Triumph Reviews

Bollet has written a first rate book on the practice of military medicine in the Civil War. "Civil War Medicine: Challenges and Triumphs" is well-organized, approachable to the non-Civil War History buff or those lacking in a medical background, addresses both Confederate as well as Union history (a standard failing in many Civil War works), and dispells many myths about the standards of Civil War medical practices.

At the onset of the War, the American medical community faced a problem no less difficult than that of their military counterparts: mobilizing to handle the vast numbers of diseased and injured men that a major war would confront them with. They confronted many of the same difficulties as well: political meddling, hidebound regular Army leadership, and having to learn by doing. Bollet does an excellent job of describing how the combatants (the Union in particular) produced excellent military medical establishments, but only after learning from their own numerous mistakes.

He also examines the state of medical practice at the time, with an eye towards dispelling the many myths that have grown up around Civil War surgery (and continue to be espoused by historians today - historians who ought to know better). After laying down the facts (and the state of medicine at the time makes a fascinating study), he takes the very necessary next step of comparing American medical practice during the war to the two next best yardsticks: the Crimean War preceeding the conflict, and the Franco-German War which followed it. With those comparisons in mind, even at some of their absolute worst moments, American military medicine was doing far better than their European counterparts in saving lives.

It is a good book and will be an engaging read for any Civil War buff.

Bollet's effort attempts to give civil war physicians their day in court in this 400+ page endeavor. He provides a more balanced account of the medical field as it existed in that time period. Nothing is left unstudied. Numerous sidebar articles appear throughout the text to embellish points of interest. A nice appendix is provided, as well as countless charts offering statistical data of note. Bollet's style is very reader friendly - you don't have to be a med student to enjoy it! Doctors in Grey by Cunningham, and Doctors in Blue by Adams now have a worthy successor.

After reading this book it is easy to understand the tremendous task in gathering the amount of information author Alfred Jay Bollet had to assemble on the subject. With 444 pages of material and also quite a lot of references to back up the chapters this book is exceptional. Bollet covers a multitude of areas in the world of the medical care featuring early war ill-preparation, being overwhelmed, medical science, surgery, amputations, wounds, hospitals, drugs, diseases, prison camps and important individuals of the time. Every chapter offers added insight featuring biographies on people that may have had influence on the subject being written about that adds more intrigue to this book. This book is very comprehensive and fair to all parties involved often bringing to light the importance of doctors and nurses through out the entire war and it's aftermath. Another interesting aspect of this book is that it discourages the myths and stereotypes of doctors during the Civil War that have survived to this day. I recommend this book to anyone who studies medicine or the Civil War as much insight can be gained from this very thorough book.

This book was a disappointment. The medical and anecdotal evidence of causes of shy behavior offered was minimal and the solutions very simplistic. Don't waste your money with this book. It didn't teach me a thing.

I used this book when I was desparate to find a way to treat my child who has selective mutism. The book was extremely helpful and provided easy to implement suggestions. My son is doing very well because of this book. This is particularly important because I had such a hard time finding a therapist for him and ended up doing this myself. Thank goodness for this book with its logical approach to a frequently overwhelming problem.

I did not understand the previous review of Dr. Swallow's book. It did not appear to seek to present "medical evidence of shyness," but rather attempted to present practical suggestions to parents regarding the behavior of their shy children. I found this book to be very helpful....Thanx Dr. Swallow....changed my child's life.

I bought this book for my friend as a birthday gift and it is great. There are tons of pictures and lots of valuable information. I don't know if every little bit of it is true but its seems pretty much on target. There are tons of full page or a little smaller picture which are great for pin ups. Would make a great gift for any nsync fan!

This book has some really great photos collected from fans across the States.. they are close-up and clear (perfect for pin-ups!) They also have some in-depth profiles on all of the guys, which are pretty on-target. Most of the information big fans would know, but in general they're pretty good. I recommend this book for any younger fans wanting to know more about the group or any big fans that HAVE to have everything with *NSYNC in it :)

Okay, so it's not "official." We all know what happens when you buy unofficial merchandise.... Still, this is a pretty good book. If you have the extra cash, and you're a die-hard *NSYNCer like I am, I'd still recommend it. You don't even need to buy it for the words--buy it for the pictures! There's some really cute ones in it :) But in future, I'll probably opt more for Official stuff. It just feels sort of...shifty (or maybe it's cheap) buying "fake" stuff. Stay *NSYNC!

