Book Description
This best-seller stands apart from others of its kind by its comparative approach, patient explanation, concern with policy, and ability to stimulate readers' interest. In a clear, accessible style, the authors demonstrate the important role that American states and communities play in the political life of the nation.
Focuses on the sources and nature of conflict in states and communities, along with the structures and processes designed to manage conflict. Includes updates and new topics throughout, with refocused organization; discusses timely issues such as New York City's response to terrorism and the 2000 presidential race. Examines the background and career of prominent political figures. Illustrates a wide variety of current political conflicts, covering issues such as the drinking age and the right to bear arms. Includes informative and entertaining discussion on various aspects of American states and communities such as state birds, nicknames, and ratings for the "most livable" states. provides end-of-chapter "On the Web" sections that direct students to links and additional information on the Internet.
For anyone interested in learning more about the American political process.
Amazon.com
The largely blue collar citizens of Kansas can be counted upon to be a "red" state in any election, voting solidly Republican and possessing a deep animosity toward the left. This, according to author Thomas Frank, is a pretty self-defeating phenomenon, given that the policies of the Republican Party benefit the wealthy and powerful at the great expense of the average worker. According to Frank, the conservative establishment has tricked Kansans, playing up the emotional touchstones of conservatism and perpetuating a sense of a vast liberal empire out to crush traditional values while barely ever discussing the Republicans' actual economic policies and what they mean to the working class. Thus the pro-life Kansas factory worker who listens to Rush Limbaugh will repeatedly vote for the party that is less likely to protect his safety, less likely to protect his job, and less likely to benefit him economically. To much of America, Kansas is an abstract, "where Dorothy wants to return. Where Superman grew up." But Frank, a native Kansan, separates reality from myth in What's the Matter with Kansas and tells the state's socio-political history from its early days as a hotbed of leftist activism to a state so entrenched in conservatism that the only political division remaining is between the moderate and more-extreme right wings of the same party. Frank, the founding editor of The Baffler and a contributor to Harper's and The Nation, knows the state and its people. He even includes his own history as a young conservative idealist turned disenchanted college Republican, and his first-hand experience, combined with a sharp wit and thorough reasoning, makes his book more credible than the elites of either the left and right who claim to understand Kansas. --John Moe
Book Description
With a New Afterword by the Author
The New York Times bestseller, praised as "hilariously funny . . . the only way to understand why so many Americans have decided to vote against their own economic and political interests" (Molly Ivins)
Hailed as "dazzlingly insightful and wonderfully sardonic" (Chicago Tribune), "very funny and very painful" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "in a different league from most political books" (The New York Observer), What's the Matter with Kansas? unravels the great political mystery of our day: Why do so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests? With his acclaimed wit and acuity, Thomas Frank answers the riddle by examining his home state, Kansas-a place once famous for its radicalism that now ranks among the nation's most eager participants in the culture wars. Charting what he calls the "thirty-year backlash"-the popular revolt against a supposedly liberal establishment-Frank reveals how conservatism, once a marker of class privilege, became the creed of millions of ordinary Americans.
A brilliant analysis-and funny to boot-What's the Matter with Kansas? is a vivid portrait of an upside-down world where blue-collar patriots recite the Pledge while they strangle their life chances; where small farmers cast their votes for a Wall Street order that will eventually push them off their land; and where a group of frat boys, lawyers, and CEOs has managed to convince the country that it speaks on behalf of the People.
Customer Reviews:
don't have to read the book.......2007-10-09
I don't care what state you live in, a democratic agenda (modern) is the most economically disadvantaged direction you can choose anywhere in the USA. Therefore I do not need to read the book to know that even with the sad state of the republican party today, it is preferable to the democratic party. However i plan on reading this book to understand what can possibly make the author write such a book directed at a state. (know your enemy)
don't waste your money.......2007-09-20
Do not buy this book. I came prepared to love it, I was really looking forward to an insightful, informed, inside view of this remarkable political 180 of our times. That is simply not this book. It may be well researched, but it is so poorly written that it is nearly impossible to find out. Negative, back-biting, harsh, judgemental, bad-mouthing, blame-the-other-guy psuedo "politics" IF you can call it "policits". Politically themed finger pointing is more like it.
