God and Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now

Book Description

In this book, bestselling biblical scholar and media darling John Dominic Crossan analyzes Jesus and Paul's revolutionary message in light of the Roman Empire of their own time. Jesus and Paul came from very different backgrounds and their styles were very different, but one of the things they shared was a criticism of the civilization of their day as imperial, unjust, and violent. In their time, the Roman Empire's mantra was "first victory, then peace." The counter–mantra of Jesus and Paul was "first justice, then peace." In God & Empire, Crossan charts the evolution of biblical thinking on the relationship between faith and politics.

Using the tools of expert biblical scholarship, Crossan deftly presents the tensions in the Bible between political power and God's justice. He reveals what the Bible has to say about land and economy, retribution and violence, justice and peace, and ultimate redemption. He examines the meaning of the "kingdom of God" prophesized by Jesus, and the equality recommended by Paul to his churches.

Just as Rome in the first century, American policies and moral values can be reexamined in light of Jesus's prophetic message of peace through social justice, NOT peace through military victory. Crossan contrasts Jesus and Paul's messages of peace through justice to the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision of Revelations and its use by modern right–wing theologians and televangelists to justify U.S. military aggression in the Mideast.

Customer Reviews:

Anew look at our future.......2007-09-22

I was surprised at the content because I was expecting a comparison of Jesus versus Rome and the current situation with our empire, USA. It was not that. However by using scripture and the writings of Paul and John of Patmos, he makes it clear that the choice for us is the non-violent Jesus that Paul desribes and follows and the violence that surrounds the Jesus of John (revelation). In the present climate he feels and I would agree that the violent Jesus is what most people expect and want. Woe to the planet and its people.

Difficult read offers scant evidence to prove his point.......2007-08-26

I really wanted to love this book. The premise on the jacket copy offering the life of Jesus and ministry of Paul as peaceful and non-violent examples that have been distorted by a misreading of the Book of The Revelation of John is really something I buy into.

But instead, after wading through a really difficult to read 4 chapters leading up to the critical analysis of The Revelation, what I found instead could simply be boiled down to "John got it wrong." I found nothing in his writing to support a premise that modern fundamentalists are misreading The Revelation. No, his theory as I read it is simply that The Revelation is in contradiction with earlier Gospel writers, primarily Mark, and that The Revelation itself is a distortion of Jesus life and teaching.

Having had such high hopes from reading just the cover blurb, I have to say I'm disappointed. While I agree wholeheartedly with his opinion of a central message of Jesus teaching being one of peace, I just can't say that he stayed on track well enough to prove it. He offers the standard case for believing Mark and the "authentic" letters of Paul as the most historically valid books of the New Testament, but he offers little explanation that would disavow The Revelation as later but divinely inspired. I also felt he really missed an opportunity to examine The Revelation more in the context of contemporary allegory or metaphor for the Roman empire at that time versus a literal prophecy to be fulfilled some several thousand years later. A closer examination along these lines with more comparisons to earlier Biblical apocalyptic writers might have yielded a more believable path to his conclusions.

Finally, as a couple of other reviewers have noted, he is not an easy read.

Jesus, not President Bush, is Lord.......2007-07-26

Crossan sets out a beautifully researched explanation of why the Gospel writers' appellation of "Lord" to Jesus was a monumental and revolutionary statement. Without his historical and archaeological evidence, the title "Lord" easily becomes cliche today. Crossan puts it in context and explains how that clearly distinguishes the difference between what Jesus asks of us vs. what the nation asks of us.

Citizens of "The Beast" Awake!.......2007-06-12

As I read John Dominic Crossan's "God and Empire", I began to imagine myself as someone akin to John on the island of Patmos. The "Beast" is no longer the Roman Empire but the one of which I am a citizen. The difference is that I enjoy freedom of speach, religion and association. Now I need not wait for some Armageddon to slay the "Beast" and establish the Commonwealth of God on Planet Earth! Buy the book and see it all with clear eyes and mind!

Worth the effort........2007-05-16

Crossan is not always easy to read. His viewpoint that the Bible is a God inspired but humanly producted document will offend many fundamentalist and they will not accept his arguments that sometimes the writers of the New Testament got it wrong. But if you are willing to engage your brain as well as your heart and soul, he gives insight in the truth of Jesus and how His message interacts with civilization and man's laws.