I got this book for Christmasone year! I read it and their ishelpful information,fun quizes, andlots of great Pictures!!!I love this book! A must have fordevoted Christina Aguilera fans!

I think this is a great book for all you Christina fans out there! Its packed with interviews, posters, quizzes, biography, EVERYTHING!!Get this is you love Christina, because you'll be hooked!

I bought this book at tower records in october or november of 2000 and it is a great book!It has all kinds of facts on her life and her favorite things!I think it's one of the best books on a singer that has been made!I just love it and i'm hooked on it!I read this book alot!And i also have five other books on christina and they're all great, but this now is the best one i have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I just can't belive any of you people can rate this book only 1,2,3,4stars!And you call yourselves christina fans!HUH!I also think it's great because at the back it has a test on her that you can take to see if you're a real fan or just a new one!So for anyone who wants to know if they should get this book well get it!You'll love it and think it's just a really great book!Well that's all and I just want to say that i'm christina's #1 fan and I always will be!!!!!!Christina's #1 forever and (not) Britney !

I do not know how difficult it is to find a proper editor these days, but it is clear that this English version of the book was not translated by one born to speak the language. With that out of the way, This book offers rich uniform plates and maps depicting the twin victories over Prussia by Napoleon. Not exactly in-depth, it does claim title to being one of the few dedicated volumes on these battles.

The reforms of the Prussian army did away with the individual regimental uniform distinctions that had been characteristic since Frederick the Great. I eagerly purchased this work for its many illustrations, as I have been unable to find precise details even in Kling. Unfortunately the illustrations are not very accurate. Problems can be detected even by a novice, simply by noting that the facings of the regiment and its grenadier company are at times depicted with two different colors! Hopefully, the rest of the book is better...

I found this book difficult to read. The narrative does not flow smoothly and the structure is awkward (it is a translation). However, the splendid illustrations more than make up for that. In addition to contemporary prints, numerous color uniform plates are provided. Even if you're not into painting miniatures, it is a joy to browse these plates. The production quality of the book is superb. For the illustrations alone, I recommend this book.

It started off great with an excellent history of how Karl Rove got mad from losing, a great motivator, and how he never gave up which is the true lesson from this book. I agree there were potshots at the republicans about what I'd expect from a talk show.

The discussion on the 2000 election fiasco was disappointing. The authors prefaced the chapter with stating that karen and karl just stood by during the recount. That's gotta be ... C'mon, his point man on being presidential simply took a vacation? Please. That was a silent admission as to the authors inability to fill-in the gaps.

I got Karl's motivations and experiences but after that the book simply dragged-on reporting what I got from glances at the news. Should have made it 50 pages smaller and $... cheaper.

I've started reading Bush's Brain, hopefully it will be better.

This is an excellent primer to the illustrious career of "Bush's Brain" as he is called. Of the two books presently popular ("Bush's Brain" is the other) this is the more balanced and thorough; indeed, it often times seems that the authors of Bush's Brain had used this for their source, and there is very little information in that book that is not in here. Don't bother to read both, if you're just looking for an introduction to the subject. A careful portrait of the crafty man that learned his tricks (and even instructed others in the same) during the time of "Tricky Dick" Nixon himself. Must read if you are at all interested in learning how Bush Jr. got to the oval office and why all the "big money" lined up behind him as miraculously early as it did.

I found "Boy Genius" to be insightful, compelling and humorous. The book is written by three journalists, two of whom followed Karl Rove throughout his days in Texas and a third who writes for the National Journal. The outline of the book is a chronological history of the campaigns and administrations Rove has managed or contributed to. The book is full of interesting antecdotes that really give you an idea of what Rove is all about and his motivations for the directions in which he takes his advisees. Most importantly, after reading this book I would describe Karl Rove as a winner, which makes this an interesting read no matter what your politics.

Two things the potential reader should know are 1) the majority of the book is about Texas politics and Rove's work in that state, and 2) the authors demonstrate definite left leanings in their storytelling, although it mainly shows through in their humor and when they point out the irony that George W. Bush never fails to provide for them. These caveats are fairly minor, I think most political readers will enjoy this one.

"The Triumph of Liberty" is best purchased with the notion that you will chew on one or two short nuggets at a time to capture the essence of each "freedom fighter" profiled. Like Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation", it's a compilation of vignettes that illuminate and sometimes inspire, and which can be read in short bursts.

