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Duty:: A Father, His Son, and the Man Who Won the War
Bob Greene Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
Accessories:
ASIN: 0380814110 Release Date: 2001-04-24 |
Book Description
When Bob Greene went home to central Ohio to be with his dying father, it set off a chain of events that led him to knowing his dad in a way he never had before—thanks to a quiet man who lived just a few miles away, a man who had changed the history of the world.
Greene's father—a soldier with an infantry division in World War II—often spoke of seeing the man around town. All but anonymous even in his own city, carefully maintaining his privacy, this man, Greene's father would point out to him, had "won the war." He was Paul Tibbets. At the age of twenty-nine, at the request of his country, Tibbets assembled a secret team of 1,800 American soldiers to carry out the single most violent act in the history of mankind. In 1945 Tibbets piloted a plane—which he called Enola Gay, after his mother—to the Japanese city of Hiroshima, where he dropped the atomic bomb.
On the morning after the last meal he ever ate with his father, Greene went to meet Tibbets. What developed was an unlikely friendship that allowed Greene to discover things about his father, and his father's generation of soldiers, that he never fully understood before.
Duty is the story of three lives connected by history, proximity, and blood; indeed, it is many stories, intimate and achingly personal as well as deeply historic. In one soldier's memory of a mission that transformed the world—and in a son's last attempt to grasp his father's ingrained sense of honor and duty—lies a powerful tribute to the ordinary heroes of an extraordinary time in American life.
What Greene came away with is found history and found poetry—a profoundly moving work that offers a vividly new perspective on responsibility, empathy, and love. It is an exploration of and response to the concept of duty as it once was and always should be: quiet and from the heart. On every page you can hear the whisper of a generation and its children bidding each other farewell.
Customer Reviews:
Touching book.......2007-01-11
A WONDERFUL MEMOIR AND TRIBUTE.......2005-02-18
A Tribute From a Son to His Father.......2003-03-26
Tibbets and Robert Greene, Sr. lived in the same town in Ohio, but had never met. Bob jr. writes about how his father would speak of Tibbets and call him "the man who won the war". While Bob jr. was back in Ohio to be with his dying father, he drew on his memories of Tibbets. Finally, Bob went to meet Tibbets. What occured was the beginning of an unlikely friendship that spanned a generation and allowed Bob to discover things about his father and his father's generation that he never understood before.
Bob found Tibbets to be a very honest and straight-forward man. There was no nonsense from him; everything was in plain terms. Tibbets talked frequently about his mission to Hiroshima on that fateful day in August, 1945. He said several times that he had no regrets for what he did and he always slept easy at night. Tibbets' stories enabled Bob to see that his father and many other men just like him also played large parts in winning the war. Tibbets never liked the phrase "the man who won the war". He was always quick to give credit to the soldiers as the real heroes, just like Robert sr.
Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the several chapters which deal with the trip to Branson, Missouri. Bob, Tibbets, Tom Ferebee (bombardier), and "Dutch" Van Kirk (navigator) took a trip to Branson over Memorial Day weekend and they were treated like conquering heroes by the public. But what impressed me was the candor and openness that these men spoke with. I learned a lot about the Hiroshima mission that I never knew before.
I found this book a little slow at the beginning, but it definitely picks up over the second half. Read this book and learn about the generation of men who won the war.
A book about a hero and a father and how much are alike.......2003-02-18
A disappointment ........2003-02-14
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Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS (P.S.)
Richard Yancey Manufacturer: Harper Perennial ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0060555610 Release Date: 2004-12-28 |
Amazon.com
Imagine if Brad Meltzer or John Grisham's first book had been a memoir about working for the Internal Revenue Service and you have an idea of just how thrilling Richard Yancey's Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS really is. Serving as a revenue agent--or, more informally, a tax collector--of the IRS for two years, Yancey went through strange transformations--from a tall, pencil-thin theater major, in an unforgiving relationship with no steady income, to a mean, muscle-wielding, unyielding revenue officer at the top of his game. What happens in between this tax collecting, money-hungry metamorphosis makes this memorable memoir the stuff of great fiction.The Americans who shirk tax laws and responsibilities are inevitably tracked, coded, analyzed, pursued, and in general, marked for tax collection by a legion of government workers take center stage. "We have superior intelligence; we know more about our enemies' lives than they know about themselves. We know where they are. We know what they do. We know what they have. We will execute what they fear," Yancey writes. Just envision the line-up of misfits and average joes who populate the screen on Cops or America's Funniest Home Videos and you'll be close to imagining the range of people Yancey tangles with. Vengeful middle managers, hard-working small business owners, mean-spirited tax protestors, hardened tax evaders--the list of characters goes on and on. Every one of the people tracked within the walls of Yancey's local IRS office has the same, pitiful problem: the tax man cometh and the "beast needs to be fed." Equal parts love story, business tale, high-speed chase, and self-evolution, Yancey's Confessions of a Tax Collector packs plenty of human drama--all of it experienced and survived by one man. --E. Brooke Gilbert
Book Description
Twelve years ago, Richard Yancey answered a blind ad in the newspaper offering a salary higher than what he'd made over the three previous years combined. It turned out that the job was for the Internal Revenue Service -- the most hated and feared organization in the federal government.
