Against the Tide of Years

Amazon.com

In Stirling's bestselling Island in the Sea of Time, modern Nantucket found itself trapped in the Bronze Age. In the sequel, Against the Tide of Years, the renegade William Walker forges a dangerous alliance with the ancient Greek kings Agamemnon and Odysseus; Commodore Marian Alston faces terrible sea storms and cannon-armed Phoenician ships in an anachronistic Age of Sail; and the outnumbered Nantucketers race Walker to make contact with the Babylonian Empire.

Of course this ambitious, action-packed series is perfect for time-travel, alternate-history, and military-SF fans. But epic-fantasy readers, Burroughs and Haggard fans desiring a modern update of the lost-civilization adventure novel, and anyone who ever read Patrick O'Brian for the terrific sea-battles will enjoy it as well. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Against The Tide Of Years continues the adventures of the Nantucket residents who have been transported through time to the Bronze Age. In the years since their arrival, the fledging Republic of Nantucket has strived to better the primitive world in which they now exist. Their prime concerns are establishing a constitution and handling the waves of immigrants from the British Isles. But a renegade time traveler plans his own future by forging an empire for himself based on conquest by modern technology. The Republic has no alternative but to face the inevitable war brought on by one of their own....

Praise for Island In The Sea Of Time:

"...one of the best time/travel alternate history stories I've ever read, period. Stirling combines complex, believable characters, meticulous research, and a fascinating setup to produce a book you won't want to--and won't be able to--put down." --Harry Turtledove, bestselling author of Guns of the South

"...unquestionably Steve Stirling's best work to date, a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans. I wouldn't be surprised to see it on a few awards ballots either." --George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

"A well thought-out time travel scenario with a few interesting differences from most books in the genre." --Kliatt

"Stirling has surpassed his previous work in the creation of a compelling cast of characters and does a fine job of conveying both a sense of loss and hope." --Science Fiction Chronicle

Customer Reviews:

Alternative History for History Buffs.......2005-09-07

A fun read for those who are interested in History of Civilization. It reminded me of the old Saturday Night Live skit, "What if Sparticus had an airplane". The writer obviously did his research, especially into indo-earopean languages.

The Middle Child.......2005-01-26

This was entertaining, the research was extensive, the antagonists were exhausting and the protagonists were ethical to a fault (can ethics be a fault?). Like all second children this one had issues. There were lots of loose ends to be resolved in the next book, a "filler" feel to some of it as story lines were beefed up for the climax and that wonderful middle book introspection by the main characters as some of them got to take a breathe and consider their future. That said, there were some great battles, some exciting new plot lines and bunches and bunches of reasons to grab the next book and see what happens. My only suggestion... PROVIDE A MAP. Holy cow, we're all over the world here and I get confused easily.

It's the 2nd of a Trilogy.......2004-09-12

As with the previous book in the series, intriguing and well written. A bit of a Return of the Jedi bit here- things don't finish in this novel (unlike the first one), and not everything is going well for the heroes at the end of the book. You have to have the 3rd in the trilogy at the ready. Stirling again makes you interested in the characters and their lives. He balances many different plotlines and characters very neatly. His research is precise and accurate. And he provides a lot of anthropology and cultural development- not just battles and action. I recommend this book for those who have started the series, for they won't be disappointed. I recommend this series for those who've not yet started it, as it is excellent alternative history.

Some minor drawbacks: the time schema confusing. At the beginning of every chapter are a number of dates, with months and years, some in parenthesis, and I couldn't really figure out what the author was trying to communicate with this. Also for some strange reason there's no Israel. Although history indicates at this time that Samuel is wandering around as a prophet (1200 BC), and the empire of David and Solomon have already occurred, for some reason Stirling has decided that Moses is just about now leaving Egypt. But since the entire Middle East is thrown into turmoil in this book, perhaps that whole event doesn't happen, including the Jewish nation, the oppression by the Romans, Jesus . . . And the book is less recommendable than it would be otherwise do to a number of rather strange, highly aberrant gratuitous sex scenes.

Weaker middle book in great series.......2003-10-02

Inexplicably cast back into the Bronze Age, the New England island of Nantucket is attempting to preserve modern technology and democratic traditions, but it isn't easy. Although Nantucket and its proto-British allies defeated the renegade Walker in his first attempt to set up a kingdom of his own, Walker has escapted to Myceanian Greece where he is hobnobbing with Agamemnon and the wily Odysseus. His ally in Phoenecian Spain, is also adapting modern technology and poses a threat to the Island republic. New allies are critical and the Island turns to Babylon. After battling the Assyrians, the epic battle heads toward modern-Turkey--toward Troy.

In the meantime, back in North America, Nantucket authorizes a Lewis and Clark-like exploration of the largely depopulated continent, and Nantucket engineers experiment with breech-loading rifles to replace the flintlocks that gave them initial advantage over their opponents.

AGAINST THE TIDE OF YEARS is the second book in a trilogy following the exploits of the residents of Nantucket. No longer fighting for their lves on a daily basis, Nantucket has used its technology to carve out a protectorate. Unlike Walker, who provides technoogy broadly to his people, Nantucket hoards its technological advantage using 'locals' as spear-catchers for the most part, with a stiffening of regular troops behind them.

A lot that made the first book in the series so powerful is lacking by the timeframe in this second novel. The island is rich, has adapted much of its technology to available resources, and is able to use all of its thousands of residents to further its military and economic goals. Walker, with his handful of renegades, becomes more admirable than an enemy. I sense that author S. M. Stirling has ambiguous feelings about Walker himself. Although his relationship with the sadistic Alice Hong and his tendency to rape and enslave keep him on the evil side, the man is spreading technology that Nantucket hoards, is developing close friendships with the locals (beyond the marriage to local nobility-friendships that seem Nantucket's only way of going local), and is honorable in his own way. Indeed, AGAINST THE TIDE OF YEARS comes alive largely when Walker is on the stage.

Middle books are hard, and it would be hard to write a sequel to the powerful ISLAND. With plenty of action, a number of characters familiar to everyone who's ever read Homer, and well researched and detailed technology introduction, AGAINST THE TIDE OF YEARS is certainly worth reading.

Yawn.......2002-10-24

I like the premise, but this book drags on way too long...

Average customer rating:

Continued solid series
Interesting Read
Never Believe Your Own Propaganda
Third in an excellent series
Ringo is the best!

