Amazon.com
Jack Dempsey (1895-1983) launched the age of big-money, high-visibility boxing with his 1919 defeat of heavyweight champion Jess Willard. Then when Gene Tunney beat Dempsey in 1927, assisted by a referee's controversial "long count," it foreshadowed the end of an era. With his good looks, free-and-easy ways, and roughneck background--including an ex-wife who was a prostitute before and after their marriage--Dempsey was the perfect hero for the brawling, cynical 1920s. Even his sensational trial in 1920 on charges of draft evasion and "white slavery" (he was acquitted) suited the decade's appetite for lurid tabloid stories. Roger Kahn, who met the fighter in the mid-1950s, takes an idiosyncratic approach to biography. He begins with a 1960 encounter in Dempsey's restaurant, moves back to the fighter's hard-knocks apprenticeship, covers Dempsey's childhood after an account of the 1920 trial, and intersperses snapshots of the American scene with recollections and reflections from the champ throughout. This technique pays off. Readers get a vivid sense of the period and of Dempsey as its hard-living but honorable exemplar, and they come to share Kahn's affection and respect for the thoughtful, generous man he became in later years. Squeamish readers, be warned: along with the cultural history, there's lots of boxing action, graphically described. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
From 1919 to 1927, Jack Dempsey was the heavyweight champion of the world. With his fierce good looks and matchless dedication to the kill, he was a fighter perfectly suited to the Roaring '20s. In A Flame of Pure Fire, award-winning and renowned sports writer Roger Kahn, a personal friend of Dempsey's, tells the extraordinary story of a man and a country growing to maturity in a blaze of strength and exuberance. With passion and precision, Kahn not only chronicles the thrilling, brutal bouts of the "Manassa Mauler" but also illustrates how the wild and raucous 1920s shaped Dempsey, and how the champ, in turn, left an indelible mark on sports and American history. An accomplished and insightful observation on how sports can measure a society's evolution, Roger Kahn finds the heart of America in the story of the most famous athlete of his time, the man John Lardner once called "a flame of pure fire, at last a hero."
Customer Reviews:
The Manassa Mauler.......2006-10-10
This is a fine biography of heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey, concentrating on his years in the ring during the 1920s. Kahn is especially compelling in his super-detailed accounts of the major bouts fought by Dempsey against Jess Willard, Georges Carpentier, Luis Firpo, and the two Gene Tunney matches that ended his fighting career. He makes no bones about how much he respects and admires his subject - "the candor, the quiet pride, the kindness, the wit, the fists like boulders" - and in his writing he's able to convince the reader to share his opinions.
Dempsey grew up in harsh poverty among the mining camps of Utah, Nevada, and the rest of the inter-mountain West, often fighting town toughs for $5 a pop. He never forgot what that was like and although winning and forwarding his career meant never having to return to that existence, he felt a closeness to people who had to struggle to survive. He made some poor choices during his career and life - corrupt management, the wrong women, unfortunate Hollywood connections - but also had to endure public malignancy: he was called a "slacker" after WW I for not fighting in the war and he went through an ugly, highly public divorce. In the ring he was a "killing machine," but outside it he displayed a sensitive nature. All this Kahn reveals marvelously.
Less marvelous is his insistence on placing Dempsey's life during the `20s within the framework of the times. Thus we get a surface-like overview of the corrupt President Harding, prohibition, Al Capone, Lindbergh, the movies, and scores of other pretty well-known or irrelevant events - all there to add "color" but not much substance. Less emphasis on some of this would have reduced the 450-page length of the book without diminishing its worth. Also the paperback edition is rank with typographical errors, a carelessness by the publisher unworthy of Kahn and his subject. But Kahn is an excellent writer (his BOYS OF SUMMER is still his best book and a classic), and as a one-time reporter he acknowledges by referring to them constantly the great newspapermen of the `20s and after - Ring Lardner, Paul Gallico, Damon Runyon, Bill McGeehan - and the book becomes almost as much about them as it is about Dempsey. Entertaining and informative.
