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WOW! This book was fantastic. It read like an adventure novel, plus put a bunch of meetings and voting all through it. As a parliamentary wonk I loved it, not sure how the general public would get into it. returnreturnI learned more about the Russian revolution just reading the publisher's introduction than I did in 16 years of school, including a BS in political science. School made it seem like the Communists overthrew the Czar in one fell swoop, except my one Conservative professor who frequently reminded us that the Communists overthrew a democratically elected government. Of course there were actually MANY Russian revolutions. This was of the last one, the "October" revolution that took Lenin to power. returnreturnReed did what so few hisorical authors can do, make me want to read even more books about the subject because you made the subject so fascinating.

This Audio book was pretty good. Still spends a couple hours telling about a brief history of money system and how it is controlled. From the current system that is controlled by privately owned central banks loaning money to governments at interest to precious metals to tally sticks and green backs that governments have used to create their own money. returnreturnStill does a good job at arguing his point that a publicly owned money system managed by an elected accountable government is the best possible monetary solution. Even if I don't necessarily agree with him (I do think its better than the other options he cited like the current Federal Reserve System or a Gold Standard system) I would prefer competitive currently like Bitcoin and Litecoin, or de-centralized labor exchange after wage abolition. returnreturnHe doesn't do a great job of explaining his position why the Roman Copper coins or a silver standard are significantly better than a gold standard. And his calling out of symbolism within the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, while interesting, (particularly the history of Frank Baum's private life working for various newspapers during the progressive era) I think is shaky at best. Still is at least honest that Barum had denied that such symbolism was ever meant. I'm not really sure why he thought such symbolism would be helpful in telling this story 100 years after the book's release.

I read this book because my aunt told me it was my grandfather's favorite book. It had been described as an adult version of little house on the prairie, and I think that's a fine description. Originally written in Norwegian Rolvaag writes in a very attractive manner quite different from his contemporaries. He writes a lot more how people talk a lot less of ":We need to harvest the potatoes,' said Per Hands" and a lot more "Per Hands said they needed to harvest the potatoes" sometimes it took 20 pages to describe events of an hour and sometimes 6 years passed in two paragraphs. I really fell in love with these characters and their struggle to make it on the edge of the prairie in North Dakota. I particularly felt for Beret the mentally ill wife of our PROTAGONIST Per Hansa, thought they didn't call he mentally ill back then. My biggest disappointment was the ending. Only further increased the predjudice that Norwegians can never be happy and have to find a way to be depressed. I also would have preferred if I had read the original first edition published as two separate books, the nearly 600 page omnibus became a bit unruly.

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing early review program. returnreturnI find most modern Christian books incredibly lacking in substance and a lot of feel-good fluff. However, I was very excited to get it, the subject sounded fantastic, and although it is a new 2020 release the original work was written over 100 years ago. returnreturnHowever, I was disappointed. This very short book took me months to get through. I was written in a very odd style. To the point that I think it may have been originally written in some sort of poetic verse when authored in German that didn't translate well to English.

I finally decided to "read" the wonderful wizard of oz. Of course I've seen the movie many times. I had heard a few things about the book, one that unlike most books the movie was better, and that the book is pretty much exactly the same other than Dorthy having silver shoes (allegedly some symbolism relating to the silver standard). Luckily both of these items were untrue. It was different enough from the movie to be a great exciting "new" story and better than the movie. Kansas was described as being all gray, long before color photography was a thing. The good which of the now was old and ugly, and the beautiful witch Glenda was that of the south. The story was much more nuanced and I loved the winged monkeys and the magic cap Dorthy used to control them. Definitely worth it.

