insightful, Always Aggravating
Enriquez' format - short, declarative sentences and quotes, makes for a fractured text that is aggravating and sometimes hard to assimilate.On the other hand, he does bring up a number of important trends (the U.S., with its massive, growing debt, is becoming increasingly vulnerable to currency speculators and the political and economic whims of other nations; economic problems within the U.S. create stresses and fractures along various socio-economic lines; the growing polarization along political lines; religion's increasing negative role - eg. impeding scientific thought, dominating debate on issues that should not be in the mainstream political thought; and the growth of U.S. population via those with very little education and few skills).
Content and Format
Perhaps the most fascinating part of this book isn't even what's printed on the page - it's HOW its printed on the page. There are no paragraphs. The entire work is an assembly of short declaratory sentences (or less) arranged, spaced, and sized for maximum impact. Charts and graphs abound. It is clear that the author conceived the entire page, not just his words. This probably bothers some people (it certainly did for at least one reviewer on Amazon.com) but I find it not just readable but incredibly informative, cluing the reader in to the author's ideas about what's important and how certain concepts mesh together or can be juxtaposed for power and insight.
Dreadful format- readers beware
This book is so appalling that I honestly do not understand why a publisher would put out something like this.It is almost 300 pages of what looks like a power point presentation.There is hardly a complete sentence in the entire book- just bullet points.As a reader I am disgusted at this format and hope that this is not a sign of things to come. I simply could not "read" this book.The presentation is terrible. There are no proper sentences, no paragraphs and therefore little in the way of intelligent analysis.Not being illiterate I hated it because its message was impossible to decipher. Who knows what it is about - I wish I could give it zero stars. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alienation (Social psychology)    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Polarization (Social sciences)    5. Regionalism    6. Social Psychology    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Sociology (Specific Aspects)    10. Sociology - General    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. Current Events / General   

Reviews (2)

Medical and Ethical Issue of Our Day
Very thorough.Covers the Dutch model, the history of events in Oregon, and, best of all, includes the viewpoints from the gravely ill and their loved ones. interesting, but I wish it delved deeper
This book gave lots and lots of arguments that were very nice and well thoughtout, but it often seemed that the point-counterpoint "arguing" was a little redundant. The whole book consisted of an article or an event that had to do with the ethics of euthanasia and two people with conflicting views would write why. I wish that the book had some documented dialog between the two opinions. It was a little boring reading the same opinions over and over again. "euthanasia as long as it is consentual and necessary should be permitted yada yada yada" "killing another innocent being should not be permitted at all because it is murder yada yada yada" Each and every writer was very elegant and well spoken, but I simply wish there was more dialog between the two people, not simply between book editors. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assisted suicide    2. Ethics    3. Euthanasia    4. General    5. Medical    6. Medical / Nursing    7. Moral and ethical aspects    8. Moral and religious aspects    9. Right to die    10. Current Events / General    11. Medical / Ethics    12. Medical ethics    13. Political Science-General   

Reviews (1)

well researched and very sad
This is a very informative book and one of the saddest I have read. The sad plight of Eastern European women in the sex trade has reached monumental proportions. It doesn't look like there is anything to stop the trade unless politicians seriously get involved. I was very moved by the personal stories of these women. Malarek did the right thing by investigating hot spots himself in various countries. Well written and doesn't drag. Engaging and honest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Human Sexuality    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Prostitution    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Sociology - General    8. Women's Studies - General    9. Current Events / General   

Reviews (167)

Notable
To understand and appreciate this work, you must be an American first and a party member second. It is then, and only then, that one can fully understand how George W. Bush, with a golden opportunity to become one of our most revered Presidents, will go down in history as one of the worst, and the second most hated man to live in the last hundred years. Freedom is not the right to do as you please, but the liberty to do as you should. I've read several articles that said this President was his father's puppet. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He's no one's puppet, he's uncontrollable. I've always referred to George W. as Caligula. Actions, good or bad, soon fall prey to habit. As a registered Republican, I offer my condolence and beg to be forgiven for the 2,250 Americans and the countless Arabs who have been needlessly murdered. My party is out of control. We are like a pack of wild dogs that kill not from hunger, but for pleasure.

OK Book-Too many lackluster "Bushisms"
The beginning and end of this book is pretty good, when he is not explaining Bush's quotes. It gets boring in the middle.