The Mosaic of Shadows (A Byzantine Mystery)

Average customer rating:

Very fun story that will actually take you to Byzantium
Conspiracy, Spies, Betrayel, Epic Battles - Medieval Times
A Fascinating Read
A fine first
Enjoyable story by young author

The Mosaic of Shadows (A Byzantine Mystery)
Tom Harper
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312338678
Release Date: 2005-05-12

Book Description

Byzantium, 1096. A mysterious assassin releases an arrow aimed at the emperor---but he has more than just a man in his sights. A keystone of a crumbling empire, the emperor is the solitary figure holding all the enemies in check. And if he falls, the mightiest power in Christendom will be torn apart.
Demetrios Askiates, unveiler of mysteries, is hired to catch the would-be-killer. But he is entering an unknown world; a babbling cauldron of princes, slaves, mercenaries, pimps, and eunuchs. Not all enemies are within the city walls, however, and with the Turks running rampant across Asia, the emperor has sent to the west for mercenaries to reinforce his position. When a great army, tens of thousands strong, appears before the city gates---the emperor gets more than he bargained for. From the depths of the slums to the golden towers of the city palace; from the sands of the hippodrome to the soaring domes of Ayia Sophia; Demetrios must edge his way through a glittering maze of treachery and deceit before time runs out.
Intent on making their fortunes in war, and with no allegiance to this empire, the first crusaders have arrived with eyes full of jealousy and suspicion. As the armies of the east and west confront each other, and with the assassin creeping ever closer to his prey, Demetrios must untangle this golden web of intrigue that surrounds the emperor---before the city, and the empire, are drowned in blood.

“His portrayal of the Byzantine city and the intrigues that threaten its destruction is vivid and convincing.”
---The Sunday Times (UK)

“It’s a world that Harper brings exuberantly to life, clearly revelling in its teeming, tumultuous extravagance. But he also has a sharp eye for an intriguing mystery.”
---Yorkshire Post (UK)

“Tom Harper writes with strident clarity in this epic tale of murder and betrayal, bloodshed and romance. Gripping from the first page, the reader is swept up.... Well researched and cinematic in its imagery, this is a fast-paced and exciting debut.”
---INK (UK)

“A gripping tale...I look forward to Demetrios’s further adventures.”
---Elizabeth Hawksley, Historical Novels Review

“A lively adventure.... The imperial palace, with all its splendor and intrigue, is brought vividly to life.”
---Good Book Review (UK)

“An engaging romp---Byzantine not only in time and location but the ins and outs of the plot.”
---The Advertiser (Australia)

Customer Reviews:

Very fun story that will actually take you to Byzantium.......2007-07-30

No spoilers.

I'll have to agree with another reviewer here who noted that the immediate flaw in this novel is that there is little introduction or background given about the protagonist, Demetrios, until about a quarter of the way into the book. Having said that (and overlooking it because you eventually find out about him), this is definitely a book I recommend.

Although I began to suspect who the Emperor's true enemy was before it was revealed, even that, which is something that I usually hate when reading a mystery, didn't take away from the quality of the story. Harper, with ease, immerses the reader into eleventh century Byzantine society to the point where you almost believe you are reading these events unfold in the present, right outside your window.

I fully recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and who wants to be transported into their story.

Conspiracy, Spies, Betrayel, Epic Battles - Medieval Times.......2007-01-23

Medieval Times. What a...mysterious time in our (human) past. After the fall of Rome, the world dived into a 1000 years of turmoil, wars, Crusades, and so much more. How much fun!

Set during the time of Emperor Alexios, we have a great, huge story which brings the reader right into the story from the first page, to the very end. Our hero is Demetrios. Former mercenary, turned "investigator" there is a plot to assassinate the emperor, and take over the empire.

We are weaved through a fine tale, based on much fact, of betrayel, loyalties, and much more. Who tried to kill the Emperor, and why? With a barbarian army from France marching towards the city, the turks lurking just a few hundred miles away, we are setup for a final scene unlike more others. Will Demetrios find out who and why tried to Assassinate the Emperor?

The book is extremely well written. Great characters, again, many based on actual events and people. Tom Harper shows his knowledge of the times, with a very convincing story.

Whether you are a fan of the times or not, this book will entertain you. Not for a minute was I counting the pages left.

A Fascinating Read.......2007-01-06

Tom Harper is a pseudonym of Edwin Thomas who grew up in West Germany, Belgium and America before returning to England to study history at Oxford university. The mosaic of Shadows is about a period of history that I enjoy reading about very much, but even if I am slightly biased I believe that the book is a really good read for anyone interested in historical murder mysteries.

