Book Description
As a child, Elias Chacour lived in a small Palestinian village in Galilee. The townspeople were proud of their ancient Christian heritage and lived at peace with their Jewish neighbors. But early in 1947, their idyllic lifestyle was swept away as tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and nearly one million forced into refugee camps. An exile in his native land, Elias began a years-long struggle with his love for the Jewish people and the world's misunderstanding of his own people, the Palestinians. How was he to respond? He found his answer in the simple, haunting words of the Man of Galilee: ''Blessed are the peacemakers.'' In Blood Brothers, Chacour blends his riveting life story with historical research to reveal a little-known side of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the birth of modern Israel. He touches on controversial questions such as ''What behind-the-scenes politics touched off the turmoil in the Middle East?'', ''What does Bible prophecy really have to say?'', and ''Can bitter enemies ever be reconciled?''' Originally published by Chosen Books in 1984 and now expanded with a new introduction by the author, a new foreword by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, and a ''Since Then'' epilogue by writer David Hazard, this compelling book offers readers hope-filled insight into living at peace in the most volatile region of the world.
Customer Reviews:
AWESOME READING.......2007-09-10
This book as assigned to my son for reading for an online class. I picked it up and starting reading it to help him and got glued to its pages. Easy and quick reading.
Loved it.......2007-08-17
This is an incredible, heart-touching book that helps one understand the Israeli and Palestinian conflict much better than just what you see on the news. Incredible morals are woven through the book too.
Outstanding.......2007-05-16
This book is moving, powerful, and inspirational. It is extremely well written, engaging, and thought provoking. It had me in tears more than once. I feel privileged to have read it. Elias Chacour has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and it would be gratifying to see him win it. Whether he ever reaps such earthly recognition, however, he has indeed proven himself blessed by his Lord as a worthy servant and peacemaker.
Blood Brothers.......2007-01-19
If you want to know the real, honest, truth at what happened in Palestine between Jews and Palestinians this is a must read.
Moving and Powerful.......2007-01-08
Chacour transports the reader into his experience as a Palestinian child growing up amidst the turmoil of Zionist takeover in Israel. The experience of his family's diaspora and his personal journey from an exile living far from his destroyed home to his education in Europe to his return home to help sow the seeds of peace according to the Christian tradition prescribed in the Beatitudes.
This book shows a side to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that is far too often untold or dismissed. It is the side of the exiled, those forced off their land to create the modern nation of Israel. In no way is this book a polemical jab against the Jewish nation, rather it is the true story of a Christian Palestinian working within Israel to create a peaceful land where all are truly welcomed and are safe.
This is a must read for all. It will open your eyes.
Book Description
From pirates singing Ricky Martin to mob hits carried out with samurai swords, Bertil Lintner offers a fascinating look at organized crime in the Asian Pacific. Both Western and Asian pundits assert that shady deals are an Asian way of life. Some argue that corruption and illicit business ventures-gambling, prostitution, drug trafficking, gun running, and oil smuggling-are entrenched parts of the Asian value system. Yet many Asian leaders maintain that their cities are safer than Sydney, Amsterdam, New York, or Los Angeles. Mak-ing use of expertise gained from twenty years of living in Asia, Lintner exposes the role crime plays in the countries of the Far East. In Blood Brothers, he takes readers inside the criminal fraternities of Asia, examining these networks and their histories to answer one question: How are civil societies all over the world to be protected from the worst excesses of increasingly globalized mobsters?
Customer Reviews:
Big Ears Du, Pockmarked Huang & Brokentooth Kwoi.......2005-07-01
Bertil Lintner belongs to a long, fruitful tradition of Anglo-American journalism on Asia. Here he collects a huge amount of historical and current data on large-scale organized crime in East and Southeast Asia; drugs, prostitution, gambling, labor rackets, extortion, "protection," kidnapping, piracy and smuggling are all covered. He defines this difficult, even dangerous subject broadly, including Russia and activities of Asian gangsters in Australia and the USA, with plentiful background on the region to provide context. Lintner discusses infamous secret societies and gangs such as the South China Triads, Japan's yakuza and the Qing Bang (Green Gang) of old Shanghai; their ties to law enforcement and governments; and roles in variously thwarting or promoting political change. It is a pleasure to read an exciting work on an exciting topic, but there are some flaws. Lintner uses interviews and published sources well, but seems to have done little archival research. Some fine, better-documented works cover aspects of the topic: on Java, R. Cribb, "Gangsters & Revolutionaries;" B. Martin, "The Shanghai Green Gang;" and Pan Ling, "Old Shanghai," by a native of the city. Maps would greatly aid in understanding a vast geographical area, and illustrations are sorely missed (wouldn't you like to see how Huang, Du and Kwoi got their names?) Finally, Lintner's grim, brutal tales may induce creeping paranoia and depression among readers. "Blood Brothers" is hardly uplifting but still very worthwhile.
