The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban

The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
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How we are losing Afghanistan.

Intelligent, fascinating, revealing. An exceptional assessment of post 9/11 Afghanistan!

An Outstanding Piece of Analusis

Captivating and Insightful Account of Afghanistan

Poignant Exposition of Failing Foreign Policy

The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban
Sarah Chayes
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: B000NA1XSK

Book Description

A National Public Radio reporter covering the last stand of the Taliban in their home base of Kandahar in Afghanistan's southern borderland, Sarah Chayes became deeply immersed in the unfolding drama of the attempt to rebuild a broken nation at the crossroads of the world's destiny. Her NPR tour up in early 2002, she left reporting to help turn the country's fortunes, accepting a job running a nonprofit founded by President Hamid Karzai's brother. With remarkable access to leading players in the postwar government, Chayes witnessed a tragic story unfold-the perverse turn of events whereby the U.S. government and armed forces allowed and abetted the return to power of corrupt militia commanders to the country, as well as the reinfiltration of bands of Taliban forces supported by U.S. ally Pakistan. In this gripping and dramatic account of her four years on the ground, working with Afghanis in the battle to restore their country to order and establish democracy, Chayes opens Americans' eyes to the sobering realities of this vital front in the war on terror.

She forged unparalleled relationships with the Karzai family, tribal leaders, U.S. military and diplomatic brass, and such leading figures in the Kandahar government as the imposing and highly effective chief of police-an incorruptible supporter of the Karzai regime whose brutal assassination in June 2005 serves as the opening of the book. Chayes lived in an Afghan home, gaining rich insights into the country's culture and politics and researching the history of Afghanistan's legendary resistance to foreign interference. She takes us into meetings with Hamid Karzai and the corrupt Kandahar governor, Gul Agha Shirzai, into the homes of tribal elders and onto the U.S. military base. Unveiling the complexities and traumas of Afghanistan's postwar struggles, she reveals how the tribal strongmen who have regained power-after years of being displaced by the Taliban-have visited a renewed plague of corruption and violence on the Afghan people, under the complicit eyes of U.S. forces and officials.

The story Chayes tells is a powerful, disturbing revelation of misguided U.S. policy and of the deeply entrenched traditions of tribal warlordism that have ruled Afghanistan through the centuries.

Customer Reviews:

How we are losing Afghanistan........2007-09-10

The author Chayes details how the United States is losing Afghanistan after our brillant success in toppling the Taliban. The main reason is due to support of narrow based warlords who are pillaging the country. Due to supporting the wrong people, we are tarnishing our options as the population is coming to view NATO/U.S. as one and the same with the warlords. Everybody has focused on the fighting in Iraq and how we are losing there, but Chayes book details how both the military and civilian authorities have turned over Afghanistan to the same people that ran it into the ground prior to the Taliban. In her neck of the woods at Kandahar, the US has supported a warlord named Gul rather than better representatives in the Pashtun tribes.

I liked Sarah's book and give her high marks for her journals in Afghanistan. I would point out that Westerners have to be careful of how to tell Third World nationals on how to run their countries. Both is Iraq and Afghanistan, we face situations where people are coming to the forefront in the government. For us to tell them how to run their country smacks of colonialism. However, Chayes is right on the mark in staying that the U.S. made many mistakes in how they occupied this country.

Intelligent, fascinating, revealing. An exceptional assessment of post 9/11 Afghanistan!.......2007-08-07

If your thinking about buying this book, do yourself a favor, BUY IT! Regardless of your motives, this book is worth reading.
Sarah Chayes has produced a revealing and intelligent Occidental glimpse into post 9/11 Afghanistan.
Chayes experiences reporting for NPR and her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco has given her the deft to negotiate the notoriously suspicious and misogynistic culture that permeates the Middle East. She is an observant and adept diplomat who does not mince words or appear to be beholden to any government agency or Non-Governmental Organization (NGO).
Afghanistan, Chayes observes, is "an entire nation comprised of generations suffering the effects of PTSD." I had never considered such a possibility and if Americans realized this concept, perhaps we could be a bit more productive in our re-construction and social efforts.
For the military, Chayes's analysis of the county's centuries old "yaghistan reflex," which has salvaged generations of Afghans from raiding empires is both brilliant and of important note. Chayes also reveals the not-so-subtle influences of Pakistan on Afghan political and social instability.
This is all wound around the story of Chayes's experiences and her brief but telling assessment of Afghan history.
Chayes includes a perceptive and frank quote by one of her associates, Ayse Yildiz, that could surmise the situation there at least as much as the book's title, "Here we are, a bunch of kids from dysfunctional families, working at a dysfunctional organization, trying to fix a dysfunctional country."
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ.

An Outstanding Piece of Analusis.......2007-05-07

Sarah Chayes gives a view of Afganistan which goes far beyond what we get in the usual media. She is a skilled detective and finds answers which the military and the State Department cannot.

Captivating and Insightful Account of Afghanistan.......2007-04-03

This is one of the most insightful and captivating books written on Afghanistan since 2001. Ms. Chayes skillfully intersperses first-hand anecdotes, historical context, and current events into a non-fiction page-turner. This book does a wonderful job of giving the reader a good understanding of what is really happening in Afghanistan and why we can't ignore its problems.