The book takes place in Byzantium, the year is 1096, 30 years after the bastard Norman, Duke William had captured the throne of England from the grasp of Harold at Hastings.

When an attempt is made on the life of the emperor by a mysterious assassin, whoever sent the killer to try to murder the emperor knows that it was not just a man who would have been killed by the assassin's arrow but an empire in decline. If the emperor should fall then the mightiest force in Christendom will be torn apart. Only too aware of his precarious position the emperor hire the unveiled of mysteries, Demetrios Askiates to catch the would-be-killer. But even for one such as Demetrios the task of finding the killer is all but impossible. An unknown world of prince's and paupers, slaves mercenaries, harems and eunuchs. From the slums to the golden palace, enemies are lurking in the shadows, but not all are within the wall of the city.

The first crusaders have arrived and are intent on making their fortunes. They hold no allegiance to an enemy they eye with suspicion. As they armies of the east and the west confront each other across a barren landscape, the assassin prepares to make another attempt upon the life of the emperor. Can Demetrios untangle the web of deceit and intrigue that surrounds the emperor and his city before it is too late and one of the greatest empires of all time crumbles into the dust . . .

A fine first.......2007-01-01

Mr. Harper certainly knows his Byzantine and Crusader history and culture, and has stuck close to the reality of the times. He can also spin a detective tale. There may be scenes the reader will doubt, but it's all true. Mr. Harper does not invent the mechanical lions that bristled and roared next to the Emperor's throne to frighten barbarians.

A nice mix of personal/family issues and detective work, as well as great historical events. The mix of the first two might remind one of Lindsey Davis's Falco, but unlike either Davis or John Maddox Roberts in their top-notch Roman detective series, Harper is not also a humorist. The book is a straightforward historical mystery, but unlike Rosemary Rowe's Libertus series, it isn't just a non-stop series of clue-unraveling. Harper is never dull reading.

Enjoyable story by young author.......2005-12-03

After the disaster at Manzikert, the great Byzantine Empire calls for help from the 'barbarian' west. Emperor Alexios Komnenos appeals for mercenaries to help him re-capture his Asian province (modern-day Turkey). Instead, the west responds with the First Crusade. The Crusaders are anxious to confront the Turks who occupy Jerusalem, but they have no interest in helping Alexios regain his lost province. When Alexios demands their oath that any conquests within his former territory be returned to him, they refuse. Political hardball? Perhaps. But when an assassin's bolt nearly kills the Emperor, the Emperor's eunuch hires ex-mercenary and now detective Demetrios Askiates to uncover the truth.

Pieces of the truth are easy enough to discover. The bolt could only have been fired from a western crossbow, the kind the Franks outside the city carry. And a monk who seems to follow the western rites is clearly responsible. But the eunuch knows that a foreign monk cannot be the center of the plot. Some 'Roman' must be involved--one with enough power that he would be in a position to have himself proclaimed Emperor if the current Emperor falls.

Author Tom Harper does a fine job describing the city of Constantinople under siege, the Greek intrigues that so frustrated the western Crusaders, and the various groups of mercenaries who defended the Empire while the mob often controlled its fate. Demetrios Askiates makes an intriguing sleuth, with his concern for his daughters and his ambivalent feelings toward the beautiful doctor, Anna. We can, perhaps, forgive 26-year-old author Harper for believing that a man in his mid-thirties is over the hill and unable to carry weapons effectively.

Fans of historical mystery will want to pick up MOSAIC OF SHADOWS--and hope that we soon see more by Tom Harper.

Trinity Blood - Rage Against the Moons Volume 1: From the Empire (Trinity Blood)

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Enjoyable reading
Trinity Blood: Rage Against the Moons I; From the Empire
Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Trinity Blood - Rage Against the Moons Volume 1: From the Empire (Trinity Blood)
Sunao Yoshida , and Thores Shibamoto
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 159816953X
Release Date: 2007-04-03

Book Description

Political turmoil, terrorist plots, and the relentless desire for personal revenge threaten to escalate the conflict between humans and vampires into a full-blown war. Special Ops Team AX will use every brutal weapon on hand--including a Crusnik, a vampire that preys upon other vampires--to save mankind. Packed with action, emotion, and artistry, this first volume of Rage Against the Moons contains tales of heroism, sacrifice, and retribution, as the AX agents strive to protect the innocent and keep the peace.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable reading.......2007-07-19

Go get them Father Nightroad and Tres! This novella was fund light reading. I was already familiar with some of the storyline, having viewed the episode on the Adult Swim cartoon.

