Book Description
After years without a terrorist attack on American soil, one group has picked the 4th of July weekend to pull out all the stops. In a perfectly executed attack, all of the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of Manhattan are destroyed just as thousands of commuters begin their holiday exodus. With domestic efforts focused on search and rescue, a deadly team of highly trained foreign soldiers methodically makes its way through the city with the singular objective of locating one of their own -- a man so powerful that America will do anything to keep him hidden.
Scot Harvath is now the country's only hope. Fighting his way through the burning streets of Manhattan, he must mount his own operation to locate a man the United States government refuses to admit even exists.
Customer Reviews:
Take Down.......2007-10-10
Action packed. Well worth reading. Parts of book parallel actions of today's world governments. Frightening at points.
TAKEDOWN.......2007-09-28
Brad Thor is a must read. Fall in love with his characters. Scott Harvath is the perfect hero. Very scary that so many things that happen in Thor's books can and maybe do happen in today's world. Full of intrigue and adventure.
Takedown.......2007-09-26
I like all of Brad books, he is the one that got me started reading again.
A-.......2007-09-17
"Takedown" by Brad Thor, is a very fast paced thriller dealing with Islamic Terrorism and the US's half hearted "War" to defend itself and western civilization from destruction. It deals with RENDITION (using other nations to do the dirty work of interrogation, to keep the US hands clean), and the absurd policies that hinder the west from defending itself.
There is a action pact attack on the United States, things go very wrong, and the US Government is slow to react, and traitors within threaten the integrity of a super secret intelligence program. The hero Scot Harvath, a counterterrorism operative for the Department of Homeland Security, finds himself in the middle of the attack and leads a group of VA patients into battle to stop the terrorist.
OK, the attack on the US city is very exciting, but not very realistic, not in operation, or in the US response to the attack (No US methods and practices given away to the real terrorist possibly reading this novel).
Thor gets the terrorism thing, and understands modern fascist Islamic radicalism!
A modern Charles McCarry?.......2007-09-17
If you liked Charles McCarry's novels about espionage in the Cold War, you should like Brad Thor's about the current war. In contemporary novels versimilitude is crucial. Unlike many pretenders, Thor structures the plot around the interplay of the characters, and avoids pasting personality into an organizational flow chart. Characters are not required to interact only with their superiors, deputies, and liasions, but are given contacts much the way people are. The reader is not given a tour of the training and doctrine of any agency, but given a chance to watch personalities interact based on their "off hours" connexions. Personal relationships are what makes agencies work, and Thor's story in Takedown is all about that.
Book Description
This fourth No Holds Barred Fighting training manual contains all fighters need to know about the art of takedowns, or "shooting," and how to counter takedown tactics used by an opponent. Readers learn to see it from both sides with offensive and defensive stances, footwork, setups, and shooting techniques. Several variations of the most commonly employed shots are featured—double leg takedowns, single leg takedowns, snatch singles, and low singles—as well as counters for each. Hundreds of sequential photos illustrate the steps, grips, and angles of every move, and takedowns are included for use inside the inevitable clinch. Sections on drills and chains, as well as a list of resources for further practice, round out the text.
Customer Reviews:
Worth a look.......2006-06-10
Good writing style, good wit, good demonstration and explanation of technique. You can tell there is a ton of research and experience behind every book. The author has consistently given a solid quality product. Good for him!
Good basic book for boxers but weak for grapplers .......2006-03-23
I like Hatmaker and enjoy his easy writing style and ability to simplify fighting concepts. This book is a nice catalog of takedowns for someone who is used to stand up fights and wants to learn how to take his opponent to the mat. Boxer, kick boxers and karate grounded guys can see a wide range of techniques.
Wrestlers and soft martial arts guys, judo and jujitsu, may pick up a technique here and there, but most of the book really misses this group. The philosophy for a lot of the set ups for the takedown techniques seemed based on a sparring or jabbing model. The opponent's balance is disturbed by a sudden jab like push, pull or grab of some kind which is then abandoned so you can follow up with usually a double leg takedown -- though many other takedowns are considered later in the book. The problem I have with this model is that it won't work with "sticky" opponents.
Unlike boxers who spar, soft martial arts guys often welcome an opponent's push, pull or grab as an opportunity. They hold on to attacking hand/limb while they they yield to momentum of the attacker and then redirect his attack to their advantage. It feels like your hand hit glue on a swinging door. These set ups calling for a jabbing attack can end up being used to off balance the attacker. Of course, if you limit yourself to inexperienced opponents or boxer type opponents, this shouldn't be a problem.
This book would benefit from something like a strategy section. While the subject is briefly addressed in choosing a stance, vertical versus bent over and wide base versus normal base, it is not discussed in how to deal with varied opponents. The author states such a book is in the planning, and I look forward to reading it. But with this book, clearly one shoe does not fit all feet. Most soft martial arts guys are going to be more vertical than lean in boxers and wrestlers. In the same vein, different takedowns will work for wide based stances than normal shoulder width apart stances -- square versus staggered foot stances. Tailoring the takedowns to different opponents seems just as important as selecting your own stance.
Two specific weaknesses: Nothing was said about learning how to fall safely. A few pages would have gone a long way to insure guys without any background in landing on their backs from a standing position not get hurt. Most guys do something stupid like reaching back while falling and risk injuring the joints of their arms or cracking their necks (chin to chest when going down.) Second, some of the less used takedowns shown in the book are clearly not neck friendly and inexperienced guys should be very careful with them if they are going directly from the book to their backyad with a hapless buddy.