Tremendous.......2003-11-22
This book is simply tremendous. It provides a rare glimpse of a magnificent lost world, one I never imagined existed. It lifts the slimy rock of civilization and shows you the teeming throngs underneath. Enter 1930's Shanghai, a city with three governments, French, British and Chinese, each with their own laws, so that someone could rob a man in one part of the city, flee down the street and escape prosecution. It was a place where the chief of police was also China's most notorious gangster. Enter a world of secret societies, pimps, hustlers, hookers in high collared silk gowns split up to their thighs, gangsters who traced their origins to the Shoalin temples, gamblers, ravenous opium smokers, pirates and every other form of low life. Relive a time where a government fought two wars to force another country to do drugs, rather than ban them. All in all a fabulously researched, well written book that paints a vivid picture of bawdy times you didn't read about in history class. Maybe if they had taught this in history, it would have been a heck of a lot more fun.
Great Survey of Roots of Asian Crime & Its Political Ties.......2003-07-07
Lintner does a good job of providing the reader with a basic understanding of the roots behind many of the predominant crime syndicates found in Asia today. The chapters are basically separated by country, although there are cross-references throughout the book. "Blood Brothers" does not cover all of the countries in Asia, and the biggest emphasis is on the Chinese "Triads" and their derivative influences across the globe. Although the text gets kind of slow sometimes with the abundance of naming and terminology used, this book should be a great resource for anyone interested in studying crime in Asia. Overall, the book is a very valuable and well-written study of the Asian underworld and its implications for global governing and U.S. foreign policy.
Book Description
In the small village of Hawkins Hollow, three best friends who share the same birthday sneak off into the woods for a sleepover the evening before turning 10. But a night of pre-pubescent celebration turns into a night of horror as their blood brother oath unleashes a three-hundred year curse.
Twenty-one years later, Cal Hawkins and his friends have seen their town plagued by a week of unexplainable evil events two more times - every seven years. With the clock winding down on the third set of seven years, someone else has taken an interest in the town's folklore. Quinn is a well known scholar of local legends, and despite Cal's protests, insists on delving in the mystery. But when the first signs of evil appear months early, it's not only the town Cal tries to protect, but also his heart.
Book Description
What happens if, after being given up for adoption in childhood, you reestablish contact with your biological family -- only to discover that your newfound brother is a killer?
Anne Bird, the sister of Scott Peterson, knows firsthand.
Soon after her birth in 1965, Anne was given up for adoption by her mother, Jackie Latham. Welcomed into the well-adjusted Grady family, she lived a happy life. Then, in the late 1990s, she came back into contact with her mother, now Jackie Peterson, and her family -- including Jackie's son Scott Peterson and his wife, Laci. Anne was welcomed into the family, and over the next several years she grew close to Scott and especially Laci. Together they shared holidays, family reunions, and even a trip to Disneyland. Anne and Laci became pregnant at roughly the same time, and the two became confidantes.
Then, on Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson went missing -- and the happy façade of the Peterson family slowly began to crumble. Anne rushed to the family's aid, helping in the search for Laci, even allowing Scott to stay in her home while police tried to find his wife. Yet Scott's behavior grew increasingly bizarre during the search, and Anne grew suspicious that her brother knew more than he was telling. Finally she began keeping a list of his disturbing behavior. And by the time Laci's body -- and that of her unborn son, Conner -- were found, Anne was becoming convinced: Her brother Scott Peterson had murdered his wife and unborn child in cold blood.
Filled with news-making revelations and intimate glimpses of Scott and Laci, the Peterson family, and the investigation that followed the murder, Blood Brother is a provocative account of how long-dormant family ties dragged one woman into one of the most notorious crimes of our time.
Download Description
"
What happens if, after being given up for adoption in childhood, you reestablish contact with your biological family -- only to discover that your newfound brother is a killer?
Anne Bird, the sister of Scott Peterson, knows firsthand.