Trinity Blood: Rage Against the Moons I; From the Empire.......2007-04-22

This is the first book of the Trinity Bood graphic novels series. The series is divided into two parts: Rage Against the Moons and Reborn on Mars.
This book contains four stories.
Flight Night(anime episode 1) After completing an assignmentin Londonium, Father Abel Nightroad is returning to Rome aboard the Abionese airship Tristan. It is highjacked by Count Alfredo and it is up to Abel to regain control of the ship.
Witch Hunt(anine episode 2) A genetically altered girl, who has the power of touch telepathy is wanted by the Rosenkruetz Order and the Vatican. Her power to scramble and alter memories causes people to slaughter each otehr and themsealves. She finds her only friend is Father Abel Nightroad.
From the Empire (anime episode 7) Endre, a Methuselah serial killer exiled from the Empire contiues his murderous ways in Venice.Allied with the Rosenkruetz Order he helps them set in motion a plan to start a war between the Methuselah Empire and the Vatican. Temporarily partnered with Astoroche, Duchess of Odessa, Abel Nightroad works to preserve the current peace.
Sword Dancer(aninem Episode 6) Father Hugue, another Vatican AX agent investigates the mass murder of the priests and nuns of Oude Kerk. The Vaitcan thinks it is the work of the local vampire lord. The vampire lord is just as in the dark as the Vatican. Father Hugue has his own personal agenda. The key to everything is the surviving nun Sister Agnes.
The anime keeps the manga's ligher comic tone. The graphic novel is a darker, more interesting rendition of Trinity Blood. The graphic novel has strong sense of horror. Characters who are annoying in the anime, are cold-blooded,insane killers. Abel, Tres, and Caterina are stronger, darker characters than in the anime. In many ways this book is a Cold War intrigue book, excep this cold war is set in a post-apocolyptic 31st century.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-04-04

Vampires. Powerful, eternal, virtually indestructible, they are at the highest level of evolution. Aren't they awfully cocky, thinking like that? What if you knew there was something stronger, more powerful, older? What if you were that thing? Well, then you would be AX Special Agent Crusnik. Traveling in the guise of a simple poor priest, which he actually is, Agent Crusnik aids the Vatican in a constant, post-apocalyptic, political battle. Often throwing direct orders out the window, and taking his partners along for the ride, Crusnik battles his enemies to the bitter end. Until the next one appears. Exposing more plots and evils than he expunges, he and the other agents must continue to be a virtually unbeatable force. And that is quite a big shoe to fill.

Don't be put off by the religious references before you read this. This is literally post-apocalypse. Rome is one of the few major powers left, and the Vatican is not at all what you would expect.

Of all of the pop fiction that I've read, which isn't exactly a ton, but is a fair amount, this book comes the closest to anime. So, if you're a fan of anime, this is the book for you.

Amidst the non-stop action, Agent Crusnik is hilariously witty, a little bit bitter, and still manages to remain concerned about everyone else. He's definitely someone I'd want on my side. Just not around all the time, what with the constant death, destruction, and mayhem.

I want more, please. Pleasantly, there are five more stories on the way, as well as DVDs!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

Race Against Empire: Black Americans and Anticolonialism, 1937-1957

Average customer rating:

Limited research, low analysis of Blacks and foreign policy.

Race Against Empire: Black Americans and Anticolonialism, 1937-1957
Penny M. Von Eschen
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801482925

Book Description

During World War II, African American activists, journalists, and intellectuals argued that independence movements in Africa and Asia were inextricably linked to political, economic, and civil rights struggles in the United States. Marshaling evidence from a wide array of international sources, including government documents and the black press of the time, Penny M. Von Eschen vividly portrays the African diaspora in its international heyday, from the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress to early cooperation with the United Nations. By exploring the relationship between transformations in anticolonial politics and the history of the United States during its emergence as the dominant global power, Von Eschen challenges bipolar Cold War paradigms. She argues that the collision of anticolonialism with Cold War liberalism illuminates conflicts central to the reshaping of America.

Customer Reviews:

Limited research, low analysis of Blacks and foreign policy........1998-08-14

Useful because the subject is so little covered, this survey of the role of Afro-Americans in US foreign policy from the '30s through '50s, is limited by its narrow research focus on individuals and by its shallow analysis. The discussion, according to the title, ends in the late '50s, although the author dips into subsequent years. This truncation of the subject removes the most interesting period in whuch U.S. Blacks have affected U.S. foreign policy from the book's scope. Upshot: only historians and specialists are likely to enjoy it. Among key figures missing: cartoonist Ollie Harrington (mentioned only in passing) and Charles Howard, the first and most influential Afro-American journalist to cover the United Nations.