Against the Tide (Council of War)
John Ringo
Manufacturer: Baen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1416520570

Book Description

In the distant future, the world was a paradise-and then, in a moment, it was ended by the first war in centuries. People who had known godlike power, to whom hunger and pain were completely unknown, desperately scrabbled to survive. As the United Free States, the bastion of freedom and center of opposition to the tyrants of New Destiny, prepared for the long-feared invasion by the Changed legions of Ropasa, Edmund Talbot realized that bureaucratic ineptitude and overconfidence was setting the USF naval forces of ships and dragons up for a disastrous defeat at sea. His fears came true, and the destruction of the fleet seemingly left the UFS open for a full scale invasion. But Talbot had new concepts and strategies ready to put into effect, along with new technical innovations from his brilliant engineer. He survived an assassination attempt and quickly assembled a formidable land force combining cavalry, longbowmen, Roman style legions, and dragons for airborne assault. The fascist forces of New Destiny thought that their war was all but concluded, and world domination within their grasp. Edmund Talbot was ready to show them just how wrong they were. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Continued solid series.......2007-03-09

This ties up some loose ends and presents new characters for your reading pleasure. I find the personalities stronger and more interesting as the series continues.

Interesting Read.......2007-01-10

This book moves the story along in leaps and bounds. I continues the gripping writing style to perfection. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has read the first two in the series even if they are having doubts.

Never Believe Your Own Propaganda.......2006-12-17

Against the Tide (2005) is the third SF novel in the Council War series, following Emerald Sea. In the previous volume, the United Free States envoys joined the Mer in driving away the Changed orcas and ixchitl after a surprise attack. Duke Edmund led the Retreat of the Mer to their new home, killing most of the orcas and ixchitl along the way. Joanna the dragon feasted well on the carcass of Shanol the orca, but the kraken was not tasty at all. The spy aboard the Bonhomme Richard was finally exposed, but was killed by his handler.

Megan Travante gained control of the harem girls and lulled Paul Bowman into pillow talk. She even talked him into spending a few days relaxing in the harem. Meanwhile, she stockpiled toxic chemicals in her perfume distillery.

In this novel, a New Destiny fleet sails from Ropasa and Duke Edmund is sent to Newfell to observe Fleet operations against it. Herzer Herrick does along as his Aide and three officer candidates accompany them as gophers. Of course, Edmund also takes his wife Daneh Ghorbani and their daughter Rachael.

After reaching Newfell, the Duke finds North Atlantis Fleet headquarters being run by amateurs and they refuse to listen to his counsel. The New Destiny fleet sinks four of the UFS carriers without loosing a ship. Admiral Draskovich is relieved from command and Edmund is given command of both naval and land forces on the east coast.

First the Duke eliminates the deadwood from the Naval command hierarchy. Then he arranges for the retreating fleet to be welcomed home with reassurances that they will not be defeated again. After that, he initiates a naval training program to insure that the officers and enlisted go to sea already knowing the basics.

After repairing the damage and replacing the lost wyverns and fliers, the Duke takes the fleet out to sea against the enemy. This time the navy has a flag officer over fleet operations, so Edmund is coming along to boost morale and to handle any strategic considerations that happen to occur. But the enemy doesn't give him any time to catch up on his paperwork; the New Destiny fleet separates into two components: a northern fleet carrying the invading troops and a southern fleet heading toward Blackbeard Base in the Bermuda Banks.

An intelligence agent of Joel Travante contacts Megan and then sends an eyes-only message concerning her survival back to Joel, Queen Sheida, and Duke Edmund. Megan recognizes the contact as a possible conduit for sending information back to the UFS, but then she finds out where Paul has hidden his Key. After some dithering, she assassinates him by pouring pure sulfuric acid down his throat.

Taking the Key, Megan contacts Mother and arranges a portal to a Highland Castle. There she converses with Sheida and arranges the diversion of a dragon-carrier to take her and the Key from Glen McClure. Afterward, she finds herself in the middle of the naval aviation battle between the UFS and New Destiny carriers.

In this story, Duke Edmund institutes strict security on fleet positions and then sends his ships everywhere within the Northern Atlantis ocean. Only the captains know their current positions at any time and they continually tack to the four winds. Sealed orders are stored in a locked strongbox within the Marine commander's office under constant guard. Such orders are opened only upon instructions from the fleet commander and only in the presence of the three top officers of each ship.

With one carrier diverted to the Highlands to pick up Megan, Edmund is even more under strength compared to the New Destiny fleets. Then three carriers break off from the enemy Southern fleet and start looking for the UFS carriers. The other two carriers continue on south toward Blackbeard Base. There they encounter a few surprises.

The invading fleet lands about ten thousand troops in Balmoran. Rachael is tending patients in the hospital there and some can't be moved. The movable ones are evacuated to the Blood Lords camp, but Rachael stays with the most badly injured. Duke Edmund is determined not to send troops just to rescue her.

This story contains more conflicts than both of the other two combined. There are combats on the sea, in the air and on the land, individual fights, and various assassinations. The only type of fighting that apparently has not been included are formal duels.

Wait! At the very end of the main story, there is one duel: Bast goes one on one with a Changed Elf for several hours. Edmund finally stops it before everybody else dies of old age, but there is at least that one duel.

Highly recommended for Ringo fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high tech societies, low tech combat, and political intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Third in an excellent series.......2006-08-01

This excellent book is the third in the Council Wars series. These books are best read in the correct sequence, which is

There will be Dragons
Emerald Sea
Against the Tide
East of the Sun, West of the Moon

Arthur C Clarke once wrote that any sufficiently advanced tecnhology is indistinguishable from magic. This story is set several thousand years from now in a world where that is literally true. Just about every creature or artifact ever imaged in human myths or legends, from Avatars to Wyverns, Elves to Orcs, and mermaids to winged humans has been created by technology. (I choose the word "creature" very precisely - the story does not include Gods but by definition Gods are not creatures.)

Unfortunately in an earthly paradise of almost perfect luxury most people could not be bothered with the hard work of raising children and so the human race was dying out. Arguments between members of the ruling council over what to do about this eventually resulted in the outbreak of war in the first book of the series, "There will be Dragons." Within moments millions of people were doomed and for most of the rest of humanity their safe and luxurious life was replaced by a cruel, exhausting struggle for existence straight out of the middle ages.