Soon after her birth in 1965, Anne was given up for adoption by her mother, Jackie Latham. Welcomed into the well-adjusted Grady family, she lived a happy life. Then, in the late 1990s, she came back into contact with her mother, now Jackie Peterson, and her family -- including Jackie's son Scott Peterson and his wife, Laci. Anne was welcomed into the family, and over the next several years she grew close to Scott and especially Laci. Together they shared holidays, family reunions, and even a trip to Disneyland. Anne and Laci became pregnant at roughly the same time, and the two became confidantes.
Then, on Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson went missing -- and the happy façade of the Peterson family slowly began to crumble. Anne rushed to the family's aid, helping in the search for Laci, even allowing Scott to stay in her home while police tried to find his wife. Yet Scott's behavior grew increasingly bizarre during the search, and Anne grew suspicious that her brother knew more than he was telling. Finally she began keeping a list of his disturbing behavior. And by the time Laci's body -- and that of her unborn son, Conner -- were found, Anne was becoming convinced: Her brother Scott Peterson had murdered his wife and unborn child in cold blood.
Filled with news-making revelations and intimate glimpses of Scott and Laci, the Peterson family, and the investigation that followed the murder,
Blood Brother is a provocative account of how long-dormant family ties dragged one woman into one of the most notorious crimes of our time.
"
Customer Reviews:
EXCELLENT BOOK.......2007-10-05
This book really explained everything from the author's growing up to the sentencing in prison for the rest of his lfe. I couldn't put it down since it was an exciting story and I wanted to know what happened - every step. I would recommend this book to anyone.
Did He Do It? - Review of Blood Brother.......2007-09-17
By the authors own admission she hardly knew her half-brother Scott Peterson since she had been given up for adoption as a baby. However, Scott did live with Ann (the author) during much of the time the entire country was searching for a very pregnant Lacy Peterson. I felt the authors pain at being overjoyed to have connected with her roots while at the same time struggling with her gut instinct knowing she will lose her family again. Ann Baird shows us inside the world of Scott Peterson as only a family member could see. I highly recommend the book to any true crime reader.
Summary of the book: He Acted Strange...that's all folks!.......2007-08-22
So she's related to him, big deal. I read the book like most people to get an insight to what happened and get a few more details. I find it sad that she was so quick to make a buck based on her "hunches". She's a mother of 2 young kids, why is most of the book about her drinking too much with Scott at her home? At one point she says she drives a few hours to spend time with her adoptive parents, only to leave her 2 kids there for the weekend so her and Scott can go drinking. What is the point of this?
So he acted bizarre (we could see that just watching him on TV). It's one thing to feel caught up in it, but I think you should have a little dignity and respect for yourself and not run around with many heresay stories. That's all this book is. I'm sure Jackie (her birth mom) is sorry she ever found her long lost daughter. Maybe this book is PAYBACK for Scott being a child that was chosen, not put up for adoption like herself.
To see her on Oprah and Good Morning America and Dateline, etc etc etc. just to discuss what she thought about him...give me a break. You didn't write this book to deal with it yourself - that's what journals are for - it's all about the $$. And to call Laci a close friend when she only saw her 4 times tops...How bad do you need to stick yourself in this story? Scott is paying for this crime already. But thanks for the extra kicks when I'm down, Sis.
Cashing in on an obsure Mommy Dearest.......2007-05-11
When a case like the Laci Peterson murder makes national news, people come out of the woodwork claiming their earth shattering revelations and connections. Anne Bird was one of those people who wrote her book for the purpose of excersising her demons and connection to the Peterson family.
Anne Bird was one of two children that Scott's mother, Jackie Peterson, gave up for adoption. While Anne enjoyed a happy childhood with her adopted family, like many adopted children I have met in my lifetime, she always wondered what if about her birth family. She eventually reunites with Jackie in 1997 and builds a relationship with her.
Anne reveals a few details we otherwise hear about in other accounts, including the tales told by Sharon Roche. What Sharon only hinted at, Anne was able to offer more insight into. Jackie was a smothering, egocentric Mommy Dearest who loved and adored Scott as her golden child. I've met women like her before. A former friend of my Mom's always compaired her two children to me and my sister, and saw us as the model of success. Her two children could do no wrong, were never disciplined, and were taught that it's ok to lie, cheat and steel because as long as they came out looking good and getting the things they wanted it was alright. They grew up to be foul mouthed, violent, and criminal. Over the years her jealous antics got to be too much, but somehow Mom valued their friendship and hung on. She refused to believe what was in front of her eyes until the very end. When the end came, Mom was sadder than I have ever seen her, but the truth came out. Just like it did for Scott.
