Book Description
Process Control covers the most essential aspects of process control suitable for a one-semester introductory course. While classical techniques are discussed, Chau also covers state space modeling and control, a modern control topic lacking in most introductory texts. MATLAB, a popular engineering software package, is employed as a powerful yet approachable computational tool. Each chapter concludes with problem sets, to which hints or solutions are provided. The support website provides excellent support in the way of MATLAB outputs of text examples and MATLAB sessions, references, and supplementary notes.
Customer Reviews:
From an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control.......2006-07-10
A excellent and readable text for professionals looking for a brief reference on Process Control, who also want to learn to use Matlab, one of the most powerful engineering tools available for Process Control.
Each chapter concludes with problem sets, to which hints or solutions are provided. Despite the reliance on Matlab, theory and analysis of Process Control are well presented.
I have been working for more than 16 years as an Instrumentation, Automation, and Process Safety and Control Engineer for the Oil & Gas Industry, and I found this book to be very useful to learn how to use Matlab to help me solve day to day issues on my job.
Newcomers and students will also find this book useful it their area of interest is Process Control.
Excellent Choice for introductory Process Control.......2003-04-13
This book contains crucial, basic informations in understanding process control. With the Matlab supplement sections, this book will describe the necessary points in the book. Pao Chau, with his great wisdom, creates this book for undergraduate senior courses, or intro for graduate courses.
I love this book.......2002-11-17
"Controls" is undoubtedly a very difficult subject for newcomers/beginners but Pao Chau knows well the roadblocks to learning and understanding and bypasses them by getting to the heart of the core, crucial matter without dismissing any vital points. This book is actually a lot easier reading than initially expected, and is presented in such a way as to lead to continual reinforcement of previous material while smoothly progressing to the next topic. It is not verbose and packs a wealth of information in lean, efficient chapters. If you are taking an introductory Process Controls class or simply need a review this is probably the best book out there for you!
Average customer rating:
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Chemistry, a First Course
Jacqueline I. Kroschwitz
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General & Reference
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ASIN: 0070355398 |
Book Description
This proven, introductory chemistry text has been thoroughly enhanced to prepare your students for a general chemistry or general, organic, and biological chemistry course. With a logical organization and balanced treatment of concepts and practical applications, Chemistry: A First Course fosters a solid understanding of chemistry basics, rather than just memorization of facts. Throughout the text, concepts are reinforced by referring to material previously discussed. This respected author team's lively, conversational, and highly descriptive writing style will quickly engage your students and draw them into the world of chemistry.
Customer Reviews:
Fundies of Chemistry.......2000-05-16
Outstanding book - comprehensive coverage and understandable text. This book used by SD School of Mines students as a fundie course.
Average customer rating:
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A First Chemistry Course
E.N. Ramsden
Manufacturer: Nelson Thornes Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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| Nonfiction
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ASIN: 0859504883 |
Book Description
"Timely and easy to read...will prevent individuals from making image mistakes."
--Bill Bagley, Human Resource & Recruiting Director
Deloitte & Touce--Cincinnati
"Everybody whose appearance matters could benefit from reading this book."
--James R. Canova, President
Tech Electronics, Inc.
"This book answers all the questions college students are afraid to ask and even some they didn't know they had."
--Angelle Bujol, Executive Director
Pi Sigma Epsilon, Inc.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Read!.......2001-02-24
Self-help books tend to be either insightful or dumb. Author Ann Marie Sabath manages to accomplish both results in the same book. At times, the book provides useful examples on topics that are truly unclear, but other times it tells you to wear your goulashes in the snow. If you are willing to shift through some incredible obviousness, then you will find enough pearls. The lists of common mistakes that start each chapter are particularly helpful. If you do nothing else, read these lists and find out if you are committing a dressing gaff. If you can honestly say that you have not or never will commit any of the mistakes on the lists then you are ready to navigate the business casual workplace confidently.
A decent overview.......2000-09-20
This book is certainly easy to read and presents some very solid advice. It covers a wide variety of topics from heel heights to skirt lengths, from the rules about wearing cologne to protocol for wearing nose rings at work(don't!). However, I was disappointed that it contained not a single illustration, as I would think that a book purporting to help people learn how to dress for work might include a few sketches or photos...a picture being worth a thousand words, you know. In addition, several topics (the skirt length issue, for example) were repeated numerous times, which was annoying to say the least. Finally, I found the pagination system to be deceptive at best. The text STARTS on page 15 and the last few pages of the book are devoted to things like "about the author" and an index. By my count, you really only get 185 pages of text.