The Land of Oz.......2007-09-15
The author writes a somewhat satirical look at middle America 's political affliations. He has two major thesis. The first being that by the Democrats trying to copy Republicans-and money interests have turned their backs on blue collar workers. These workers have only the social issues to make their political choices. The second part of the thesis ,is that the money interests of the backlash movement (as he calls conservative Republicans) have just payed lip service to ending abortion and gay marriage etc.
So the effect of this is to have a reverse French Revolution in which the common man votes Republican and against his/her economic interests. So farming communities shrivel up,unions die,people go without health care.
Frank a native Kansan explores with humor and interviews peeople of the backlash movement.He bemoans the fact that populism -a left wing philospohy born in the mid west is dead. William Jennings Bryan a fundamentalist Christion was a liberal Democratic Senator from Nebraska.He explores this transformation and his diagnosis would make Clinton supportors and free market libertarians both angry. Since he offend both ends of the sprecta his observations should be taken seriously.
Certainly their are flaws in his thesis. if the Republican party is only paying lip service to social issues ,why are Democrats so afraid of their Supreme Court picks. If Clinton was in the pay of moneyied interests why was the right so moblized against Hillary's health care plan ?
This is a provacative book that explains Red and White state differences and the psycholgy of political self delusion (Blue collar people voting for big moneu interests)
thought-provoking, albeit hackneyed, look at America's Third Estate.......2007-08-02
Looking at Kansas today, it seems hard to believe that the archetypal American Heartland was once a hotbed of left-wing populism. "What's the Matter With Kansas?" shows us a bizarre socio-political landscape where a rural-suburban proletariat ardently defends corporate privilege in hopes that there will be an abortion ban or flag-burning amendment in it for them somewhere down the line.
Given Thomas Frank is a native Kansan, the detached tone he takes in his survey is disappointing. At many points, he comes across as preachy and high-minded to the point that you almost understand why the people of Kansas are so wary of "liberal elites". Rather than focusing on the lack of corporate accountability and excess that bring about the layoffs and cutbacks that hurt working class Americans, Frank takes swings at NAFTA and the many other trade policies that helped make the economic salad years of the 1990s possible.
While it becomes clear that in many cases the white Protestant gun-owning Average Joe is making a mistake when he votes Republican, Frank makes a grave mistake when he turns his nose up at the social and religious values this stratum of society holds so dear. He overlooks the fact that liberals are guilty of this same indulgence of principles. If it's so irrational for a churchgoing factory worker in Kansas to vote for a Republican corporate shill in order to protect his Second Amendment rights, why does it make any more sense for a Harvard-educated six-figure-earning professional to vote Democratic and have his taxes hiked up for the sake of protecting the Roe v. Wade decision?
Frank also overlooks the fact that Kansas was reliably Republican for years before the conservative backlash of the 1980s. Kansas was a Red State back when the GOP was still the party of Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson Rockefeller and Gerald Ford (and the people who would eventually make up the neo-conservative Republican coalition were still Conservative Democrats).
As a moderate Republican who happens to support affordable higher education, I was particularly offended by Frank's portrayal of Kansas' "Mod Squad" as arrogant corporatists. All in all, Thomas Frank has raised a lot of important questions, but his survey of the state he grew up in seems sadly detached and out-of-touch.
Well-written, entertaining but fails to live up to the title.......2007-07-08
Thomas Frank stated purpose is to tell how Conservative won the hearts of the working class, the middle class and the rich all at the same time. His answer is that rich, Republican elites throw up red herring issues (abortion and gay marriage are two that he mentions frequently) that bamboozle the working poor and the middle class into supporting them and their greater cause of Free Market Capitalism and International Free Trade even though Capitalism and treaties such as NAFTA inevitably beat the little guy into a pulp (his thought, not mine).
Yep. That's about it, although Mr. Frank says it much better than I just did. He also never goes into detail about why Capitalism and Free Trade are both evil (he just assumes you agree, I suppose), although he is very critical of Bill Clinton for supporting NAFTA throughout the book. Big business, especially Wal-Mart, are also to blame for de-populating the Kansas countryside. Apparantly, Wal-Mart has some larger agenda in which they plan to drive their customers away from the stores they build in the country...