Scott is a lying, cheating, meniacal brute who cared for little except boozing it up and having fun. He had a variety of discipline problems (being expelled from schools, fired from jobs for stealing, etc.) He clearly did not want a child, as it would have taken the focus off of himself. Somehow he decided that rather than leaving the marriage he should murder Laci and their unborn child; and, after they were out of the picture he could go on and reinvent himself.
Why not 5 stars? Anne had an obtuse connection to the Peterson family, if that. She admits that she did not have much contact with Laci, and they would only meet in the flesh four times. Laci seems like a nice enough gal, but how much could you know by only meeting someone four times? It's also hard for me to believe (even though Anne was not a reliable source in this department, but, I never cease to be amazed by the antics of people) that Laci and Scott did not have discussions about children before they married. Anne wouldn't know anything about this being in role in the family. Plus, she wrote her book as therapy for her being an adopted child who had a connection to the Peterson family. Enjoy it for some insights into Scott and his family, apples don't fall far from the tree.
I loved it.........2007-03-29
This book enlighten me.... I loved it.... It filled in alot of the blanks..
Average customer rating:
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Brothers of Light, Brothers of Blood: The Penitentes of the Southwest
Marta Weigle
Manufacturer: Ancient City Pr
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ASIN: 0941270580 |
Book Description
A powerful account of eighteen months in the lives of three soldiers and a
journalist, all patients in Ward 57, Walter Reed’s amputee wing
Time magazine’s Michael Weisskopf was riding through Baghdad in the back of U.S. Army Humvee, an embedded reporter alongside soldiers from the 1st Armored Division, when he heard a metallic thunk. Looking down, he saw a small, dark object rolling inches from his feet. He reached down and took it in his hand. Then everything went black.
Weisskopf lost his hand and was sent for treatment to Ward 57 at Walter Reed Medical Center, the wing of the armed forces hospital reserved for amputees. There he crossed paths with Pete Damon, Luis Rodriguez, and Bobby Isaacs, three soldiers whose stories he learned during months in the ward. Alongside these men, Weisskopf navigated the bewildering process of recovery and reentry, and began reconciling life before that day in Baghdad with everything that would follow his release.
Blood Brothers is the story of this difficult passage—for Weiss-kopf, Damon, Rodriguez, Isaacs, and hundreds of others—a story that began with healthy men heading off to a war zone, and continued through the months in Ward 57 as they prepared their minds and bodies for a different life than the one they left. A chronicle of devastation and recovery, this is a deeply affecting portrait of the private aftermath of combat casualties.
Customer Reviews:
Remarkable story.................2007-07-16
Mr. Weisskopf writes a truely remarkable account of what it is like to go from the battle field through the medical, recovery process. As a surgical technician & Vietnam vet I found his story to be inspiring and very moving. The medical aspects were right on the money!!
Thank you, Mr. Weisskopf, for a wonderfully touching story. I hope you have been able to put to rest the "Why & What If" questions. As far as I'm concerned the motivation doesn't matter. You're a HERO!!!
Incredible insight helps the author share this story.......2007-05-11
As an amputee for the past 4 years or so, I know a few things about the story told by this book. But I was unprepared to be as moved as I was. Michael not only tells the story of how, but he digs deeper into the demons that made him and Pete so much more real.
I don't have war experience, I just had a simple accident. The demons these men fight to get to a place where they can accept the things that happened make this a very powerful story. I highly recommend it to anyone. And I've recommended it to several close friends in hopes they might better understand what it's like to loose part of yourself.
Stories of Recovery.......2007-05-08
Michael Weisskopf is a well known journalist for TIME magazine. During a trip to Iraq as an embedded journalist with an Army unit, the HMMWV he was riding in had a grenade thrown into it. Weisskopf apparently went to pick the grenade up before it detonated, but was too late, losing his right hand in the explosion.
Weisskopf uses this tragedy to document his and a several soldiers with amputations in their roads to recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Ward 57, the amputee ward. Weisskopf does a good job of capturing the many aspects of recovery that he and the soldiers go through.
This short book captures very well the processes of recovering from combat wounds, dealing with the traumas both to yourself and those around you, including fellow soldiers who did not survive their accidents.
I highly recommend this book.