So Yancey became the man who got in his car, drove to your house, knocked on your door, and made you pay. Never mind that his car was littered with candy wrappers, his palms were sweaty, and he couldn't remember where he stashed his own tax records. He was there on the authority of the United States government.
With "a rich mix of humor, horror, and angst [and] better than most novels on the bestseller lists" ( Boston Sunday Globe), Confessions of a Tax Collector contains an astonishing cast of too-strange-for-fiction characters. But the most intriguing character of all is Yancey himself who -- in detailing how the job changed him and how he managed to pull himself back from the brink of moral, ethical, and spiritual bankruptcy -- reveals what really lies beneath those dark suits and mirrored sunglasses.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.Customer Reviews:
GREAT!!! Retired IRS worker.......2007-06-21
Written by a Tax Collector, Exciting as a Tax Collector.......2007-06-17
ugh, .......2007-03-02
A very interesting look at one of America's most hated instiutions.......2006-12-18
This book is awesome!.......2006-11-23
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Pocket-Poet's Guide to be the Quintessential Best Man
Robert Melillo (Author) Manufacturer: Pocket-Poet ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0975275313 |
Product Description
Pocket-Poet's guide to be the Quintessential Best Man. Everything you need to know in order to fulfill all of your obligations as Best Man with style, grace and humor. All topics covered so you are not left unprepared for your obligations. Includes sample toasts. Pocket-Poet helps you put the Best in Best Man. If you think being a Best Man is just giving a toast and holding the rings you will be surprised to learn how much more you are responsible for. This book is easy to follow and goes through your responsibilities step-by-step. This is the same book that you have heard about on the radio and television. It comes with sample toasts to help you prepare BOTH your toasts (one at the Rehearsal Dinner and one at the Reception). If you didn't realize you needed two, just another reason why this book is important.Customer Reviews:
Pick up this book if you can.......2004-06-27
HUGE help! If you're a Best Man - READ THIS!.......2004-05-02
I figured I knew EVERYTHING there was to know about being a Best Man so when my girlfriend bought me this book I laughed. But hey, it became bathroom reading material. Then after 2 chapters I realized I better read it all.
Being a Best Man requires a lot more than you realize. None of it is hard but you really need to know what duties you have. This book was great about going through it and was easy to follow. The sample toasts are great too. I really think if you are reading this review because you are going to be a Best Man that you need to buy this book.
Excellent book on what you need to know.......2004-05-01
AWESOME BOOK - highly recommend.......2004-04-28
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Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson
Manufacturer: Henry Holt & Company ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: 0805046089 |
Amazon.com
The story of Great Britain was written in seawater, and no period was more important than the two decades under scrutiny in Dean King's Every Man Will Do His Duty. This collection of memoirs, diaries, and accounts written by Royal Navy personnel (both English and American) during the Napoleonic period will be a sure hit with any reader who has devoured the Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian. Every Man Will Do His Dutythe title is, of course, Admiral Lord Nelson's famous admonition to his sailors at Trafalgarpulses with the vividness, immediacy, and honesty that only primary sources can supply. The book is filled with intriguing details of war as it was practiced on the high seas from 1793 to 1815. Editor King has done an excellent job selecting his sources; in addition to views from the captain's quarters, Every Man Will Do His Duty boasts plenty of material penned by mariners of a much humbler station; their accounts provide the bulk of the book's humor. Fans of the nautical novel will find this book a worthy addition to their library, and so will students of English history.Customer Reviews:
A wonderful glimpse of Iron men on wooden ships.......2001-10-09
I loved this book. Each selection was entertaining and well chosen, both for the glimpses the provide into the lives of the officers and men who served on such ships, and for their historical context (Such as Dr. William Beatty's account of the death of Horatio Nelson).