Excellent resource for today's professional.......2000-09-14
Sabath has done an excellent job of condensing a potentially huge body of advice into a readable book that's not at all pretentious or sermon-like. She covers the gamut of issues from how NOT to dress in a business casual environment to how TO dress in an environment that's not business casual. She also spends some useful time on what to wear on casual Friday's in an otherwise professionally-dressed work environment. I highly recommend this book to both corporate and government professionals, and definitely to anyone preparing for interviews in either environment.
Very highly recommended "dress for success" reference........2000-08-04
Beyond Business Casual: What To Wear To Work If You Want To Get Ahead explains what to wear on the job when there's no written dress code; the dress faux pas most commonly made in the business world today; what "business casual" really is; how to add clout to what you say by what you wear; and how to dress when you're in doubt about what to wear. Very highly recommended for anyone concerned with "dressing for success", Beyond Business Casual is formatted as a series of questions and answers, and offers a wealth of real-life examples and illustrations drawn from Ann Marie Sabath's business attire workshops and her years of experience in consulting with members of the business community on how to look professional.
Who couldn't benefit from this book?.......2000-05-28
Ann Marie Sabath has written an excellent guide to one of the thorniest issues in business today--what to wear to work. The advent of business casual in the 1990's created a dilemma that lives on in the business world. Everyone from the CEO of the company to the lowliest clerk is trying to figure out how to dress. Ms. Sabath, with her 13 years of experience, has written on this subject in her uasual direct and easy-to-read approach. Her question and answer style takes the reader through all aspects of workplace attire from defining business casual to deciding what to wear to the holiday party. This book is appropriate for everyone entering the business world as well as those who have been on the job for years.
Book Description
The first American pilot shot down over Iraq during the Gulf War, Lt. Cmdr. Scott Speicher was originally listed as killed in action. But evidence has surfaced indicating that not only might he have survived the crash, he may still be alive today...
Customer Reviews:
Story needs to be told & what are we going to do about it?.......2007-01-15
Every soldier has heard "No one left behind", but Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher was left behind and the story needs to get out. Our government should be held accountable and no effort should be spared to find out the truth once and for all. Sightings of this soldier by reputable witnesses, murders of those who helped him, this sounds like an incredible movie plot. But, it's all true and the family and fellow soldiers need to get the truth and recover him or his remains.
Where is the accountability?.......2006-06-21
There have been several articles and reports in recent years about Michael Scott Speicher; the Navy F-18 pilot who was shot down over Iraq during the first night of Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Over the last fourteen years, there have been many mistakes and missed opportunities in relation to Scott Speicher's case. Many people believe that Speicher may have been alive up to a decade after the 1991 Gulf War and there is still hope that he is alive today. There have been multiple pieces of credible evidence and even sightings of Speicher since he was lost and there is simply no evidence that suggests that he was killed in action. There is also strong evidence that we had a chance to rescue Speicher in 1994 but the Clinton Administration for fear of the political fallout abandoned him at that time. My question is where is the accountability? Why hasn't anyone taken a beating over this miserable failure and possible abandonment of one of our nation's finest?
Amy Waters Yarsinske has written a thorough account of the Speicher case: No One Left Behind: The Lt. Comdr. Michael Scott Speicher Story. In her book, Yarsinske describes how Scott Speicher took off from the aircraft carrier Saratoga in the early morning hours of January 17, 1991 and did not return. For some reason the officials aboard the Saratoga neglected to get the news out about Speicher to Naval Forces Central Command for several hours after Speicher did not return. This mistake was critical because the first four to five hours after a shootdown are when combat search and rescue (CSAR) is most successful. Another mistake, which occurred in the early stages of the war, was when Dick Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, stated to reporters that an F-18 pilot was lost on the first night of operations and was killed in the incident. He made the statement based on some bad information that was given to him from Vice Admiral Jeremy "Mike" Boorda, then chief of naval personnel. Boorda had gotten the information from his chain of command that "Scotts Hornet had been blown out of the sky--with no chance of survival, no ejection". The truth to a high degree of certainty is that Scott Speicher was not killed in the incident. When Speicher's crash site was discovered, the plane was in relatively good shape. It certainly was not completely destroyed. The engines were intact, the canopy was missing, and the ejection seat was missing. This of course suggests that Speicher ejected. Scott's flight recorder was found later, which confirmed that Speicher's plane went down due to fuel being cut off from the engines. An air-to-air missile detonating beneath the aircraft probably caused the failure of fuel to the engines. It is known that a pilot ejecting from an F-18 Hornet, has more than an eighty percent chance of survival.