Good book for non grapplers who want to see what takedowns look like. But expect that quite a bit of fine tuning will be necessary for the techniques to actually work.
More splendid work from Mark Hatmaker.......2006-02-28
Very good book.
In it are covered some basic and advanced wrestling and submission takedown techniques. A lot of photos which make all techniques easy to understand, there is not a lot of text but photos do the job, that reader will undersatand what is going on.
Like all Hatmakers books this is not be missed. It makes great collection on MMA books.
Why not all 5 stars: because I wanted to see more takedowns in it, specialy from Greco Roman side of wrestling. But that's just my wish and author make his call what he will cover n there.
Another excellent book in this series........2006-01-13
Hatmaker writes some of the best MMA books out there. His explanations for movement are very good and the photos are extensive. His blend of "old school" wrestling technique and objective viewpoints on modern training techniques are exceptional.
As a note toward one of the other reviews: he clearly states that clinch-based takedowns will be covered in the next volume.
An overall excellent book, consistent with the standard set throughout this series.
He's done it again!.......2005-12-26
In his fourth book in the "No Holds Barred" series, Mark Hatmaker as tackled (pun intended) the subject of takedowns. He designs this book to introduce novices to takedowns and takedown counters, and also to fine-tune some principles for more experienced players.
The introduction covers the need for a strong takedown strategy in the NHB game, the principle of being a "sharpshooter", why certain techniques were chosen for this book, and the role of the clinch in relation to the shots that are shown.
Chapter one is on the proper distance from which a fighter can shoot, and ways to gage that distance specific to the NHB game. This chapter, most importantly, covers when and when not to go for a takedown. Chapter two covers the bare basics of takedowns: the stance (including a modified one for NHB players). He includes the centerline principle, and why one will be more efficient for "thinking like a sprinter" before moving on to chapter three. Three is on shooting footwork, and Mark beggins with the five essential rules for a shooter, after which he includes some drills for improving footwork from the basic stance. He also discusses and demonstrates the penetration step commonly seen in modern wrestling, as well as discussing how it contrasts with the leg dive, and which one he prefers. Chapter four demonstrates the old-school leg dive, which focuses on upper-body movement; included are examples of it's use and a drill that you can use to train your body for it. The next chapter is on various grips and handles, and why some should be avoided. After that is a chapter on various set-ups, which are normally ignored by most authors. This chapter alone has added to my understanding of the takedown game. He even shows how to combine various set-ups.
Chapter seven starts us on our takedowns; we start with the double-leg. Being the bread-and-butter takedown for most people, Mark only devotes three pages to the takedown itself, but much to my (pleased) surprise, takes up 50 PAGES with double-leg counters! Many of the counters end in a submission, which is great for both sub wrestling and MMA. Next, he goes a similar route with the single-leg, showing some very basic but essential variations of it before compiling a long list of counters, including several subs. Chapters 9 and 9.1 (low singles and counters) is a total of ten pages long, but nice, since the takedown isn't seen much in US MMA as opposed to Japan. In the last four chapters, we finish with tie ups, as Mark covers arm-drag takedowns and counters, and collar-and-elbow takedowns and counters.
This is a great book for those interested in non-gi submission wrestling or takedowns for MMA. Throughout the text, Mark offers concise advice on his takedowns, the underlying principles behind them, and how it all relates to the all-in fight game. I can't recomend this book enough, and I look forward to his book on the clinch.
Book Description
One of China's top wrestling champions shows you how to take down any opponent.
Customer Reviews:
excellent author, mediocre layout.......2007-09-04
Having studied judo, I was really attracted to this art and bought the book to learn. I find a lot of excellent information, very good photography but not very good explanations/layout. An accompanying DVD would be very helpful, in order to master the solo exercises (judo has limited katas, Chuai Shiao has excellent solo work) and throws. Unfortunately there are not enough qualified teachers of this system, a real shame as it is an ancient art but very applicable to self defense and combat.
Highly enjoyable.......2007-05-31
I am a Western Martial Artist studying the art of Fiore. Our community is relatively young, and we cross train and look for good martial arts to observe and learn from. This is a fantastic book which made me think about my own art in a different way. I highly enjoyed the training with apparatus examples, and although the individual pictured is not some early 20s killer with 200 pounds of chiseled muscle and adrenaline, it looks like he has put in some serious time training, and knows his stuff.
Great examples of the techniques of San Shou..........2007-05-24
Curious about the vaunted talents of martial artist Cung Le, I picked up this book to study the style he brought into the mixed martial arts scene. The book provided much insight into his style, why it was so effective in (San Shou) competition, and how it could be used in mixed martial arts competition.
There's something to be said about dedicated practice of San Shou, especially with the record Cung Le has in San Shou.
It will be interesting to see how Cung Le continues to do with the foundation of San Shou in Mixed Martial Arts competition.
This book helped me.......2007-04-23
I gave this book 4 stars because it has helped me get my mind more into the area of take-downs. It has also helped me to be able to read those I'm sparing with... to be better able to anticipate and use for my benefit, what they are about to do. I didn't give the book a 5 because of the material that I will never be able to do (personal limitations), which others may be able to do... but I have no idea how many people that may be. If it's most people, then I should have given it a 5.