In Praise of Barbarians: Essays Against Empire

Average customer rating:

Often good, but often dated

In Praise of Barbarians: Essays Against Empire
Mike Davis
Manufacturer: Haymarket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1931859426

Book Description

The author of City of Quartz and Planet of Slums attacks the current fashion for empires and white men's burdens in this blistering collection of radical essays. He skewers contemporary idols such as Mel Gibson, Niall Ferguson, and Howard Dean; unlocks some secret doors in the Pentagon and the California prison system; visits Star Wars in the Arctic and vigilantes on the border; predicts ethnic cleansing in New Orleans more than a year before Katrina; recalls the anarchist avengers of the 1890s and "teeny-bopper" riots on the Sunset Strip in the 1960s; discusses the moral bankruptcy of the Democrats in Kansas and West Virginia; remembers "Private Ivan," who defeated fascism; and looks at the future of capitalism from the top of Hubbert's Peak.

No writer in the United States today brings together analysis and history as comprehensively and elegantly as Mike Davis. In these contemporary, interventionist essays, Davis goes beyond critique to offer real solutions and concrete possibilities for change.

Mike Davis is the author many books, including City of Quartz, The Ecology of Fear, The Monster at Our Door, and Planet of Slums. Davis teaches in the Department of History at the University of California, Irvine, and lives in San Diego.

Customer Reviews:

Often good, but often dated.......2007-10-01

I am a big fan of Mike Davis. He is smart, well-informed and politically astute, and he 'pays attention to that man behind the curtain.' He is also edgy, and sometimes his incisive, biting humor is brilliant.

This collection of essays confirms those judgments (at least by my lights). But there are a disappointingly large number of essays that are simply too old to be of any obvious relevance. Some of the essays published prior to 2004 still have bite and purchase: the essay about SUVs, the revival of nativism and the political utility of the most recent wave of anti-immigration sentiment to right-wing Republicans, and Davis's prognostications about the implications of the Democrats' failure to confront the tactics of the repellent Grover Norquist, for example. And I greatly enjoyed the reprise of the tales of the Sunset Strip riots in 1966-68 (Davis on LA social history is always a treat).

But the commentary about Bush, Inc. produced early in the Bush administration, observations about the self-defeating antics of the Democratic presidental nominee wanna-bes prior to the 2004 campaign, and assessments about the likely fate of Gray Davis in the recall election....well, those are more exercises in publication vanity than reader enlightenment. Sadly, the proportion of older essays of less-than-obvious relevance is quite high.

I'm not sorry I bought (or read) the book. But I was disappointed.

Average customer rating:

Global modernities

Enlightenment against Empire
Sankar Muthu
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691115176

Book Description

In the late eighteenth century, an array of European political thinkers attacked the very foundations of imperialism, arguing passionately that empire-building was not only unworkable, costly, and dangerous, but manifestly unjust. Enlightenment against Empire is the first book devoted to the anti-imperialist political philosophies of an age often regarded as affirming imperial ambitions. Sankar Muthu argues that thinkers such as Denis Diderot, Immanuel Kant, and Johann Gottfried Herder developed an understanding of humans as inherently cultural agents and therefore necessarily diverse. These thinkers rejected the conception of a culture-free "natural man." They held that moral judgments of superiority or inferiority could be made neither about entire peoples nor about many distinctive cultural institutions and practices.

Muthu shows how such arguments enabled the era's anti-imperialists to defend the freedom of non-European peoples to order their own societies. In contrast to those who praise "the Enlightenment" as the triumph of a universal morality and critics who view it as an imperializing ideology that denigrated cultural pluralism, Muthu argues instead that eighteenth-century political thought included multiple Enlightenments. He reveals a distinctive and underappreciated strand of Enlightenment thinking that interweaves commitments to universal moral principles and incommensurable ways of life, and that links the concept of a shared human nature with the idea that humans are fundamentally diverse. Such an intellectual temperament, Muthu contends, can broaden our own perspectives about international justice and the relationship between human unity and diversity.