Another disturbing bit of information about the 1991 Gulf War is the lack of combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions for downed pilots during the war. According to Yarsinske, there were thirty-seven fixed wing aircraft that went down during the conflict and search teams were launched for just seven of them. According to Timothy G. Connolly, a former Army Ranger and principle undersecretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict said "We did virtually no SAR for anyone. Jesse Johnson, head of special operations for Central Command, was responsible for combat SAR forces. His rule was, we're not launching unless there's somebody on the ground waving their arms for us. He didn't want to risk casualties." No search and rescue team was launched for Michael Scott Speicher.
Perhaps the most shocking information about the Speicher case is that the U.S. could have rescued Scott in 1994 but decided to abandon him. The CIA discovered that pieces of an American jet were being sold on the black market by a source named the Falcon Hunter. The Falcon Hunter was a Member of the Qatari royal family with strong ties to the Iraqis. In December 1993, the Falcon Hunter was in the western Iraqi desert hunting with his falcons as he commonly did and came upon some locals trading parts. He discovered that a local tribe of Bedouins found the wreckage of a U.S. warplane. The Falcon Hunter told them that he wished to see the crash site for himself. They took him to the crash site and he immediately recognized that it was a Navy jet from the USS Saratoga, downed in the Persian Gulf War. According to Yarsinske, after some time, the Bedouins were communicating with the U.S. through the Falcon Hunter and indicated that they wanted to turn Scott over to the U.S. authorities. They made the attempts for two or three years with no affirmative response from the Clinton Administration or U.S. Intelligence in the region. This information is corroborated by two Joint Chiefs of Staff sources in Navy Intelligence and the CIA. The Falcon Hunter's statements were further corroborated by a Saudi prince who new the Bedouin tribes in Western Iraq. The prince made frequent trips across the border and even offered to get Scott Speicher out if the U.S. wanted him to do so. He was waiting for instructions when the Joint Chiefs of Staff was told by their Chairman, General John M. Shalikashvili to stand down. Why would he do that? According to Yarsinske "The Clinton administration had apparently made the decision that bringing Scott Speicher home at that time would reveal that they had known he was in trouble since taking office" and since there would be witnesses including Scott himself who knew the timing of the events, "The embarrassment was a political bombshell, a hit the administration was unwilling to take."
With all of the evidence of missed opportunities and even blatant abandonment of Speicher after he was reported alive, why hasn't there been a congressional investigation? I think the officials in the government who chose to abandon Michael Scott Speicher ought to be held accountable. They need to answer under oath in congressional hearings. They should know that their actions in this matter would cost them more than just political capital or shame. They need to be punished.
Straight forward interesting account.......2005-02-27
This is good solid reporting about a very interesting subject. I read the book before the second war in Iraq and would love to read an updated version with later discoveries.
Thought provoking.......2004-05-26
Would the United States knowingly leave one of their own behind during the First Gulf Conflict? Amy Waters Yarsinke, the author, seems to think yes, they would.
We start with the facts; Michael Scott Speicher was flying a plave that was shot down over Iraq during the early stages of the Gulf War Conflict. After that, we are presented with evidence (from Iraqis )backing up the theory that he was killed and a whole slew of evidence he survived and, indeed, was still alive in the late 1990's.
Perhaps now that Saddam Hussein's regime has fallen and Abu Graib prison in in the hands of the Allies, Warsinke's claims may not be so readily believable however there is strong circumstancial evidence that Speicher survived the crash and fell into the hands of the Iraqis.
An interesting book firmly pushing the 'He's alive' theory. Maybe he is.
Still good, but a little sensationalized.......2003-11-01
Amy Waters Yarsinske must first be commended for her six-part series in The Virginian-Pilot that lead to the reclassification of Michael Scott Speicher, the Persian Gulf War's first casualty, as "Missing-Captured." Those articles eventually formed the basis for the astonishing "No One Left Behind," a chronicle of a military tragedy and an unbroken chain of mistakes.
"No One Left Behind" works on many levels. The beginning of the book is a detailed look at the opening stages of the first Persian Gulf War. The middle of the book deals with the fascinating forensics that went into investigating and re-constructing what really happened to Capt. Speicher when he was shot down. The final portion of the book dives into the murky world of military intelligence.