A thorough study on Chinese grappling.......2006-09-28
What a rare gem of a book! I have studied Jujutsu and Judo, and been a close-combat instructor in the U.S.M.C. I thought I'd seen everything, but this is truly unique. Theres always a new perspective. Its a compilation of some 75 techniques, generally throws and take-downs, in the unique and unconventional manner often found in Chinese martial-arts. This is real Wushu for close-combat! A common critisism that "chair-borne rangers" and "armchair commandos" make about various martial-arts books, is the usual nagging about a certain technique "not being practical against certain opponents". The fact is, any technique can be effective if you develop your skills, and use it in the right circumstance at the right time. A real martial-artist knows this. Its just common sense. You will find many effective techniques portrayed in this book, some techniques that conventional grapplers may not have considered.
Average customer rating:
- Takedown
- More about life than wrestling
- Takedown: A great book for young adults
- Outstanding book to introduce adolescents to Epilepsy
- A wonderful book about a high school wrestler with epilepsy.
|
Takedown
E. M. J. Benjamin
Manufacturer: John F. Blair Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Fiction
| Emotions & Feelings
| Social Situations
| People & Places
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Miscellaneous
| Sports
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| School & Sports
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Literature & Fiction
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Pinned
-
Make It Happen : The Inspiring Story of an NCAA Wrestling Champion
-
Wrestling Sturbridge
-
Reversal
-
A Brown Bag Life
ASIN: 1889199044 |
Book Description
A finalist for the "Foreword Magazine" Book of the Year Award and a nominee for the American Library Association's "Best Books for Young Adults," this is a teen novel about a high school senior, Jake, who thinks the big challenge of his year will be getting to the state wrestling championships...until he begins having seizures. The diagnosis of epilepsy throws everything he values into question as, during one grueling wrestling season, he learns to re-order his life.
Customer Reviews:
Takedown.......2005-01-03
Great book!!! would recomend it to any high school wrestler brings back lots of memerories.
More about life than wrestling.......2002-05-09
A book that is big within the amateur wrestling cycle, "Takedown" is a story about life lessons rather than wrestling. Read as Jake Chapman, hit with an unexpected dose of the unfairness of life, learns to survive and cope with fear while everthing that he values is slipping away. This book will hook you from page one. I read the whole thing in one night. I reccommend this novel to everyone, not just wrestling fans.
Takedown: A great book for young adults.......2002-04-25
This novel was a great educational tool! My high school special education class and I read this book together. My boys and girls equally liked the book. We would only read one chapter a day and they were truly disappointed when I wouldn't continue to the next chapter the same day. It opened up the door to alot of discussions on disabilities and perceptions. My students felt like the main character of the book knew how they were feeling most of the time. In teaching self advocacy, this novel helped my students reflect on their own disability after seeing how the main character dealt with his disability and how others perceived it. It was easy to read and understand for my students with all different disabilities. I highly recommend this novel to other teachers.
Outstanding book to introduce adolescents to Epilepsy.......1999-11-21
I am a teacher with Epilepsy and I discovered this book this year. I am presently reading it aloud to my eighth grade class and they love it! Both the boys and the girls can relate to Jake and how he wants to hide any differences that he may have from others. They are all more open to differences and have taken the perspective of the "differnt" person and tell me that they will really work to be more open-minded of all people and their differences. I feel that it is a great springboard for both my students and their families to learn more about Epilepsy and accept that I am a person with Epilepsy. Several of my students really like his brother, Chopper. A wonderful book and I plan to purchase Benjamin's other books to have available for my studetns.
A wonderful book about a high school wrestler with epilepsy........1999-10-19
This is a terrific, fast-paced book about Jake Chapman, who thinks the worst thing he's going to have to face his senior year in high school will be the struggle for the state wrestling championship. Then he begins having seizures and is diagnosed with epilepsy, and his life does a fast 180. He loses his scholarship, driving privileges, and girlfriend, and he's terrified the coach will kick him off the wrestling team if he finds out. He's also terrified he'll have a seizure IN FRONT of somebody. In the end, the discipline and adapability that have made him a top athlete also help him adjust to his new way of life. Once I picked this up, I couldn't stop reading. The wrestling is absolutely realistic; the epilepsy, too. Even Bruce Baumgartner -- the world's most famous international wrestler -- wrote a nice blurb for the back of the book. I loved it!
Product Description
Over time the impression has grown that the 2003 invasion of Iraq met with little resistance and that, with few exceptions, the Iraqi army simply melted away. As this book clearly shows, nothing could be further from the truth. In its drive to capture Baghdad, the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division was in nearly constant combat for twenty-one days. While Americans were watching Saddam's statue being torn down on TV, a brigade of the 3rd ID was on the verge of being overrun by Iraqi Republican Guard units trying to escape north. Told to hold two bridges in his sector, a brigade commander had to blow up one of them because he did not have the combat power to hold it. The company commander holding the other bridge was so hard pressed that he called on the artillery to fire their final protective fires a command made only when a unit is in mortal danger and one that had not been given since Vietnam. Every one of the division's armored vehicles was hit by rockets some taking more than a dozen hits and the fighting was so fierce at times that entire battalions ran out of ammunition. Nevertheless, when the fighting was finally over, the 3rd ID had destroyed two Iraqi Regular Army divisions and three divisions of the much vaunted Republican Guard.
