Blood in the Sand: A Shocking True Story of Murder, Revenge, and Greed in Las Vegas (St. Martin's True Crime Library)

Book Description

THE SEDUCTRESSSexy siren Amy DeChant had a lifelong habit of finding men-rich men-who would take care of her.And when the money ran out, so did Amy.When she met wealthy bookie Bruce Weinstein at a poker room in Las Vegas, she had found the perfect prey....THE BOOKIE300-pound Bruce Weinstein was the most successful sports bookie in Las Vegas.When he met the red-haired, blue-eyed Amy DeChant, he was smitten.Amy immediately moved in with Bruce and he showered her with expensive gifts.But cars, furs and jewelry didn't hold a candle to the horde of cash Bruce had stashed in a hole in the wall of his home-or the glittering fortune he kept in a safety deposit box....THE SIN-CITY MURDERHoping to get her hands on Bruce's fortune, Amy murdered him and dumped his body in the Nevada desert -then she poured industrial-strength cleaning fluid on his corpse to further decomposition.When police found the body and identified it as Weinstein's, the search for Amy was on.Finally, with the help of America's Most Wanted, the lethal lady was captured and found guilty of first-degree murder.Read all about his fascinating case of greed, deception, and cold-blooded murder in the most outrageous city in the world.WITH EIGHT PAGES OF STARTLING PHOTOS!

Customer Reviews:

MOB HIT? CLEANING LADY HIT? YOU BE THE JUDGE!.......2001-04-09

Las Vegas bookmaker Bruce Weinstein was immediately enamored of the diminutive brunette, Amy DeChant when he met her in October of 1995 at The Mirage poker room. He bought her a car, a beautiful diamond necklace, purchased a carpet-cleaning business for her, and took very good care of her. Bruce Weinstein, was described as "the kind guy you loved to hate and hated to love." When the wealthy, 46-year-old 300 pound risk-taker suddenly disappeared July 5, 1996 from his Las Vegas home, Amy DeChant, his 48-year-old live in lover was the prime suspect. Amy said Bruce left at 11:00pm, to go out -- but his family suspected foul play. Why? Because he was always in bed by 9 or 10, the cellular telephone that was his link to his wealthy bookmaking business remained in the house, as did his beeper and an American Express card - "He never left home without it." But how could DeChant -- at 5-foot-1 and 110 pounds, and suffering a bad hip, carry the burly body of her lover out of posh house they shared? The police listed him as a MISSING PERSON, but his family knew something was amiss. They posted a $50,000 reward leading to the recovery of Weinstein's body and arrest of the killer and hired private investigator, Mike Wysocki, to delve deeper. After the investigator discovered blood on the underside of the mattress in the bookmaker's bedroom, Las Vegas Metro began a murder investigation. The remains of the 46-year-old bookmaker were discovered Aug. 11, 1996, in a makeshift grave about 60 miles north of Las Vegas, in an isolated spot in the desert near Mesquite, where it was carefully covered with rocks. Because the body was badly decomposed, it took investigators until September to make a positive identification using Weinstein's dental records. Immediately, the investigation focused on two people: DeChant, who operated a carpet-cleaning business, and Robert Wayne Jones, her employee. Why? Amy disappeared the day after the killing and was stopped by police in Maryland. In her car was more than $100,000 in cash, false birth certificates, wigs and information on obtaining false identification. Also, police investigators found blood stains in the freshly cleaned carpets of Weinstein's home after searching for clues to his mysterious disappearance. Her brother posted a $5,000 cash bail for her after she had spent @ 2 months in jail, but after being released on bail, she fled again. DeChant changed her story several times about the events leading to Weinstein's disappearance. Her story to police now was that vindictive, masked, "New York-looking type guys" actually were the killers and they allowed her to live only if she cleaned up the bloody death scene and kept quiet. Why? Amy said the four masked men entered the house, said they were going to "teach Bruce a lesson," then killed him and took away his body (leaving some bloody spots in the house that she was told to clean). Hummm! Also missing is Robert Wayne Jones, 57, who vanished on July 12, 1996, without clothing, money, even a toothbrush. Weinstein's family has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his whereabouts. He was on the lam for almost a year, but was later found and arrested in New Mexico. DeChant, disappeared in September 1997 after she and Robert Jones were charged with Weinstein's murder by a grand jury. She was profiled on America's Most Wanted and a tip from a viewer watching the program led to her capture. DeChant was tracked down in January, 1998, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, where she was worked as a bartender at two South Florida establishments. She was arrested at the home of a Port St. Lucie man who ran a commercial cleaning service! At her 1998 trial, Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane portrayed DeChant as a "dominating person" who never took no for an answer and was determined to get her hands on Weinstein's wealth no matter what it took. When she couldn't manipulate control of the money from the illegal bookmaking operation, he contended, she killed him and took it. He also said Robert Wayne Jones, supplied the semi-automatic pistol that was used to kill Weinstein and helped with the clean up. The .380-caliber weapon was found under a bush a year after the slaying, but ballistic tests were inconclusive, and the weapon that killed Bruce Weinstein could have been the same make or one of three other makes... Her attorney stated in closing, that police used high-tech methods to check for blood residue in DeChant's car and carpet-cleaning van and in Weinstein's car and found nothing! The jury of nine women and three men spent 15 hours over a three-day period deliberating the murder case of DeChant and her co-defendant, Robert Wayne Jones. DeChant was found not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder but guilty of first-degree murder and of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Her life was spared. Jones was found not guilty of direct involvement in the murder but was convicted of being an accessory to murder after the fact, and was given a five-year sentence. Bruce Weinstein's family cried with joy after Amy DeChant, was convicted of murder in his July 1996 death. Sylvia White, Weinstein's mother, said after the verdict, "All I want to do is go to the cemetery to see my son. We don't have him anymore, but we do have justice." Will the family's joy be short lived? In May 2000, DeChant's attorney appealed the conviction citing it was impossible for DeChant, who weighs less than 120 pounds, to have shot the 300-pound Weinstein, dragged him from his upstairs bedroom, put him into a car, rolled him down a ditch in the desert and placed boulders on his head. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Amy DeChant, overturning her October 1998 conviction for the murder of Bruce Weinstein. In their October 2000 ruling, the Justices said the trial judge erred in allowing testimony from a former homicide investigator, who termed DeChant's mob hit account a "fairy tale." The high court noted prosecutors used the same phrase later in the trial.