Poignant Exposition of Failing Foreign Policy.......2007-03-29

Sarah Chayes has crafted a powerful book that well explains why reconstruction in Afghanistan, after several years and the expenditure of much blood and treasure, languishes. She is scholarly in creating a narrative that describes the geo-political realities affecting the region, and intensely personal as she describes her own experiences resulting from those realities. Her journalistic prowess shines as she makes some necessary history lessons flow. Her access to key players and the personal danger with which she lives on a daily basis give her the gravitas to make "Punishment of Virtue" a serious indictment of those she places in her cross-hairs. Sarah Chayes has masterfully written a book that exposes the buffoonery and corruption in the rebuilding of a country that was and is the stage of revolving wars by proxy. If you have read Sheehan's "Bright, Shining Lie" about Viet Nam, you will experience deja vu as you read "Punishment of Virtue".

Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan

Average customer rating:

Shame on You, Mr Feiler!
Patronizing rubbish, poorly written.
Upsetting
"Learning" is the key idea in this nice memoir
A Great Book

Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan
Bruce Feiler
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060577207
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Book Description

Learning to Bow has been heralded as one of the funniest, liveliest, and most insightful books ever written about the clash of cultures between America and Japan. With warmth and candor, Bruce Feiler recounts the year he spent as a teacher in a small rural town. Beginning with a ritual outdoor bath and culminating in an all-night trek to the top of Mt. Fuji, Feiler teaches his students about American culture, while they teach him everything from how to properly address an envelope to how to date a Japanese girl.

Customer Reviews:

Shame on You, Mr Feiler!.......2007-09-05

I was extremely put off by the disrespectful perspective the author used to describe the people that befriended him in a country where he was a guest. Instead of progressing to some enlightenment, the author's descriptions continued to be universally shallow and derisive. He showed a definite lack of understanding about the ancient culture that he encountered. His prejoritive names for families and coworkers were offensive to me, and I imagine would be highly unkind should they be read by the people who were kind to him and allowed him into their home and their lives.

It should be noted that he did attempt to comprehend reasons for some behaviors and practices that seemed counter-productive to the students that he taught. In this way, he may have attempted to break down barriers. However, he reverted to describing people and events in detail to point out what appeared ridiculous to him.

Ever hopeful that the author would arrive at some self-awareness and some respect for the culture that received him, I read the book to the end. Unfortunately, the author never changed in his attitude, continuing to prove that he learned little about himself in that year abroad.

The result was that he provided the perfect reason why Americans are viewed as arrogant, uneducated and disrespectful of anyone except themselves.
.... The author truely revealed himself as the prototype "Ugly American".

Don't waste your time. He never "Learned to Bow".

Patronizing rubbish, poorly written........2007-06-22

I remember when this book came out, and was a must-read for any American doing business in Japan. I didn't read it then because I 'd spent time in Japan myself, had my own ideas about it, and had many Japanese friends (Japanese-born and working abroad) living here in the United States. I figured I had better things to do than read what I suspected were the gosh-gee musings of a southern-born Yale boy, fresh out of college. Well, I just read it recently because I happened to find it lying around here (my husband's purchase, way back when), and I have discovered that my suspicions were correct. Feiler writes with a poorly disguised superiority, in which the wry amusement and wonder he aims for come across as slightly cranky paternalism. This kind of book works only when the writer (generally one more mature and less stick-up-the-wazoo than Feiler), genuinely loves the people and culture he's writing about. Or, conversely, when he's honest about disliking the country and it's people and he has the writing chops to make such misanthropy funny. Feiler straddles here. Furthermore, his writing is immature and poorly edited. He actually misuses the two-dollar word "enamored", writing "enamored with" instead of "enamored of"! In such ways do I judge young writers. If you want to sound like a big ol' Yale man, use a stlylebook and dictionary. Or get a better editor.

Don't bother with this over-hyped and outdated book.

Upsetting.......2007-05-18

I may not a good reviewer because I stopped reading at page 50 but I believe this is not at all a good book to read if you want to learn about Japanese culture. As a Japanese born and raised in Japan I find this book extremely humiliating.

"Learning" is the key idea in this nice memoir.......2007-05-16

Bruce Feiler spent a year teaching English in a Japanese junior high school in Tochigi prefecture. His book contains both his observations on the Japanese school system and his own experiences as an American living in Japan for the first time. He also takes time to explain unfamiliar aspects of the culture, from Shinto religious practices to the evolution of the Japanese school lunch. This is a very appealing introduction to Japan from a young man who admires many aspects of Japanese culture but does not hesitate to criticize other aspects. There are some wonderful set pieces, such as his introduction to an onsen (hot spring) communal bath, his stay in a hospital, and his climb of Mt. Fuji. Feiler was in Japan in the late 80's, so some of his observations are, of course, dated, but that's hardly a good reason not to read this fine book. How could a memoir not be "dated" in the sense that it conveys a particular time and place? Feiler's strength as a writer is the blend of sharp observation and humor (including the self-deprecating kind) that he brings to his book. He depicts very well the sort of "lost in translation" moments that any traveler to Japan (or any other unfamiliar place) is bound to have. A further plus is the way he avoids the hushed, reverential tone found in some other accounts by travelers to Japan. This is a particularly useful book if you are planning a trip to Japan yourself.

A Great Book.......2007-02-02

I loved this book. I had to keep in mind though, Japan has changed a lot since the author was a teacher in Japan.

Dragon Rising: An Inside Look at China Today

Average customer rating:

Great book to read
Examines the major issues around China's transition to a global power.
Travelling to China soon? Read this book
dragon rising- great overview of modern China
An Incredibly Dynamic Nation!

Dragon Rising: An Inside Look at China Today
Jasper Becker
Manufacturer: National Geographic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Economic Conditions | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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The Chinese
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ASIN: 0792261933
Release Date: 2006-10-17

Book Description

Jasper Becker's book, The Chinese, was hailed as the best single-volume introduction to this enormous, inscrutable society. The Washington Post said, "He has been everywhere and asked every question," describing his conclusions as "right in both details and analysis." Since then, China's role in world affairs has only grown greater.