Takedown tells the little-known story of what happened to the 3rd ID during its struggle to win Baghdad, a campaign that some call one of the most vicious in American military history. To offer this firsthand account, Jim Lacey, a former Time magazine reporter embedded with the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division, draws on extensive interviews that he conducted with the American soldiers involved as well as access to personal papers and war memoirs. This story is also enriched through his extensive use of interview transcripts of senior Iraqi army officers along with their personal written recollections. From the Kuwaiti border to the streets of Baghdad, these dramatic eyewitness descriptions of what went on give readers an accurate look at the brutal engagements in which the division fought for its life.
In making use of such a wealth of primary source material, Lacey has succeeded in writing a fast paced narrative of the conflict, backed up by verifiable facts, that shows how modern wars are really fought.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent tactical overview of OIF I.......2007-07-15
The only thing preventing me from giving Jim Lacey's Take Down a perfect 5-star rating is the frequency of small errors, typos and misidentifications of units and facts that eventually detract from what is a superb tactical account of the division's bold masterstroke to topple Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Although it sounds like a nitnoid criticsm of the book, and many of the errors aren't noticed unless you are an experienced army Soldier or were there, I wish more diligence had been paid by the author and editors in putting together the final product.
That said- this is the definitive tactical account at the division level of OIF I and the assault on Baghdad. There are several books that take the battalion and company view of the Marne Division's tremendous success in March and April, 2003 such as Jason Conroy's "Heavy Metal," and David Zucchino's "Thunder Run," and while both are outstanding, they provide a limited perspective of the company/battalion and battalion/brigade fight involving 1-64 AR and the 2nd "Spartan" Brigade under Col. David Perkins. Lacey's "Take Down" the first to focus on the 3rd ID and all three maneuver brigades (Raiders, Spartans, Sledgehammer) and their leaders and Soldiers as they made the march up from Kuwait.
The people of this book are a who's who of heroes and leaders. In addition to the commanding general and his brigade commanders, Lt. Col. Ernst "Rock" Marcone, who commanded 3-69 AR is a central character. Although I didn't know him personally, I arrived as a new lieutenant to the tank company in 3-37 AR he had left command of at Fort Riley several months before in the mid-90's. The Deathstalker tankers still spoke about him in reverent tones and told many stories of "ol' Captain Marcone," so I found myself fascinated with his personal accounting of the various battles his battalion fought in Iraq.
Then, there is Lt. Col. Jeffrey Sanderson- commander of 2-69 AR- Speed and Power! His men truly loved him, as I came to discover while serving with many of them as the 3rd brigade, 3rd ID deputy operations officer in OIF III in 2005. Guys like "Snake" and "Paul" and "Pancho" all talked about "Pappy Sanderson" like a father figure and how he always led from the front, and I deeply regretted that I had not the chance to serve under such a fine combat leader. You get that sense about him in this book, as some of the stories told to me by his subordinate officers came to life in important detail here.
You get all of the Marne Division's finest in this book, which is concise, to the point, and an extremely fast read. It also dispels the silly myth once and for all that capturing Baghdad was a simple task, and that the roads leading to that tremendous accomplishment were easy. Those men and women of the Marne Division fought and bled giving better than what they got one hundredfold. Individual stories of heroism such as Congressional Medal of Honor winner Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith, Staff Sgt. Dillard Johnson of 3-7 CAV, the Hibner twins and Sgt. 1st Class Hector Camacho among others are part of the narrative.
There will undoubtedly be more books and movies told of this amazing operation, but this is an excellent starting point, and for anyone wanting to know the tactical details of how one mechanized division toppled an entire regime, this is the best account of it.
Again- content-wise I give it a 5/5, but the mistakes and misidentifications were enough to take it down just a bit.
Fantastic .......2007-06-19
I read this book in a single sitting. At critical moments in the battle the author really makes you feel as if you are watching events right over the shoulders of the troops doing the fighting. At the same time I was impressed at the scope of the book and loved reading the Iraqi side of the fight.
Superb.......2007-02-28
An utterly fascinating account of the invasion of Iraq!!! I got an advanced copy of this book and finished it in a single day. I had already read a number of books about the invasion of Iraq and thought I had a clear understanding of what happened. I was wrong. Takedown was full of insights and told a story I had never heard before. What the 3rd Infantry Division accomplished was simply incredible and I am surprised that this has remained such an untold story for so long. If you have an interest in military history or current events, then this book is a must read.
GREAT BATTLE NARRATIVE.......2007-02-28
This is easily the most interesting account of the invasion of Iraq yet written and it covers not only the American perspective on the fighting, but also the Iraqi's viewpoint (based on interviews with Iraqi generals). Virtually every other history I have read has totally overlooks the contribution the 3rd Infantry Division made to the fight and until now they were in danger of being the forgotten piece of the war. This is a bit surprising since the 3rd ID did most of the fighting on the march up - far surpassing the amount of contact the Marines faced (though their performance was also spectacular).
No matter what you may think of the right or wrong of our involvement in Iraq or what has happened since the invasion, there is no doubt that the actual assault from Kuwait to Baghdad was brilliantly executed and deserves to be recorded as one of the greatest military operations in American history. Takedown tell this story in magnificent fashion and captures this often harrowing fight in incredible detail. I walked away from it with a new respect for the American soldier and our Army.... A great read that I recommend to all!
Amazon.com
On Christmas Day 1995, a daring cybercriminal used a new, dangerous, and clever method to gain access to the home computer of the world's greatest computer security expert. The hero, as a matter of honor, set out to find the devious mastermind who violated his privacy and discovered that it was none other than cyberspace's Public Enemy Number One.