Seriously, the book would have been helped by further explanation as to why Mr. Frank is such an opponent of Capitalism. He has another book on just that subject, according to a tiny bit of research on my part. It might be a help if readers read that book first, especially in light of Mr. Frank's view that all politics is based in economics: "Most of us think of politics as a Machiavellian drama in which actors make alliances and take practical steps to advance their material interests." (p. 121)
Mr. Frank's fails to properly tell us "How conservatives wone the heart of America" because he does not really believe, deep down, that people will vote in ways that he sees that are economically disadvantageous (Free Trade, etc.) unless they are tricked into doing so. People really believing in other issues and voting for them are foreign to his way of thinking.
This teacher gives it a C-. Thomas Frank really fails to adaquately address the thesis of the book, as expressed by the title. Interesting readiing, nonetheless.
Book Description
It is one of the great questions of American history--why did the Southern states bolt from the Union and help precipitate the Civil War? Now, acclaimed historian William W. Freehling offers a new answer, in the final volume of his monumental history The Road to Disunion. Here is history in the grand manner, a powerful narrative peopled with dozens of memorable portraits, telling this important story with skill and relish. Freehling highlights all the key moments on the road to war, including the violence in Bleeding Kansas, Preston Brooks's beating of Charles Sumner in the Senate chambers, the Dred Scott Decision, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, and much more. As Freehling shows, the election of Abraham Lincoln sparked a political crisis, but at first most Southerners took a cautious approach, willing to wait and see what Lincoln would do--especially, whether he would take any antagonistic measures against the South. But at this moment, the extreme fringe in the South took charge, first in South Carolina and Mississippi, but then throughout the lower South, sounding the drum roll for secession. Indeed, The Road to Disunion is the first book to fully document how this decided minority of Southern hotspurs took hold of the secessionist issue and, aided by a series of fortuitous events, drove the South out of the Union. Freehling provides compelling profiles of the leaders of this movement--many of them members of the South Carolina elite. Throughout the narrative, he evokes a world of fascinating characters and places as he captures the drama of one of America's most important--and least understood--stories. The long-awaited sequel to the award-winning Secessionists at Bay, which was hailed as "the most important history of the Old South ever published," this volume concludes a major contribution to our understanding of the Civil War. A compelling, vivid portrait of the final years of the antebellum South, The Road to Disunion will stand as an important history of its subject.
Customer Reviews:
Mixed Feelings.......2007-09-19
I was a little bit disappointed because the book lacked a fair bit of context. For example, I know that a Senator from South Carolina preferred his slave concubine to his wife, but otherwise I would have to read another book to really understand what was going on. So, I appreciated the mini-biographies of the players leading up to the war, but I felt that there was a huge hole in my understanding of 1854 - 1861.
Good, but flawed.......2007-07-08
Freehling's research is quite good, but his analysis often seems flawed. Like so many Civil War researchers, Freehling generally seems to blur the distinction between what issues caused the conflict and what issues motivated Southerners to actually join the army and risk their lives in the fight. While slavery was certainly a prominent, but hardly exclusive, cause of the war, it seems to have played a relatively minor role in motivating the bulk of the Southerners who actually died fighting. Freehling's error is a common one, but it detracts from an otherwise interesting book. Still, the book is worth reading for people interested in the period -- just be sure to complement your reading with other books to get a more complete set of perspectives.
What a shame..........2007-06-06
No matter how good your research is, you get a 1 star if your writing is poor!
A Proof of Genius.......2007-05-12
Seventeen years ago Freehling's Road to Disunion Vol. I was published and we Freehling fans have been impatient for this book to come out. It has been along wait but worth it. Professor Freehling has outdone himself on Road II. If there is a problem with this book it is that you can't afford to "skip" a paragraph because you think you know all about the subject. You find a fact, a thought, or a conclusion you never thought of before. Thid book is surely the crowning jewel in Wm. Freehling's bejeweled crown. Thank you, Dr. Freehling.
Barrie W. Bracken, Researcher
Wonderful part 2.......2007-04-12
If you like Freehings Road to disunion volume I: Secessionists at bay, then you wan't be sorry getting volume II. It is written in the same style and with great analysis. You can just pick this up where you left part one. Just like volume I had many topics and events that have not been included in other antebellum histoybooks, this volume offers a lot of fresh insights about the storming 1850:s that other books miss. This book must be considered, if not the best general history of the south during theese years, one of the top 3 best. If you are interested in the pre civil war era...don't miss this book!!