Customer Reviews:

Global modernities.......2004-01-08

We are so beset with Enlightenment critiques that we can fail to look closely at the depth of its defining events. In this engaging book, and surprise find, we discover a veiled side to the Enlightenment in its broad spectrum of seminal anthropology and philosophy of history, as in Kant, Herder. A mysterious balance is built in, witness the counterpoints of Kant and Herder, and the very themes we bring against the period are often born in that period. And that would seem to be the case with the very Eurocentrism brought in evidence against modernity. That a critique of empire emerged at the very moment of expansive imperialism is an important history, and this work exhumes a brighter corner of that. Excellent job.

Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire, Prisons, and Torture (Open Media)

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Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire, Prisons, and Torture (Open Media)
Angela Y. Davis
Manufacturer: Seven Stories Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Human Rights | Constitutional Law | Law | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1583226958

Book Description

"Professor Angela Y. Davis is an unstoppable force of nature."-The Portland Alliance

Revelations about US policies and practices of torture and abuse have captured headlines ever since the breaking of the Abu Ghraib prison story in April 2004. Since then, a debate has raged regarding what is and what is not acceptable behavior for the world's leading democracy. It is within this context that African American intellectual Angela Davis gave a series of interviews to discuss resistance and law, institutional sexual coercion, politics, and prison. Davis talks about her own incarceration, her experiences as an "enemy of the state," and about having been put on the FBI's most wanted list. She talks about the crucial role that international activism played in her case and the cases of many other political prisoners.

Throughout these interviews, Angela Davis returns to her critique of a democracy that has been compromised by its racist origins and institutions. Discussing the most recent disclosures about the disavowed "chain of command" and the formal reports by the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch denouncing US violation of human rights and the laws of war in GuantÃƒÂ¡namo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Davis focuses on the underpinnings of prison regimes in the United States.

Angela Yvonne Davis is a professor of history of consciousness at the University of California Santa Cruz. Over the last 30 years, she has been active in numerous organizations challenging prison-related repression. Her advocacy on behalf of political prisoners led to three capital charges, 16 months in jail awaiting trial, and a highly publicized campaign, then acquittal, in 1972. Her books include Are Prisons Obsolete?; Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday; and forthcoming from Random House, Prisons and Democracy.

The Burning of the Valleys: Daring Raids from Canada Against the New York Frontier in the Fall of 1780

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THE Burning of the Valleys:Daring Raids form Canada...
A very well written History of the American Revolution

The Burning of the Valleys: Daring Raids from Canada Against the New York Frontier in the Fall of 1780
Gavin K. Watt
Manufacturer: Dundurn Pr Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1550022717

Book Description

In the fifth year of the War of Independence, while the Americans focused on the British thrust against the Carolinas, the Canadian Department waged a decisive campaign against the northern frontier of New York. Their primary target was the Mohawk River region, known to be the "grainbowl" that fed Washington's armies. The Burning of the Valleys details the actions of both sides in this exciting and incredibly effective British campaign. General Frederick Haldimand of Canada possessed a potent force, formed by the deadly alliance of toughened, embittered Tories, who had abandoned their families and farms in New York and Pennsylvania to join the King's Provincial regiments in Canada, and the enraged Six Nations Iroquois, whose towns and farmlands had been utterly devastated by Continentals in 1779. The Governor augmented this highly motivated force with British and German regulars and Canadian Iroquois. In October, without benefit of modern transportation, communications or navigational aids, four coordinated raids, each thoroughly examined in this book, penetrated deeply into American territory. The raiders fought skirmishes and battles, took hundreds of prisoners, burned forts, farms, and mills and destroyed one of the finest grain harvests in living memory.

Customer Reviews:

THE Burning of the Valleys:Daring Raids form Canada..........2003-03-07

This is a must have book for an American Revolutionary War reenactor. That is, if you are on the side of the Crown. Especailly if you are portraying a Loyalist/Tory. God Save King George III!
Your Humble Servant,
C. Hofmann, King's Rangers

A very well written History of the American Revolution.......1998-08-04

A Fantastic work and a pleasure to read the History of a forgotten area of history, the American Revolution as it happened in New York state. Very well documented, good selection of paintings, modern photographs and maps of the region. The indices are unquestionably the most complete that I have ever seen.

Book Description

Richly informed and written in an engaging style, Against Empire exposes the ruthless agenda and hidden costs of the U.S. empire today. Documenting the pretexts and lies used to justify violent intervention and maldevelopment abroad, Parenti shows how the conversion to a global economy is a victory of finance capital over democracy.