That's the classic version at least. Given all of the hype surrounding the capture of Kevin Mitnick (much of it created and sustained by the authors of this book), one would at least expect the version provided by "The Man Who Did It" to be entertaining. But Tsutomu Shimomura's writing (apparently not assisted enough by John Markoff) is somewhat dull. The details of Shimomura's personal life are probed in depth while technical, legal, and ethical questions are brushed over without commentary, such as the supposed proof of Mitnick's involvement in the break-in or Markoff's involvement in the capture. There may be some material of interest to the enthusiast, and those who read Jonathan Littman's The Fugitive Game should at least check out Takedown to see what all of the fuss is about.
Customer Reviews:
Tsutomu Shimomura is a Moron who Just Wanted Attention.......2006-07-20
Shimomura teamed up to write the most trivial, and boring details in this book about himself, and when he wasn't doing that, he was making up things about Kevin Mitnick. He never met Kevin Mitnick, he never knew Kevin Mitnick, he never had anything to do with Kevin Mitnick other than helping track him down because he was starved for attention and wanted to look like some super computer hero. Almost nothing in this book actually happened, I say almost because the only stuff that did actually happen were the trivial mundane details about Shumomura himself. Don't waste your time reading this sensationalist, tabloidian, garbage.
tedious, self-indulgent subplots,.......2005-12-06
Tedious, self-indulgent subplots. I dont care about Julia. No one cares about Julia. No one cares about where you eat or where you rent a car. These subplots REALLY screw-up the read. But the computer stuff is interesting enough. But somebody, please, toss Julia overboard.
Great book, everybody here seems to be starstruck.......2005-04-12
I have The Fugitive and Takedown (this book) sitting in my room now. I borrowed both of them simultaneously. I had only heard of Mitnick before in anecdotes, and I thought it would be interesting to get both viewpoints.
I started reading the Fugitive, but found it to read like a cheap B novel. The story jumped around in some sort of "stylistic" way that made it a bit incomprehensible and not very entertaining. There was a lack of coherence that made you wonder where it wwas going. The author also seemed to think that mentioning a lot of sex and drugs was the only way to keep the reader's attention.
So about 80 pages through, I switched to Takedown, and finished it. I found it to be much better written and very engaging.
All the negative reviews here are due to the fact that a lot of online people worship Mitnick, for some reason. I find him an interesting character, and definitely a skilled con-man. But he's no hero, no invincible genius.
Shimomura can definitely be egotistical depending on your viewpoint, but it didn't bother me. It doesn't get in the way of the story, which was told beautifully and naturally.
The story is engaging enough without having to dress it up in sensationalism. I'll have to go finish the Fugitive now to see if it can redeem itself.
If you want to know Mitnick's story, ask Mitnick........2005-03-05
Fans of the Kevin Mitnick mythos will have a ball with this book dissecting everything that's wrong here. In the process of tracking Mitnick, Shimomura (and another important name, Markoff, whose relationship with Mitnick would be laughable if it didn't violate every concievable rule of morality) basically took free leave of both the law and personal decency. Mitnick became a "thing", and the two of them pushed that image of Mitnick to cover up the legal mess they would have been in if they'd been tracking some average Joe instead of Kevin Mitnick: The Man, The Myth, The Legend (again, an image which these two men essentially created).
It's amazing to see how egotistical Shimomura is willing to be on the issue, and as noted by others, he shows this off in spades in this book. Shimomura and Markoff boh essentially believe that they are the lone men responsible for the takedown and capture of Mitnick, and that not even the dozens (hundreds?) of security firms and companies who spent millions of their own money tracking Mitnick deserve any credit at all. And in a sense, they are mostly correct- we wouldn't be talking about Mitnick today if Markoff and Shimomura weren't working so desperately hard to make money off of this story.
If you're a fan of Mitnick, skip this book just because you don't want to give this man any royalties. If you're a fan of reading, skip this book because it's core is a mess of egotism. The only real reason to pick this up is if you have an insatiable urge to know every detail of this story that you can possibly get your hands on- in which case, it is another piece to the puzzle.
I reccomend that interested parties check out Mitnick's own books: "Deception..." and "Intrusion...", as well as the fan favorite Jonathan Littman's "Fugitive Game".
My God, What a load of...........2004-08-24
This book was painful to read. It is poorly written drivel. If you are truly interested in the topic, there are much better books written on Mitnick, Hacking/Phreaking, and/or computer security issues. With every paragraph that Shimomura writes about his love life (and there are plenty of them,) the book, (although calling it that is insulting to other books) continues on a long downward spiral into the absolute load of poop that it is. I feel sorry that paper was wasted to create this mess. I cannot believe I wasted several hours of my life reading this.
Book Description
Seldom has the netherworld of the mafia been revealed with such fascinating detail and sheer suspense. Like the classics of the genre-from The Godfather to The French Connection to Wise Guy-Takedown leads us to the inner ring of a conspiracy of corruption and terror that held the city in its grip for nearly fifty years.
Rick Cowan was a young NYPD detective in 1992 when he dropped by a Brooklyn waterfront warehouse to investigate a recent fire bombing-only one in a string of interviews he considered routine. But what he found there was far from routine, for it would take him on a five-year odyssey and nearly cost him his life. In fact, he had stumbled upon the lead of a lifetime-the suspicion that he might unearth the hard evidence police and federal agencies alike had been chasing for decades: the proof of collusion among the mob families to extort billions from the nation's most influential corporations that call New York their home.