This short book was insightful, and difficult. It's hard to tell if St. John Paul the great agrees with me on all political issues, or if that is just my very biases reading of it. We look to see if the need for human freedom is wrapped up in the social teachings of the Church. Socialism is evil but so is capitalism. It seems like a market economy is clearly good for human kind but it must be directed to help the most people and not be driven only by profit. returnreturnOne thing that did catch me here is St. John Paul's use of the phrase "real socialism" most self-described socialists I know use this phrase to refer to some sort of ideal/imaginary system that hasn't' actually been tried, while St. John Paul use this phrase, including the quotes, to refer to the failure of the state run economy of the USSR.

I had wanted to read this because I knew that holocaust deniers existed, and I wanted to find out why the heck they believe the way the do. returnreturnI couldn't do it, I couldn't get through it. It is written incredibly poorly. The publisher left practically no margins in the book, and they incorrectly show how they quote long portions of others work (printing it smaller instead of further indents). I understand they are on a budget and they feel they have important information to get out, but it made it nearly unreadable. returnreturnOn that the documentation is poor, like the most challenging claims seem to have no thing to back them up and the boring stuff are way over documented.

I am glad I read LeDuff's "Detroit" before I read "US Guys." For if I read this first I may have never read the other. returnreturnBased on the description I had expected some hardcore manliness, some real MRM stuff. But there was none of that. returnreturnThere was little actually tying the book together at all. Each chapter was a story of its own of LeDuff traveling to a different part of the country to take part in some form of everyday life there. returnreturnThe first couple chapters dealing with Oklahoma really shouldn't have been first. Hanging out with meth addicts in a flea bag motel is not a way to get me to want to keep turning the page. returnreturnThat being said the chapter on Burning Man in Black Rock City, NV was absolutely amazing, I also really like the chapter on the Pentecostal movement in Cleveland, TN, and playing in the AF2 in Amarillo, TX

Leopard's spots is famous for being one of the most racist novels of all times. When I heard of it I added to my queue so that I could try to see from inside someone else's head. Due to the recent political climate, I moved it to the front of the queue because I wasn't certain how much longer reading a book like this would be legal. returnreturnI was honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed the book. It was odd, I actually kept forgetting that he KKK were the protagonists. The idea that they actually justified the lynching of a black man, simply because he asked permission to kiss a white woman in the first "book" or that the red shirts beat another black man to death for brushing against a white woman, and that they seem to honestly feel this is entirely justified is flabbergasting. returnreturnThat being said the story actually had me turning the page. The author claims the first "book" of the three contained within this work (the whole work is the first in a larger trilogy) is entirely true. After reconstruction the Republican Party gains complete control of the North Carolina government when former slaves get the vote. If you look past the race portion it actually becomes a universal story. Of how government corrupts. Of how those that have been oppressed so often reply to oppressions of themselves to oppressing others when they have power. returnreturnThe second and third portions the author seems to agree are entirely fictional. Particularly the second "book" is focused on a romance between a rising member of the Democratic Party who had been orphaned in the first book, and the southern belle of an old guard member of the Party. returnreturnUnfortunately the conclusion was given away by simply reading the table of contents, so you may enjoy it better if you skip the table of contents.

This audiobook was not good. Even worst than the first one, and that one wasn't good either. There is hardly a story here at all, at least half of the book is just feminst propaganda. returnreturnThe little plot that exists is, someone wants it to look like the queen is trying to kill people. Our protagainst, an 11th century single mother who is also a doctor and a forensic scientist, goes on the case to find out. Her baby dady's who is a Catholic Bishop, shows up and then she thinks he dies. in the end every member of the clergy is fornicating and all the nuns are lesbians. and somethign about happily ever after?

This audiobook was not good. Even worse than the first one, and that one wasn't good either. There is hardly a story here at all, at least half of the book is just feminist propaganda.

The little plot that exists is, someone wants it to look like the queen is trying to kill people. Our protagonist, an 11th century single mother who is also a doctor and a forensic scientist, goes on the case to find out. Her baby daddy, who is a Catholic Bishop, shows up and then she thinks he dies. In the end every member of the clergy is fornicating, and all the nuns are lesbians. and something about happily ever after?