Average customer rating:
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Government By The People, National, State, and Local (21st Edition)
David B. Magleby ,
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Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0131921568 |
Book Description
Far from a monolithic block of diehard slave states, the South in the eight decades before the Civil War was, in William Freehling's words, "a world so lushly various as to be a storyteller's dream." It was a world where Deep South cotton planters clashed with South Carolina rice growers, where the egalitarian spirit sweeping the North seeped down through border states already uncertain about slavery, where even sections of the same state (for instance, coastal and mountain Virginia) divided bitterly on key issues. It was the world of Jefferson Davis, John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson, and also of Gullah Jack, Nat Turner, and Frederick Douglass. Now, in the first volume of his long awaited, monumental study of the South's road to disunion, historian William Freehling offers a sweeping political and social history of the antebellum South from 1776 to 1854. All the dramatic events leading to secession are here: the Missouri Compromise, the Nullification Controversy, the Gag Rule ("the Pearl Harbor of the slavery controversy"), the Annexation of Texas, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Freehling vividly recounts each crisis, illuminating complex issues and sketching colorful portraits of major figures. Along the way, he reveals the surprising extent to which slavery influenced national politics before 1850, and he provides important reinterpretations of American republicanism, Jeffersonian states' rights, Jacksonian democracy, and the causes of the American Civil War. But for all Freehling's brilliant insight into American antebellum politics, Secessionists at Bay is at bottom the saga of the rich social tapestry of the pre-war South. He takes us to old Charleston, Natchez, and Nashville, to the big house of a typical plantation, and we feel anew the tensions between the slaveowner and his family, the poor whites and the planters, the established South and the newer South, and especially between the slave and his master, "Cuffee" and "Massa." Freehling brings the Old South back to life in all its color, cruelty, and diversity. It is a memorable portrait, certain to be a key analysis of this crucial era in American history.
Customer Reviews:
Like Shredded Wheat - dry but nourishing.......2007-10-13
Due to the author's difficult style (which I would describe as awkward rather than boring) it took me a couple of years to slog through this book. I found myself constantly setting it aside to read more interesting works. Ultimately, I disciplined myself to finally finish it, and I'm glad I did. Despite Mr. Freehling's dense prose, there's a lot of very insightful analysis here, for anyone willing to overlook the author's stylistic shortcomings.
The first part of the book takes the reader on a tour of the antebellum South, and exposes the many regional differences that made the South difficult to unite. Freehling also describes the attitudes of the Southern slave-holding gentility. "Massa" could be a tyrant with the "darkies", but lenient and overly-indulgent with his own family. He wanted to be feudal lord over all, yet still clung to some of the ideals of Jacksonian democracy. At times, Freehling loses his objectivity and wears his anti-Southern bias on his sleeve, but overall his analysis rings true.
The remainder of the book explores the various controversies, such as the Gag Rule, the Nullification Crisis, the Annexation of Texas, the Wilmot Proviso, and other events that threatened to shatter the fragile Union. One surprising omission from this list is New England's threat to secede during the War of 1812. Although it had nothing to do with slavery and the South, it certainly falls under the topic of disunion. I was disappointed that Freehling didn't even mention it.
"The Road to Disunion" is not a light and easy read by any stretch, but it's packed with information. I would recommend it for any serious student of the Civil War and its causes.
Excellent social and political history.......2007-09-20
Many good reviews have already been written so I am going to keep this short and sweet. If you want to read a good, in-depth look at the social and political history and ultimate causes of the Civil War, this is an excellent place to start. Freehling covers just about every conceivable topic in the years 1776-1854 that caused friction between the North and South, but also touches on many social and political topics that are sometimes overlooked. He also writes some great mini-biographies of the many differing players and you will walk away with an excellent working knowledge of many topics, such as Thomas Jefferson and his thoughts on slavery, the Missouri Compromise, Virginia's slavery debate of 1832, the Wilmot Proviso, Texas' Annexation, and much more.
The only potential negatives are that Freehling's writing style does take getting used to and the book is massive. For quick readers, not a big deal. For slower readers like me, plan on investing time in this book.