An Engaging Study of the Prime Years of Jack Dempsey.......2006-08-27
This was a very engrossing history of Jack Dempsey and the 1920's. The author begins with Jack's early fights leading up to the July 4, 1919 battle with Jess Willard for the heavyweight crown. You see Jack fighting in small western towns for pocket money, riding the brake rails of trains to get from place to place, and struggling to come up with money for a square meal. Sometimes, he entered the ring at 160 pounds because he didn't have the money to eat properly.
You learn about his trusted training habits of running 5-10 miles a day, soaking his hands in brine and horse urine to toughen them, and splashing the same stuff on his face to toughen it and make it resistant to cuts.
You read about his failed marriages, his philandering, his bumpy relationship with his manager Doc Kearns, and his ferocity in the ring. He truly was a flame of pure fire.
By way of friendly criticism, I think the book could have been tighter and more compact. Kahn frequently diverts from the main storyline to tell tales of the 1920's, and while this helps to set Dempsey firmly in the times in which he lived, it also slows the momentum of the narrative. You find yourself saying, "Gee, why doesn't Kahn stay on story? Why does he keeping getting off track?"
Being a history buff, I was fascinated by the roadside stops that Kahn makes along the way, but these detours won't please everyone.
There were also a few factual errors in the book. An earlier review noted the contradiction on pages 20 and 188, did Dempsey soak his hands in brine and his face in bull and horse urine, or did he soak his hands in urine and his face in brine? The two accounts appear to contradict.
Also, Kahn is wrong when he says that Sugar Ray Robinson pummeled Jake LaMotta to the canvas in their 1951 fight. LaMotta stayed on his feet, even though he took a beating.
I should also mention that this book was written by a Dempsey devotee, He thinks that the referee in the second Dempsey-Tunney fight was crooked and biased for Tunney, Dempsey didn't foul Jack Sharkey in round seven of their fight, and Jack Dempsey was the greatest heavyweight of all time.
You may want to get a more objective biography of Dempsey to counterbalance what Kahn writes.
But all that said, I enjoyed the book very much. I recommend it heartily, and you can usually find it for less than five dollars.
Rev. Marc Axelrod
A cracking read.......2006-03-03
This book is a must for anyone interested in boxing history and even those who aren't!! The life and times of this great champ must be experienced. 10 out of 10!!!
Dempsey exemplified Boxing at it's best.......2006-02-05
Roger Kahn captures Dempsey and the boxing scene of the 20's. He was right to point out the fighters of that era were better than today's fighters.Many champions of the early 20th century get their start in bareknuckle ,anything goes battles without referees,or rules.There was only one recognized champion in each weight class and there were less weight classes. The fighters fought much more frequently and really had to earn a title shot. You would never have a Leon Spinks fighting for the Heavyweight title after 7 pro fights. I believe Dempsey would destroy Lennox Lewis,beat Tyson, or Ali.Even Tyson idolized Dempsey and attempted to copy his appearance in the ring.
A tough editor is needed.......2005-05-09
Roger Kahn writes beautifully and his descriptions of sporting events are unmatched. That being said he's much too self absorbed -- and in "Jack Dempsey" he's just plain sloppy and repetitive. Kahn tells the story twice of Hemingway's challenge to Dempsey for a sparring match, he repeats Dempsey's claim to have a Jewish Great-Grandmother three times, he devotes a long section to Henry Ford's anti-semitism, although Ford had nothing to do with Dempsey, and he attacks President Warren Harding ad nauseum. One would think he had something deeply personal against Harding. Moreover, he leaps around in space and time, making the narrative hard to follow.
Kahn's admiration for Dempsey is boundless. Dempsey was kind to him when he was a young sportswriter. At the same time he throws mud at Harding for his extra-marital affairs, he excuses Dempsey for being a bit of a stud outside the ring as well as inside.
All the criticisms aside, about one half the book is excellent as Kahn writes about Dempsey's fights brilliantly. If he stuck to that this would be an outstanding book. So read the book, but don't feel hesitant about skipping a lot of extraneous, repetitious, and irrelevant material.
Smallchief
Book Description
In less than a century, the flickering blue-gray light of the television screen has become a cultural icon. What do the images transmitted by that screen tell us about power, authority, gender stereotypes, and ideology in the United States? Television, History, and American Culture addresses this question by illuminating how television both reflects and influences American culture and identity.