Featuring eccentric, larger-than-life New York characters and an undercover cop on the brink of being discovered-and murdered-at every step, Takedown is a riveting real-life procedural and one of the most important investigative books of the season.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting but a tough read.......2007-08-18
I'm of two minds on this book. The history of the mob's control of the trash and paper recycling industries in and around NYC are fascinating. But a great deal of the book consists of verbatim transcripts from wires worn by Cowan in his interminable dealings with the mob, many of which are repetitive. Only for the real lovers of mob stories.
Unbelievable!.......2004-07-25
Over the course of the past few years, my love of reading books about the mafia went dormant. When I arrived upon a copy of "Takedown" in a used book store, my interest was revitalized. The story in "Takedown" is unbelievable not because it is untrue, but because it is unbelievable how many times Rick Cowan avoided certain death. Though it is unbelievable at times, it is a true story.
By chance, Rick Cowan was in the right palce at the right time. This young detective made the mafia believe he was a cousin in a garbage hauling family. Through this false pretense, he was able to infiltrate the Gambino Fanily to its highest level. Such a task was thought to be out of reach to the NYPD. The stories Cowan tells of his interactions with the mafia have a level of authenticity to them. You can almost hear the stereotypical accents being spoken as you read. I question whether some of the stories were exaggerated to make the book a more exciting read. Surely any man faced with some of these circumstances would crack or slip.
Cowan even discusses the strain three years uncover put on his family. This is an aspect of the investigation that receives little attention in similar books. I also enjoyed the epilogue in which Cowan discusses whether he felt remorse for "ratting out" the friends he made in three years.
Reading a book about the real life mafia is much more exciting than any movie or TV show available. While there certainly must be some fabrications present in the book, none were so glaring to take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any person with an interest organized crime.
Awesome!.......2004-03-02
Cowan's book is a riveting account of an undercover NYPD's officer infiltration of one of New York's most powerful Mafia families.
Much like a similiar work "Donnie Brasco", Cowan keeps the reader in perpetual suspense as the detective narrowly escapes detection from the Mob and exposure from his own colleagues.
He also provides a detailed and penetrating view of the Byzantine mechanics and day to day grind of the mob controlled "garbage business"
This book is one of the most successful at describing what life is actually like for low and mid level mafiasio.
Impossible to put down.......2003-10-30
Here is a book that has all of the dramatic tension of the Godfather or the Sopranos with the added distinction that it's all true. Detective Cowan bravely infiltrates the inner chambers of NYC's garbage cartel and the colorful yet dangerous characters that he deals with are right out of central casting. The story unfolds quickly as he is accepted into this circle. At one point when his cover is almost blown by a distant relative who is not in on the operation the tension is palpable as Cowan deftly avoids detection.
I found this story absolutely fascinating and the writing captures the conversations in a way that puts you right there at the table with these guys. Frankly this is a movie waiting to happen.
It amazes me that someone would make such a personal sacrifice and take the risk necessary to do this type of undercover work but at the same time Cowan's tale makes you understand to some degree how a detective can get caught up in such an assignment.
This is a fabulous read.
Simply one of the best mob books.......2003-10-25
It just goes to show that even though Rico took it's toll on the mob heirchy in the 80's certain rackets such as the garbage cartel have only been taken down in the last few years. Most of it happend by luck one day when a police officer happend to be on the scene when the cartel threatens Bendetto's. In steps the role of the undercover cop as one of the Bendetto's cousin's. A guy who isn't all against going into the cartel to save the business. He ends up meeting many powerful gangsters Including Allie Shades Malangone(Genovese) and Joey Francolino(Gambino). The undercover cop hassles with other trash hauling competitors and gains the trust of Francolino and some others. The case ended up resulting in the takedown of the cartel for the most part for all we know. It helped lower the cost of trash hauling in NYC, but still the other companies that came in afterward were no saints like BFI who got hit with the same practices the mob used but they just didn't whack anyone for all we know. Highly recomended reading.
Average customer rating:
- This book IS actually good!
- Good book, competetively priced too
- Canon worthy
- A NICE READ
- Surprisingly Very Good
|
Big Apple Takedown (WWE)
Rudy Josephs
Manufacturer: World Wrestling Entertainment
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Movie Tie-Ins
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Men's Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Men's Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Movie Tie-Ins
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Marine (WWE)
-
Hardcore Diaries
-
Are We There Yet?: Tales from the Never-Ending Travels of WWE Superstars (WWE)
-
Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
-
See No Evil (WWE)
ASIN: 1416510893 |
Book Description
December 2001: Vince McMahon steps out of a snowy night into a diner in upstate New York for a meeting with old friend Phil Thomson, now a highly placed government official. Thomson has a strange proposition: creating a new covert black-ops group using the Superstars of World Wrestling Entertainment. The WWE's talented men and women are perfect. Highly skilled athletes with the ideal cover, they travel all across the country and the globe; no one would find it unusual to find them in a town one day and gone the next. The government would train and support the wrestlers in every way possible except one: no one must know the truth.
March 2006: The Superstars have been handed their latest assignment -- take down a commercial-grade methyl-amphetamine plant that is bankrolling terrorist activities in Europe. Their mission seems simple and straightforward, until a member of their team is taken prisoner. Now all that they've worked so hard for is in jeopardy, and one of their own might be killed...
Customer Reviews:
This book IS actually good!.......2007-04-12
Its not only readable but funny at the thought the wrestlers become crime fighting geniuses! Mr McMahons amazing touch is all over this!!! a definite buy for fans and critics alike!