In the end, I would highly suggest this for any people looking to bone up on antebellum U.S. history and/or causes of the Civil War.
A Plow Through.......2007-07-05
I debated giving this one 3 stars but the information in it is very good. A thurough evaluation of the subject. If you want a detailed history, this is it.
On the downside, it is a dense read. It took me a while to plow through the entire book. Part of this is the density of info but much is due to writting style. I also found it to be a bit redundant in parts, particularly early on (especially Part II, which you might want to just skip). Another reviewer stated it helps to know the background prior to opening this tome and I agree.
For a much easier intro to the topic, try: "The Approaching Fury: Voices of the Storm, 1820-1861 (Voices of the Storm)" by Stephen B. Oates.
Beginning a Journey in American History.......2007-06-09
Visiting a bookshop in 1990 I faced a choice of two books to purchase: America in 1857 by Kenneth Stampp and The Road to Disunion Vol. I by Wm. Freehling. Having read Freehling's book on the nulification crisis, I very fortunately chose The Road to Disunion. One of the most important revelations in this book is the tracing of the secesson movement's seeds to the forming of the United States. To any one acquainted with Freehling's writing will not be surprised by the depth of his research and thought provoking text. His views are always overviews that narrow their scope to individual incidents.
I spent seveteen years badgering the author for the second volume of this work. Readers now who have not yet read this book are more fortunate because they have the benefit of seeing the complete work at once. This is a volume well worth reading on its own, but it is a much better read when followed by volume two.
Bill Freehling is without doubt the dean of 19th century American history, a great human being with an appreciation of human feeling and a strict code of research taking the author wherever it will. There are no preconcieved notions of how history should be percieved.
Fear and Loathing in the Antebellum South.......2007-02-08
After a long time, in which a combination of increased workload and diversified reading interests have kept me away, it is good to be back to the world of antebellum 19th century America. Meeting Thomas Jefferson, John C. Calhoun, Andrew Jackson and a dozen secondary characters feels a little like coming home. But as the saying goes, you can dip into the same river twice. William W. Freehling's antebellum South is both familiar and foreign. Freehling brings forward a provocative thesis, which throws a bright light on some elements of the period, but also blinds you to some vital aspects.
I have previously read Freehling's brilliant essay collection, The Reintegration of American History: Slavery and the Civil War. That was one of the best books about 19th century America I've ever read. Using cultural history, comparative studies, biography, and even autobiography, Freehling brought a provocative new thesis to the field of 19th century antebellum South.
According to Freehling, the South was torn between two conflicting, contradictory ideologies - Aristocratic Paternalism, the 18th century view that the enlightened rich should govern all others, black and white and female, and Jacksonian 'Herrenvolk Democracy' - the view that America is the republic of the free white male, where the color line separates the master race - the Herrenvolk - from the inferior black folk.
The idea that the clash between these two ideologies, and indeed, the fractions between the various, and very different, elements of the South, is Freehling's key argument. And it illuminates many things:
The clash between Paternalists and Herrenvolk Democrats was most evident during the struggles for control of the legislations of Southern states, particularly Virginia. There, the lines were drawn most sharply between aristocratic slaveholders and slaveless white folks.
Freehling's high concept is also a part of the explanation for episodes such as the Texas annexation and particularly the gag rule. Slavocrats insisted that antislavery petitions to the United States Congress would not only be ignored, but actively rejected, thus 'gagging' opposition to Slavery and making a mockery of the democratic process. The gag rule was designed and led by South Carolina extremists, the most radical faction of the aristocrats.
But the explanation works less well when describing the major sectional conflicts - as one approaches the 1850s, Paternalists and Democrats all but disappear, and the struggle becomes one between Free and Slave states, with the Upper South and the Lower North trapped between them. This is a familiar story, and while Freehling tells it well, he does not really add much to the description.
A major point that is scored is Freehling's description of Slavery's malcontents. There really was, particularly in Texas and in Kentucky, an antislavery undercurrent, and Freehling does a superb job of describing its protagonists and enemies. As long as the North left the South alone, Southern Slaveholders could probably squash such movements, but their existence helps explain Southern fear of the rise of the Republican party - a strong Northern ally that could help Southern fifth columnist destroy the Peculiar institution from within.