At the start of this book the war rages on between the neo fascist "New Destiny" faction based in "Ropasa" (Europe and Asia) and the the Freedom Coalition's main stronghold in the United Free States (America of course) and "New Destiny" is planning a transatlantic invasion which looks like a real threat. Following on from "Emerald Sea" both sides now deploy Dragon carriers, but it is not clear that the Freedom Coalition's admirals really know how to use them.

Meanwhile however, New Destiny's leader Paul Bowman has overlooked the fact that his actions have created a threat to his position which is much closer to home.

Ringo's recent books have varied from indifferent to excellent, but the Council Wars series is shaping up to be the best thing he has written.

Bottom line: if you liked any of the other books in this series, or any of Ringo's "Roger McLintock" books with Dave Weber ("March Upcountry" et seq.) then you will almost certainly like this one.

Ringo is the best!.......2006-07-05

This book and it preceding was excellent. The narritive is well thought out and the action is good. Wonderful storyline, with likeable characters.

Average customer rating:

Mandatory Reading
Interesting but unfair
Another Sad Tale of How Humans Foul Their Nests
Cornelia Dean Deserves The Pulitzer Prize!
Beautifully written and explained.

Against the Tide
Cornelia Dean
Manufacturer: Columbia University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0231084196

Amazon.com

Castles built on sand are doomed, they say. But in our hunger for an ocean view from the living-room window, we keep building things we expect to last on beaches that never stay still. In Against the Tide, Cornelia Dean, science editor of The New York Times, outlines the global coastal management crisis and all the elaborate engineering methods developed to stave off erosion--revetments, sand-trapping devices, seawalls, groins and jetties, even artificial seaweed beds. In clear, journalistic style, she explains how all of these devices have failed to stop the inexorable march of coastal erosion. And they've failed at a staggering cost to taxpayers, despite the fact that they're usually deployed to protect private property. The world's sandy beaches continue eroding, and nowhere is this more visible than in the U.S., where oceanfront construction has been proceeding at a fast and furious pace for decades. Of course, the perfectly natural process of erosion is only considered a "problem" if it threatens buildings or property. Dean writes: "There is a kind of constituency of ignorance, people who have so much invested in coastal real estate that they do not want to hear how vulnerable it is."

Using examples from Galveston to Cape Cod, and a few places on the West Coast, Dean shows how building each "protective" structure has led to the need for more protection in a game humans are destined to lose to the ocean. "American political institutions," she writes, "are ill-suited to the indeterminacy and elasticity of nature." Part of the problem is that people are reluctant to admit that natural processes threatening our carefully planned and paid-for civilization are good and necessary parts of a dynamic ecosystem, and our efforts to prevent them will invariably buy us more trouble. Dean believes that it's time to make peace with the rising sea level and stop fighting nature. Against the Tide should be required reading for waterfront property owners, coastal zone managers, the Army Corps of Engineers, and beach lovers everywhere. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

Americans love to colonize their beaches. But when storms threaten, high-ticket beachfront construction invariably takes precedence over coastal environmental concerns -- we rescue the buildings, not the beaches. As Cornelia Dean explains in Against the Tide, this pattern is leading to the rapid destruction of our coast. But her eloquent account also offers sound advice for salvaging the stretches of pristine American shore that remain.

The story begins with the tale of the devastating hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas, in 1900 -- the deadliest natural disaster in American history, which killed some six thousand people. Misguided residents constructed a wall to prevent another tragedy, but the barrier ruined the beach and ultimately destroyed the town's booming resort business.

From harrowing accounts of natural disasters to lucid ecological explanations of natural coastal processes, from reports of human interference and construction on the shore to clear-eyed elucidation of public policy and conservation interests, this book illustrates in rich detail the conflicting interests, short-term responses, and long-range imperatives that have been the hallmarks of America's love affair with her coast.

Intriguing observations about America's beaches, past and present, include discussions of Hurricane Andrew's assault on the Gulf Coast, the 1962 northeaster that ravaged one thousand miles of the Atlantic shore, the beleaguered beaches of New Jersey and North Carolina's rapidly vanishing Outer Banks, and the sand-starved coast of southern California. Dean provides dozens of examples of human attempts to tame the ocean -- as well as a wealth of lucid descriptions of the ocean's counterattack. Readers will appreciate Against the Tide's painless course in coastal processes and new perspective on the beach.

Download Description

The Science Editor of the New York Times issues a call to arms for beach lovers and environmentalists in a beautifully written book that covers the ecology of the coast, as well as the hubris-filled history of Americans' efforts to hold back the sea.

Customer Reviews:

Mandatory Reading.......2007-02-16

This book is mandatory reading for anyone living in a coastal community. Well written and well researched, it is helping our Beach and Dune Committtee understand what options to consider. Thank you very much for an interesting and informative book.

Interesting but unfair.......2001-04-20

Extremely biased toward a non-property owner viewpoint. Although the government is spending money to keep sand and retain structures, it is also acting in the interest of public safety. Also, many government agencies are limiting what property owners can do with their own money, on their own property, to save their investments. Both sides of the argument are not presented evenly.

Another Sad Tale of How Humans Foul Their Nests.......1999-11-08

An astounding book that will not be read by enough people. Ms. Dean provides us with a well-researched book on the physics (don't let that word throw you off; she makes it all quite understandable) of beaches, and how, in one century, we have managed to destroy them. Quite simply the ocean cannot and should not be conquered. While capable of causing intense damage to our shores, the ocean, given time, will also inevitably repair the damage it has caused. But, build houses, hotels and other structures as well as jetties, revetments, seawalls, and groins on the beaches and you will ultimately destroy them.

The truly sad part of this book is not just that we have destroyed thousands of miles of our beaches, but that we are led by ignorant, self-serving politicians and greedy commercial and private interests to build even more damaging structures on what's left of our shores. To add insult to injury the taxpayer continues to be dunned for the money to pay for continued "beach management" (read: mismanagement), and for rebuilding destroyed structures in areas where nothing should be built. I no longer have the slightest sympathy for people whose shorefront homes are destroyed by storms. Move inland where you belong.

A must read for the concerned citizen.