Good book, competetively priced too.......2006-08-05
I too was surprised at how good this book is. The story is actually well crafted and it moves along pretty quickly. I look forward to future installments!
Canon worthy.......2006-07-10
In my life as an English Professor, I have had the joy of reading any of a lare selection of classic books, brilliant treatises on the human condition, and some of the most brilliantly revolutionary prose that hallmarked the great movements in human history. I feel, though, that my faith in literature has been increased to a level I truly did not feel possible after reading this book.
It is truly rare when a book changes your life in a fundamental way. For some, the Bible was their path to a new and better life. Others feel that Paine's Common Sense is a truly great piece of political propaganda that tries to raise humanity to a higher level. Others, on the other hand, are partial to Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto.
I say "A pox on ALL of these houses".
Like a very special episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger", WWE's "Big Apple Takedown" manages to simultaneously make one weep at the emotionally taut imagery, laugh at the rapier-sharp wit, and contemplate the deep, inner discussions of the soul that are the hallmark of sweaty guys with questionable drug habits.
And, honestly, the book is a little infuriating. Why IS the government wasting its money paying for a military with many nuclear missiles when ALL that is needed to save the world from evil and chaos are the occasional errant chair shot, a knee to the groinal region, followed by an overly elaborate finishing sequence?
The decision to use WWE superstars --- "wrestlers" does not remotely do legends like HHH justice, let's be frank --- to sniff out a drug cartel is the kind of inspired genius that makes lesser authors like Poe weep in their beer. You didn't see George Orwell use imagery as subtle as a glistening body of pure, pent-up, moderately eroticized squashing drug kingpins in 1984, did you?
I tell you, next to this book, Madame Bovary has as much plot as a 3rd grader's book of Mad Libs.
I, personally, enjoyed the discrete reference to another classic of American literature --- "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", with a plot that, bluntly, ripped off this book's plot in the most diabolical and sinical of manners.
Kudos to you, WWE. You have clearly demonstrated that the dramatic masterpiece that is the average episode of RAW is not an accident. This is the book that makes one appreciate the subtlety of a good fart joke or an unexpected "puppies" reference. I can only hope they keep Mr. Josephs on the payroll to produce storyline that can even approach this level of inspiration.
A NICE READ.......2006-07-08
I HAVENT FINISHED READING THIS BOOK YET BUT I AM CLOSE TO FINISHING IT. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT 6 WWE WRESTLERS(BATISTA,CHAVO GURREO,TORRE WILLSON,JOHN CENA,HHH,AND THE OWNER OF THE WWE VINCE MCMHAON) JOIN A SECRET AGENCY CALLED THE NSA. THERE MISSION IS TO TAKE DOWN A BIG DRUG RING AND THEY ALL GO UNDER COVER TO GET ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ARREST THE PEOPLE IN THE DRUG RING AND THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE DRUG RING. THE BOOK IS GREAT AND IT HAS LOADS OF SUPENSE. AND I HEARD THE ENDING WILL SUPRISE YOU. IF YOUR A WWE FAN(LIKE ME) BUY IT. OR IF YOU ARE NOT A WWE FAN YOU SHOUD STILL BUY BECAUSE YOU WILL LOVE IT.
Surprisingly Very Good.......2006-06-29
I bought this book the other day with absolutely no expectations. I actually bought it hoping to find humor in how bad it would be. I wound up reading it cover to cover in 24 hours because that's how hooked I was. The book is absolutely full of suspense and I honestly would love to see a movie. Maybe if WWE had gone this route instead of the ill-fated "See No Evil" movie, they wouldn't be the laughing stock of the film industry. This book was surprisingly very gripping and for the price, I totally have to recommend it. If you are one of the many people who would have to be skeptical of the the WWE's forray into fictional novels, then check this out and be proven wrong. I must admit that I couldn't believe it, but the book is an addictive thrill ride, very well written.
Book Description
Strong, wiry, and lightweight, Donald seems to have the perfect combination of physical attributes for wrestling. And after seeing a highschool wrestling match, he's excited to join Hudson City's middle-school team. The work-outs are grueling, and he loses his first few matches, but Donald's most difficult obstacle is his temper. Can he channel it to work for him instead of against him?
Book Description
The odds are, if you're attacked on the street you will have to defend yourself against a bigger, stronger assailant. When this happens, strength alone will not be enough to stop your attacker. The Science of Takedowns, Throws and Grappling for Self-defense addresses the concepts and, more importantly, the mindset required to survive an encounter with a larger attacker.
Martina Sprague, author of the top selling book Fighting Science, does more than show you what type of throws, takedowns, locks and presses work on the street. Learn why some techniques are more likely to get you into to trouble than out of it, how to apply concepts like timing and positioning to make your techniques even more effective, how to defend against common attacks with a weapon and what you can do to use that weapon in your favor, which mistakes are the most common and how you can prevent them from weakening your defense, and much more. With over 300 photos, you won't find a more detailed, scientific look at takedowns, throws and grappling techniques specifically for self-defense.