But for the most part, Freehling's book fails to meet expectations. The title is more than a little Misleading - The Road to Disunion does not really show a path that led to the irreconcilable conflict. Unlike the events of 1848-1860, when each event called for its successor - the Compromise of 1850 led to the destruction of the Whig party in the lower south, which led to the radicalization of the Southern Democratic Party, and to the Kansas-Nebraska act and so on, the earlier incidents were fairly disjoint. The Virginia Slavery debate, the Nullification crises, the Gag rule - all ended without any real increase in animosity. Nor do we see "secessionists at Bay" - with marginal exceptions, until the late 1840s, few major Southerners were bona fide disunionists. Rather, like John C. Calhoun, they wanted to weaken the Union in order to save it.
For all of its sophistication and scale, Freehling's account feels incomplete. Mainly, I think, because until the middle 1840s, the themes Freehling invokes (sectionalism, slavery, colonialism) were relatively minor elements of political scene, where the major issues were banks, Indian genocide, internal improvements and the fans and enemies of `King Andrew` Jackson.
Ultimately, I think the road to disunion was not paved by Southern extremists. Southerners tried mainly to preserve their way of life against a world that was rapidly changing - Industrial rather then Agricultural, increasingly National rather than Local, and yes, Democratic rather than aristocratic. For all their belligerency, the Slavepower was essentially passive and fearful, lashing out in desperation against a new, modern world where there was place neither for slaves nor for masters.
Book Description
Revised and updated, Granof’s Third Edition incorporates the latest GASB pronouncements and takes a fresh look at the unique features of governmental and not-for-profit accounting. This text will help you develop a firm grasp of the theory underlying current practice, so you can quickly acquire the skills required of professional accountants and auditors. Throughout, the emphasis is on the significance of reported information and how to interpret and analyze accounting information.
Book Description
This up-to-date, highly-readable text focuses on twin perspectives: the political economy of state and local politics and the impact of political reformism on states and communities.
Customer Reviews:
Enjoyable reading.......2007-06-01
I am not a Political Science major. I used the 2005 edition in a class that met a general education requirement, and I found this book surprisingly engaging, with interesting examples.
TO THE POINT.......2002-01-27
THIS IS A FANTASTIC TO THE POINT BOOK; CLEAR AND CONCISE! JUST THE THING WHEN TRYING TO GET AN UNBIASED OPINION OF A VERY COMPLEX TOPIC.
Book Description
Creating civic will by engaging citizens on the toughest public problems helps break legislative and bureaucratic gridlock and restores trust in public institutions. This book shows you how to do it.
--The Honorable Federico Pena, U.S. Secretary of Transportation
The leaders who are most effective in addressing public issues are those who have the credibility to bring together the right people to create visions and solve problems. Drawing on their extensive research, as well as on the advice and guidance of the leading scholars and practitioners in the field, David Chrislip and Carl Larson show how elected officials and other civic leaders can generate the civic will to break through legislative and bureaucratic gridlock, deal with complex issues, and engage frustrated and angry citizens. They also describe how to design, initiate, and sustain a constructive, collaborative process. This groundbreaking book provides insight and answers to the major challenges facing communities today.
Book Description
Rudolph W. Giuliani is the denitive American leader. His management and decision-making skills have proven to be outstanding through his two terms as mayor of New York City and his years as U.S. Attorney at the Justice Department. And on September 11, 2001, Giuliani emerged as Americas steadiest hand, leading the city and the nation through the worst domestic disaster in our history.In Leadership, Giuliani gives readers a minute-by-minute account of his actions and decisions in the aftermath of the disaster and shares the principles of leadership that proved so reliable and effective during the most testing of times.Whether dealing with a catastrophe, or with the many problems large and small that afict a great city on a daily basis; whether addressing New Yorks $40 billion budget or issues of infrastructure; whether handling complicated human issues or assembling a brilliant team, Giuliani has relied on a systematic and methodical approach that can work for any manager, in any sized business.Refreshingly honest, full of powerful stories and compelling examples, Leadership is Giulianis own guide to the essential principles that have sustained him throughout his extraordinary career.