No nation on Earth is as newsworthy as 21st-century China—and no book could be timelier than Dragon Rising, appearing just as world attention begins to focus on the 2008 Beijing Olympics and China's all-out effort to present itself as a modern world power. As interest grows, Becker is the ideal guide to the profound changes that are already reshaping economic, diplomatic, and military strategies all over the globe.

Intertwining in-depth analysis with revealing anecdotal evidence, Becker addresses every major question. What form will China's government take? How will communism's legacy affect modernization? Can Shanghai's success with urban capitalism be replicated elsewhere? Will wholesale cultural and economic change be resisted by the millions facing sudden transition from an authoritarian state to a market-driven society? How will the new China cope with pollution, unemployment, and voracious demand for energy? Each chapter examines a specific region and such key local issues as poverty, minority unrest, and official corruption, then places them in the broader context of Chinese society as a whole.

Vividly illustrated with photographs that capture the paradox of an ancient culture remaking itself into a dynamic consumer society, Dragon Rising is a wonderfully written, well-rounded, wide-ranging portrait of China's problems and prospects.

Customer Reviews:

Great book to read.......2007-03-24

This is a great book to read if you are planning to visit China, It is easy to read with beatiful pictures, a review about modern Chinese society, the good side and the dark side when the Dragon is rising.

Examines the major issues around China's transition to a global power........2007-03-12

Dragon Rising: An Inside Look at China Today comes from a Beijing-based journalist who examines the major issues around China's transition to a global power. His experiences with a wide range of Chinese residents, from urban to rural - and his observations of the different paths the Chinese are choosing on the road to modernity - lends to a blend of powerful images and social observation key to any understanding of Chinese culture. Both general-interest libraries and high school to college-level holdings strong in intercultural understanding will want to consider this introductory review.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Travelling to China soon? Read this book.......2007-01-03

My father will be traveling to China in May for a 3-week trip, to learn more about this fascinating country. I can think of no better book, to prepare him for his travel to Beijing, Shanghai, and the Yangtze River. So, I will be sending him this book immediately.

Following up his well-researched and detailed 600-page "The Chinese" with "Dragon Rising," Becker has given the "China" shelf in the bookstore a book, which it dearly needed. Instead of reading about the Ming Dynasty or Chairman Mao, business travelers and adventure travelers needed a book, which could be easily read in a day, covering the different regions of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Yunnan Province, etc.), an explanation of Deng's reforms which were responsible for the China economic miracle, and some hard-hitting truth-telling about the human and environmental impact of China's rush to modernism.

On this point, anyone who has read Becker's "The Chinese" will not be surprised by his honest assessment of this human impact on the Chinese. In the chapter on Beijing, he recounts the developments that led to the Tiananmen Square protests; in the Shanghai chapter, he documents the misery of construction workers building this city of the future and the prostitutes who inhabit it; and in the Pearl River Delta, he puts a face to the cheap labor and goods being sent from China to the rest of the world: the young and petite factory girls recruited from the countryside who live their regulated lives in factory dormitories.

Becker's reportage combines a sense of wonderment and awe about China's rise with a Dickensian sensibility. Becker is terrific at distilling confusing political developments into a language the average reader can understand. But, he is at best when his journalistic instinct kicks in: traveling the country to interview farmers, entrepreneurs, beggars, prostitutes, local party leaders, labor activists, and prostitutes. In a way, the book is a series of fascinating anecdotes strung from one chapter to another.

Finally, I should mention that this is a National Geographic book, so the pictures are tremendously beautiful, even when they focus on the poverty or environmental disasters of the countryside. More of the China books would be much better, if they contained more contemporary pictures!

All in all, this is a well-rounded, very readable book.

dragon rising- great overview of modern China.......2007-01-01

Dragon Rising is a very well written book giving the reader an excellent overview of modern China. Its clear from the very beginning (via the introduction) that the author is not a "China cheerleader" and can ask the difficult questions. I think this book balances all the China hype we see and read about it in the economic media with the reality of the the many pressing economic and social problems that are becoming more acute.

This book is very interesting and easy to read and intersperses anecdotes, with history, and facts, as well as colorful photos -all without getting bogged down in minutiae. Probably the best book available for anyone interested in an overview of modern China. I would recommend it for anyone doing business with China or traveling to China, and interested in an overview of modern Chinese society. Not for academic types or someone interested in Chinese history.

An Incredibly Dynamic Nation!.......2006-11-09

China's future impact on world affairs, economies, and raw-material/energy demand is frequently pondered, but with little detail. Becker's "Dragon Rising" brings clear detail and reality to recent accomplishments by China. In addition, the reader also learns interesting tidbits such as China lost Taiwan to Japan in 1895, Tiananmen Square was modeled after Moscow's Red Square, and Deng Xiaoping was the de facto Chinese leader who led China out of Mao's mess and into the modern world (despite being deposed twice, and sentenced to death once for non-conformist actions).

Example of Chinese Urban Renovation: China spent $30 billion from '92 to '99 to rebuild Shanghai's infrastructure. This supported construction of 8,000 high-rises in 15 years (each taller than any building in the area prior to 1980), new steel and car plants, an automated stock exchange, a new airport, and a Maglev train to/from the airport (top speed 269 mph). The bad news is that Shanghai has sunk 8 feet since '21, its population density now exceeds 5,800/square mile (much greater than New York, London, or Paris), many of the new buildings are of poor quality and will require significant repairs in ten years, prices have skyrocketed to as high as $1,250/square foot, many of the buildings are vacant, and the disparity between rich and poor has never been greater.

China has also build underground cities and factories in preparation for nuclear war.