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A Suitably Creepy Read
Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Blood and Sand (Midnight Library)
Damien Graves
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439871875

Book Description

John and Sarah cross paths with a sand sculptor whose creations are shockingly real -- a little too real. . . . Ben inherits a seemingly ordinary pocket watch from his grandfather. It may be his only hope against a bird with a taste for blood. . . . Jessica and Robbie have been left in Laura's care for the evening. But tonight Laura doesn't quite seem like Laura. . . . Three stories. Three more reasons to beg for morning to come. Welcome to The Midnight Library.

Customer Reviews:

A Suitably Creepy Read.......2007-06-10

As a parent, I'm always looking for interesting things for my kids to read...so when I saw The Midnight Library series on display at my local library, I was intrigued. We picked up the first few (Blood and Sand, Voices, & End Game) to see if we'd like them. I have to say, it's an interesting series. Each book appears to hold three short stores revolving around a central theme (in this case, Blood and Sand). We've just wrapped up reading this and boy my daughter (9) and I enjoyed the stores. All three are well written, suspenseful, and manage to scare without going over the top, that is to say there is a bit of subtleness to the stories that is refreshing. In this trio of terror, you get eerily real sand sculptures, a possessed parrot looking to toy with his new "owners," and a babysitter who doesn't seem quite like she used to be. The first story has some holes in it in terms of how it ended (the believability of "getting away with it after the accusations), but the second and third were of a better quality...with the third being my favorite by far. Overall, I give Blood and Sand 4 stars, the stores are quick to read (one per night for several nights) and the level of subtle creepiness was just right for the age range of this books audience. I'd recommend them for parents having trouble getting your young readers engaged in longer book over the summer (or the holidays).

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-03-24

Once again, Damien Graves has put together a book with three more scary stories! I can't wait to see what others think of it.

John and Sarah have come again to the town where there practically isn't anyone around. Their family comes here every summer to spend time together, but they get so bored because there isn't anything to do except go to the stupid beach, which let me tell you, isn't the best place you want to spend your summer at. On the bright side, there is an annual sand sculpture competition which Sarah has finally convinced her brother, John, to attend and participate in like all the times they did it together when they were younger. There is this amazing sand sculptor whose creations are just unbelievable, that just looked like the real thing! But when Sarah and John were snooping around in the sculptor's tent, they found that the creations were real and that he was cheating! They told the judges, who did not believe them; it was probably because the sculptor said that he hadn't even started on his project. Sarah and John went to investigate in his house to find some evidence. What do you think will happen to Sarah and John? What do you think they will discover?

Ben's grandfather has just recently died. While moving all his grandfather's stuff out of his house and into Ben's, he finds an ordinary pocket watch, which he thought was sort of a strange thing to give him but he kept it anyway. While looking through the moving van, Ben discovered this hideous looking bird named Igor that might just change Ben's life for awhile. A couple of days had past and his parents were acting kind of strange. All they did was take care of that stupid bird and started acting like they didn't even have a child. But then something strange occurred; the parrot said "I killed your grandfather, and you're next!" Ben was very scared of the bird now -- it was taking total control over his mom and dad's life, which wasn't very good, and he was afraid he would be killed, too! Over time very, very strange things occurred, and he had to find a way to save himself and his parents before it was too late! What will happen next?