Cornelia Dean Deserves The Pulitzer Prize!.......1999-09-03

I don't know Cornelia Dean but I wish she was my neighbor. This daring, wonderful, woman should be given a national award for her works in "Against the Tide." She blows the whistle on widespread negligent coastal management practices that are evident everywhere. It was extremely unsettling to me to read about almost identical patterns of coastal abuse that I have observed where I live at Alligator Point, Florida. A revetment was constructed in 1994 despite the warnings of coastal experts that it would contribute further to erosion rather than preventing it. This was done at a staggering waste of taxpayers' money and with the permission of county, state, and federal governments. Today, the beach area that once provided recreation and a protective buffer is gone because of revetment-caused erosion. Turtle areas are destroyed. Dwellings are sitting dangerously in water. The road is ruined and unsafe. And, there is no required accountabilty for removing the wall. It is now a permanent monument to disaster. Cornelia Dean articulately reveals how shamefully common this is. She has superbly documented the inept practices of coastal management efforts that are prevalent all along America's coasts. Nothing was written, however, about how to undo this American tragedy. I will, therefore, offer one suggestion based on Cornelia Dean's numerous contacts and her rapport with coastal planners. She should be given a special Presidential appointment to head up a commission to consolidate all coastal management agencies and to develop and enforce a unified set of standards. Ms. Dean's outstanding book certainly qualifies her for such a step.

Beautifully written and explained........1999-08-18

This book is a must-have for anyone interested in beach erosion and overdevelopment. The author clearly lays out the arguments against such beachfront "improvements" as armoring, sandtrapping, etc. As a hydrologist, I was already well aware of the futility of most attempts to preserve beaches in their existing configurations, yet this book explains these issues in a very compelling and succinct fashion. The author also describes those rare occasions when intervention can indeed be helpful, and the special circumstances under which it is justifiable. Yet what is most compelling is the overall argument that in the majority of cases, most attempts at beach and property preservation actually hasten the destruction of the very things requiring protection. Ultimately, a particular beach structure is by its very nature a transient thing, yet it is most durable in its present form if left alone. Unfortunately, with beachfront development continuing at its currently rapid pace, it is unlikely that much of this important information will be heeded. Nevertheless, it is necessary to disseminate this knowledge. Perhaps this book can help inform the public of the need to let beaches be beaches.

Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel

Average customer rating:

What a cool book
Norman's Cay: A Dr. No Man's Land!
Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel
The Amazing Story of Mr. Novak
A must read if you've been to the Bahamas

Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel
Sidney D. Kirkpatrick , and Peter Abrahams
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0525249982

Customer Reviews:

What a cool book.......2006-12-07

Man, I couldn't put it down, what a good read! Plus truly a fascinating story, and what makes it even better, is that it's a true story. I've become a big fan of this writer. I've read his other books The Revenge of Thomas Eakins, Lord of Sipan and Edgar Cayce: An American Prophet and I can't decide which is my favorite. But this once is certainly riveting.

Norman's Cay: A Dr. No Man's Land!.......2005-07-08

Reading this book, I was absolutely captivated and riveted at the exploits of one Carlos Lehder-Rivas and a certain Professor Novack. Lehder was a young, fanatically ambitious Columbian national with a German surname who took the four mile island of Norman's Cay in the Bahamas by storm, using it as his base of operations for his once thriving cocaine business. Novack was equally captivated by the island, but for different reasons. Novack was a professor of marine biology in New York and was taken with island's great potential for studying and researching marine biology, most notably the study of the rare and deadly hammerhead sharks. Norman's was a fertile ground for establishing a research center and place to share ideas about the mysteries of marine biology, or so Novack envisioned. However, his dreams were not to come true, as Lehder assumed a Dr. No like figure, as in the 1962 James Bond film of the same name. Lehder ran the island like an armed camp with his German bodyguards and guerilla warfare type justice; thereby opposing and ousting anyone who tried to intervene or who merely came to visit the island. Even homeowners with a perfect right to be there were kicked out of this draconian microcosmic world of corruption, with the brief exception of Novack. Novack came to the island with his dream in mind and instead, found himself in the middle of what was once, in the late 1970's a huge and lucrative cocaine dealing operation headed by Lehder and Ed Ward, another American resident and business partner of Lehder. Novack is the focus of the story and we see how his concern for what was happening overtook him and he became an informant for the DEA. I really have to admire this man's bravery, though some may see it as obstinance to get at the bottom of what was going on on Norman's Cay. Novack's fierce and undying determination to boot Lehder and his cronies off the island led eventually to Lehder being sentenced to more than 100 years in prison for his cocaine endeavors. This is the most fascinating and riveting book I have read in recent memory, and Novack's amazing courage is truly inspiring.

Turning the Tide: One Man Against the Medellin Cartel.......2004-04-15

Great book - an easy read - fast moving - You cannot put it down. If you like politics, romance , water, and airplanes, this is the book for you. The ending is a little weak on what happened to Ledher-Rivas. He was convicted and sent to jail, but apparently he is free now after cutting a deal with the Justice Dept in 1996. This after a conviction to 155 year in prison.

The Amazing Story of Mr. Novak.......2003-12-11

This is an astounding story of Mr. Richard Novak and his involvement in bringing down the cocaine empire of Carlos Ledher. Reading about what he (Novak) went through and overcame is an inspiring story for anyone to read. Unfortuneately, Mr. Novak passed away in January 1997, I was deeply saddened by the loss, mostly because I never got to ask him to tell me the complete story (In this book some details are left out and some are exaggerated). This book is well written and easy to understand, even though it sometimes portrays Novak as an unlikeable character (which was completely the opposite in real life).

A must read if you've been to the Bahamas.......2001-11-24

I grew up cruising on a sailboat in the Bahamas with my dad and remember Norman's key before and after Carlos. I find that it is a real shame that the island is in ruins now when it was once so prosperous. It's too bad that after Carlos was brought down, they couldn't have saved the island's beautiful houses. It's quite a mess now, everything has been picked over and trashed. I find that this book really makes the island come alive. You can walk on the island today after reading the book and picture what it was like back then. It's fascinating and a shame that there were ever drugs involved with such a beautiful island.