Transitioning the Economy: China had about 300,000 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with jobs and food originally guaranteed for life; however, with their overheads (about one administrator for every three workers) they were slow-moving, and productivity was poor. Deng began transitioning by changing their focus from military products to civilian, and by the late 1990s, two-thirds were operating in the red.

Glove Company Example: The firm began as a part-time husband/wife activity aimed at adding to their farm income. Success led to adding onto their house, buying a few Japanese machines, and hiring some workers. More success and reinvestment brought new machines made in China (some with computers), and a capacity of a million/year. Large orders were shared with others in the area.

Sales activities took place not only via mobile phones, but at a local market (in this case about a mile long with five floors and 40,000 vendors) - buyers liked it because of the ease in filling a shipping container, even with small purchases from individual vendors. Dongyang focuses on socks (about 9 billion pair/year), and attracts 100,000 buyers at its sock fair.

MBAs are not needed - the average number of employees is 18, and 70% of owners have at best a middle-school education. Profits are reinvested, or put into real-estate or even purchasing jet planes; China has private savings of over $1.4 trillion. Employees work 10-12 hours/day, often for less than minimum wage (many workers are illegal migrants from rural areas - China severely restricts movement to avoid peasants overwhelming cities). The government is trying to crack down on pay violations; other problems include a damaged environment, high-cost healthcare that often is of poor quality, and lack of worker safety standards.

How does this all add up? A Mattel Barbie doll retails for $10 in the U.S., with $1 going for management and shippers in Hong Kong, 65 cents for raw materials, and 35 cents for other factory costs (including labor and equipment). Sophisticated parts are often made outside China and simply assembled; look for this to change soon.

Why do peasants want to move to the cities? Their income has stagnated at low levels (average land farmed is 1.5 acres; title to the land still resides with the government). Regardless, this creates considerable pressure for the government to further increase trade so that they can move off the farm and the land can be consolidated for production efficiencies.

Bottom Line: Becker does not hide the fact that China has a long way to go as far as human rights are concerned. However, it is also clear that the Chinese government is maneuvering carefully, trying to avoid unmeetable expectations and the problems caused by instant transition (eg. Russia, East Germany). Regardless, China's future military, political, economic, and resource impact on the world will be very significant and occur much faster than we probably would have imagined.

Average customer rating:

The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair With Luxury
Estimate for delivery - approximately 2 months from order date.
A five-star book
Essential reading for anyone involved or interested in the luxury-fashion business, & not just in Asia!
Essential reading for anyone doing business in Asia

The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair With Luxury
Radha Chadha , and Paul Husband
Manufacturer: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Louis Vuitton Japan: The Building Of Luxury
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ASIN: 1904838057

Book Description

The Cult of the Luxury Brand is the first book to explore how and why an amazing phenomenon is rocking Asia, sweeping up not just the glitzy upper crust, but also secretaries clutching Burberry bags, junior executives sporting Rolex watches and university students flaunting Ferragamo shoes. Hong Kong boasts more Gucci and Hermes stores than New York or Paris. China's luxury market is growing with such momentum that it will be the world's biggest by 2014. In Tokyo, the epicenter of this "luxe-plosion," 94% of women in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton bag. Even India, the new kid on the luxury block, has three-month waiting lists for hot items.

Written by world-leading retail consultants in a highly accessible style, The Cult of the Luxury Brand draws on more than 150 interviews with industry experts, market studies in 10 countries, and the authors' vast experience across Asia. It offers a glimpse of the thriving retail scene, from glorious flagship stores in Tokyo to bustling local markets in Seoul, and compares the various consumer segments to understand the inner motives for their obsession. It demonstrates how the continent's massive economic and social transformation is dismantling centuries-old ways of defining one's place in society, and how your spot on today's social totem pole is marked by your Chanel suit and your Cartier watch.

Customer Reviews:

The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair With Luxury.......2007-09-12

A very realistic view of the cult branding in Asia. I live in Tokyo and have followed the High Fashion industry in Japan, H.K. and China for over 10 years. Recently in Tokyo the trend is to have the brands, but not the very bright logos. Some are even buying high quality Japanese brands. What is unclear is the social impact this cult following is creating in Asia. Selfishness, corruption, illegal activities, greed, etc.
I have meet many girls who say "I must have it!" All day and all night all they talk about is the bag or the brand. Nothing else is important.

Another recent marketing scheme in Tokyo is called gentei- limited edition. Collaboration with a famous designer but only in limited quantities. The result is more talk, more buzz, and higher prices.

The authors talks about Asian luxury brands starting to evolve in Asia, maybe so, India, Shanghai, and Tokyo, Osaka host many fashion shows revealing some of the local talents. Quality, fabric, and style are very good.

Branding is what is perceived by the consumer. Or what we are lead to believe.

Estimate for delivery - approximately 2 months from order date........2007-06-03

My disappointment is that I commanded and paid for the order, with duplicate sets of books going to my partner and to me. My partner received his copy of "The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair With Luxury" weeks ago, but I am now informed that Amazon won't be able to get me (the master purchasor) my copy until 6-27 2007. THAT IS TWO MONTHS SINCE THE ORDER WAS PLACED. Your competitors do, and have had this book, which I must take advantage of. Sorry, but 2 months?!@#$%%#^%

A five-star book.......2007-01-12

This book is one-of-a-kind in the industry, studying the luxury shopping habits of Asians by analyzing their past present and futures. It's chock full of well researched luxury facts and figures essential for people working in the luxury industry. For luxury enthusiasts, the book has a wonderfully witty and wicked sense of humour that keeps one's reading fast paced and lively.

Highly recommended.