Mrs. Yarsinske has crafted a very detailed account of every false step in the Speicher mystery, which makes for an engaging story as readers associate with the people who fought the military bureaucracy and continued investigating the Speicher mystery.
This story's achillies heel lies in its deviation from the accepted facts regarding the mystery. Mrs. Yarsinske tries so hard to establish an element of coverup and conspiracy that some of her unconventional theories end up clashing with each other. For instance, she actually tells two different versions of her "friendly fire" theory in the opening chapters, and eventually refutes one of them during the middle third.
Overall, "No One Left Behind" is a gripping and detailed story about an aviator left behind enemy lines, and still a book that reads as if its a novel. It's a commendable piece of journalism, but readers should balance the author's account with alternate press accounts of what really happened to Capt. Michael Scott Speicher on January 16, 1991.
Average customer rating:
- Good, albeit maudlin, portrait of JFK
- Lightweight hero worship
- A great writer turns JFK into a modern King Arthur...
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One Brief Shining Moment: Remembering Kennedy
William Manchester
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Kennedy, John F.
| ( K )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
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1960s
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ASIN: 0316544914 |
Customer Reviews:
Good, albeit maudlin, portrait of JFK.......2005-12-22
William Manchester, more famous for "The Death Of A President", has written a good 20th anniversary volume here. There are some nice photos, as well. Interesting note---he thanks several of the Secret Service agents he spoke to back in 1964-1965, givig one the impression that he may have spoken to them once again (fat chance: Emory Roberts passed away in 1973).
[...]
Lightweight hero worship.......2004-06-03
As Manchester is wont to do, he waxes poetic about historical figures he has put up on pedastals. If you are assembling a library devoted to the Camelot myth, this book will be essential to your collection. However, if you are looking for a useful historical examination of JFK, this book will prove to be largely useless. Richard Reeves' "Profile in Power," in print for almost 10 years now, shows that one can avoid hero worship while also avoiding character assissination, and is infinitely more useful to the reader than this fluff. Robert Dallek's far more recent "An Unfinished Life" is also to be recommended far above this.
As Manchester now sheds the mortal coil, one can see that his books on Churchill, MacArthur & Kennedy say a lot more about Manchester than they ever did about their respective subjects. This is a man who seemed to need to have heroes to worship, and he worshipped them most uncritically. He also made a lot of money stoking the fires of hero-worship along the way. However, in the long term it does not make for good history, and as a historian Manchester is rather lacking. I suspect that in another generation, he will virtually forgotten by serious students of history.
A great writer turns JFK into a modern King Arthur..........2003-07-17
Make no mistake, William Manchester (1922-), who knew John F. Kennedy personally, can be a great writer at times. His two-volume biography of Winston Churchill (sadly, never to be completed now that Manchester is aging and ill) is superb, and so is "The Glory and the Dream", his history of the World War Two "G.I." generation from 1932-1972. However, when it comes to the Kennedys, Manchester's tendency to hero-worship simply overwhelms him, and has led to plenty of criticism and controversy over the years. In my opinion, "One Brief Shining Moment" is easily one of the most biased pro-Kennedy books that has ever been written, and is an embarrassment to Manchester's otherwise brilliant career. Manchester doesn't just praise John F. Kennedy is this book, he almost fawns over him, and it's obvious that he sees JFK as a modern King Arthur presiding over a (White House) Camelot. His chapter titles for this book tell it all - "There Thou Layest" is his final chapter in which he specifically links JFK to the Arthurian legends, and indulges in plenty of purple prose. As in his other Kennedy books, Manchester loathes Lyndon Johnson, and in this work he more clearly links LBJ with Mordred - Arthur's (JFK's) great enemy and the villain of the Camelot (Kennedy) legend - than in his previous books. In Manchester's prose Lyndon Johnson is little more than a redneck boor, a country hick whose crude habits, such as deer hunting, "horrified" the urbane, elegant, and intellectual JFK. In Manchester's view Lyndon Johnson was the "anti-Kennedy" - this despite the view held by many modern (and far more objective) historians that it was LBJ, and not JFK, who was the critical force behind the great Civil Rights and anti-poverty legislation passed in the mid-sixties. This book repeats virtually every legend and myth about JFK as fact - the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 wasn't really JFK's fault, but the CIA's, President Eisenhower's, etc. Kennedy's womanizing wasn't anything that his predecessors (and successors) haven't done, so what's the big deal? And, of course, if Kennedy had only lived then none of the major problems and headaches of the mid-to-late sixties would ever have