The War Against Excellence: The Rising Tide of Mediocrity in America's Middle Schools

Average customer rating:

Middle school has become a play ground for social radicals
A review from the Trenches of Education
A comment
Jeremiah Reedy reviews THE WAR AGAINST EXCELLENCE
Middle school movement: Another fad

The War Against Excellence: The Rising Tide of Mediocrity in America's Middle Schools
Cheri Pierson Yecke
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0275981169

Book Description

Radical activists do not see the American middle school as an organization to impart academic knowledge, but as an instrument through which they can force social change. Yecke, an experienced teacher and administrator, shows how these activists have implemented their plans and endangered the education of all middle school children--especially those who are gifted. In 1983 A Nation at Risk declared, "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war." How did American educators respond? In their quest to establish a more egalitarian society, middle school activists and social reformers made it clear that the middle school was not just a new educational organization, but a means promoting social egalitarianism by coercing gifted students to be like everyone else. This was nothing less than a declaration of war against gifted children. Yecke shows that the inadequacies of our systems of research and education pose a greater threat to U.S. national security over the next quarter century than any potential conventional war that we might imagine. The achievement of students in other nations now regularly surpasses that of American students, and it will be impossible to reverse this trend within the confines of the contemporary middle school concept. Yecke asserts that it is time for the American public to reject the radical middle school movement before too much damage is done.

Customer Reviews:

Middle school has become a play ground for social radicals.......2004-06-26

Other books have reviewed the decline of education in American with a broad general view. Cheri Pierson Yecke focuses on the middle school movement over the last 30 plus years, and how many facets of the middle school movement have hurt specifically the talented and gifted children, but also children in general. She does a great job in reviewing various pieces of the middle school change. She has hundreds of footnotes; many of them are as interesting as the main text of the book.

The author starts off with a historical perspective of education and then covers how recently there has been a push to change to a K-5, middle school, and high school structured approach. The motivation of many behind the middle school movement has been a desire to "fix" society. Historically education has meant learning how to read, write, and how to do math. Many in the middle school movement wanted to do social engineering. Instead of trying to teach each student as much as the child could learn, the middle school radicals have pushed for equal outcomes. This is in direct contrast to what advocates for the talented and gifted want.

Over time many of the middle school radicals have become hostile to the needs and interests of the talented and gifted. Cheri Pierson Yecke acknowledges that this was one of the main motivations for her going back to school and get a PhD, to try and understand why the needs of her own children were not being meet.

Chapter three was on how the middle school curriculum has been dumbed down, so everyone can pass the same course. Next was a chapter on "Ability Grouping" and how the middle school movement has fought "Ability Grouping" as being elitist.

The next chapter was about "Cooperative learning" which has small groups of children working together. This may be a good idea once in awhile, but the middle school movement does a lot of it. Cooperative learning advocates defend it by saying it is good for the gifted, but by and large the gifted students find it a waste of time. The gifted students often end up doing a lot of the work, and the rest of the group gets a free ride, or the gifted student doesn't contribute, and the group suffers. In effect the gifted students is being forced to be a teacher's assistant. This is explored even more in the chapter on "Peer tutoring." For me a very key part of the problem is the gifted students, at a young age, are being forced to teach those who don't want to learn. Mature adults may be able to find reasonable solutions, but most young children often find this an impossible situation to deal with.

Chapter seven does some analysis of the beliefs and driving convictions of those pushing the middle school movement. Based on what they say publicly Cherie Pierson Yecke finds that many of them want equal outcomes. Rather than having a level playing field where everyone has an equal chance to succeed, the middle school radicals want coercive egalitarianism, they want to force everyone to be the same. Chapter eight points out that often to implement their goals they will hide or misdirect parents and the public in general about what is happening in the middle school.

Chapter nine discusses the ethical considerations of the middle school movement. The author quotes a number of people who study ethics, who say that people should have voluntary informed consent. The radical activists are using children to achieve the ends the radical activists want. I felt the author was too gentle here. If I go to a dentist for a filling and he gives me a root cannel, he has been unethical, and I'll sue. If I go to a lawyer for a will, and he takes my money without producing what I want, he clearly is being unethical. But when parents and the public, who pay taxes, voice their desires about what they want in an education, many in the middle school movement will ignore the direction of the public and go off and do what the middle school radicals want.

The last chapter addresses what does all of this mean for the twenty first century. If middle schools keep dumbing down our children, then we as a nation will not be able to compete.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It is well thought out, addresses a serious problem in our society, and is well documented. If you have young gifted and talented children, and if you want them to get a strong academic education, then this would be a very good book to read.

A review from the Trenches of Education.......2004-05-04

Those critics of Yecke's book who claim that she makes "bizarre" and "unsubstantiated claims" cause me to wonder if they have even bothered to read the text at all. Not only is this one of the most meticulously researched, annotated, and footnoted books I have ever encountered in my nineteen years in the field of education, but it is also one of the most timely in that it deals with pertinent issues, the results of which we can witness in our own society and the fruits of which we will be forced to reckon with as graduates of our dumbed-down educational system begin to take over jobs and leadership positions in our society.

To examine Yecke's credentials is to find a woman infinitely qualified to comment on the current state of our middle schools - she is an honored middle school teacher, she is a respected academic in the field of educational policy, she is a no-nonsense author and administrator of such policy, and (perhaps most importantly) she is a concerned mother of two. But despite all of these elements, she is one of the most amicable, welcoming, and forthright professionals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Everything about this woman exudes dedication to a cause greater than her own interests and absolute integrity in execution. Some claim that she is driven by an extreme right-wing agenda because she has served under Republican governors. I must admit that this was my initial prejudice as well. However, immediately upon beginning this book, I found myself faced with issues that know no political classification but are instead universal ones that should be of concern to all Americans. I have discussed this book with colleagues of several political persuasions and the verdict has always been the same: Yecke is correct.

As an educator and an academic, I have nothing but praise for this book, which focuses not only on the problem, but also on the solution. To those who are so quick to condemn The War Against Excellence, I would ask them to read it again -or perhaps for the first time - with an open mind and no political agenda. I have no doubt that they will uncover not only an undeniable pattern of erosion in our public schools, but also the practical and proactive steps for salvaging our educational system and creating a nation of young adults who will have earned a true sense of self-worth through legitimate means of accomplishment, and not some sorry substitute for it masquerading as "self-esteem" but rather consisting of the quiet complacency of apathy.