Essential reading for anyone involved or interested in the luxury-fashion business, & not just in Asia!.......2007-01-09

Superbly written in an easy-to-read style, backed up by useful facts & figures, the authors capture in admirable detail the growth-engine of the global luxury-goods industry that is Asia: ideal research-material for those involved in the business, or even just for those interested in what's going on in this huge socio-cultural phenomenon overtaking Asia.

Essential reading for anyone doing business in Asia.......2007-01-03

Chadha and Husband get right under the skin of the phenomenon that has resulted in Asia accounting for over half of the world's US$80 billion annual spend on luxury brands.
It's a very accessible read and essential for anyone who wants to understand what drives Asian consumers.

Average customer rating:

A good book...
The end of the MIA mystery?

Inside Hanoi's Secret Archives
Malcom Mcconnell
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Honor Bound: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973

ASIN: 0671871188

Customer Reviews:

A good book..........2003-07-20

...I'm not sorry I read it.

Throughout, there are hints of "conspiracy theories" but I think that is unavoidable in a topic as sensitive as this one. Did the US knowingly abandon troops in Vietnam and Laos? Do we know they are still there but unwilling to do what's necessary to get them home? These questions are answered, I think, satisfactorily. It's well-documented and the photographs are very applicable.

While not necessarily what I consider a 5-star book, it was recommended to me by an avid history and military history reader whose opinion I regard highly. If these topics are your "cup of tea", I'd recommend this even more.

The end of the MIA mystery?.......2003-05-26

For two decades following the Vietnam war, ill-fated attempts by the United States to obtain conclusive evidence concerning the fate of hundreds of POW/MIA's from the Vietnam war finally found success. In a bold and daring espionage mission, former U.N. refugee officer Theodore G. Schweitzer was the acting agent for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in what later became known as Operation Swamp Ranger.

Beginning in March of 1992 and lasting several months, Schweitzer was granted access to Vietnamese war archives that held a voluminous amount of information on U.S. servicemen that were missing in action and others that were held as prisoners of war. Vietnam, up until this point, had strenuously denied for years that they had any useful data on missing servicemen and they blatantly withheld documents that would solve many discrepancy cases on unknown losses of U.S. personnel. Using previously unreleased photographs, meticulously annotated files, and physical evidence, Operation Swamp Ranger completely exposed Vietnam's attempts to bury the POW/MIA issue over the years. Although only suspected by the U.S. government, Vietnam's General Political Directorate (GPD) finally admitted that many U.S. servicemen were killed in cold blood.

Operation Swamp Ranger also proved to be useful in the aspect that it helped dispel the widespread theory that Americans had been abandoned by the U.S. government after repatriation of POW's in 1973. Furthermore, scams and other fraudulent activities aimed at the grieving families of MIA's were exposed and contradicted by evidence gained from Hanoi's archives. Lastly, there appears to be no conclusive facts to date which could verify that there are actual live POW's still held in Vietnam today.

Although limited cooperation with the Vietnamese government regarding POW/MIA's faltered after revelations from Operation Swamp Ranger became known to the public at large, the U.S. government still claimed a large victory in what amounts to a monumental breakthrough in the enduring POW/MIA controversy. Unfortunately, this long and arduous journey does not have a happy ending. Not yet, anyway. Even as the Defense POW/MIA Office (DPMO) continues to negotiate, haggle, bargain, cajole, and mediate with Vietnam regarding additional unreleased material they still hold, there are no clear indications of just how much further progress will be accomplished in the future. As stated in the author's narrative, communist archives are notoriously known for disinformation and forgeries and nothing in Vietnam is ever straightforward or simple.

Book Description

All but closed to outside visitors and influence, its public posture guarded and combative, we see almost nothing from inside North Korea. Award-winning photographer Mark Edward Harris has had rare access to this reclusive country, traveling within its borders as well as documenting life along its northern border with China and the highly militarized DMZ dividing North and South Korea. His images are amazing: the monumental architecture and empty streets of the capital; tightly controlled zones of economic and tourist trade with South Korea; mass games featuring 100,000 choreographed participants. Short essays, extended captions, and a foreword by North Korea expert Bruce Cumings further illuminate a country increasingly at the center of international politics.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for any collection seeking a solid introduction........2007-08-09

North Korea's always in the news and so a book like INSIDE NORTH KOREA is essential not just to college-level holdings with books on North Korea, but to general-interest collections as well. The public library will especially appreciate this book's format: an oversized photo exhibit which pairs well-researched essays and commentary by North Korea experts with images of North Korean peoples and places. Perfect for any collection seeking a solid introduction.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A propaganda paradise.......2007-05-01

I recently reviewed Philippe Chancel's excellent photographic book North Korea and Mark Harris in his book has filled in more of the jigsaw. The Chancel book essentially covered the capitol Pyongyang and Harris contributes twenty general shots, too. Additional capitol coverage includes the amazing Arirang Mass Games, the Children's Palace, the Korean film studio and five shots of the USS Pueblo.

The strength of this book is the coverage outside of the capitol. No doubt under strict supervision Harris visited Kaesong, Geumgangsen, Sinuiju, Paektusan and the Tumen River along the northeast border region. The photos show the countryside and rather bleak looking cities and towns. Everywhere bikes seem the principal means of transport and everywhere there are the slogans of good cheer to inspire the masses. On page 135 there is photo of a hillside above the town of Sanbong with huge letters spelling out: 'Bravo Mr Kim who is the Greatest Sunshine of the 21st Century!' No doubt it keeps hillside typographers busy.