happened. According to Manchester, JFK would "definitely" have pulled out of South Vietnam - hence no Vietnam War, no dead American troops, no antiwar riots on college campuses, etc. If Kennedy had only lived the terrible race riots of the sixties would never have occurred, because blacks somehow "trusted" Kennedy more than they did Johnson, and would therefore have listened to JFK's urgings not to riot in the streets. Young adults would never have created a generation gap ("don't trust anyone over thirty"), because JFK was a young, "hip" guy like they were, and so they wouldn't have created a counterculture or become hippies. Of course, Manchester offers virtually no evidence to back up these claims - he simply presents them as "facts" that are accepted by everyone. In Manchester's rosy view, Kennedy was virtually perfect, with almost no flaws or weaknesses (and those few that exist only "prove his humanity"). If you still believe in the Camelot legends of JFK's Presidency and still have a romantic view of the man and his era, then you'll LOVE this book, as it takes the JFK legend and runs wild with it. But, if you're looking for a more balanced and objective work about JFK, then this is probably one of the last books you'd want to read. "One Brief Shining Moment" is simply the most biased "pro-Kennedy" book I've ever read. If you do choose to read this book, then I would recommend that you also read several other, more balanced Kennedy books. Among the best are Richard Reeve's "President Kennedy: Profile of Power", Herbert Parmet's "Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy", and Robert Dallek's "An Unfinished Life".
Average customer rating:
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For One Brief Moment
Larry G. Weaver
Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0595245161 |
Book Description
For One Brief Moment is the story of one womanÂ's struggle against cancer, a battle that many others fought both before and after her. Some have won, some have lost and with some the battle still rages. But none have gone forth to meet this evil and merciless foe with greater courage or with more loving support from family and friends than Joann, whose story is told here.
This is not a happy story. It is told with sadness and pain and sorrow and with a sense of guilt on the part of some who survive. But it is also a story of bravery and strength and determination and endurance and of the love that helped to light her lonely way.
Average customer rating:
- Reader beware -
- A Novel, Not A Biography
|
One Brief Moment
Frank Reed Nichols
Manufacturer: Celo Valley Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
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| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
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| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
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| Letters & Correspondence
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| Women Writers
ASIN: 0923687416 |
Book Description
A novelization of the life of Harriet Quimby, who in 1912 became the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. Ms. Quimby was also the first woman to be licensed as a pilot in the United States and the first woman to solo at night in the United States.
Customer Reviews:
Reader beware -.......2001-07-20
Reader beware - This novel uses the names of real people, but places them in situations that never existed, doing things they never could have done, often with people they never knew. Do not expect to learn anything about the historical characters portrayed. This is fiction.
Also, beware that this novel is not suitable for children, and implies that the characters were of low moral fiber. There is nothing in the historical record to corroborate this implication. Again, it is one author's fiction.
A Novel, Not A Biography.......2001-07-19
Unfortunately Mr. Nichols has rendered a novel using real characters and thus has given us a confusing, even irritating, book. It would have been far better had he chosen to invent his characters as well as his story, for almost all of what he has written never happened. Sadly, people may read this book and believe what it has to say. This is a book neither for the aviation historian (no distinction is made between real events and invented ones) nor the juvenile reader (the language is certainly not appropriate). Mr. Nichols clearly wanted to pen a novel and he should have done so full-force, instead of sullying the character and memory of pioneer flyer Harriet Quimby. This book no longer has a place on my book shelves.
Book Description
This is a mother's story of survival. It is no more and no less than any mother could have done under similar cirumstances. A child is born with such incredible medical problems and challenges, a whole community is brought to bear to help keep her alive and her family from crumbling under the terrible strain.
It speaks of strength, and the illusion of control."One Brief Shining Moment" is a testament to one small family, trying its best to stay together, body and soul, and surviving the worst. It is a heart breaking, gut wrenching story to read, but one that demonstrates the depth of love.
When one's alternatives are limited, you gotta go with what you got; and this is going with what you got, at its best.
A must read for any parent who has ever faced a medical challenge with a child, as it gives insights only another parent can appreciate.