I'd strongly suggest it to anyone who enjoys Naval History, or historical fiction (Such as Forrester or O'Brian) on the subject. Give it a read, it's worth it.
A wonderful glimpse of Iron men on wooden ships.......2001-10-09
I loved this book. Each selection was entertaining and well chosen, both for the glimpses the provide into the lives of the officers and men who served on such ships, and for their historical context (Such as Dr. William Beatty's account of the death of Horatio Nelson).
I'd suggest it to anyone who enjoys Naval History, or historical fiction (Such as Forrester or O'Brian) on the subject.
22 Great True Stores from the Napoleonic Era.......2000-08-08
If all you read in this book is "The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy", you will have gotten your money's worth.
If the only stories you read are the two chapters from the Nagle Journel, "For the Good of My Soul, 1795," and "Mad Dickey's Amusement, 1798-1800", you will have gotten your money's worth.
But you get more than this. You get a total of 22 stories picked from many to capture the history and character of the times.
If you like Patrick O'Brien, and C.S. Forester, you will enjoy the history that gave seed to these stories. You will recognize the events of Lucky Jack Aubrey's fiirst cruise in the cruise of the Speedy, and be amazed.
Index of stories:
1. In the King's Service, 1793-1794
2. Commence the Work of Destruction: The Glorious First of June, 1794
3. The Noted Pimp of Lisbon and an Unwanted Promotion in Bull Bay, 1794
4. For the Good of My Own Soul, 1795
5. The Would as Soon Have Faced the Devil Himself as Nelson, 1796
6. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797
7. Mad Diskey's Amusement, 1798-1800
8. The Fortune of War, 1799
9. The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy, 1800-1801
10. Bermuda in the Peace, 1802-1803
11. The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
12. The Death of Lord Nelson, 1805
13. An Unequal Match, 1807-1808
14. With Stopford in the Basque Roads, 1808-1809
15. When I Beheld These Men Spring from the Ground, 1809
16. "Damn'em, Jackson, They've Spoilt My Dancing," 1809-1812
17. The Woodwind Is Mightier than the Sword, 1809-1812
18. HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States, 1812
19. An Unjustifiable and Outrageous Pursuit, 1812-1813
20. A Yankee Cruiser in the South Pacific, 1813
21. Showdown at Valparaiso, 1814
22. We Discussed a Bottle of Chateau Margot Together, 1812-1815
Down to the Sea in Ships.......2000-06-24
This anthology of first hand accounts covers events in both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including the War of 1812, in which the Royal Navy getting some very nasty surprises, and even nastier defeats, at the hands of the small, but expert United States Navy.
Some of the subjects covered are the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797, the sea fight between HMS Macedonian and the USS United States in 1812, the cruise into the Pacific of the USS Essex, and such esoteric subject as 'the noted pimp of Lisbon' and Bermuda in time of peace.
This book is an enjoyable read, an outstanding primary source, and one of the best books available on this often neglected subject.
A window on the age of sail.......2000-06-06
This book is an anthology of first hand accounts of naval life in the age of sail. The stories are dramatic and gripping, though I wished the they were longer. The editors have helpfully added some diagrams and maps, though I would have prefered even more.
It is very interesting to see the overlap with the O'Brian books. As O'Brian points out in one of his forwards, at least sometimes he did not need to invent the plot, but merely re-arrange and sort out the pacing.
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Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson, 1793-1815
Manufacturer: Owl Books ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0805046097 |
Book Description
Customer Reviews:
This book is a keeper, buy the hardcover.......2000-08-08
If all you read in this book is "The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy", you will have gotten your money's worth.
If the only stories you read are the two chapters from the Nagle Journel, "For the Good of My Soul, 1795," and "Mad Dickey's Amusement, 1798-1800", you will have gotten your money's worth.
But you get more than this. You get a total of 22 stories picked from many to capture the history and character of the times.
If you like Patrick O'Brien, and C.S. Forester, you will enjoy the history that gave seed to these stories. You will recognize the events of Lucky Jack Aubrey's fiirst cruise in the cruise of the Speedy, and be amazed.