Blood Brothers:Among the Soldiers of Ward 57.......2007-04-01
What Michael Weisskopf has done with this story is truly amazing. It was a very emotional book for me, but it is a book that every American should read.I plan on passing this book around. It is a book that you cannot put down.You just want to cheer these guys on, cry with them, and you feel their frustrations. I would love to meet Michael and the men that he writes about to thank them personally for their sacrifices.
I am a Troop Greeter from Maine where most of the flights that are going over and comming home stop for re-fueling.We are soon to have welcomed 500,000 troops. I often wonder how many that I have met that will not be returning home or have been injured. I say a prayer for them after every flight and pray that they will be comming back through our halls.
I can't thank Michael Weisskopf enough for writing this book. It is truly an excellent book.
cakelady2@adelphia.net
Blood Brothers.......2007-01-09
Blood Brothers is highly readable. Michael Weiskopf gives a rare account, as both insider and outsider, of the physical and emotional struggles of individuals to deal with traumatic amputation. He also gives us a glimpse into how the U.S. military deals with its own, as well as political ramifications. Blood Brothers is enjoyable and informative.
Book Description
The vampires have been vanquished! Harry Keogh and the armies of the dead have destroyed the evil that once plagued the world. Nathan and Nestor, secret twin sons of the Necroscope and a proud gypsy woman, were children when their father, his humanity poisoned by his fearsome struggles, sacrificed himself to save mankind.Yet there are vampires still, vampires crueler and stranger than any the Necroscope had faced. When these new, merciless killers swoop out of the sky, Nathan and Nestor are men--but they have few of Harry Keogh's miraculous powers.Torn from each other by battle, the sons of the Necroscope journey across the vampire world, exploring its mysteries, each seeking the powerful, terrible vampires, his missing brother....and the woman they both love!
Customer Reviews:
I don't know how he does it.......2007-09-15
It's amazing how Brian Lumley can basicaly write the same things over and over and still keep me engrossed. Blood Brothers kicks off the Vampire World Trilogy with a rip roaring start. The Wamphyri are brought to startling life. I especially enjoy the relationship between Nestor and Canker that developes further in the second installment "The Last Aerie". Great book with brilliant continuity with the Necroscope saga as a whole.
Far from his best.......2006-08-30
I unintendedly wrote a very long review... here it is in short... if you like horror and pulp-fiction, stick to the first three books by Brian Lumley, which are actualy very good (Necroscope, Vamphiry, The Source). As for Blood brothers, if you are not a fan of the series I would advise to do something else with your time and money.
I have found this book to be the worst so far from the Necroscope series. The series had a great start with the book Necroscope, which is a unique blend of mystery and spy literature, horror and pulp-fiction which draws the reader from the first page (actually, I read that book in two days, I just couldn't stop reading it!).
The follow up, Vamphiry is a little less interesting but still has some of the excitement of the first one, with its unique way to put together such intense elements, adding serial killers in this one. So far so good.
The decline begins in the thrd book, where it becomes apparent the weak basis upon which the author has built his fiction. So far as it was "light" literature, it worked just fine. The problem is that in this book Brian Lumley begins to explore metaphisical, even theological subjects, and with the lack of a well rounded mythology to sustain him, he soon falls in common places, naive remarks and in some (the worst) cases, contradictions. It is apparent that the author does not have an equivalent to "The Silmarillion" of Tolkien, which is the core mythology that makes the whole Hobbit-Lord of the Rings series so "real".
In the following book, "Deadspawn" it gets so bad that at the end the necroscope has become some sort of semi-god (It even presents some paralelism with the resurrection of the Christ). However, the story is interesting enough to get you through the pages without much suffering, even though it requires a certain effort to ignore the frequent inconsistencies that come one after the other.
Finally, Blood Brothers. The inconsistencies get even deeper, the mesianism of the main characters is even more evident and, to top it all, it is BORING. Actually, this books seems to be only a long introduction to a new series, with a story that never gets a climax nor a conclusion. SO in this book, the series has lost everything, even structure and excitement. This is the last book I will read from Brian Lumeley in a long, long time measured only by the Moebius continuum.
Better than I had expected.......2006-04-05
I just read this after reading the first 5 books of the Necroscope series.
I must confess that I was not prepared to like this book. I'd read the first 5 books of the series and was a little bit tired of the whole plight of the characters. Yes, vampires are evil and the humans are good. However, since this books takes place in a different world than ours and involved new characters, I found myself really enjoying this book once I got past the first 100 pages.