"Liberty" is short on historical analysis and long on basic biographical formula, which made my own read feel somewhat monotonous. Still, it's a worthwhile contribution to the bookshelf of anyone who cares about the rights of the individual, and who knows how precarious those rights have been throughout man's history.

Powell deserves great credit for surveying the last two millenia of Western history to find liberty's "greatest champions". I found myself at the end begging for more analytic input from the author to "put it all together". But I am grateful for his compiling this list of the good guys in the struggle to attain the freedom which we all say we want, and are too often willing to sacrifice by pieces to other ends. The book would benefit greatly from better editorial attention to correct obvious syntactical errors and repetitions. Overall, an admirable addition to the literature of classical liberalism.

In this book Jim Powell attempts to tell us the story of liberty by illuminating the lives of it's greatest champions.Mr. Powell is a great storyteller and for the most part he succeeds in his mission of telling us the story of freedom's champions from Cicero to Ronald Reagan.The book might have been better if Powell had started out by giving us a definition of liberty. In the biblical sense liberty implies the ability to be morally self-governed.This was certainly how Locke, Jefferson and Franklin among other libertarians understood the term.If the concept of self-government is understood as it relates to liberty the author would have to eliminate the chapters on H.L. Mencken,and Albert Jay Nock among others.I agree with a previous reviewer that the book's inclusion of Martin Luther King Jr. is highly questionable.Dr. King was certainly a great man who achieved great things.But He was not a libertarian, He was a socialist.But beyond these criticisms this is an excellent book.My favorite chapter is the one about William E. Gladstone. Mr. Gladstone's life was the personification of liberty.Like John Locke and Hugo Grotius Gladstone was a devout christian who practiced moral self-government in his personal life and attempted to impose that same sense of self-discipline upon government. Once again this is a great book, which ought to be required reading in all of our schools. God bless you Jim Powell.

I am a mother of a three year old boy with the spectrum disorder of autism. I could not wait to read this book because of the "miracle" title. Halfway through, I realized the mother was the one with major issues. Ms. Steils position was a difficult one having one daughter with leukemia and the other with autism. I was extremely dissapointed to see how long it took her to bond with Georgie. She was institutionalised and labled and slipped through the loops so to say as her mom fought for her sanity. In this broken and torn apart family it's a wonder to even say Georgie could have been saved sooner if more time and effort were given to her. Very sad and depressing tale of a mother who never had a clue as to what her daughter needed the most --her.

When you are the parent of a child with Autism, it's difficult to make people understand what is going on with that child. Friends and family, although well meaning, just can't possibly understand the big picture! Reading her book was like having my own private support group. As I read of her self-doubt as a parent and later realizing that her parenting had nothing to do with Georgie's issues, I cheered for her. I thought "Yes, I'm not the only one who has felt this way"!
The sections focusing on Georgie's successful treatment with AIT also gave me some hope for the future with my own child, as her symptoms are eerily similar to Georgie's.
A "must read" for parents and caregivers!

Georgiana (Georgie) was born May 24, 1965. She made all developmental milestones within normal limits, as did her older sister, Dotsy. Speech was the major milestone that Georgiana did not make during her early years.

Georgie's mother had many overwhelming issues -- Georgie's unusual aversion for any type of sound, music included and the Dotsy's being diagnosed with leukemia when she was 4.

Annabelle naturally has Georgie tested and sent to early intervention programs. The only place where Georgie appeared to thrive was at Bellevue Hospital because, as Georgie herself said many years later, "it was quiet there." Dotsy's health deteriorates and she dies at the age of 8 in 1971. Georgie, then 6, is sent to a residential facility identified only as "Childville."

"Childville" sounds like a genuine Chamber of Horrors. Georgie complains about the noise and staff dismiss her complaints. She is overmedicated and complains that the medicines make her feel funny. She becomes hostile and acts out because she cannot stand any type of sound. A rather incompetent social worker identified as "Judith" seems determined to block and undermine any and all progress on Georgie's part. When the girl shows an unusual balancing ability and begs for a skateboard, Judith refuses, telling Georgie's mother that Georgie is "overcompensating a fear." Fortunately, Georgie gets her skateboard and is quite proficient on it.

Georgie is fortunate enough to have summers free of that institutional wasteland. Luckily for all, Annabelle marries Peter and that union produces a natural brother and later a sister for Georgie. Peter has some grown daughters from a previous marriage and it is in this loving, extended family that Georgie blossoms.