Jessica and Robbie's parents are going out for dinner and Laura, their babysitter, is coming to take care of them. Usually they look forward to spending time with her, but tonight I don't think they would want to do that. Laura is a very responsible person but this time she is very late -- and their parents are not happy about it, either. When she finally gets to the house though, she was nothing like the Laura they knew! The `other' Laura loved boy bands performing on MTV but this supposedly `different' Laura just couldn't stand the music. They knew something was up so they did everything and anything in their power to get themselves and their younger sister out of the house and fast!

This second book in the TALES FROM THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY series has three heart stopping stories which will scare you to death. If you're like me, though, you won't be able to get enough and will have to keep reading. This book deserves a solid 5 stars!

Reviewed by: Spreeha

Blood-red Desert Sand (Cassell Military Trade Books)

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Blood-red Desert Sand (Cassell Military Trade Books)
Michael Barthorp
Manufacturer: Weidenfeld Military
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

Beautifully illustrated from the work of pioneer war photographers, this is a marvellously readable account of the British Empire at war. From the British invasion of Egypt to the tragedy of Gordon of Khartoum, it culminates in General Kitchener's march to Omdurmann that saw Winston Churchill participate in one of the last battlefield charges by British cavalry. Michael Barthorp reveals the strengths and weaknesses of Queen Victoria's army, its brilliant but wayward officer corps and the professional soldiers who inspired so many Kipling poems.

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Blood and Sand
Frank Gardner
Manufacturer: BANTAM PRESS (TWLD)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0593055780

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory

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An astute and well written history book.
Good for Most
Good history
Nice broad perspective
Spreading the Myth

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory
Randy Roberts , and James S. Olson
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743212339

Book Description

In late February and early March of 1836, a Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna lay siege to a mission known as the Alamo, held by a small band of rebels that included Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and William Travis. In the dark early morning of March 6, all inside the fort were dead -- and one of America's most enduring legends was born.

Randy Roberts and James S. Olson retell the story of the Alamo from both the Mexican and the American perspectives, delving into the historical accuracy of such myths as Bowie's famous line in the sand, Crockett's celebrated fight to the death, and the common portrayal of the Mexicans as ruthless killers. Separating fact from fiction, they trace how and why those fictions grew, from the rapid spread of the rallying cry "Remember the Alamo!" to the "patriotic" depictions of battle in American films and television to the potency of the Alamo as a symbol in Texas politics and American culture today.

Download Description

San Antonio, Texas, 1836. A Mexican army led by Santa Anna attacks a small fort called the Alamo. Disputes still rage over exactly what happened, why it happened, and how it should be remembered. Indeed, the battles fought over the memory of the Alamo have been almost as fierce as their subject. In a riveting combination of history and cultural analysis, historians Randy Roberts and James N. Olson blend a rich narrative of the battle -- told from the perspectives of both the Anglo and Mexican troops -- drawing from a wide range of sources, including newly released documents from Mexican military archives and just-discovered pages of the famous de la Pena diary. Still controversial after all these years, the events at the Alamo pose some fascinating questions: Did Crockett really die a hero, or did he surrender before a summary execution? And why have Americans built a shrine for an event that lasted no more than ninety minutes, and inflated it into one of the country's biggest tourist attractions? A full explanation of the San Antonio encounter requires a peeling back of many layers. With powerful writing, Roberts and Olson retell the story of a great American myth, and show how and why it endures. This original volume is sure to change the way readers "Remember the Alamo".

Customer Reviews:

An astute and well written history book........2007-03-07

It was a pleasure to read this book, very informative, well researched and finely written. Whatever your views are of the Alamo and its place in the history of Texas; this book was written by two astute historians with a careful attention to detail with reasoned views and opinions.

Brief but informative and concise histories are given of Travis, Crockett, Bowie, Santa Anna and the events that lead them to a common junction at the Alamo in 1836. My only exposure to the Alamo before this book was the John Wayne movie, so it was great to be able to read this professional account of the history of the Alamo and also its post history into the 21st century.

The authors also make the valid point that native Indians occupied Texas for hundreds of years before any Spanish, Mexican or Anglo claims on it. The history of Texas comes alive in this book and the authors have done a great job as this book is flows smoothly and logically and is accessible to the general history buff.

Good for Most.......2007-01-12

It was no big surprise to read about Santa Anna's negative effects on Mexico. Once you get through the first part of the book you'll have an easier time turning the pages.

Even for a native Texan, the book was definitely not what you'd expect of Travis if you've watched too many Alamo movies. If you're from South Texas you'll probably be surprised when you get near the end of the book.

