Columbia Reviews

"Cocaine Train" is essentially three books, mixed together in one. I will rank these three parts according to their narrative quality and their ability to hold the reader's interest. First, there is a sharp-witted description of Colombia's violent beauty. These sections are beautiful reading, and will interest the amateur political scientist, the lover of unusual cultures, and the sports fan alike (owing to the focus on football, as the book was written during the '98 World Cup). Second, there is a travel guide and a history of Colombia's aging, decrepit railroad system, which will truly fascinate only railroad buffs, but is moderately interesting reading for the rest of us. And finally, there is a family history centered on the author's British grandfather, Leslie Frost, the man who guided the construction of the Colombian rail system half a century ago. These sections are the least interesting, unless the idea of meeting long-lost relatives from other countries really gets you going.

Smith's book starts slowly, meandering through snapshots of Grandpa and rickety train rides through jungles, but by the time he hits Medellin and begins discussing the drug trade, the civil war, and the fortunes of the Colombian national soccer team, the book "gathers steam" (no pun intended) and hits a pretty good pace. I recommend "Cocaine Train" for any train buffs, family history buffs, Latin American buffs, soccer buffs, cocaine buffs(?) or curious people in general. Just be prepared to skim through a few slow parts and the book should be great reading.

This book shows alot about the history, culture and much more on the country Colombia. It is great for research papers and alot of other projects in school. I recommend this for kids in school and librarys. If you look in librarys there aren't many books on Colombia, but I was lucky to find this!

As a child of the 70s, I happily realize that I missed a very paranoid and chilling period in global history. I've been attempting to understand the history of the Cold War, and this book definitely helped. The readability of the book isn't great; but it's not a novel. The information contained is broad and descriptive, and the timeline is especially informative. I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to have in-depth knowledge of this period in history.

the gyroscope is a rare instrument which we use usually,this book interpreted the principle of it ,let people accept it more easily,so i think this book is a successful book for mose people.

Although I enjoyed reading this book, it seemed to be redundant and unorganized. It's a really nice a compelling story. The live of Ms. Chong's grandmother is interesting and not uncommon for the time and the place. The problem is the book's structure. There are bits and pieces of the story scattered all over. If you are interested in the chinese-american (US/Canada) culture, this is a good book to read. On the other hand, if what you want is a coherent, well structured book, this book is not going to cut it. The pictures are a nice touch:)

An excellent review of the historical problems surrounding the authorship and date of "De excidio et conquestu Britanniae" attributed to Gildas. It uses the textual evidence to consider the nationality of Gildas, evidence for unity and authenticity of the text, and reviews the various arguments regarding the date of its writing. Finally, the author provides textual evidence regarding his interpretation of the date "De Excidio" was written using the text's lack of comment on the Easter Question, the reigns of the five princes addressed in "De Excidio", and the date of the Siege of Mons Badonicus.

"diss/ed banded nation," David Nandi Odhiambo's debut novel, details the finals weeks in the life of young jazz singer, Benedict Ochieng. Facing deportation back to his native Kenya, Benedict struggles with substance abuse, racism, poverty and a troubled relationship with Anna, a local stripper. "diss/ed.." is a tragic ode to the tortured artist, driven by jazzy lyricism and hip hop vocabulary that sizzles off the tongue. Inspired by Black American writers; Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Ralph Ellison, Odhiambo presents a unique take on grammar, preferring ellipsis, hyphen and back slash to commas and capital letter. His bare bones vernacular emphasizes the musicality of his words while shrugging off colonial aesthetics. "diss/ed.." exists in the realm of resistance in both its narrative and aesthetic. Odhiambo successfully examines "the inherent way in which [our] relationship to the english language...inadvertently perpetuates attitudes which function to silence and negate dissonant voices of protest and resistance.

Ultimately "diss/ed" is an urban romance between Benedict and Anna that ends in tragedy which serves to portray him as a martyr for the ongoing resistance to colonial power. "diss/ed.." is an unsympathetic look at the reality of our multicultural society, reminding us that the wounds of imperialism have not yet healed. END

This book provides good, solid reviews of the major public gardens complete with driving instructions, hours, amenities and "best times to view". Oregon, Washington and Vancouver are covered. It would be quite useful for a gardening enthusiast new to the area or to someone new to gardening. Unfortunately, most gardens covered are already familiar to gardeners who have lived here for a few years.

This book deals with issues that occured before the gays-in-the-military debate was in full swing in 1993. Thus, it feels a little dated. Further, it's a collection of documents that fueled the debate, rather than an analysis or an autobiography from one of the expelled gay soldiers. Still, when I was writing my senior college thesis, this book was useful to me. Its best item is an affidavit submitted by the late gay scholar John Boswell. There are better books on the topic, but this one wasn't bad.

Although not as detailed or as well-written as it could be, this is a sold book focusing on one of the most talented (as well as one of the toughest) studio presidents ever. Vulgar, often hated, Cohn is still a fascinating figure in Hollywood history. Highlights of this book include Clifford Odets actual Eulogy for Cohn and information about the relationship between Frank Capra and Cohn.