The essays collected here focus on women in front of, behind, and on the TV screen, as producers, viewers, and characters. Using feminist and historical criticism, the contributors investigate how television has shaped our understanding of gender, power, race, ethnicity, and sexuality from the 1950s to the present. The topics range from the role that women broadcasters played in radio and early television to the attempts of Desilu Productions to present acceptable images of Hispanic identity, from the impact of TV talk shows on public discourse and the politics of offering viewers positive images of fat women to the negotiation of civil rights, feminism, and abortion rights on news programs and shows such as I Spy and Peyton Place.
Innovative and accessible, this book will appeal to those interested in women’s studies, American studies, and popular culture and the critical study of television.
Contributors. Julie D’Acci, Mary Desjardins, Jane Feuer, Mary Beth Haralovich, Michele Hilmes, Moya Luckett, Lauren Rabinovitz, Jane M. Shattuc, Mark Williams
Average customer rating:
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Jumbo Bible Word Games Collection
Incorporated Barbour Publishing
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Word Games
| Puzzles & Games
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Bible & Other Sacred Texts
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1586602357 |
Book Description
Here is a brand-new collection of Bible-based word games-- crossword puzzles, word searches, cryptograms, acrostics, scrambles, and more! This 448-page book contains hundreds of activities, good for hours of edification and entertainment. Answers are included. It's perfect fun for ages twelve and up.
Average customer rating:
- Great book for Sunday School
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Jumbo Bible Coloring Fun (Jumbo Bible Coloring Books)
Ken Save
Manufacturer: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Reference & Interpretation
| Bible
| Christianity
| Religions
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Stories
| Bible
| Christianity
| Religions
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Coloring Books
| Activity Books
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Word Games
| Games
| Sports & Activities
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ages 4-8
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1577483588 |
Book Description
Kids love Bible stories, and they love to color. This series combines both into an unbeatable activity book! Filled with page after page of the heroes of the Bible--people like Noah, Esther, Moses, David, and Jesus--these coloring books add up to hours of fun, at a great, low price.
Customer Reviews:
Great book for Sunday School.......2006-04-15
I am a Sunday School teacher, and I teach to K-2 graders. The story telling is very simple and short and the pictures are very interesting to kids. I love it and highly recommand it.
Sharon
Book Description
Are you a puzzle fanatic? Are you looking for a challenge? You're sure to find it in this word-search-packed jumbo edition that has 200 word searches to occupy you for hours.
Customer Reviews:
Very entertaining and fun as well!.......2003-06-23
This keeps your mind sharp and also keeps your mind on Biblical things. I am enjoying it alot, though I am no where near finishing it!!
Book Description
Rules & Tools for Leaders has guided hundreds of thousands of leaders exactly how to create and maintain growth and profitability. From hiring, firing and promoting to responding to major corporate crises, from day-to-day encounters to long-range strategic planning, Perry covers virtually every aspect of leadership and provides the means to get the job done-and done well.
Along with a thorough understanding of group dynamics, business models, and ethical practices, Rules & Tools for Leaders also features invaluable checklists and guidelines-providing everyday tools to put the tried-and-true rules into effect.
Customer Reviews:
How to book for managers and professionals.......2002-02-28
Smith has trained executives in the military and large corporations and through it all has developed a strong knowledge of how to run a business from top to bottom. The book not only goes over the most important aspects of running a business, but also provides best practices type information for each area.
Because each chapter is self-contained it does not depend on you reading prior chapters to understand the current one. So, if you need to jump to the area on hiring and firing then you can do so and understand the chapter. By the same token, if you don't need a chapter then you can just skip it (but I wouldn't advise you to do that because you never know when you may suddenly need it). I liked the thoroughness and depth of coverage of the book. In a world where too many books are nebulous and vague in their advice it is nice to find one that gives practical and useful advice.
Another high point of the book is the checklists. The use of the checklist frees you from having to remember all the steps in a process or all the little problems that can emerge if something is missed.