The story of the battle and politicians of the time was quite interesting and kept my interest more than most parts. It's worth reading, but make sure to visit the Texan Cultures Institute too.

Good history.......2005-09-30

I was assigned to read this in a Texas history class at UT Arlington. So I expected it to be the typical politically correct, leftist, white-bashing I'd grown so accustomed to. I was pleasantly surprised. This book is honest and fair with all sides. It's what historians should strive for because it doesn't take sides. Roberts goes after truth, no matter who gets offended. And yes, sometimes that's the Mexicans. I was shocked to learn all about how Col. Travis abandoned his family, but I was impressed by his courage to the end. Now I feel certain that Santa Ana is the worst thing that ever happened to Mexico. And some of his generals were skilful enough to have won the war and honorable enough to have not executed Texas POWs. I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to understand this major piece of American history.

Nice broad perspective.......2004-06-08

Just because this book does not agree 100% with Jeff Long is no reason to condemn it. A topic like the Alamo is supposed to include room for debate and disagreement. Although the book may have been written partly in response to Long's version of the Alamo, I feel it also serves as a viable alternative to the current dominant historiography on the Alamo (Hardin and Huffines are good, but they would agree, I think, that theirs is not the "last word"). This is a balanced account which, as other reviewers have noted, includes a complete post-1836 history of the Alamo. A good example of the common-sense historical honesty in this book comes in part of the authors' treatment of the Crockett debate: "...what had been the end of Davy Crockett?...Scores of people had an answer to the question, but their answers banged against one another, knocking silly any hope of discovering the truth."(p.196) There will never be a "last word" on the Alamo, but I do recommend this book to those interested in the topic.

Spreading the Myth.......2004-04-20

Do not be fooled by what this book aspires to be. The authors claim this is an even-handed, accurate retelling of the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, but it adds nothing new to the oversimplified accounts you'd find in a 4th grade Texas history book.
The book tries still portrays the Alamo defenders as flawless men of great honor... mythical heroes fighting for a just cause. They try to argue that the Texas Revolution was similar to the American Revolution. They could not be further from the truth; The two events had little in common. The Texas Revolution consisted of a group of opportunistic American settlers who took advantage of the internal turmoils in Mexico at the time to seize a piece of property they had long set their eyes on. It was a prime example of Manifest Destiny at it's most voracious, if you'd like to put a label on it.
The Mexican side of the story gets lost in this book, despite the authors' claim at being unbiased. If you'd like to read an informative book on the subject, pick up Jeff Long's "Duel of the Eagles". That book is indeed an eye-opener (at least for the open-minded). On the other hand, this book might as well had been written by the Daughters of the Texas Revolution for distribution at the Alamo gift shop! It's a badly written history book.

Blood at Sand Creek: The Massacre Revisited

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Sorry, revisionists!
Whitewashing Sand Creek
A Johnny Cochran Style Defense
Poor Scholarship
Ignorance is bliss

Blood at Sand Creek: The Massacre Revisited
Robert Scott
Manufacturer: Caxton Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sand Creek Massacre

ASIN: 0870043617

Book Description

The dust around the site of the Sand Creek Massacre settled long ago. The blood spilled there no longer stains the ground. But the echoes of rifle shots, the death cries of the slain, and the words of accusation and slander reverberate yet-150 years after the battle.

What really happened at Sand Creek, Colorado? Were the Native American inhabitants of the village hapless victims or aggressive fighters? How did the War Between the States influence hostilities between people groups on the plains? Was Civil War hero Colonel John Chivington a ruthless murderer of innocent women and children, or a political scapegoat? Blood at Sand Creek reaches conclusions that will surprise some.

Using rare documents, sworn affidavits, and military records, historian Bob Scott reexamines the fateful battle. Under his masterful pen, the drama and intrigue of the Sand Creek Massacre unfolds. Its powerful leading characters live again in these pages, inviting you to find truth amid the tragedy in the Blood at Sand Creek.

Customer Reviews:

Sorry, revisionists!.......2006-04-23

This is an extremely well written, well documented book. It is not surprising to me that revisionists and those who are politically correct will object to it. However, the facts are clear (and are clearly illustrated in Scott's book).

John Chivinton's demise was the result of political opponents who wanted to discredit the man who almost certainly would have become the Republican governor of Colorado unless they found a way to ruin him. They did. It is significant to note that the people of Colorado (and the entire West, for that matter!) held Chivington in highest esteem until his death, more than 3 decades later. He was honored at the Colorado State Fair 10 years after Sand Creek and at the Wyoming State Fair 25 years later!

The history of confrontation between whites and Native Americans is not pretty. However, it is unfair to say that Chivington was responsible for US Government policies. Chivington was a military commander, ordered by his Governor (and the army) to stop Cheyenne atrocities. The Indians involved included Dog Soldiers who were carrying out bloody attacks; in fact, scalps of whites were found in tepees at Sand Creek after the battle.