Red Meat for Pseudointellectuals
With the ink beginning to dry on the controversial Bush v. Gore Supreme Court opinion in 2001, canny political "experts" and their publishing marketeers predictably rushed out a series of books targeting the political Left and Bereft to capitalize on the electoral heartbreak.
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Subjects:  1. (George Walker),    2. 1946-    3. American    4. Bush, George W    5. Bush, George W.    6. Current Affairs    7. General    8. Government - U.S. Government    9. Humor    10. Language    11. Malapropisms    12. Media Studies    13. Political Process - Leadership    14. Politics / Current Events    15. Politics/International Relations    16. Presidents    17. United States   

Reviews (3)

A Must Read for ALL Business People
When I went to law school in the early 80's, 47% of my class was women; however, at that juncture, most women were modeling men. What I noticed was they really didn't own their own power as women. They were more like a female version of men. And, in the 80's, that was true in corporate offices as well. Today, that is all changing. Women are finding their own version of Power.
Should Be Named:"Women's Liberation Turns 40"
This book is filled with fascinating survey data about what women have DONE, especially in just the last decade, but not much about women WANT.
Fresh, original thinking based on actual survey data--welcome to 2005!
As a professional political analyst myself, I read absolutely everything I can find by Celinda Lake and Kellyanne Conway, whether written separately or together.It takes two top data mavens of opposite political persuasions to sift through hundreds of actual interviews to tell us what the numbers say, today. The two points I found most interesting were the tremendous growth of women-owned businesses (and women business owners) plus the phenomen of the "sandwich generation"--baby boom women dealing with children and their own retirement plans on the one hand but also with the healthcare and financial affairs of aging parents.Today's women face huge family, financial, and career pressures in a way I, as a man, thought I understood but clearly didn't appreciate properly before reading this book. If you are selling a product, planning a political campaign, or worrried aobut how this nation deals with social security and medicare, I think it is well worth your time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 21st century    2. Attitudes    3. General    4. Political Ideologies - General    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public opinion    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Sociology Of Women    11. United States    12. Women    13. Women And Politics    14. Women's Studies - General    15. Social Science / General   

Editorial Review

Former Read more

Reviews (15)

Well written, but extremely biased
Mr. Applebome is excellent in his writing (I am a writer myself, for whatever that's worth) and has a good eye for appearances and a facility for describing them well.
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Enough has been said in the previous reviews of this book, either for or against, to give people a sense of how others feel about it. My one contention with the whole work is this, Mr. Applebome, a Yankee living in the South, is an outsider looking in. To me, the book is the equivalent of me, a native Georgian, walking into your house and saying "I like the painting over the mantle, but the color of the walls is atrocious." In the end, it doesn't matter what I think of your home, you're the one living there. The times I've been "up yonder", I've quickly realized how different Northerners were from Southerners, but, since I don't live there, I don't worry how "those people" think and do things. One review recommended this book to people thinking of moving to the South, if you're one of those people wanting to move down here, just remember, you're only visiting, don't try to change us or our ways, it won't work. If you want to know why, it's for this simple reason, a homemade cat-head bisquit stuffed with ham, egg and cheese (with extra salt just in case you didn't get enough in the ham and eggs while cooking them) will always taste better than a bagel with cream cheese. If the State of the Union and where we are headed and how things are looking country-wise is important to you, you might, and I stress "might" enjoy this book. If you only concern yourself with your own life and your worries don't extend past your own front yard (i.e. you mind your own business and let the rest of the world take care of itself) then pass it by.

Prescient, persuasive, provocative and astute.
Mixing fact and anecdote with a keen eye and ear for the rhymes and reasons that shape and have shaped the fabric of the american south, Applebome's book acheives a kind of birds eye view of a world whose influence has been obscured in myth and misunderstanding. Applebome clearly knows his territory well, and has put in the miles of travel and years of study to reach a level of insight that goes beyond anything else I have read on the subject.His polymath's approach includes a wide spectrum of topics from the political to the musical--and he shows us how and why the south has emerged from its volatile history to a place where it now stands at the vanguard of so many trends and developments in our society.This is readable and entertaining scholarship from someone who has lived with his subject and come to know it like few others.Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1951-    2. 1989-    3. 20th century    4. Civilization    5. Culture    6. General    7. History - U.S.    8. Politics and government    9. Sociology    10. Southern States    11. U.S. State Government - The South    12. United States    13. United States - 20th Century    14. United States - State & Local - South    15. Current Events / General   

Reviews (5)

Still a great read 16 years later...
Originally published in 1989, Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen have written an astonishing account of the rise of the Medellin cocaine cartel.The book is well researched and the pacing keeps you turning pages.The authors were able to connect a number of separate dots which give the reader a clear picture of the enormity of the drug trade in the late 70's and early 80's.The organization of the drug lords (Escobar, Ochoa, etc.), the men aligned against them and the other bit players caught in between are all brought to life in a fascinating and well written book.