The last section covers the countryside along the Demilitarised Zone with its two and a half mile wide strip of land 151 miles long. The photos here are a mixture of military presence and agricultural folk existing (on either side) in this volatile flashpoint. One photo shows the world's tallest flagpole, 525 feet high, towering above the village of Kichong-dong (wouldn't such a structure make a super espionage something or other?).

I liked the book with its mixture of travel and politics (SS Pueblo, DMZ and Panmunjeom) presented in slightly raw, gutsy photos whereas Chancel's style is photographically softer and his book is the more elegant of the two. Both books are certainly worth a look if you want see a little bit of a forbidden country and you'll most likely see more of it than many of the people who live there.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture

Average customer rating:

an academic tired of bad academics
Japan Pop! Fascinating and entertaining
Very poor introduction to the subject
fascinating read
A "must" for students of Japanese studies & popular culture.

Japan Pop!: Inside the World of Japanese Popular Culture

Manufacturer: M.E. Sharpe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture: Gender, Shifting Boundaries and Global Cultures (Contemporary Japanese Society)
The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture
Manga! Manga!: The World of Japanese Comics
Recentering Globalization: Popular Culture and Japanese Transnationalism
The Scarlet Gang of Asakusa

ASIN: 0765605619

Customer Reviews:

an academic tired of bad academics.......2003-02-27

In a word, this book is a mess. Methodologically suspect and theoretically uninformed, it relies on antiquated Orientalist assumptions of essential cultural identity and unchanging social forms to make the multifarious sources it cites all sound the same, which is too bad, because it is the only English-language 'scholarship' available at present on many of the topics covered. A wasted opportunity that makes me sad and mad.

Japan Pop! Fascinating and entertaining.......2001-01-10

For anyone who has noticed the ubiquity of anime, sushi shops, Japanese style and other aspects of Japanese culture, this book provides a welcome and readable introduction to what Japanese popular culture is and where it comes from. I particularly liked the chapters on music but I probably learned more about Japanese culture and the mind set behind it from the chapters on television and anime. This book explains not only that there is a Japanese poular culture, but why it is the way it is. Highly recommended.

Very poor introduction to the subject.......2000-12-07

Claiming to be a book which bridges the divide between the worlds of academia and populism, Japan Pop! gets off to a poor start with an absurdly high cover price likely to put it out of reach of the casual J-Pop Culture fan. The price might have been justified had this been a glossy, photo-packed book, but seems ludicrous given that it is merely a collection of 17 essays. The essays dwell on four major areas of contemporary J-Pop Culture: music, manga and animation, TV & film and the popularity of J-Pop Culture outside of the country. It comes as little surprise that Mark Schilling's contribution, about the Tora-san character in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo (It's Tough Being a Man) film series, is the most interesting - not necessarily because of the topic, but because Schilling is the only contributor who is a writer of any repute. The majority of these essays are written by academics and it shows: footnotes abound, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers get analysed to the nth degree and claims are made that "Sailor Moon's rearrangement of the traditional superhero myth bears hints of not only a new social order, but also the kind of moral struggles, alliances, and identities that may create and accompany it." The book also contains a number of confidence-sapping factual errors (example: Osaka band Shonen Knife "started playing in the mid-1980s" which is not true, they started playing in December 1981). Schilling's Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture (Weatherhill) remains the definitive starting point for those seeking a good, accessible introduction to the subject; Japan Pop! is only for the otaku completist, and a wealthy one at that.

fascinating read.......2000-09-21

A fascinating and enjoyable read. "Japan pop" gave me a fresh and informitive insight into Japans modern culture and and in to the psychology of its people. Loved this book and I highly recommed it. ray brooks

A "must" for students of Japanese studies & popular culture........2000-08-06

Japan Pop! considers various forms of Japanese popular culture, from pop music and animated cartoons to films and television. The result is an analysis of Japanese society, cultural identity, and daily life which provide absorbing surveys into Japanese psychology. A 'must' for any college-level student of Japanese studies.

The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans

Average customer rating:

Pearl Harbor Papers
An Invaluable Academic Research Resource
Excellent appendix to At Dawn We Slept
Essential primary sources
insight into Japanese plans

The Pearl Harbor Papers: Inside the Japanese Plans

Manufacturer: Potomac Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

The only book on Pearl Harbor to take the reader inside teh Japanese perspective, revealing the original Japanese documents on "Operation Hawaii."

Features a full reproduction of one of the most important documents of the war--the top-secret map drawn in great detail by Japanese commander Mitsuo Fuchida for his post-battle briefing of Emperor Hirohito.

Customer Reviews:

Pearl Harbor Papers.......2007-09-30

This is a great resource for creating a Battle Analysis (the reason that I purchased it). Parts of this book would be a hard read (some of it isn't written like a novel). Great resource but not a book to read on the plane.

An Invaluable Academic Research Resource .......2006-09-06

Goldstein and Dillon have done all the legwork one needs to conduct research into the Japanese experience and perspective on the Pearl Harbor operation. While much of the content is repetitive, the subtle varieties of individual experiences and opinions of the Japanese command are truly insightful. To read this book is to understand, as best as one can, the thought processes of the Imperial Japanese Navy that lead to the greatest confilct of the modern age. If you find the attack on Pearl Harbor to be a fascinating subject, this book will reveal an entirely different perspective with first-hand accounts and immediate post war criticisms that are exclusively Japanese.
Review every book you read- authors deserve your input and consideration.