Index of stories:
1. In the King's Service, 1793-1794
2. Commence the Work of Destruction: The Glorious First of June, 1794
3. The Noted Pimp of Lisbon and an Unwanted Promotion in Bull Bay, 1794
4. For the Good of My Own Soul, 1795
5. The Would as Soon Have Faced the Devil Himself as Nelson, 1796
6. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797
7. Mad Diskey's Amusement, 1798-1800
8. The Fortune of War, 1799
9. The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy, 1800-1801
10. Bermuda in the Peace, 1802-1803
11. The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
12. The Death of Lord Nelson, 1805
13. An Unequal Match, 1807-1808
14. With Stopford in the Basque Roads, 1808-1809
15. When I Beheld These Men Spring from the Ground, 1809
16. "Damn'em, Jackson, They've Spoilt My Dancing," 1809-1812
17. The Woodwind Is Mightier than the Sword, 1809-1812
18. HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States, 1812
19. An Unjustifiable and Outrageous Pursuit, 1812-1813
20. A Yankee Cruiser in the South Pacific, 1813
21. Showdown at Valparaiso, 1814
22. We Discussed a Bottle of Chateau Margot Together, 1812-1815
THE REAL DEAL!.......2000-04-07
brilliant account of history.......1999-01-10
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Striving For 'the Whole Duty Of Man': James Legge And The Scottish Protestant Encounter With China (Scottish Studies International. Publications of the Scottish)
Lauren F. Pfister Manufacturer: Peter Lang Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 3631509464 |
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The Duties of Man
Giuseppe Mazzini Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1421268191 Release Date: 2005-11-30 |
Book Description
This Elibron Classics edition is a facsimile reprint of a 1862 edition by Chapman & Hall, London.
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Pufendorf: On the Duty of Man and Citizen according to Natural Law (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)
Samuel Pufendorf Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Similar Items:
ASIN: 0521359805 |
Book Description
Samuel Pufendorf is one of the most important moral and political philosophers of the seventeenth century. His theory, which builds on Grotius and Hobbes, was immediately recognized as a classic and taken up by writers as diverse as Locke, Hume, Rousseau, and Smith. Over the past twenty years there has been a renaissance of Pufendorf scholarship. On the Duty of Man and Citizen is Pufendorf's own epitome of his monumental On the Law of Nature and of Nations, and it served as a basic text in European universities throughout the Enlightenment. This edition has a lucid and historically sensitive translation by Michael Silverthorne, the first since the early twentieth century. James Tully's introduction sets the text in its context, summarizes the main arguments, surveys recent literature on Pufendorf, and shows how Pufendorf transformed natural law theory into an independent discipline of juristic political philosophy that dominated reflection on politics until Kant.Customer Reviews:
Great Early-Modern Pre-Kantian Political Reflection!.......2004-03-17
Summary:
The book is written very lucidly but also written very tersely. This can be deceiving because there is a lot of thought packed into each sentence. Pufendorf starts out by explaining in the preface how he separates natural law from divine law and how natural law isn't necessarily god's law because god's law would only affect a being in the after life. He then creates the Sovereign and Civil Society argument out of this.
He defines his natural law in human sociality -how humans relate to each other and their environment. Whether it be between man's self, his fellow men, society in general, human action, contracts, language, duty to god, and property, natural law is at work. Pufendorf covers all these topics in the first book.
The second book covers natural law and institutions. The biggest institution covered is the state but Marriage and Family are also covered. Pufendorf also describes the function of civil laws as legislating on subjects undefined by natural law. Another function of civil society in Pufendorf's view is to promote natural law through civil law or at least respect it.
Comments:
Sorry for the uber-brief summary but the book is quite short. I had to say I really loved it and it was much easier to read than Hobbes. Reading this today you get the feeling that a lot of what Pufendorf is saying is self-evident but for the time period (i.e. 1672) this was mind boggling stuff. It is a fun read and very important if you want to understand the "early-modern" period of thought, especially that of the whole "War and Peace" argument. Philosophers of this period have this paranoid obscession with Civil War and Pufendorf is no exception.
I've become a Pufendorfian.......1999-05-27
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The Complete Duty of Man: or, a System of Doctrinal and Practical Christianity
Henry Venn Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback ASIN: 1421273411 Release Date: 2005-11-30 |
Book Description
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A Frigate of King George: Life and Duty on a British Man-of-War
Brian Vale Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items: ASIN: 1860646549 |
Book Description
What was life really like on a wooden warship? Vale vividly examines recruitment, desertions, food, drink, disease, and death. He details the operations in Brazil, Chile, and Peru from a military and a political angle, as well as from the perspective of ordinary seamen.Books:
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