The book is filled with practical advice and is sure to broaden your knowledge of management and provide you with more tools to manage your business. From any level of management up to the top executives, this is a very useful book and a nice concise summary of the dozen or so separate books from my management courses in college.
The Best Practical Guide to Taking Charge I have Read.......2001-04-11
I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for practical, down-to-earth ideas covering various phases or chronological events (accepting a new position, hiring, firing, counseling, etc.) in the leadership continuum. This is not fluff, theory or high-level stuff, but practical chapters, well-arranged, that can, in a 15-20 minute read (per chapter), provide you with a number of things you can implement immediately. Lots of common sense, checklists, to-dos, techniques ideas, etc. I have used many, and shared them with members of my staff. I have recommended this book to many and will continue to do so. More than worth the price of the book and the time to read.
If you are a seasoned, leadership professional, you will find some good reminders, fresh ideas, and things you can use. If you are new to leadership, just got promoted, or aspiring to management, you have got to have this book. It will get you started quickly, and moving and thinking in the right direction. It is in my office 24X7 and I make it a point to reread every few months at least parts. I wish I would have had this book 20 years ago.
Wisdom is paid for with time, experience, and sacrifice........2000-09-09
As a Performance Development Specialist in the automotive components field, I am always looking for ways to enhance the leadership programs I am associated with. I read the reviews of this book first and then read four chapters randomly to determine if the negative reviews were valid in any way. My conclusion is that the critics of this book do not have an understanding of what leadership is. There is more hard data and usefull information packed into this less than 300 page book than any other single source I have found. Page 108 should be mandatory reading for all Americans. I can only conclude that the few negative reviews were from people who are naturally inclined to be against anything associated with the military or authority figures in general. We in the business community would be much better off if we practiced some of the skills and characteristic behaviors that obviously were acquired through years of sacrifice and contributions. Wisdom is indeed paid for.
How is it so BIPOLAR?.......2000-04-22
I haven't read the book, just the reviews... What is going on here? How is it possible to have such a love or hate perspective on this book? I guess I'll just have to judge it for myself...
Worthwhile. Valuable checklists.......1999-07-07
This book is a minimally-rewritten version of "Taking Charge" which Smith published a few years ago. The book contains useful and extremely pragmatic advice for managers and leaders. It is more oriented towards "big shots" than first line managers, but there is value for anyone who manages people. Biggest criticism--There is not an overriding theme in the book, it is a collection of chapters on individual subjects. Biggest attaboy--The book has a number of checklists that are useful. The author is a former military officer, and that shows in his examples, but the advice he gives is broadly applicable.
Product Description
History: Fiction or Science? is the most explosive tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by solid scientific data. The book is well-illustrated, contains over 446 graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays, which never cease to amaze the reader. Eminent mathematician proves that: Jesus Christ was born in 1153 and crucified in 1186 The Old Testament refers to mediaeval events. Apocalypse was written after 1486. Does this sound uncanny? This version of events is substantiated by hard facts and logic - validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources - to a greater extent than everything you may have read and heard about history before. The dominating historical discourse in its current state was essentially crafted in the XVI century from a rather contradictory jumble of sources such as innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts whose originals had vanished in the Dark Ages and the allegedly irrefutable proof offered by late mediaeval astronomers, resting upon the power of ecclesial authorities. Nearly all of its components are blatantly untrue! For some of us, it shall possibly be quite disturbing to see the magnificent edifice of classical history to turn into an ominous simulacrum brooding over the snake pit of mediaeval politics. Twice so, in fact: the first seeing the legendary millenarian dust on the ancient marble turn into a mere layer of dirt - one that meticulous unprejudiced research can eventually remove. The second, and greater, attack of unease comes with the awareness of just how many areas of human knowledge still trust the three elephants of the consensual chronology to support them. Nothing can remedy that except for an individual chronological revolution happening in the minds of a large enough number of people.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
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- Diana & Dodi: A Love Story
- Diaries 1898-1902
- Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer
- Edward M. Kennedy: A Biography
- Elle Woods: Beach Blonde - #2 (Legally Elle Woods)
- Fatal Charms and Other Tales of Today
- Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia
- Footprints Of A Pilgrim
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