I'm sorry, revisionists and those of you who would love to rewrite history. Chivington was not a sadistic animal. And Scott's well written book should give even the most liberal of you reasons to reconsider your position.

This is an excellent book, well documented, and well worth reading.

Whitewashing Sand Creek.......2005-06-02

A reader who wants to learn about the Sand Creek Massacre would be well advised to begin elsewhere. Stan Hoig's fine book would be an excellent place to start. Grinnell's books on the Cheyenne contain more good information. This book, alas, contains little information about the fight itself - a bare handful of pages.

The presentation is flawed. Although the author states that he does not intend to exonerate Chivington but wants only to bring out the facts of this incident, this book seems like a whitewash of the whole affair. The author presents an admiring look at Chivington but fails to cite evidence which is more critical of the man. For example he does not mention that Chivington was accused of murdering Confederate prisoners and immediately dismisses any alleged profanity by the colonel.

The book is also full of errors. For example, he places Fort Riley, Kansas southwest of the Smoky Hills in Kansas. In fact, Fort Riley is to the east and is north of most of the Smoky Hills area. He also asserts that Confederate agents were stirring up Indian trouble in 1860. It's worth noting that there was no Confederacy in 1860 and that Texas didn't secede from the Union until February, 1861 - the same month the first Confederate constitution was ratified by six deep South states. The is also the inference that problems from 1856 on were stirred up by southern agents.

Mr Scott also seems to be convinced that the Confederacy bore a large part of the responsibility of the warfare on the plains. He refers to Cheyenne attacking in the same manner as Confederate troops. Yet the hatred for the white man which permeated the Dog Soldier society and affected, to some extent, all the warrior societies would have precluded the type of training such an attack would infer.

The litany of Indian attacks in Kansas and Colorado is informative and this is the first modern work I've encountered which mentions these. Unfortunately, when describing encounters between soldiers and Indians, Mr. Scott places the blame primarily on the Indians.

Likewise, the pro-Chivington testimony presented in this book is seldom found elsewhere and it's presentation here is a good thing.

This would be a good book for someone who already has a fair amount of knowledge of the battle and is looking for the other side of the story, but I wouldn't recommend it for the novice or casual reader.

A Johnny Cochran Style Defense.......2005-04-14

An intriguing historical character, Chivington was a preacher who preached against slavery despite threats against him. He was a civil war hero and missionary. Yet he is accused of leading one of the most heartless, brutal massacres in American history.

Was the Sand Creek massacre a misunderstanding? Was it an intentional, cowardly massacre of a peaceful Indian village consisting of mostly women and children? Or was it a justified attack against a group of hostile, bloodthirsty criminals? Unfortunately, Bob Scott's book is not an objective analysis of the incident. Scott, a long time admirer of Chivington who wrote a book praising him as a civil war hero, writes this biased book to defend Chivington, not to objectively look at the facts.

The author attacks the testimony of James Beckwourth and Kit Carson who weren't even witnesses but doesn't address the accounts of Silas Soule and others who refused to participate. He fails to mention a Private David Louderback who was in the camp at the time of the massacre. The private was sent to escort trader John Smith. If this group of indians was so dangerous, why was a private sent to trade with them? Would you tell me?

The author does honorably admit that a prisoner was summarily executed. He also honorably admits that Chivington on several occasions made racist comments about his victims and encouraged the killing of even children. These were well documented, and even the biased author could not dispute them.

So that leaves us with the enigma of Chivington. The Christian preacher, missionary and war hero who led one of the cruelest slaughters in US history.

Poor Scholarship.......2004-12-12

This book is so terrible I do not know why anyone would want to publish it. The author makes claims that are completely untrue, writes poorly, and does not adequately document his research. The author claims that Bull Bear, a chief of the Dog Soldiers, died at Sand Creek. This is completely untrue; Bull Bear was not even present at Sand Creek. The author claims that White Antelope was an Arapahoe chief, when he was actually a Cheyenne chief. How could someone miss such important facts? Scott claims that John Chivington never swore, even though his colleagues testified otherwise. Scott describes Chivington: "There could hardly have been a more unlikely frontier hero, with all of its macho implications, than John Milton Chivington. If a novelist had created Chivington, editors and publishers would have rejected him as being too improbable." What are statements like these doing in what is supposed to be a history book? In the bibliography, he cites Duane Schultz's book, Month of the Freezing Moon, but misspells his name as "David Schultz." In his bibliography he lists a number of encyclopedias but not enough primary sources.