A comment.......2004-04-28

Yecke's book unfortunately encapsulates the worst of how governement tries to rule the roost in Education. For years in MN we had one of the best school systems as far as states go, and now, with No Child Left Behind, we are mysteriously falling short. Yecke's main problem is that teachers and schools are not allowing the best and brightest students excel in the regular ed classroom. Welcome to public education Ms. Yecke! I am sure every school would allow for more gifted and talented classes, if only there were the money to support them. The public and many teacher's main problem with Yecke is that she is attempting to turn the clock back on public education by about thirty years. By saying that students should be focusing on learning facts instead of analytical skills, she is basically flying in the face of what students need to excel in today's world. Any computer can spit out dates and numbers, but most can't think analytically. The only mediocrity in schools that Yecke is so frustrated with is the fact that in a public school, you are required to education EVERYONE, and not just the gifted and talented. The diaspora to the urban schools has resulted and probably won't cease. Yecke's book is really the voice of a frustrated few, who view middle schools as a breeding ground for below average performers. In my own education experience, if you engage only the gifted few, then the vast majority are not being educated. Apparently, Yecke is okay with that.

Jeremiah Reedy reviews THE WAR AGAINST EXCELLENCE.......2004-04-06

The pursuit of excellence has been an integral part of the Western tradition, contributing much to its unique vitality. To my knowledge no one has doubted the propriety of pursuing excellence; after all who would want to recommend mediocrity? No one, that is, until quite recently. Welcome to the bizarre world of the middle school as revealed to us by Cheri Pierson Yecke in TheWar Against Excellence, The Rising Tide of Mediocrity in America?s Middle Schools. It?s the world of "brain periodization," "brain-based curricula," "identity development," "detracking," "untracking," and "transescents." It?s a world where "progressive" educators know better than parents what?s best for their children (Parents aren?t up to date on the latest findings in Ed. Psych.) and high ability students are urged to "succumb to peer pressure and strive not to achieve, or they will risk making their classmates look bad---and their actions might even go so far as to force the non-motivated students to work harder!"
Dr. Yecke?s book, the fruit of seven years of research and writing, is not only a work of impeccable scholarship, it is an expose, guaranteed to make the blood boil of everyone who is interested in genuine education and the future of our country. It is carefully organized, well written, and exceedingly well researched and documented. As Dr. Yecke says, it is a story that had to be told, and a story the basically tells itself through quotations from books, articles and papers delivered at conferences.
The saga begins as Yecke, the mother of two academically talented daughters
and a middle school teacher herself, became disillusioned (an understatement) with "self-proclaimed experts" and their "pseudo-wisdom" who turned the middle school into an "activist movement designed to force radical social changes, regardless of the values or desires of parents, students, or members of the community at large." Yecke returned to graduate school, and earned her doctorate so she could deal with the "so-called experts" as an equal. And that is what she does in this tough, hard-hitting, and much needed book.
The middle school made its debut in the late ?50s and early ?60s. The National Middle School Association (NMSA) was founded in 1973. To most citizens the appearance of middle schools meant simply a new way of organizing the classes, but for their champions it was much more---it was a movement. They saw, rightly of course, that a new structure is easier to change than an existing one. Hence they planned to use, and have been using, the middle school as a "testing ground" to change, first the whole educational system, and then society itself. As one prominent activist, Paul George, put it, the middle school has become "the focus of societal experimentation, the vehicle for movement towards increased justice and equality in the society as a whole." This involved de-emphasizing academic achievement and focusing on alleged personal and social needs of students. As two "authorities" (Johnson and Markle) argue, "By systematically applying attitude change techniques, the chances of developing desirable attitudes among middle school students can be improved." Professor George?s goals are even clearer: schools "are not about taking each child as far as he or she can go. They?re about redistributing the wealth of the future."
To justify the dumbing-down of the curriculum, the social engineers, starting in 1978, made use of a loony, mad scientist theory called "brain periodization." This first cousin of phrenology claims that "brain growth reaches a plateau around the ages of 12-14 at which time ?the brain virtually ceases to grow.?" Hence during this "learning plateau period" it was considered dangerous to introduce "new and challenging material" which could result in "negative neural networks to dissipate the energy of the [challenging] inputs." The NMSA "formally endorsed" this theory in 1981, and the theory reigned supreme for ten years. Even after it was admitted in 1993 that "there is no supporting evidence" for it, its influence lingered on and lingers on even today, sustained by ideology but not by science. Parents who complain of lack of rigor, low expectations, and student boredom are considered "difficult," and papers are delivered at conferences advising teachers how to deal with them.
Meanwhile, the most able students, left high and dry and bored by the abolition of "ethically unacceptable" gifted and talented programs are kept busy with "cooperative learning" and peer tutoring. The utopians did away with spelling bees and honor rolls hoping to breed "competition out of the next generation."
Yecke reveals many more things that are profoundly disturbing. Let me list a few: The attempt to achieve social justice by "making everyone equal" (this means equal outcomes, not just equality of opportunity). The blanket condemnation of competition some forms of which have great social and personal value. The disparagement of academic achievement. The use of cooperative learning to promote group identity at the expense of individual identity. The romantic notions of human nature and the naïve utopianism. And finally, the use of our children to advance a revolutionary social agenda. It is sad to learn that the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Foundations have played major roles in all of this nonsense.
It should be emphasized that Yecke?s book is a critique of what the educational theorists and activists, mostly professors of education, are proposing, rather than a report on what is actually going on in middle school classrooms. Fortunately, most teachers, relying on common sense, intuition, and experience, know enough to ignore the theories they were required to study while earning their certification. As E.D. Hirsch has said (and I?m sure Dr. Yecke would agree), ideas are the enemy, not people. It is the half-baked theories of professors under pressure to publish that must be exposed, discredited, and rejected.
Finally, I?m sorry that the exorbitant price of this book ($50.00) will prevent many from reading it. It is a book everyone should read.

Middle school movement: Another fad.......2004-04-06

Cheri Yecke's War Against Gifted Children illustrates a vital but poorly understood aspect of education policy making: Educational improvement campaigns are often infused with social engineering motives. Dr. Yecke does an extraordinary job of documenting how the American Middle School Movement has become just such a campaign.

Parents and the public have been led to believe that middle schools are needed to fit schooling to preteen developmental needs and thereby maximize each child's potential. Instead, leaders of the middle school movement have promoted teaching practices that sacrifice the interests of gifted students to an egalitarian vision of schooling--a vision that seeks fairness by bringing everyone to the lowest common denominator.

Parents and policymakers often endorse educational innovations without any real understanding of how or whether they work. In the case of the American Middle School Movement, however, they can read the War Against Gifted Children and judge for themselves.

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Great book - shoddy reviewers

An informed discussion of free trade

free trade is a myth

Clearly explains value of foreign trade on world economies.

I chose this book as a required reading for my seminar.