Customer Reviews:
This book in not about LEADERSHIP !!!.......2007-08-31
This book is not about te leadership; it's about on how to keep your head, when all around you are loosing theirs.
As a Polish native I knew Mr. Giuliani only from TV. I did not like the guy so much. I believed his 'persona' is nothing more than that of skillful politician trying to attract voters attention.
The book gave me a new perspective on Mr. Giuliani. I finally found a man that was independent in his decison-making and took the full resposibility for all actions. Hope others cities (not only in US) will be belssed too.
This is the best part of the book that describes Giuliani's leadership:
'... rest of us moved to the next order of business -a strip club that planned to open in Midlanad Beach... Sunny Mindel read from the morning's Staten Island Advance, nothing that the community was lining up against it. A dissenting voice gave the idea of a new club two thumbs up. Deputy Mayr Bob Harding responded with a wisecrack : "Are you sure that was his thumb?" I asked whether the Buildings Department had confirmed whether the club conformed to all applicable buildings codes and permits. The Buildings Department spokesman quoted in the Advance claimed that the city could not do anything until it opened, which I considered ridiculous. I asked JOe Rose, chairman of the City Planning Commission, to discover not only who was listed as the owner but who really owned the place. My years as a prosecutor hat thought me that the name on the paperwork did not always tally with the full story'
america's mayor.......2007-08-17
I found this book in the business section, and I wonder, is that where it really belongs? I'm not so sure. It's more of a memoir of Giuliani's time as mayor of New York City, sprinkled liberally with his work as a lawyer, arranged around certain principles that Giuliani governs by. With his upcoming bid for the presidency it is a valuable book to read so that you can see his views (liberal Republican) and how he changed NYC from the cesspool it was back into the center of American life that it now is. Great book and it proves, there are Republicans out there worth voting for.
This Guy Will Sure Make an Interesting President.......2007-08-10
Bottom Line: Here's the great story of New York City's Turnaround from the guy who rightly gets the bulk of the credit.
What You Will Learn: Rudy Guiliani is a nonstop dynamo who seemingly tamed what was once known as the ungovernable city by the force of his giant personality, ceaseless will, and bottomless energy. After reading the book you will have no doubt that "America's Mayor" will work 20 hours a day in the country's interest if elected President. He is someone with a strong backbone and a fighting spirit. A tough man for tough times.
Parting Shot: A good tale, well written, from a man who may one day have soon have a great influence over all of us.
What a guy-.......2007-08-05
Before 9-11 even happened, I knew there was something special about the Mayor of NY. He had this fearless attitude towards the city which people had once though impossible to 'clean', and he did it.
This book details the traits and methods used by someone who is a proven, successful leader- and it lends great examples for anyone looking to take charge of anything, from a business, to their own life.
Great Book!.......2007-07-15
Rudy is a great leader and he guides us the events of 9/11 and how he truely developed his leadership.
Highly recommend this book!
Book Description
This text distinguishes itself through its extremely accessible writing style, relative brevity, inclusion of unique topics such as tribal governments, and its focus on the relationship between government and the governed. As the authors have done in previous editions, their approach to the study of state and local governments personalizes the material, making it more meaningful to the student.
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- Politics of Nature: How to Bring the Sciences into Democracy
- Population: An Introduction to Concepts and Issues
- Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America
- Research Methods for Public Administration (4th Edition)
- Resurgence of the Warfare State: The Crisis Since 9/11
- Routledge Philosophy GuideBook to Plato and the Republic (Routledge Philosophy Guidebooks)
- Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization
- Silencing Political Dissent: How Post-September 11 Anti-Terrorism Measures Threaten Our Civil Liberties
- States and Power in Africa
- Strategic Planning for Public Relations
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America
- Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World
- Find Your Calling Love Your Life: Paths to Your Truest Self in Life and Work
- Grasses of the Texas Hill Country: A Field Guide
- History: Fiction or Science
- Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home
- Inside and Outside Me/Yo, por dentro y por fuera
- Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT Preptests
- Externe Unternehmensrechnung
- The German Economy: Beyond the Social Market
Government and Politics of Texas
Annual Editions: State and Local Government, 13/e (Annual Editions: State & Local Government)
Public Administration in America
Heavy Lifting: The Job Of The American Legislature
Politics in Florida