Ignorance is bliss.......2004-06-28

Bob Scott's book is a good example of horrible historical research. If you want to argue that John Chivington was not an awful person and that he was justified, so be it. However, use more resources than basic encylopedias. During the course of the book, Scott contradicts himself, ignores reams of testimony that don not back his case, and gets facts wrong. If you want a better researched, more fair-minded read, check out Stan Hoig's book or David Svaldi's on sand Creek.

Sangre Y Arena/blood And Sand (Leer En Espanol, Level 4)

Average customer rating:

A critique of Spanish life
All About Juan

Sangre Y Arena/blood And Sand (Leer En Espanol, Level 4)
Vicente Blasco Ibanez
Manufacturer: Santillana USA Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 8429434399

Customer Reviews:

A critique of Spanish life.......2002-04-01

I have seen the film several times, always missing the piint, and seeing it as a personal tragedy for Gallardo. More importantly, after I read the book, in English, I found that it is a stinging critique of fascism, of catholicism in its primitive forms, of the wealthy and their sloth and a glorification of romanitc, populist truth in the form of the bandit who appears in the middle of the book(This is omitted from the film!)I found it powerful writing, full of magnificent symbolism e.g. when Gallardo goes into the Church to pray, and clean, evocative writing. I now intend to read it in el Espanol.

All About Juan.......2002-02-10

Who in the world is Juan Gallardo?
This could be the question you're asking yourself.
Juan Gallardo is a good looking young man who keeps
the family tradition of bullfighting alive.After
living in poverty most of his life,Juan becomes
famous and rich.He marries a pretty young woman
called Carmen.Their happiness is interrupted by
the sexy Dona Sol.Juan,who is naive and illiterate
succumbs to Dona Sol's temptations,leaving behind
a distraught Carmen and cuadrilla.
Juan Gallardo is not clever.He has everything he
could want,but it is never good enough.He squanders
his money on valueless items and alcohol rather
then using it to do good for someone else.
We pity Juan for this reason but also ask
"Where are your brains?"
Ofcourse we know that if Juan had had brains
he may not have been a matador.
It is safe to say his theme song would have
been "If I only had a brain."
This is what makes the story interesting,
besides, how often do we get to read about

Book Description

"Lying has always been part of politics. Traditionally, however, the lie was seen as a necessary evil that those in power should keep from their subjects. . . . Following the proclamations of victory in the Iraqi War, however, that sense of purpose became imperiled along with the trust necessary for maintaining a democratic discourse. The Bush administration has boldly proclaimed the legitimacy of the lie, the irrelevance of trust, while the mainstream media has essentially looked the other way."-from the book

Blood in the Sand is Stephen Eric Bronner's powerful critique of the current state of American foreign and domestic policy, ranging from the government's initial response to 9/11 and the assault on Afghanistan through the Iraqi War and the ramifications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bronner, who just months before the war began spent time in Iraq as part of a peace delegation, examines the state of twenty-first century America, a nation in which security against future terrorist attacks has become an obsession, "moral values" have turned into a slogan, and belief in the right to engage in a preemptive strike has come to define foreign policy.

In Blood in the Sand, Bronner develops a bold new framework for a modern democratic foreign policy. In doing so, he passionately warns of the consequences of failure to alter the current course of events in America: extreme economic inequalities of power, political authoritarianism, imperialist ambitions, and an increasingly constrained cultural climate.

Customer Reviews:

Poor arguments and plenty of misinformation.......2006-05-04

I think it is a good idea to question some of the actions of our present administration. But I also think it is a good idea to use facts and logic to do so. Even a lying and counterproductive administration will look good when the attacks on it are illogical, irrational, and false.

Was the election in 2000 in Florida stolen? Of course. Had Bush received all of Gore's votes and had Gore obtained all of Bush's votes, Bush would have won very easily. But when Gore was the one who got the most votes in Florida, he lost. There was a legislature and a Supreme Court that made sure of that! Still, I think it does little good to mention this unless one wants to be honest about other issues as well.

Is Gandhi a good person to discuss in a book that mentions Israel? Maybe so! After all, Gandhi recommended that the Jews try non-violence against the Germans in the late 1930s. That idea did not work. Was it just a bad guess? Maybe. But Gandhi was also a vicious opponent of Jewish rights in the Levant. He's no hero as far as I am concerned. I'd like to be a moral person, and that means that I wouldn't want to be like Gandhi!

I think it may be a good idea to modify some truly counterproductive colonial boundaries of some Middle Eastern nations. But Bronner is totally unconvincing in making his case, given his terrible biases against human rights in the Middle East. Let's see, he says that "worry over the treatment of Arabs by Jews stretches back to the last century" (I think he means the nineteenth, not the twentieth). Of Arabs by Jews? Um, I suppose he could say that worry over the treatment of Germans, Poles, Russians, and others by Jews stretches back to that century and more. And that worry over the treatment of White Americans by Blacks stretches back to before the Civil War. But that statement makes the whole book look suspect: he appears to be attacking human rights with a vengeance.