Excellent appendix to At Dawn We Slept.......2004-03-18

This book can be considered an appendix to Gordon W. Prange's "At Dawn We Slept, the untold story of Pearl Harbor." As an appendix, it is not a story but a collection of whatever significant material was found in the Prange archives related to the Pearl Harbor attack. As a result, it contains maps, diaries, comments, naval statistics, and so on, which are very helpful for the military specialist. Goldstein and Dillon, the co-editors, include a number of diaries, ship logs, or journals of commanders of the Japanese fleet covering the period from their departure from Hitokappu Bay to arrival day at Pearl Harbor, and these are in some cases very routine but do allow for a look at how the Japanese fleet dealt in a day-to-day way with the long and dangerous North Pacific trip and how they handled obstacles, such as refueling, morale and heavy seas.
However, the MOST IMPORTANT and significant part of this book, in my opinion, is at the very end of the book, and consists of an in-depth analysis of the Japanese military -- their planning, their methods, their ideas, their traditional beliefs -- by Masataka Chihaya. This critical analysis -- which should be read by all students of military history -- alone is well worth the price of the book for the student of the military and military tactics. But for the reader looking for battles, maneuvers, and other such action this book would be a disappointment. I give it 5 stars for the military student, 3 stars for others...

Essential primary sources.......2002-11-30

Gordon Prange, the dean of Pearl Harbor researchers, and his assistants Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon, produced the essential trilogy on the before-during-and-after of the attack, "At Dawn We Slept" (1981), "December 7, 1941" (1988), and "Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History" (1986). In this book, Dillon and Goldstein produce some of their essential primary sources, key Japanese documents about the planning, execution, and aftermath of the attack.

One of the key distinctives of Prange's research and writing was that, unlike so many other writers about the attack, he never forgot the Japanese half of the equation. In fact, the Pearl Harbor attack was a massive tactical undertaking, and the Japanese carried it off brilliantly. Focusing entirely on, for example, how much FDR knew and when, means ignoring the magnitude of the Japanese accomplishment.

Prange never made this mistake. And it's his research and interviews in Japan that produced this important work, assembled and published by his two assistants. While "The Pearl Harbor Papers" may be too esoteric for casual students of the Day of Infamy, people with a more serious interest in the attack, or the Pacific War generally, will find much here to keep themselves occupied.

Of particular interest are several papers and affidavits by Minoru Genda, the key planner of the attack. Also very interesting is "An Intimate Look at the Japanese Navy," by Masataka Chihaya, a former officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who shortly after the end of the war cataloged his services' successes and failures. It's a very clear-eyed document, and deserves a close reading.

On the whole, this is a very good book to add to your shelf of Pearl Harbor books (and anyone who has such a shelf unquestionably needs this).

insight into Japanese plans.......2001-05-03

The Pearl Harbor Papers is a great body of insight into the planning of the Dec 7, 1941 attack. Although some of the charts breaking down the unit compositions are redundant (due to the same information in several different accounts), a look into the mind of Minoru Genda, the brilliant planner of the strike, is invaluable. Another interesting account is the battle diary of the destroyer Akigumo, which offers a unique view from that of a screening vessel. A real good supplement to the three volumes authored by Gordon Prange about the "Day of Infamy".

Living Faith: Inside the Muslim World of Southeast Asia

Average customer rating:

Balancing and Rich Asian people's images.
Captivating
Good, balanced view of Muslims in Southeast Asia

Living Faith: Inside the Muslim World of Southeast Asia
Steve Raymer
Manufacturer: Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 9810442076

Book Description

In 1998 Dzawada'enuxw artist Marianne Nicholson scaled a vertical rock face in Kingcome Inlet to paint a 28- by 38-foot pictograph to mark the continued vitality of her ancestral village of Gwa'yi. Two Wolves at the Dawn of Time is the story of that painting - and of earlier politically defiant rock art and the "coppers," ceremonial shields that are a central motif in many of these images. Often defined simply as currency by Europeans, the coppers represent much more. The Dzawada'enuxw never stopped potlatching, trading coppers, or creating pictographs, not even in the face of the government's attempt to move them from their ancestral villages and force their assimilation into settler society. Judith Williams tracks an amazing history of a culturally and geographically rich locale at a flashpoint in Native-white relations. Fighting recalcitrant weather, water and vessels, she investigates various forms and eras of rock art around Kingcome Inlet, explores the disintegrating old Halliday homestead, and plumbs the archives to measure colonialism's persistent legacy. Documenting Nicholson's painting of the giant new pictograph that contains the image of origin figure Kawadilikala, the Wolf, Williams provides a firsthand look into the remarkable symbiosis of old and new that has seen Gwa'yi and the Kwakwaka'wakw prevail against all attempts to eradicate their culture.

Visual artist and writer JUDITH WILLIAMS is intimately familiar with the Kingcome Inlet and Refuge Cove areas of BC's coast, where she spends her summers. She has exhibited at UBC's Museum of Anthropology and at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The author of two previous books, High Slack and Dynamite Stories, she taught painting, drawing and theory in UBC's Fine Arts Department until retirement in 1998 freed her to sail BC's fjords at will.

Customer Reviews:

Balancing and Rich Asian people's images........2002-08-31

This book is a good source to balance the word and image of Islam and Muslim in the western world. Muslim is not only in Arabian peninsula or Gulf contries, in fact Indonesia is the largest muslim population in the world. Many pictures on the book can give the different side of Islam in Southeast asia. They don't speak arabic, they don't have big nose,they are short, skiny etc. I recommend this book for the people who wants to know Muslim in Southeast asia without reading a long history book.

But there is unbalance information in the book I noticed, specially information about Indonesian muslim in the introduction. Steve Raymer seems doesn't have a good source that he can get the information about Indonesian muslim. Might be because they are so many and he tries to put it in the same ammount as Malaysian which is only about 1/6 or 1/8 of Indonesian in comparison. It is best if he can consult or clarify his information with the Indonesian sociologists, historians, or scholars in order to validate the information. One of the examples is on second page, the picture doesn't not macth the note (citation). The picture is showing the people who are suplicating, is not always in arabic, but he says those people are reciting the koran. This is just small example.
I recommend people who have this book to check with the Southeast Asian people to clarify the information.
More than that, good work and well done.