Customer Reviews:
An Acquired Taste..........2007-04-05
I just finished reading this book last night and am left with mixed feelings. The book doesn't seem to have a focus for who the audience is. In one sense the book is extremely basic and therefore not suited for advanced practitioners. I have 21 years in Martial Arts as of 03/31 and have 5 Black Belts. Much of the time, I felt like I was reading material that I already knew. This in and of itself isn't a bad thing as I have a good knowledge base and can see how the information could be beneficial to those "not in the know". However if I were a basic level student the books descriptions are so spartan and general that I would have little idea what it was describing. The lack of enough photos to present a sequential flow also hurts here. Therefore neither the advanced or the beginner student can get the full value of this book. Also the book is heavy on repetition to the point of feeling stretched. It doesn't help that some of the contained subject matter is only shown to connect to grappling on a cursory level. I give this book 3 stars in that it isn't a bad book but at the same time it doesn't cater to a specific audience in any focused fashion.
great concepts.......2007-03-29
a great book that has concepts that i always use in my martial arts training. if you are involved in self defence/ grappling this book is a must have
Didn't care for it.......2007-02-15
Personally I didn't care for this book. There was a couple things in the book that were informative but the book a as whole I didn't think was worth it. It's just my opinion, but I don't think it would help a grappler or mma student with his/her game; there are better books for that. Perhaps it would be helpful for someone just looking for some knowledge of general self defense.
Maybe her other books are excellent, I don't know, but this book seemed like kind of a let down compared to it's name and summary of what it is about.
Excellent text for a beginner, intermediate or advanced student.......2006-03-25
One of the difficult problems confronting authors writing books on martial arts is how to handle the wide range of audiences. This books ignores that problem by focusing on the concepts themselves. So the sharp beginning student has all the grounding in what is going on just as well as advanced students who may already know from experience that different techniques worked but really had no understanding why or how. The slower students will be challenged by the amount of material covered and the depth it is dealt with -- but they can re-read the concepts until they understand them and work at their own pace. I am pleased the author takes time to give tips on how to fall and safety in general -- something that is sometimes missed in books that just want to get to heart of the subject without realizing some guys don't have a clue about how they can hurt themselves. In addition to the thorough treatment of takedowns, throws and grappling, again with all the background concepts and simple physics necessary to understand what is actually going on, the author has a unique perspective -- smaller guy dealing with a larger opponent. From my experience, this is unusual and extremely helpful. Many books take a one shoe fits all feet approach. Since that one size approach usually works out that the hypothetical average guy is around six feet tall and 180 pounds, both smaller guys and inexperienced guys are at a disadvantage.
Some of us smaller dogs don't want to stay on the porch since we can't run with the big dogs. Nice to know we don't have to. Also in a perfect world, all work out partners are your size, but in reality that is rarely the case and more often than not they are heavier than you. Plowing ahead into a guy who outweighs you by 20 or 30 pounds is a sure way to grind yourself down and invite injury. But recognizing that you do not have to muscle the other guy or use a technique in just one way in order to take down a bigger guy is a very helpful and powerful concept. Even big heavies can be more effective using the solid techniques explained in the book, which arebased on simple physics, rather than their size. Consequently, this underlying sensitivity to the reality of a fighting situation makes this book particularly useful.
I don't consider myself a sexist, but I seriously wondered if a female author on martial arts would deal with points I considered important. Since fighting seems such a guy thing, I think many guys might share this question. I am glad I took the risk to see for myself. This is without doubt one of the best books around. It is serious and very useful study of the fundamentals of fighting presented from rock solid foundations. So many books simply show techniques and assume you will somehow make them work when that is the last thing on your opponent's mind. This author explains the dots you need to connect in order to make a effective "book" technique work -- just learning techniques are not enough to make them work. The book is always thorough and grounded in reality that comes from obvious experience. The focus isn't simply to give you an arsenal of techniques, though it does, but rather to make sure you understand what basic concepts need to be respected in a particulas aspect of fighting. Working through the basic concepts may be less dramatic than following the pictures to learn particular techniques, but it is a surer recipe to success.
huge deception.......2006-03-21
not a good book for my team. None of us has found useful this book. Not many photos or techniques. Maybe with such title we expected to get a book similar to Mark Hatmaker's NHB series or Kid Peligro's Gracie series.
The deception comes from the 5-star reviews.
It makes us (me and my team) realize that other enthusiastic reviewers, those who have first awarded this book 5 stars that are also writers of other books available at Amazon, are not interested in the same aspects my team is, so in the search of useful material for our training sessions we've realized we don't need to buy their books.
Books:
- The 6th Target
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- The Bone Collector (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
- The Book of Five Rings
- The Charm School
- The City of Falling Angels
- The Collectors
- The Collectors
- The Eat-Clean Diet: Fast Fat-Loss that lasts Forever!
- The Fat Resistance Diet: Unlock the Secret of the Hormone Leptin to: Eliminate Cravings, Supercharge Your Metabolism, Fight Inflammation, Lose Weight & Reprogram Your Body to Stay Thin-
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Cisco ASA: All-in-One Firewall, IPS, and VPN Adaptive Security Appliance
- Thriving After Breast Cancer: Essential Healing Exercises for Body and Mind
- Steve Irwin: The Incredible Life of the Crocodile Hunter
- Spawn Manga Volume 2
- The Art of Project Management
- The Sight
- The Bastard of Istanbul
- AMCQ: Annotated Multiple Choice Questions
- The China-Hong Kong Connection: The Key to China's Open Door Policy
- In an Antique Land: History in the Guise of a Traveler's Tale
Blowback: A Thriller
State of the Union: A Thriller
Path of the Assassin: A Thriller
The First Commandment: A Thriller
Act of Treason (Mitch Rapp Novels)