Since this book is cotinuation of the story of the Necroscope, if you haven't read the first 5 books, you're going to be a little bit lost. Seriously, why pick up a book in the middle of the series. If you're new to this, go to the beginning and start there. You won't enjoy this one as much. I'm on the next book and loving it.
For star-crossed brothers; "What as been, will be....".......2005-10-13
The first in the trilogy of twin brothers and their epic tale of discovery. Nathan, heir to the light his father brought to the dead, and Nestor, despised by the dead for his own "arts".
A tale of epic porportions in the best Lumley tradition.
blood brothers.......2001-07-30
i've never been a type of person who like to read books, but i've allways liked vampires and when i read the book i was toatlly amazed! the words were soo vivid and i felt like i was in the story.....i could picture the characters in my head as they were happening.....
Customer Reviews:
A story of true hope and peace.......2007-06-14
Blood Brothers is the story of a very brave family during an incredibly controversial time. This conflict between Israel and Palestine is an ongoing struggle and causes a large amount of change and strife on both sides of the issue. As native Palestinians this family, the Chacour's, are part of this difficult journey with their village. This struggle beginning with them being tricked out of their house to losing some village members and the heartbreak of knowing life could never go back to "normal."
This book revolves around a young boy who we see grow up throughout the book named, Elias Chacour. He is a Palestinian Christian, who lived in a small town Biram for most of his young life. This boy is full of life and a spirit that grows throughout the entire story.
His father, a peaceful man with incredible amounts of wisdom, plays a large role in this Elias's life as well as rest of his family and the village. At one point Elias's father and two brothers were torn from their family and taken away by Israeli soldiers. After finding their way back this is all he did, "turning those sad eyes upon us, `if someone hurts you, you can curse him. But this would be useless. Instead, you have to ask the Lord to bless the man who makes himself your enemy. And do you know what will happen? The Lord will bless you with inner peace-and perhaps your enemy will turn from his wickedness. If not, the Lord will deal with him.'"
The strength Elias's finds within himself and family to deal with these real issues that surround him is inspiring. This is a characteristic that we should all strive to have.
The saviour of our day and age........2007-05-13
This book is an inspirational work written be one of the world's greatest humanitarians, Elias Chacour. He forces people to confront their hate, letting them see that hate is never justified whether it is religious or otherwise. Through this book he takes you on a journey through his life, which is dedicated to analyzing and solving the conflict in the Middle East between Jews and Arabs; he is like the Martin Luther King Jr. of Israel. The main conflict that Chacour faces, in this book, is fighting his inner demons so as to remain unbiased throughout his work. He tries to show that if men did not cower from this fight there would be no segregation, there would be no wars, and we would achieve a utopia. In conclusion I must say that no matter who you are this book will be a perfect fit.
We need to read this and more to understand.......2007-03-08
I am thankful for this author's courage and heart. His foundation for his humanitarian work is from his understanding that he was born a baby before all other human added designations were added that divide human from human. There are situations in the book that can stir you up and also make you wonder at God's provision for the Middle East. Pick this up and also feel good that you are supporting a peace maker who has built Isreal's largest private school where kids from all sides can come and get an education and play together.
Moving and Powerful.......2007-01-08
Chacour transports the reader into his experience as a Palestinian child growing up amidst the turmoil of Zionist takeover in Israel. The experience of his family's diaspora and his personal journey from an exile living far from his destroyed home to his education in Europe to his return home to help sow the seeds of peace according to the Christian tradition prescribed in the Beatitudes.
This book shows a side to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict that is far too often untold or dismissed. It is the side of the exiled, those forced off their land to create the modern nation of Israel. In no way is this book a polemical jab against the Jewish nation, rather it is the true story of a Christian Palestinian working within Israel to create a peaceful land where all are truly welcomed and are safe.
This is a must read for all. It will open your eyes.
If only more people were like Father Chacour..........2006-12-28
Despite one dubious negative remark questioning the accuracy of this book (to which my response is, the powder keg was already lit a long time ago- the war already started), it is excellent. It is not for those who are looking for a history book, granted, but it nevertheless exposes some Zionist atrocities (so often hidden in the US) while at the same time acknowledging the wrongdoings of the Arab side of the conflict and finally it is a call for peace. A lot of people make the mistake of labeling themselves "pro-Israel" or "pro-Palestine" but this book has it right- Pro-Peace.