The author says that there was "ethnic cleansing" in the creating of Israel, "employing rape and torture and turning those Arabs living in the new state into second-class citizens." He's implying that the Jews were the villains and the Arabs were the victims. But that's not true. Once again, the same sort of thing could be said, again untruthfully, about the behavior of Jews during World War Two. And once again, that statement is simply a vicious attack on human rights as well as on truth.

Bronner also attacks Ariel Sharon for visiting the Temple Mount (the holiest Jewish site, which happens to be in Jerusalem, which happens to be the capital of Israel). Plenty of Knesset members had been visiting the Temple Mount. Why not? But Bronner makes it look as if Sharon did something wrong to visit it. He calls it a "publicity stunt" without explaining that if Israel had tried to prevent him from going there, that would have been a rather serious attack on Jewish rights by the nation of Israel.

Israel, after being hit by a series of suicide bombings originating in Jenin, finally took some rather heroic action. It sent some ground troops to Jenin. This is a litmus test for me. Can Bronner at least praise this? No, he mocks it!

The author's ideas about land are awfully arbitrary. He shows maps that indicate, quite falsely, that Israel is expanding. That's preposterous. In 1968, Israel included all of the Sinai. It gave all that land, several times larger than the rest of Israel, to Egpyt. But Bronner only shows the tiny Israel of 1949 and claims that Israel is now bigger than that! Bronner does applaud the "Geneva Initiative" as a way to achieve peace in the region, but I think he's way off base here as well.

The author blasts authors such as Christopher Hitchens and Paul Berman simply for speaking the truth at times when George Bush might have agreed with them. Does he really think it ought to be an obligation for us to lie just so that we'll disagree with George Bush? I would think that is a truly terrible idea that would simply make us look bad. And Bronner asks us, rhetorically, what is wrong with Noam Chomsky. Well, I'll tell you what is wrong with him. Sure, Chomsky is bright and sometimes makes some good points. But on a number of issues, he is simply dishonest, and he uses that dishonesty to support those who attack human rights.

This book does not lead us on the, um, true path.

Fast Read, Brutal & Riveting, A Call for Progressive Engagement.......2005-10-30

This is an absolute gem of a book, one I was able to polish off in a couple of hours before Crossfire comes on. It is brutal and riveting, nothing less than a thoughtful manifesto calling for progressive engagement and a restoration of engaged dialog.

Here are a few of my summative notes that serve as a review of the author's key points, all of which I find to be admirable and well-documented:

1) US Democracy is in crisis, in part because the "Halliburton Administration" is comprised of several liars and thieves, among whom I would suggest Dick Cheney and Karl Rove are the worst. Their resignations, and the appointment of Senator John McCain as an ethical vice president, strike me as necessary.

2) The Democratic Party failed to understand that ideological passion and the Republican mobilization of their own base would more than crush the Democratic pragmatism, focus on the economic case, and a heroic but insufficient increase in registered voters. In essence, the Democratic Party relied on mobilization and failed to find its voice or its spine in 2000 and 2004. Even when the Democrats knew--as Greg Pabst documented--that the Florida election was stolen twice (one with the disenfranchisement of over 35,000 people of color, the second time with the rejection of over-count votes in pro-Gore countries--while revalidating them in pro-Bush counties), they failed to rise to the challenge.

3) The author is brutal in a very polite and professional way as he describes the origins of the neo-conservatives and their commitment to looting the commonwealth of the poor and middle class in order to fund wealth transfers to the already rich, and a larger garrison state with which to pursue imperial adventures.

4) The author provides a very helpful review of what Ghandi was trying to accomplish (see also my review of the DVD by that name) and what I took away from this chapter was that non-violence is not only moral, it is educational and pragmatic. It unites the oppressed and enlightens the oppressor.

5) In the chapter on reflections from a personal visit to Baghdad, the author makes it clear that on-the-ground eye witnesses could plainly see--as the UN inspectors saw and US Marine Scott Ritter said--that Iraq was no threat to the US. The educators also heard from taxi drivers and intellectuals who said plainly that the demise of Saddam would be welcome, but occupying forces would inspire a massive nationalist insurgency. How is it that neither CIA nor the White House heard these voices? We conclude that CIA has become stupid in its reliance of classified sources and fabrications from defectors seeking resettlement, while the White House is merely unethical.