Annabelle decides that Childville is not the answer and withdraws Georgie when the girl was 11. Peter had accepted a job in Switzerland, and naturally Georgie wanted to join her family. Judith tries to keep Annabelle and Peter from withdrawing Georgie, invoking the name of and cliches from Freud. Fortunately, Annabelle withdraws Georgie, discontinues the medications and for the next several years, Georgie flourishes in Switzerland. She learns to ski, is mainstreamed and explains her aversion to sound. Luckily, she has been treated by several very humane doctors specially trained in AIT (Auditory Integration Therapy) and this treatment is continued during her years abroad. One can't help but cheer when Georgie dances in the rain, explaining that the rain "doesn't sound like a machine gun anymore."

An interesting expression that Annabelle coined is "hig," meaning "hostile inadvertent gesture." One can't help wondering why it isn't "hostile INTENTIONAL gesture" because Georgie would sometimes deliberately inflict physical pain on people who had crossed her. Annabelle devised the acronym "hig" to subtly call Georgie on her behavior in these instances.

After several years abroad, the family returns to the U.S. Georgie's records "mysteriously disappear" because the cruise ship she was on met with a disaster and several cartons had to be discarded.

Free of previous baggage, Georgie attends a public school in Connecticut. She graduates as class valedictorian in 1984 and, at last count, is happily married.

Georgie appeared on "Sally Jesse Raphael" in recent years and drew a map of Africa, all countries included from memory. Bright and now quite verbal, Georgie is a strong advocate of AIT. She said it literally saved her life.

Sociobiology applied to humans is under attack from various disciplines. It seems its very existence is threatened. Advocates are therefore urgently needed to counterattack the threat.
John Alcock tries the old preacher's trick: "weak arguments raise your voice" when he calls his book The triumph of Sociobiology. What we see is quite the opposite: a formidable debacle.
The arguments when is comes to humans are weak, the "tests" he puts forward seem very unreliable. The results can be explained in other ways than adaptation by evolution.
Some examples from real life are outright ridiculous, as when he says that men "almost always view women of reproductive age as sex objects". His example is from an American supermarket, where eye to eye contact and a smile to go with it from the women had to be abandoned because of males thinking they were invited to sex.
This could surely not happen in Sweden where I live (you are welcome to shop here), but it happens in the US because of the distance between the sexes, the hypocrite morality (I have lived there too) and lack of equality. Here we have mixed classes everywhere, even in sports and gymnastics. The military and the clergy are soon fully integrated and the above mentioned problems thus almost extinct.
Sociobiologists take for granted, without proof, that because animals have certain behaviour due to evolutional adaptation humans must follow suit. That is not science, only wishful thinking. And the enigma to me is why they wish it.
The only explanation I can give, from reading lots of similar books is that sociobiology attracts pseudo-fascist personalities, persons with some kind of need for rigidity.
If so sociobiology will soon become an asterisk in the history books. No matter how hard you flog a dead horse: it will never rise up and run.
Shakespeare was right when is comes to our ability to understand ourselves as objects of science: you can't play this flute.

A short introduction to what sociobiology is (the search for evolved adaptations in behavior) and equally what it is not. A useful antidote to the misrepresentations of sociobiology that abound in some areas (Gould, Angier, most to the popular press). Interesting examples and up to date.

Is EPM an element in your life? Extra-Pair Mating is but one of many animal behaviour traits examined by John Alcock in this excellent overview of research in sociobiology. Many species of birds have been typified as monogamous - pairing for life, or during a mating season. Alcock cites avian studies that modify that picture. Red-winged Blackbird females will flit from the nest to take up with a different male although remaining partnered with her original mate. Alcock stresses that without the research spurred by Edward O. Wilson's 1975 book, Sociobiology, The New Synthesis, we would never have discovered this novel avian behaviour. He goes on to show even more unexpected traits in birds, such as warblers whose offspring remain in the nest area to assist in supporting the next clutch of hatchlings. These birds, faced with varying available resources actually possess the means to control the sex of their offspring depending on forecast needs.

Don't mistake the title of this book. "Triumph" is not a victory celebration, it's a paean to the successful maturing of a young science. Many of the studies, superbly related in this book, show how much the depth of knowledge has increased since Wilson's appeal. Alcock shows how sociobiology, instead of being a "revolution" as many of its critics tag it, is in reality the fulfillment of Darwin's original premise. Wilson defined the discipline as "the systematic study of the biological basis of all social behaviour." To Alcock, that means seeking the role natural selection played in shaping the evolution of the particular social behaviour under study. Alcock relates how this foundation has led to inquiries and results rarely or never considered prior to Wilson's call for this type of study. Nor is the work confined to birds. Insects, spiders, mountain goats, chimpanzees and other animal life are covered. Nor are the botanists overlooked - plant reproductive strategies are also examined. The key phrase throughout is "adaptation" and its role in evolution. Anyone wishing to gain insight into the way life adapts to conditions will find this book a priceless treasure.