Customer Reviews:
Such a disappointment..........2007-07-31
I was excited about this book because I have heard from panels that DC is going to try to regain the specific aspects that enabled us to love nightwing. Apparently, they weren't going to start with this book. This just further hightlights his faults like his annoying uncertainty of his own identity, or the fact that he has become DC's infamous whore throughout the years. According to Birds of Prey, at least that one specfic 'whorish' aspect was slowly being taken away as we hope and expect the former batgirl to tame Dick Grayson, and it almost went to that direction. But Brothers in Blood actually killed that connection, and in a very tactful way too. The inclination barely covered two pages, when those who have been fans of this coupling knows that that particular relationship, if ever distinguished, requires a little more explanation than the usual comicbook break-up. I was very disappointed in this and, for the first time, actually wished that I had never bought this issue.
Nightwing - One Year Later.......2007-03-30
It has been a year since the events of "Infinite Crisis", and Bludhaven has been destroyed, so now Nightwing a.k.a. Dick Grayson is calling New York City home for a little while. Before you know it there is another Nightwing cruising the city dispensing vigilante justice, though he is killing thugs brutally. It doesn't take Greyson long to figure out that the imposter is actually recently resurrected former Robin Jason Todd, whom the Joker killed years ago. To further complicate things he falls in with Clancy Freemont, a high end 5th Avenue fashion designer with superpowers too. And to top it off Nightwing has a new mortal enemy in the metahuman gangsters the Pierce brothers. Actually pretty good in introducing Nightwing into a new continuity after Bludhaven, and the new characters are OK. The only problem is that while there is the three act set up (set up, conflict, resolution) it still feels like it's just the beginning, which I'm sure it is. But I guess I was hoping for a little more closure in the story arc. The new villains are pretty run of the mill, a adequate substitute for long time nemesis Blockbuster. It is actually the conflict between the two former Robins that was the most interesting. I really wanted to see more of them too, and I really wanted to know what was going on inside Jason Todd's head. He's out for revenge, or to continue his role of succeeding Dick, I'm not too sure. And then there was the thing with the bug that was a little silly; OK for a Superman story (though hokey there too), but not appropriate here. But enough with the grips. A pretty good story with some problems, but plenty of action and Dick's scared psyche to keep you flipping pages.
Disappointing follow-up to Renegade
.......2007-03-22
I had very high aspirations for this book for a couple of reasons. First, it follows Nightwing: Renegade, which was wonderfully drawn and had a very cool story involving Superman, Deathstroke & Ravager. Second, it featured Jason Todd, who is one of my fave characters in the DCU. So, imagine my disappointment when I see that the art is very inconsistent (Jason Todd looks nothing like himself out of costume) and the writing is just over-the-top. For instance, Jason is swallowed by a bug creature, but when he escapes, he later becomes a bug-creature himself. Simply ludicrous. I gave it 2 starts simply for the potential it had, and the first act was OK, until things went haywire halfway through. If you want a personal recommendation, read Renegade and skip this.
Customer Reviews:
Better than Rebus.......2007-01-09
Sure the main character is overdone, the plotting would not stand up to close analysis, and the "philosophy" is basically garbage but the story moves and is competently written. What more can one ask for in a thriller? Jack Higgins made a fine living out of similar stuff which was not nearly as good. Four stars, perhaps because the competition in this genre has become so weak.
An early Rankin not worth the time.......2006-12-06
Former soldier Gordon Reeve flies to California to claim the body of his brother Jim, an apparent suicide. But it soon becomes obvious that the facts aren't fitting together and that Jim's death was murder.
In spite of three attempts, I just could not get into this book. I will admit I'm not a big fan of conspiracy themes but, that aside, I didn't find the character interesting or the plot compelling. For me, this was a Rankin practice book until he started writing Rebus.
Slainte, Rankin! But This One Just Didn't Grab Me.......2006-11-13
My first foray into non-Rebus Rankin (Jack Harvey, whatever) left me with an understanding of why authors might use alternate names for their earlier, less-stimulating projects. "Blood Hunt" has some elements that kept me entertained, but they seemed to wane as I worked my way through the 500 pages. The bad guy, Jay, seems to hold a kind of silly grudge from his SAS experience in the Falklands War while on an operation with main character Gordon Reeve. There is also the story of a highly provocative cover-up involving BSE (Mad Cow Disease) and a murdered journalist/brother that is never brought to a close. Too much, really. Reeve is definitely cool, but he doesn't come off as a sympathetic or fully drawn character. Note: I absolutely love the Rebus series, but I don't feel inclined to pick up the other remaining Jack Harvey-penned novels. Hope I'm not missing something, but "Blood Hunt" has done nothing but cool mine a little. Ouch. Sorry, Ian.