As much of the world suffers unspeakable misery and the Third-Worldization of the United States accelerates, civil society is impoverished by policies that benefit rich and powerful transnational corporations and the national security state. Hard-won gains made by ordinary people are swept away.

Customer Reviews:

Simply stated facts and analysis that the polite don't say.......2007-07-08

This was the first of many books I've read by Michael Parenti, and remains my favorite. There exist numerous books that get into more detail regarding the history that Parenti regurgitates, but for a book that's roughly 200 pages, this sums up imperialism pretty well.

There will be two different types of people reading this book. The people who will read this that will reinforce the their conviction that the United States was, and remains an imperialist country, and those who reject that America is even an "Empire" to begin with, thus disputing the very premise of the book. The latter will despise this book due to its very raw and blunt breakdown.

One could deny that America is an imperialist country, I suppose, just as one can deny that the Ukraine was under the thumb of the Soviet Union because the Ukraine had their own table at the U.N., but one doesn't have to commence an extensive investigation to comprehend the absurdity of that notion. For example, this book points out the unpleasant truth that post-World War 2 (the timeframe most of this book is dedicated to) the United States has sustained countless dictatorships via military, economy and political support, and, although professing an allegiance to democracy in the Third World, overthrowing dozens of elected governments. Why? Because their polices were not in accordance with that of American business wellbeing, yet those dictators supported were subservient to those same interests.

So in essence, Parenti does a wonderful job of explaining how America habitually selects the type of society people in a country will live under and sends support to maintain the leaders the United States designates as "appropriate". He also does a great hob of explaining how imperialism keeps underdeveloped nations underdeveloped through institutional obstacles, such as large scale industry from the richer country taking over the smaller indigenous ones, thus retarding the growth and development of their own capital.

Anton Batey
Anton_Batey@yahoo.com

Unreliable.......2005-08-09

This book is not serious scholarship, it is merely an op-ed piece. The author, Michael Parenti does not provide any footnotes to back up his claims; strange coming from a scholar from Yale. No matter how much is said that conforms to my beliefs about politics it simply cannot be relied on as there is almost no evidence within.

Must read for All Americans.......2005-08-06

like the other reviewer said...yes, it's life changing! i first read about this book in college, and before that, I have never questioned about what I read in text books, in the news of our media...this book opend up my eyes to a different view of the world around us...no matter you are democrat, republican, hippis, conservatives, please read this book and it will forever remind you to keep an open mind and an open eye...because that's what it did for me! i recommend this to everyone, because it's thought provoking, it challenges you interllectually...I believe this book has created many new critical thinker of our time!

Life-changing.......2003-12-14

Young or old, democrat of republican, critic or patriot, this book will change how you view America and the world as a whole. Not a list of opinions by some political pundit, this book specializes in FACTS - and the facts are troubling.

A tasty red pill, if you're prepared for it...........2003-06-19

I bought this book about three years ago. When I first tried to read it, I couldn't get very far because the subject matter was unfamiliar to me. I mean, what is all this "imperialism" stuff? Since then, a US administration has grabbed power in a judicial coup d'etat and now wields a brazen imperial style of rule.

So, going through my bookshelves, I picked up Mr. Parenti's "Against Empire" and started reading again. If you, like me, have wondered why the rich get richer and poor get poorer; why the wealthy are always favored; why the common people kill and die in dubious wars while the rich reap the rewards; why the corporate media censors dissenting views; and why our country operates in ways that defy common sense or exemplify hypocrisy; then this book is for you.

Mr. Parenti's talent is putting matters that seem complicated into terms that the layman can understand. For example, his explanation of the distinction between government and the state is revelatory. He also gives the reader historical context and easily verfiable examples to back up his assertions. Halfway through "Against Empire" you will better understand what goes on behind the doors of power and why.

Remember "The Matrix"? Well, "Against Empire" is like a red pill that you have to chew, and once you've digested it you'll see with open eyes. If you're unprepared for the truth, resume swallowing the blue pill of cable TV news. Or, read "A People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn and "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" by Greg Palast, then begin reading Parenti's "Against Empire."

Average customer rating:

A Tale of Two Books

Ripper first half, silly second half.

Grange's worst novel

A Psychological Conundrum Shrouded in a Political Mystery

Definitely will read more of this writer

The Empire of the Wolves: A Novel
Jean-christophe Grange
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
French | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
Suspense | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 006057366X
Release Date: 2006-02-21

Book Description

The international sensation -- a riveting and electrifying blend of mystery, terror, and tense, violent action

Anna Heymes fears she is losing her mind. The wife of a top-ranking Parisian official, she suffers from amnesia and terrifying hallucinations -- a living nightmare made more horrifying when psychiatric testing reveals that Anna has undergone drastic cosmetic surgery . . . though she cannot recall when or why.