Against the Tide
Douglas A. Irwin
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Free Trade Under Fire: Second Edition

Globalizing Capital

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Why Globalization Works (Yale Nota Bene)

Who Adjusts? Domestic Sources of Foreign Economic Policy during the Interwar Years

ASIN: 0691058962

Amazon.com

The topic of "free trade" is more dense and complex than is usually presented in political debate or in the slogans or bumper stickers that these days often suffice for political discourse. Douglas A. Irwin, a professor of business at the University of Chicago, helps add depth to the discussion with this sweeping study of the business of trade between nations. He begins with Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and carries through to some of history's greatest thinkers on the topic of free trade. He shows "how free trade came to occupy ... a commanding position in economics and how free trade has maintained its intellectual strength ... over the past two centuries." It is a timely and needed book.

Book Description

About two hundred years ago, largely as a result of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, free trade achieved an intellectual status unrivaled by any other doctrine in the field of economics. What accounts for the success of free trade against then prevailing mercantilist doctrines? And how well has free trade withstood various theoretical attacks that have challenged it since Adam Smith's time? In this readable intellectual history, Douglas Irwin explains how the idea of free trade has endured against the tide of the abundant criticisms that have been leveled against it from the ancient world and Adam Smith's day to the present. An accessible, nontechnical look at one of the most important concepts in the field of economics, Against the Tide will allow the reader to put the ever new guises of protectionist thinking into the context of the past and discover why the idea of free trade has so successfully prevailed over time.

Irwin traces the origins of the free trade doctrine from premercantilist times up to Adam Smith and the classical economists. In lucid and careful terms he shows how Smith's compelling arguments in favor of free trade overthrew mercantilist views that domestic industries should be protected from import competition. Once a presumption about the economic benefits of free trade was established, various objections to free trade arose in the form of major arguments for protectionism, such as those relating to the terms of trade, infant industries, increasing returns, wage distortions, income distribution, unemployment, and strategic trade policy. Discussing the contentious historical controversies surrounding each of these arguments, Irwin reveals the serious analytical and practical weaknesses of each, and in the process shows why free trade remains among the most durable and robust propositions that economics has to offer for the conduct of economic policy.

Customer Reviews:

Great book - shoddy reviewers.......2003-01-17

Fantastic analysis of international free trade and the coming of age of economic globalization. Irwin is a diamond in the rough when it comes to economic author. He writes in such a way that is fairly easy to understand, all the while not comprimising the quality of the material. Granted, any previous knowledge of Economics is obviously beneficial to the reader, but in no way an absolute must.

Second, Mr. Preston Enright above seems to oppose corporate subsidies and welfare. Well, Mr Enright, so do the most staunch defenders of free-trade and capitalism: libertarians. I would not so much call myself a Libertarian but, like yourself, am also ardently opposed to corporate welfare, as it places an unwarranted burden on taxpayers and forces them to involuntarily support a cause, whereas they should only support the firm with their purchases from that corporation. Corporate welfare is, indeed, a rotten policy enacted but liberals and conservatives alike that, just as other forms of subsidies and welfare, create an unhealthy and unwarranted dependency on Washington (or wherever the largesse may originate), artificially lower prices, discourages innovation and efficiency, and ultimately harms the taxpayer and the consumer. Preston Enright is correct that this type of 'free trade' (not free to the mass of those who should benefit: the consumer) is only beneficial to the management and executives. Although, I'm guessing by his scattered and fiery writing style that he would be opposed to the free market, welfare or no welfare.

An informed discussion of free trade.......2001-06-14

Economics is one of those subjects on which everyone has an opinion but few have much knowledge. Free trade, in particular, suffers from this opinion/knowledge gap. Reviewer Enright provides a good demonstration of this affliction. Had he taken the time to read the entire book, rather than just skimming the last few pages looking for some commentary on the politicization of free trade, Enright might have learned something about the benefits of free trade.

Irwin's text provides an excellent overview of how economic thinking has over the years come to accept and promote free trade. Unfortunately, today's free trade debate is typically not framed by such informed discussion, but rather is shaped by the protectionist rantings of critics like Enright.

free trade is a myth.......2000-04-04

Free trade is great when you're rich and powerful enough to ram it down the throat of other nations. The multinationals, who benefit from massive subsidies (aeronautics, computers, metallurgy, you name it) are more than happy to have members of the bought priesthood of academia distill fantasies about the joys of the alleged "free market." Not a word in this book about the public subsidies that become private profits, with a huge military and growing prison-industrial-complex for the millions of people who are superfluous to the plans being made (undemocratically, of course) in Geneva and Bonn. Corporate tyranny and its servants are destroying the environment, labor protections, the public sphere, and cultural diversity. Goebbels would be impressed.

Clearly explains value of foreign trade on world economies........1998-10-10

Occasionally, we are contacted by business people who are not as yet convinced of the importance of international trade on foreign economies and the future of their company. They still think of exporting as an option that they can put aside until "things slow down a bit" and they have more time. We suggest to them that they read this publication from start to finish. It gives them an exciting new outlook on exporting. In fact, several of them start investigating foreign markets almost immediately after finishing the book. Although "academic" at times, it is very well written. We recommend it for serious exporters and especially for those who are still pondering the need for their company to introduce their products and services into world markets.

I chose this book as a required reading for my seminar........1998-09-11

I like this book because it is very interesting and informative. I began reading it for pleasure, but by the time I was half way finished, I was sure of its serious nature and had decided to adopt it as a required reading in the seminar that I teach on the economic impact of globalization. The author succeeds in presenting the right mix of theory and history with sufficient analysis. It is well researched and very well organized. It should prove as interesting to the general reader as it is informative for the academics. However, its treatment of classical economists is far superior to the section dealing with contemporary writeres on free trade. Hopefully, in the second edition the author will remedy this shortcomeing.