6) In an overview of the geopolitics of the region, while the author does not fully examine the nefarious misbehavior and selfish refusal to help from the other Arab nations, all of which continue to refuse land or status to Palestinians, he provides a very interesting discussion of the possibility of Iraq being divided into three parts--one aligned with Turkey, another with Iran, and suggests that colonial borders should not be considered permanent--much better to accommodate, better late than never--to tribal and religious realities. He also maps the planned Israeli walls, and I can only say that I consider this a very effective exposure of the lunacy of the Israelis. Palestine should be divided in half, each half augmented by additional land from contributing adjacent states, and Jerusalem made an international city-state under a joint religion and United Nations council

7) The book concludes with a very thoughtful discussion of 9/11 and of democracy. I agree with the author when he says that 9/11 had a *basis* in the US support of the corrupt Saudis, of the Israeli persecution of the Palestinians; and of the continuing imperialist ambitions including what Al Qaeda, not the author, have called virtual colonialism. The author tells us that democratic dynamics require accountability, morality, and reciprocity, and pointedly suggests that the neo-conservatives that have hijacked the Bush Administration have replaced all three with know-nothing fundamentalism and a grotesque imperial ambition that is quite ignorant and quite craven in thinking that we can "take over" the oil and water of the Middle East, and continue to occupy any portion of it.

This book is elegant, solid common sense, capably presented.

Blood and Sand: The Levant Tribunal (Ars Magica Fantasy Roleplaying)

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Blood and Sand: The Levant Tribunal (Ars Magica Fantasy Roleplaying)
Niall Christie
Manufacturer: Atlas Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1589780256

Book Description

Welcome to a land of contrasts, from the lofty mountains of Asia Minor to the luxuriant green of the Nile valley, from ageless cities to young kingdoms, from bustling sea ports to impregnable castles. Welcome to a land torn between religious wars and tortuous politics, theater of the clash between East and West, a place where two cultures collide. Welcome to a land of wonders, haunted by stone memories of lost civilizations, inhabited by powerful sorcerers, home to the finest scholars of both worlds. Welcome to a land of opportunities, where the lucky and strong can achieve fame and riches beyond measure, but where the corpses of the weak and the slow litter the ground.

Blood and Sand is the guide to the Hermetic tribunal of the Levant. It details the mundane and Hermetic geography and history of the area, shaped by Islam and the Crusades. It describes the mundane and magical inhabitants of the region, be they emirs in mighty castles or traders in the Latin states, magi of Hermes or Muslim sorcerers, jinn or naddahas. From the Ark of the Covenant to the criminal underworld of Acre, this book provides everything you need for a saga set in this most volatile of Hermetic tribunals.

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A Yank in Spain's Opinion

Blood and Sand
Vicente Blasco Ibanez
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Sangre Y Arena/blood And Sand (Leer En Espanol, Level 4)

ASIN: 1417911352

Book Description

1919. Ibanez, Spanish novelist and political activist, also wrote The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which made him world famous. From the lowest ranks of poverty to unprecedented heights of riches and popular acclaim-thus was the career of Juan Gallardo, Spanish bull fighter. In telling his story, Ibanez has achieved a novel even more dramatic and powerful than his legendary Four Horsemen. From his boyhood Juan longed to be a bull fighter and, as he climbs the ladder step by step, the reader lives with him in the very atmosphere of the arena. No detail of the picture is spared-one can see and almost hear the actual battle-the crowds-the many characters that stream through the pages. And Juan himself, with his vanities, his superstitions, his daring attacks, his wounds and recoveries, emerges as real, vital and colorful as the sport to which he and many others dedicated their lives. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

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A Yank in Spain's Opinion.......2007-06-07

I quite by accident came upon this very excellent book recently, when enjoying a drink with a fellow American in a restaurant in eastern Spain that was showing bullfighting on its television. We got to discussing the pros and cons of bullfighting, which has become quite controversial in Spain, and he suggested that if I ever had the chance I should read 'Blood and Sand,' which, frankly, I thought was a Hemingway book that I had already read. As coincidence would have it, I came across a used copy of the book, in English, a few days later, and promptly bought it.
I read it in a few days. It is compulsive, excellent reading for anyone the least bit interested in Spain or bullfighting. Written in 1908 by a journalist from Valencia who is now considered one of Spain's greatest novelists, published first in English in 1913, you would be hard pressed to know when reading the novel that it is as old as it is. The form is very modern and the plot can be quite gripping. The author, Vicente Blasco Ibanez, presents a fascinating, reasonably suspenseful 'story,' involving the eternal triangular romance, and supplements it with a mine of useful, detailed information on Spanish bullfighting, including all of the relevant bullfighting terms, in Spanish of course, defined very simply into English.
If you like(d) Hemingway's books about Spain, or even if you are interested in Spain, you will find this very tight (285 pages) and absorbing novel, in which the author does eventually but very subtly reveal a point of view, a compelling read. In fact, if you liked Hemingway's books about bullfighting and Spain, you will LOVE Ibanez, since 'Blood and Sand', made into a film in the 1940s starring Tyrone Power, is manifestly more vivid and realistic. The real deal for Aficionados and Espanophiles.

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