In the tenth arrondissement of Paris, a rookie police inspector and a seasoned veteran called out of retirement investigate the horrific murders of three anonymous young women -- illegal Turkish aliens who could not have deserved such a brutal, inhuman death.

From the murky night streets of clandestine Paris to the teeming fleshpot of Istanbul, two bizarre and terrible stories will become one -- as prey and predator, manipulated and manipulator come together in a storm of blood and fury . . . in the hideous shadow of the wolf.

Customer Reviews:

A Tale of Two Books.......2007-03-03

The writer begins his book in a most suspenseful manner that kept me glued to the book. The story contains characters that have depth and mystery that leads to a smoothly flowing novel. This is certainly true for the first half of the book. In the second half, it seems as if someone else has been doing th wruting. All of the postives that were introduced to the reader earlier in the book turn into a story that stretches the credulity of the reader. The solid beginning has turned into a rather unrealistic middle and end. The story, which began with so much promise, rapidly evaporates into mediocrity. The book was originally written in French and would have had a smoother flow to it had the translator done more to "Americanize" the story in the use of character names. This was, at best, a fair read.

Ripper first half, silly second half........2005-07-27

The face of her husband has become frightening to Anna Heymes. Her daily hallucinations and memory lapses are at the point where both her husband, a senior government official and her physician wish to perform invasive surgery on her brain in an effort to discover what has gone wrong. This terrifies her so much that she seeks another opinion, and begins to doubt that all the problems she's currently experiencing are solely to do with her own illness. The discovery that even the face she sees looking back at her in the mirror is not her own sends a terrified Anna on the run, trusting no one but her new doctor to speak the truth to her.

In the Turkish quarter of Paris a series of grisly murders baffle the investigating officer. Paul Nerteaux has a burning urge to prove himself and in the effort of doing so, takes an enormous risk. He enlists the help of a retired French police officer, Jean-Louis Schiffer who once was the scourge of both the police and criminals alike. What all will acknowledge is that Schiffer's knowledge of the murder patch is unparalled, and his contacts remain strong still. It is the belief of Schiffer that the attacks upon the working Turkish girls of the illegal sweatshops could be the work of an extremist group called the Grey Wolves. The Wolves are searching for someone, and they will kill all in their path to recover the renegade member of their own.

"Empire of the Wolves" has a brilliant start that sucks you straight in hard with the pages turning in a blur. Eventually though, this slows down. The two sub plots can't compete for interest; it is the tale of Anna that fascinates and the political and procedural maneuvers of the French police will most likely fail to have the same attraction to the reader. The metamorphosis of Anna Heymes should hold your attention throughout the read but the unsuccessful merging of the two sub-plots becomes quite ridiculous as the novelist attempts to tie them both together. In the fashion of the thriller last-man-standing read "The Empire of the Wolves" has a cold and melodramatic conclusion. It would depend on what reading camp you fall into; there is no moral satisfaction in the outcome of this read which shouldn't scare off the readers of noir thrillers, but if you're anticipating a twist-upon-twist suspense thriller and looking forward to seeing your heroine her fight to regain her life and revenge herself upon the evil-doers, then perhaps this one isn't for you.

Grange's worst novel.......2005-07-13

I have read all of Grange's novels: "Empire of the Wolves" is not only the worst of them all, but is just a bad book full stop. The suspense is very gripping until about the middle of the book, and then the plot become completely ridiculous and the end utterly pointless. Don't waste your time and money, but do go and read Grange's other four brilliant novels (not all of them have been translated to English though).

A Psychological Conundrum Shrouded in a Political Mystery.......2005-06-21

Not since The DaVinci Code have I had the urge to flip a book's pages faster. The intrigue built to a crescendo early on and never wavered. A psychological conundrum shrouded in a political mystery wrapped in an edge-of your-seat enigma, Empire of the Wolves has all the ingredients to make it one of the year's most suspenseful blockbusters. It's a thrills-a-minute roller coaster ride that will leave your heart pounding and a pit in the bottom of your stomach.

Definitely will read more of this writer.......2005-06-07

I would not think I would enjoy any other writer as I enjoyed Dan Brown but the contender appeared way before than I expected. Good use of words, good plot and pleasure filled thriller experience.

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