An Inside Look at Drug Trafficking
The power of the Medellin Cartel is frightening.This is a story of corruption.The overwhelming amount of drug dollars pouring into Colombia contaminated large portions of society.In many ways Colombians lost their moral compass.However, we must never lose sight of the fact that without demand...this is no market for illegal drugs.

Kings of Cocaine .....
This is one of the best books I have ever read, about any subject....I have told anyone who will listen, to read this book, it's frightening, but very realistic, I just couldn't put it down.....I have read it twice, and it's one of those books you would call a 'keeper'....if you haven't read it, find it and read it....it will BLOW YOUR MIND...... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Colombia    2. Drug control    3. General    4. Medellin Cartel    5. Narcotics, Control of    6. Politics - Current Events    7. Social Situations And Conditions    8. Sociology    9. United States   

Reviews (39)

Superficial at best
The author uses the same tactics he denigrates when used by others. For instance, in the section on Japan, he has to admit that gun crime is the lowest in the industrialized world, mostly affecting intra-ciminal violence. To mitigate that success, Poe describes the fuedal lord who took away swords in the 16th century and how the police are still the arrogant samurai, as if that's relevant to this modern subject.
Concise and logical
Just thought this book was great.Provided many interesting facts/figures that have now inspired me to start doing my own research.A great, quick read for anyone intersted on the topic of Gun control/ Gun Laws.Great book regardless of your position on this fundamental right.

Misleading
This book pretty much lays it on the line as to why every single argument made for the control of guns in this country is completely full of crap.But, what surprises me is a book by Horowitz misses the point on this so completely.And that point is that the gun control advocates KNOW they are full of crap.Or more importantly, they are LYING to promote a hidden agenda....and that agenda has dramatic, sweeping implications for any person unlucky enough to be in a position to defend themselves from violence.The reason this surprises me is Horowitz's other books do such a good job of describing and then documenting how liberals, leftists activist judges and democrats are pretty much engaged in a full on attempt to bring down our government and wipe out america so as to grab power for themselves in some form of totalitarian state.This issue is just another piece of the puzzle. If you look carefully at the pattern in the changes of laws dealing with criminals, you will see that more and more, criminals are shielded from the harm their actions invariably bring on themselves (both from the criminal justice system and from victims that fight back).And in no place is that worse than in laws having to do with the use of lethal force to protect yourself.Yeah, gun control is a serious threat to our freedom.But, that's not the real problem.THE problem is if you have to shoot some crack addicted fool who has come to murder you and your family, there is incredibly high chance that YOU will end up in prison, getting gang raped every single day for the rest of your comparatively short life!The problem is far worse in specific places in the country (do whatever you must to move out of those areas by the way).What a surprise, those areas all happen to be blue states....cough.But, even if you miraculously survive the powerful assault the police and courts will wage on you to throw your butt in jail, there is the matter of lawsuits.You will be sued by the criminal that attacked you, 100% of the time, unless you are smart enough to live in a state like Colorado that has laws specifically preventing that sort of dual victimization (ALL criminals do this, by the way, to their victims after getting caught, no matter how frivolous or unlikely their case).Because of these problems, to say it is NOT a good idea to go packing, is an understatement.The truth is the gun control issue is moot because in most places in the US, we have already lost.You can carry your gun, but heaven help you if you have to use it.The standard for justifiable use of force is so unreasonably strict that almost nobody can meet it and still survive the encounter.It won't be long until you will have to have had several rounds pumped into your chest by a criminal, before you are allowed to fight back.THIS and not the laws having to do with ownership and carry of guns is what is critical at the moment.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. International Relations - Arms Control    3. Political Science    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Politics/International Relations    6. Current Events / General   

Reviews (83)

Your President, The Moron
For all of you that voted for him because you were AFRAID OF CHANGE, you get what you deserve.Please by all means read about your emperor.No self respecting rocket scientist would would be caught dead at the same party.So when all you good voters see your social security checks, your lack of health insurance and a cobwebbed covered vehicle in your driveway that you cannot afford to drive, I think you know you is responsible.Like my mom said, "Just because you have money and priviledge does not mean you have brains and couth."Bravo, Mr. Begala.

K.A. Kegley is a moron
I HAVE read the book and it is great. Don't review(8/9/04) a book you haven't read.

You Get what the Crooked Pay For
Well, here we are in 2005
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Subjects:  1. American    2. Biography    3. Children of presidents    4. Current Affairs    5. Educational Policy & Reform    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Governors    8. Political    9. Political Process - General    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Presidential candidates    13. Texas    14. United States    15. Bush, George W    16. Current Events / General    17. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    18. Political and social views    19. USA    20. Current Events - General