Reviews and Comments

This is the best coffee table book I own. This is an image-rich book, with engaging explanations, of Washington DC neighborhoods, since the founding of the city. The neighborhood illustrations and "street history" paint a much richer picture of the city, and provide a livelier history, than any of the more serious endeavors that I have read dealing with the "national" dimensions of the city.

A lighthearted but convincing indictment of the Soviet system and economy. Without being too resolute or ideological about it, Willis' observations make it seem inevitable that the "trade spirit" in man inevitably finds its best expression in market capitalism. An entertaining read (even if a bit dusty at this point).

Crazy-perceptive. Professor Fussell's effort here is without peer in the general category of books about the American class system (yes, it exists). His wit and very clean writing style keeps you cackling through revelation after revelation about things you know but care not to admit to yourself.

I enjoyed the author's "Class" somewhat more than this book, but that should not detract from this book's unique contribution to the explanation of how American culture becomes more jaded and retrograde with each passing day. His catalog of "bad things" could equally be called "getting worse without compunction." As usual, the professor keeps it lively with sharp wit and clean writing. His take on the American educational system and its increasing hucksterism will leave you paralyzed with laughter.

Let me just say that this should be read before anybody utters an opinion about a undocumented aliens in America. This is the kind of book that makes the dilemma and hardships of its subjects very difficult to dismiss in arriving at any decision about policy, while ta the same time not mincing words about the legal and political dimensions of their status. Personal, real stories.

I never much cared for Andy Rooney in his 60 Minutes incarnation. He has so much more to offer, however, recounting his experiences as a young man and WWII correspondent. His Stars and Stripes experiences are, in a way, far more informative and revealing than the "Hey, 'how ya doin' soldier' drive-by" that characterizes much of what was reported on the ground from that war. It also offers a rare glimpse of a young reporter doing scut work and cutting his teeth in a once-in-a-century environment.

Nothing but Muddy here. This is a very enjoyable read that brings you from Delta to Chicago in the most personal terms. A panoramic introduction the the Blues greats from the greatest. You will learn a lot more than about blues music in this book, since it reveals a great deal about a vibrant sector of the American experience .

Let me start by saying how much I detest the George Will of the current period - a man who modifies his basic, unremarkable Midwestern conservatism to please a target audience lunging headlong into environments far right of where his heart probably lies. This book was from a period long before the current George Will. It tells the Reagan story from the perspective of a man well within America's center-right Republican history. In short, it was Voodoo Economics all along. Crisp pros, convincing arguments.

Enjoyed this book enormously. Although some critics have lamented the author's fascination with the mundane dimension of American day-to-day and street life, that is really what enlivens the book and makes it real. I think it is a much broader commentary on the perils and joys of America than its plot summary would reveal.

The death of slow food in the post-WWII suburban American kitchen, and the arrival of the "space age" kitchen. This book had peaks and valleys. On balance, it will be well worth the effort for foodies and mavens of American suburban culture for Early Boomers. You will also learn a great deal about dramatic changes in keeping household that divided the generations.

The definitional work on MI5 by a man who should know. The only book that even comes close to it in terms of authenticity is Marchetti's CIA and the Cult of Intelligence.

The definitional work on the CIA. The only book that even comes close to it in terms of authenticity is Spycatcher (about MI5).

This is a fine read, and a timely one given the apparent resurgence of the Russian Bear. It is particularly forceful in its depiction of Russian military intelligence (formerly the GRU), which often held the stick over the KGB.

This is an in-depth, personal account of the professional development of world class chefs in France, and then beyond. Starting as a Lyonaise third comi, Pepin progresses through the regional and capital ranks, progressing through a military tour, bouncing off fine restaurants, and landing jobs as top chef with the French Secretary of Finance, and finally with Charles DeGualle. Turning down an offer to be chef for President Kennedy, he learns cooking for the masses as an industrial researcher and consultant for Howard Johnsons in the 1960s, as a successful Manhattan restauranteur, and, finally, a professor of cuisine. Weaving in and out of fine restaurant engagements in France and the United States, and through a sea of well-known personalities (gastronomic and otherwise), Pepin tells of, among other things, his struggles to obtain late academic success , the fundamentals of nouvelle cuisine, and the similarities between Soul Food and haute cuisine.

This is a stellar book on a broad and important topic. It is presented in very personal terms through the perspectives of individuals with rare opportunities to examine the convergence of cultures brought about by modernity.