Alcock must spend time dealing with the critics of sociobiology because they have reached such a broad public audience. Gould's pernicious attacks are a particular concern of Alcock's since the Harvard paleontologist's adroit turn of phrase has deceived many unwary readers. Gould's mantle as "the pope of paleontology" has allowed him to characterize studies of adaptation as expressions of "Darwinian fundamentalism." This oft-repeated phrase, plus his characterization of "just so stories" to studies he disapproves of, have made the lot of several young researchers difficult. Alcock recounts one case in which an admittedly tentative field study was the target of Gould's vituperation. The long career of Gould's irrational attacks on sociobiology are analysed, then gently dismembered by Alcock. If for no other reason, this book should achieve wide circulation for its service in exposing the fallacies of Wilson's critics.

However, this book has far more value than puncturing "punctuationists." Alcock shows that sociobiology isn't the "gene determinist" science it's been labeled. The many studies cited in this book remove the idea that only humans are flexible in the decision-making process. Extending our evolutionary roots as Alcock's many examples do, leads him in to see sociobiology as the basis for many practical human social issues. The diamond in this tiara of evolutionary roots for social behaviour is the application of the research to the future human condition. His chapter on "practical applications of sociobiology" nearly justifies the price of the book in itself. With no illusions about immediate success given the ongoing squalls of opposition by such as Gould, Alcock still suggests reasoned, pragmatic solutions for social issues derived from sociobiological research. Instead of jousting with the opposition, Alcock says "let's try this or that solution and see if we achieve positive results." What better example of adaptation?

Alcock's citation method is novel, but one which we can only hope more writers will follow. Instead of a duality of footnotes and bibliography, Alcock simply lists his sources alphabetically. Assigning each author a corresponding number, he then inserts the number in the main text. The reader avoids the distraction of footnote references, the bibliography is a ready reference back to the text and the size of the book is reduced - saves paper. Of far greater novelty and function, however, is the appendix of this excellent work. Where other authors use an appendix to flesh out arcane topics for the dedicated student, Alcock, again, is more practical. His appendix is a study guide, complete with thought-provoking questions. It's a crafty tool for reconsidering your own ideas and expand your thinking.

NOTE: Alcock devotes much attention in this book to mating strategies. One such strategy, outside his scope, is matching compatible books. Where Alcock has given us a splendid picture of sociobiology research, another work on the people involved should be mated with TRIUMPH on your shelves. Ullica Segerstrale's DEFENDERS OF THE TRUTH is an in-depth study of Wilson and his critics. Both are valuable contributions in understanding the workings and workers in science.

The real problem with this book lies not in his treatment of his dogs, but in his treatment of other mushers. It is odd that he could be so critical of so many of the other mushers from the back of the pack. While not quite an armchair quarterback, he was definitely throwing some cheap shots from the sled runners. I had a suspicion while reading this book that he was searching for a way to justify his utter lack of speed, instead of just reveling in the moment. While it is nice to hear about a musher that cares deeply about his dogs (as most do), I felt that he simply did not have the rapport with his dogs that most succesful mushers have.

This book tells the story of one man's first experience of the Yukon Quest, and the problems and triumphs he encountered along the way. Very informative for some-one like myself (an armchair musher!)covering aspects which would never occur to me i.e. arranging food drops in advance!

A real page turner, i finished reading the book in one day.

In Honest Dogs: A Story Of Triumph And Regret From The World's Toughest Sled Dog Race, journalist and family man Brian O'Donoghue shares the story of his experiences upon entering the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race at the age of 41. Brian writes with wry humor of sharing the trail with his Alaskan huskies Khan, Hobbes, Scrimshaw, and Cyclone, as well as a diverse collection of rival racers and resident bush rats. Honest Dogs is a candid, vivid account of a punishing personal journey and relates the strategies, dreams, and disappoints of the contestants, the antics of the furry canine athletes, the sheer drama of the race, and the unworldly wilderness setting in which Brian and his dogs found themselves. Honest Dogs is highly recommended reading for armchair adventurers and dog lovers everywhere.