Nietzsche's Gentlemen........2006-07-17
Oh, the blessings of being an author with too much time on his hands. I can just picture Ian Rankin sitting in the house (farm? cottage?) he and his wife bought in rural Dordogne, having whizzed through the manuscript for yet another increasingly well-written John Rebus novel and - having left behind all other employment across the British Channel and neither inclined to carpentry nor gardening - feeling his mind growing restless, in need of occupation. Now, wouldn't you have started looking for another outlet for your creative energy had you been in his spot?
The result of the aforementioned process, which Rankin describes in the foreword of a 2000 (alas, so far [???] British-only!) compilation uniting all three novels in one volume, were a series of thrillers written under the pseudonym Jack Harvey: Jack for his newborn son, Harvey for his wife's maiden name.
In "Blood Hunt," the last of the three books, fans of Inspector Rebus meet an old acquaintance; George Reeve from the first Rebus novel, "Knots and Crosses." Only here he's the good guy - well, mostly; because there isn't such a thing as a clean-cut "good guy" in *any* Ian Rankin novel. In any event, "Blood Hunt" introduces us to Reeve's back story; his life as an outdoors survival teacher, and his own memories and nightmares of his service with the SAS - after we've already gotten a fair share of Rebus's in "Knots and Crosses" - particularly the Falklands campaign, during which he met the man who would soon turn out to be his biggest nemesis; as much as Reeve will later become a nemesis to Rebus.
Further, we learn that Reeve had a brother; a journalist on the trail of a story centering around a chemical company headquartered in San Diego. When that brother is murdered, Reeve's instincts as a hunter are awakened - and like a bull terrier he pits himself to the heels of those responsible for the murder and doesn't let go until he has brought them to justice: *his* kind of justice, that is, which isn't necessarily that of the police, but one they understand only too well. The SAS call themselves Nietzsche's gentlemen - believing in the self-proclaimed amoralist's teachings that the will to power is all that matters and all that controls life; and the novel's conclusion is very much in keeping with that adage.
As a back story to the first Rebus book, "Blood Hunt" works only just so - while the essential facts are in synch with Reeve's and Rebus's SAS past, to truly click with "Knots and Crosses," this book would have had to be written about a decade earlier, or vice versa, which in turn wouldn't square with the later Rebus books' historical and political references ... you get the picture. Read as a stand-alone, however, this is a tightly-plotted thriller, every bit as violent as the second Jack Harvey novel, "Bleeding Hearts" (there's a reason why blood figures in both books' titles) and, while based on a conspiracy theory that easily dates it as a mid-1990s release, as strong as both "Bleeding Hearts" and the best of the Rebus books on characters and settings (Scotland to San Diego, London, France and back, with - literally - a cliffhanger finale on the Outer Hebrides' rough mountainous territory). And then there's that children's rhyme that I don't think I'll ever hear quite the same way I used to ...
Although I'm happy enough for Rankin's success with Inspector Rebus and wouldn't want any story featuring Edinburgh's finest (and most hard-drinking) D.I. missing from my bookcases, in a way I regret that Rankin had to shelve Jack Harvey after only three books. So just in case, Mr. Rankin, in the unlikely event that you should ever resurrect that alter ego (or write another non-Rebus novel under your own name): I promise I'll read that one, too, and probably with just as much pleasure as any of your other books.
Don't judge Rankin by this novel.......2006-07-16
If this is your first Ian Rankin book, forget it as fast as you can, and run quickly to one of his wonderful Rebus books. They are as good as this one is hollow. First one must swallow the coincidence that a US pharmaceutical/chemical company hires a former SAS companion and enemy of our hero to do their dirty work. After that, when trouble erupts for Bro. Reeve, our hero, he gets on Interpol's list of wanted folk. But still he is able to fly back and forth from US to Heathrow at will, pass through immigration and customs, without as much trouble as a US tourist heading to Cancun. So much for Interpol. Under all this is the pasty treatment of our hero's wife and son. This novel is something like the computer games Bro. Reeve's son Allan plays continually. So please, don't judge Rankin by this one. He's really a good writer, who must have felt the need for some extra cash by churning out BLOOD HUNT.
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