Captivating.......2002-05-28

Steve Raymer has done an exceptional job at capturing the humanity of Southeast Asian Muslims through the lenses of the faithful camera. The pictures are breathtakingly beautiful, while the accompanying caption and text serve as an easy-to-read commentary especially for those expecting only an excursion into the subject. His attempt at a sympathetic understanding of a culture that is relatively obscure to the average Westerner is commendable; the journalistic objectivity being a salient feature of the book.

Raymer, in my opinion, succeeded in shattering the perpetuated myth surrounding the perception of Muslims. Not only does he cogently disprove the notion of a monolithic Muslim culture across the Muslim world, but he also demonstrates the existence of diversity with which Islam is practiced in this forgotten region. The cognitive image of either a rich Middle-Easterner or a terrorist brandishing an AK-47 so often associated with Islam must now be relegated to the domain of stereotypes. The book is probably a silent apologist for the peace of Islam.

Caveat emptor for those expecting their stereotypes confirmed and prejudices accomodated; the book is sure to frustrate them.

The maxim that a picture is worth a thousand words had never been truer. The picture is now worth millions of humans.

Good, balanced view of Muslims in Southeast Asia.......2002-03-01

As one who's lived in Southeast Asia off and on for the past seven years, the thing that strikes me about the book by Raymer are the brilliant photos, yes. But the way they are put together gives a human face to Southeast Asia's Muslim peoples. A fair and realistic look at them is refreshing in light of many Western reports that tout them all as gun-toting extremists.

Average customer rating:

Bangkok really Inside Out!
Beware Amazon Pricing SCAM.
Essential info for the traveler
An entertaining, illuminating, alternative view of Bangkok!
every angle on the City of Angels

Bangkok Inside Out
Daniel Ziv , and Guy Sharett
Manufacturer: Equinox Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Bangkok Survivor's Handbook: A Guide to Living in Asia's City of Angels (Paperback - Second edition, January 2006)
Very Thai
Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok
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Thailand Fever

ASIN: 9799796466
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Product Description

Bangkok Inside Out is the follow-up to Jakarta Inside Out, which has held a two-year lock on Asia's bestseller lists. The book quite literally turns Bangkok "inside out," exposing the city piece by piece in a quirky, intelligent and accessible manner. It covers subjects like soi dogs, scams, karaoke bars, student cafes, motorcycle taxis, urban elephants, sky train and the whole slew of topics that make Bangkok what it is. Illustrated with more than 80 full-color photographs, this book truly brings this remarkable city to life.

Customer Reviews:

Bangkok really Inside Out!.......2006-05-24

I have read it all and heard it all about Thailand, mostly banalities: "It's so nice and peaceful, the people are so nice and smile all the time, I love the food!"
Finally, someone wrote something different about Thailand that pays tribute to its complexities and nuttiness. "Bangkok Inside Out" by Daniel Ziv and Guy Sharett is an engaging, easy-to-read book that covers the less-covered aspects of Thailand that make the country and the people so lovable. From transvestites to beauty contests for chubby women to more serious aspects like amulets and the street dog problem, the book is perfect for the well-seasoned traveler or arm-chair one. I am half-Thai, half-American, which doesn't necessarily make me an expert on Thailand or the culture; however, anyone attempting to learn more about it must read "Bangkok Inside Out".

Beware Amazon Pricing SCAM........2006-01-04

This appears to be a good book..BUT the list price of this book from the manufacturer is actually $19.97 and NOT $27.99 as Amazon would have you believe.

I actually wrote to their Customer Service and they said it doesn't matter because their final price is cheaper.

Anyhow, just don't pay attention to that false 34% discount price.

Essential info for the traveler.......2005-11-09

After just a couple of hours with this book, I learned more about the culture of everyday citizens than I did in two days of exploring on my own. Quick and insightful bits about the city, it's customs and people. The end essay, while interesting did not fit the same format of the other entries.

If you are visiting this marvelous city, this book is a must. I hope the authors plan on doing the same for other Asian cities.

An entertaining, illuminating, alternative view of Bangkok!.......2005-06-05

I am a frequent business traveler to Bangkok and this book opened my eyes to many angles of the city I had never noticed or understood before. The authors have really explained just about everything we encounter in this chaotic and confusing metropolis, and they do it in the most entertaining way - with witty prose, humorous anecdotes and many insider tips on what really makes things move. Bangkok Inside Out in at once a light read and an in-depth study of a city, and that's what impressed me most about the book. Few books would think to include 'Seven Eleven', 'Indie Music', 'Pha Yen (Wet Face Cloths)' or 'Taxi Radio Stations" as part of the cultural landscape they describe, but these writers demonstrate why it's precisely such little day-to-day things that shape this city's unique vibe. The accompanying photos are terrific, and successfully portray Bangkok's dark and light moods. I'd strongly recommend this book to anybody wanting to move beyond the Grand Palace and Floating Market version of Bangkok and learn what to really look out for.

every angle on the City of Angels.......2005-05-18

I've been in and out of Bangkok many times, done most of the typical travel guide must-do's, befriended many Thais in the process and still found in this book page after page of new information about my beloved City of Angels. Bangkok Inside Out is an irreverently fun, funny and informative homage to SE Asia's most quirky capital. Written for the novice as well as for those who have trod the steamy sois night after night, it captures the essence of a unique place and the people who make it so. Whether you're making your first or fiftieth visit, this book is essential.

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