Average customer rating:
- Without Getting Historically Political
- A great writer turns JFK into a modern King Arthur
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One Brief Shining Moment: Remembering Kennedy
William Manchester
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (P)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Kennedy, John F.
| ( K )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0316545112 |
Customer Reviews:
Without Getting Historically Political.......2004-07-13
This book is not meant to be a historical recollection of scholarly aptitude about the presidency and politics of the late Mr. Kennedy. In the first few sentences of the introduction, Mr. Manchester made that completely clear. His aim, I believe, was to offer an intimate view of the president from the perspective of an intimate friend. President Kennedy had been dead for 21 years before I was born and 41 years would pass after his assassination until I took great interest in his life and presidency this year. In reading this book, I fell in love with every aspect of him: his personality, family, politics, and overall warmth, and though Kennedy's persona is enigmatic in itself, I don't think that I would have admired him as strongly as I do without the masterful yet intimate writing of this book. It doesn't offer an objective or scholarly approach to Kennedy's life. It offers an intimate one. I laughed, cried, and fumed while reading this book, trapped in the illusion that I was actually there with the senator in his race for the presidency, during his presidency, and even in his personal life back in the 50s and 60s, even though the reality was that I was born 21 years after his assassination. I am not too strongly politically inclined; I recommend this book strongly to anyone who just wants to know who the late former president was as a man, son, father, husband, and president. It is a great book. And the fact that it is loaded with pictures is a plus as well.
A great writer turns JFK into a modern King Arthur.......2001-07-14
Make no mistake, William Manchester (1922-), who knew John F. Kennedy personally, can be a great writer at times. His two-volume biography of Winston Churchill (sadly, never to be completed now that Manchester is aging and ill) is superb, and so is "The Glory and the Dream", his history of the GI generation from 1932-1972. But when it comes to the Kennedys, Manchester's objectivity and tendency to hero-worship simply fails him, and has led to plenty of criticism and controversy over the years. In my opinion, "One Brief Shining Moment" is easily one of the worst books ever written about President Kennedy, and is an embarrassment to Manchester's otherwise brilliant career. Manchester doesn't just praise JFK in this book, he almost fawns over him, and it's obvious that he sees JFK as a modern King Arthur presiding over a (White House) Camelot. His chapter titles for this book tell it all - "There thou layest" is his final chapter in which he specifically links Kennedy to the Arthurian legends, and indulges in plenty of purple prose. As in his other Kennedy books, Manchester loathes Lyndon Johnson, and in this work he more clearly links LBJ with Mordred - Arthur's (JFK's) great enemy and the villain of the Camelot (Kennedy) legend - than in his previous Kennedy books. In Manchester's prose, LBJ is little more than a redneck boor, a country hick whose crude habits, such as deer hunting, "horrified" the urbane, elegant, and intellectual JFK. In Manchester's view Lyndon Johnson was the "anti-Kennedy" - this despite the view held by many modern (and far more objective) historians that it was Johnson, and not JFK, who was the critical force behind the great Civil Rights and anti-poverty legislation passed in the mid-sixties. This book repeats virtually every legend and myth about JFK as fact - that the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 wasn't really JFK's fault, but the CIA's, President Eisenhower's, etc. Kennedy's womanizing wasn't anything that his predecessors (and successors) haven't done, so what's the big deal? And, of course, if JFK had only lived none of the massive problems of the later sixties would have happened. According to Manchester, Kennedy would "definitely" have pulled out of Vietnam - hence no Vietnam War, no dead American soldiers or riots on college campuses, etc. If JFK had only lived the civil rights mess - such as the race riots in the mid-to-late sixties - would never have happened, as blacks somehow "trusted" JFK more than they did Lyndon Johnson, and would therefore have listened to JFK's urgings not to riot in the streets. Of course, Manchester offers virtually no evidence to support these claims - he simply writes them as if they were "facts" accepted by everyone. In Manchester's rosy view, Kennedy is simply perfect, with almost no flaws or warts (and those few that exist only "prove his humanity"). If you still believe the Camelot legends of John F. Kennedy's Presidency and still have a romantic view of the man, then you'll LOVE this book, as it takes the Camelot myth and runs wild with it. But if you're looking for a more balanced and fair-minded work about JFK, then this is probably the LAST book you'll want to read. I've read many books about the Kennedys - some favorable and some critical - but this book is easily the least objective and balanced pro-Kennedy account that I've ever read. If you do choose to read this book, I would suggest you then read several other, more balanced Kennedy books. Richard Reeve's "President Kennedy: Profile of Power" is excellent, as is Herbert Parmet's "Jack: The Struggles of John F. Kennedy".
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This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on January 1, 1998. The length of the article is 511 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: From One Moment to Another and Other Stories.(Brief Article)
Author: E.J. Czerwinski
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1998
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: v72
Issue: n1
Page: p147(1)
Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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