Romanticism Against the Tide of Modernity (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

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Romanticism Against the Tide of Modernity (Post-Contemporary Interventions)
Michael Löwy , Michael Löwy , and Robert Sayre
Manufacturer: Duke University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0822327945

Book Description

Romanticism is a worldview that finds expression over a whole range of cultural fieldsânot only in literature and art but in philosophy, theology, political theory, and social movements. In Romanticism Against the Tide of Modernity Michael LÃ¶wy and Robert Sayre formulate a theory that defines romanticism as a cultural protest against modern bourgeois industrial civilization and work to reveal the unity that underlies the extraordinary diversity of romanticism from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century.
After critiquing previous conceptions of romanticism and discussing its first European manifestations, LÃ¶wy and Sayre propose a typology of the sociopolitical positions held by romantic writers-from ârestitutionistâ to various revolutionary/utopian forms. In subsequent chapters, they give extended treatment to writers as diverse as Coleridge and Ruskin, Charles Peguy, Ernst Bloch and Christa Wolf. Among other topics, they discuss the complex relationship between Marxism and romanticism before closing with a reflection on more contemporary manifestations of romanticism (for example, surrealism, the events of May 1968, and the ecological movement) as well as its future.
Students and scholars of literature, humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies will be interested in this elegant and thoroughly original book.

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The scumbag is my uncle...
Ut Veniant Omnes
Highly recommended
Great Book!

Against the Tide
Debbie Hagan
Manufacturer: The Doukathsan Press
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ASIN: 0761828389

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Against the Tide is a carefully constructed reporting of the Massachusetts School of Law's struggle to become a fully accredited legal educational institution for minority students and/or those with limited financial resources. It is a detailed account of several legal educators' struggle to diversify legal education against corrupt personalities and politically influential establishment forces.

Customer Reviews:

The scumbag is my uncle..........2006-06-27

I was apalled to find that my uncle, Michael Boland, was nothing but a con man and a thief. And from what I know about his perosonal life, a child molester too.

Great book, but embarrassing...................

Ut Veniant Omnes.......2005-10-22

I got Debbie Hagan's book not long after I read the first three volumes of Dean Lawrence Velvel's account of his own experience with the legal profession in the United States over the past half-century. I knew that Velvel's stories were true to life - the names changed to protect the guilty, so to speak. However, in Hagan's book, one sees in true-life form the same institution that is formed by Velvel, and the kinds of difficulties that arose because of this.

There is a near-monopoly in the United States on legal education and accreditation by the American Bar Association. Most recently, the ABA was in the news as it traditionally gives a rating, a blessing or imprimatur if you will, to Supreme Court nominees. At first, the current Bush administration said that they didn't care about the ABA rating; when it became a favourable rating, however, it then mattered to them (we shall have to see what becomes of the next nominee and whether or not that person gets a favourable rating). The ABA is a powerful fraternity, one that includes as its members not only the attorneys who argue the cases, but also the judges who try them, the Departments of Justice that administrate legal issues, and, for the most part, the schools and training programmes that produced the people who fill these positions.

The story that Hagan recounts in 'Against the Tide' is the story of Dean Velvel and others who had a vision of a law school specifically devoted to pluralism and accessibility, one that focused more closely upon useful law and legal issues, and one that more adequately reflected the diversity present in the American population. Velvel and the Massachusetts School of Law was not the first place to attempt this - in the introduction, Hagan discusses other similar attempts (Antioch in Washington DC, Laclede in St. Louis) that failed, in large part because of lack of ABA recognition.

Hagan has a style not dissimiliar to Velvel's own style, and for those who like a true-life story, this is a book for them. It captures the true spirit of the fight that MSL has had to endure to gain credibility and what recognition it has, while maintain itself in the spirit of the sign that Dean Velvel keeps posted in his office - Ut Veniant Omnes, Let them all come.

Highly recommended.......2004-12-05

Against the Tide is the true story of a law school that dared to buck the American Bar Association's requirements for admitting candidates. In an era when only those who score high enough on LSATs and have the money to attend the most costly colleges can even attempt the bar exam, the dream of becoming a lawyer is open largely to those with money and privilege. The Massachusetts School of Law was not the first law school that attempted to be affordable, accessible to students of all socio-economic groups, and relying on its own admissions standards rather than ABA-dictated criteria, but it put up a fiercer fight than its predecessors. The MSL took the ABA to court more than once after they withdrew their accreditation, accusing the ABA of antitrust violations and anti-competitive tactics, arguing that the MSL attempted to fulfill as many ABA requirements as it could, but the demanding costs of fulfilling them all would have resulted in a tuition spike that would price their courses out of the reach of the very community they were trying to serve. Against the Tide is a courageous David and Goliath story, and even though The Massachusetts School of Law did not gain accreditation from the ABA, it was victorious in other ways - for one, it earns accreditation from the reknowned New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Highly recommended.

Great Book!.......2004-10-19

Got so wrapped-up in the story of the book I finished it in one weekend. This should be a movie (w/ Richard Dreyfuss as Vevel. Heck; I've got the whole cast in my head...).

The Message of Jeremiah: Against Wind and Tide (Bible Speaks Today)

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The Message of Jeremiah: Against Wind and Tide (Bible Speaks Today)
Derek Kidner
Manufacturer: InterVarsity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0830812253

Book Description

The prophet Jeremiah and King Josiah were born at the end of the longest, darkest reign in Judah's history. Human sacrifice and practice of the black arts were just two features of the wickedness that filled Jerusalem from one end to the other with innocent blood. As outspoken prophet and reforming king, these two men gave their country its finest opportunity of renewal and its last hope of surviving as the kingdom of David.The book of Jeremiah is full of turmoil and national tragedy, the story of key people like Baruch, Gedaliah and Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, and the drama of rediscovering the forgotten book of Mosaic law. National events interweave with the lives of individuals; the rediscovered book of God's law transforms Josiah, Jeremiah and the future of the world. Derek Kidner, with careful attention to the text, reveals its startling relevance to our own troubled time.

The Story of Watchman Nee: Against the Tide

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Disappointing
One of the best books I have ever read.

The Story of Watchman Nee: Against the Tide
Angus Kinnear
Manufacturer: Christian Literature Crusade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875087051

Customer Reviews:

Disappointing.......2002-04-17

Against the Tide came highly recommended to me, but I was unfortunately disappointed by it. There are two kinds of biographies, those that take you alongside a person and those who take you inside a person. This is of the former. This is one of those biographies where you learn all about what Watchman did and the events that were going on around him, but you don't see very much of what was really happening in his life and heart. There were hints of what made him tick, but only hints. In the end, I walked away feeling as if I knew what Nee did, but now who he was or why he did those things. This would make an excellent companion to other biographies of Nee's life or a solid foundation for research on Nee in general, but it fails to be inspiring or motivating.

One of the best books I have ever read........1999-04-05

Outstanding accounting of the life of Watchman Nee for students of his writings. His dedication and faith to the end were encouraging, yet brought tears to my eyes.

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