Product Description
This digital document is an article from District Administration, published by Professional Media Group LLC on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 683 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A turtle teaches cyberspace ethics. (Government spotlight: the latest news about education from the U.S. government).
Author: Margaret Tierney
Publication: District Administration (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Professional Media Group LLC
Volume: 39Issue: 1Page: 13(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
The odds are on J. Danforth Quayle, oft-reviled, much joked about, becoming the next president of the United States. As the current vice-president, he automatically succeeds to the most powerful political office in the world if anything should happen to George Bush. And since Bush - who is 68 - collapsed at the Tokyo summit in January 1992, the state of the President's health has once again focused attention on Dan Quayle. As Bob Woodward and David S. Broder also point out in this presidential election year, since 1952 all but one elected vice-presidents have gone on to claim their parties' nominations for president, and five of the last presidents served as vice-president. "Washington Post" journalists Woodward and Broder investigate the man, his career and his influential wife Marilyn in this assessment, and ask "what if Quayle becomes President?" Bob Woodward's books include "The Final Days" and "All the President's Men" (with Carl Bernstein). He is assistant managing editor of "The Washington Post". David S. Broder is the paper's leading political columnist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Is He Dumber Than W? You Decide
Did George Bush pick a dingbat for his vice President? You bet. Were the
American people troubled by the notion that the dingbat could become
President one day? You bet. Did two conservative journalists write an easy
to read puff piece on the dingbat? You bet. Does it fail to hide the fact
that the dingbat is an intellectual lightweight and basically a spoiled son
of a wealthy family? You Bet. It's a good read though. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique electronic book on CD-ROM - revised for 2009 - has comprehensive coverage of federal student aid programs and other federal grants and assistance programs. Federal programs available for higher education are grants (financial aid that doesn't have to be repaid), work study, and loans. There are four types of federal student aid grants: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant). The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program lets students work part-time to earn money. Student loans, which must be repaid with interest, include Federal Perkins Loans, FFEL Stafford Loans, Direct Stafford Loans, FFEL Plus, and Direct PLUS.CD-ROM: Newly revised and expanded for 2009 with updated material not found in earlier editions, our unique electronic book on CD-ROM has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources on government grants with extensive coverage of federal student aid programs, Education Department information on college loans, and the 2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook. There is a section on getting files and records from government agencies through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act. Save time and effort by using this comprehensive resource to find grants, disaster relief, loans, student aid, programs, or records! There is individual coverage of federal agencies and departments, along with tips and resources for grant proposal writing. In addition, next-generation search technology allows complete cross-file indexing and makes all files on each disc fully searchable! The depth and breadth of the coverage of federal grants and small business programs is truly awesome. The full reproduction of the 2008-2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook provides authoritative information on the student aid application process. Student eligibility and school eligibility and operations sections provide a application and verification guide with complete data on the application process, FAFSA to ISIR, Expected Family Contribution, Verification, Student Eligibility, School Determined Requirements, Citizenship Requirements, NSLDS Financial Aid, and more.FEDERAL GRANTS - We go far beyond just the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), the OFFICIAL guide to federal grants, with its thousands of pages on loans, grants, surplus equipment, and training from 1662 agency and department programs worth $300 billion. (The printed CFDA is still sold by GPO, now for $75!) There are new programs from the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, HUD, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, EPA, Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. Our CD-ROM has unique sections devoted to specific agencies or topics, with over 66,000 pages of material. FOIA and Privacy Act coverage has information on contacting every government agency, guides to writing FOIA requests, FOIA law and related topics. There is specific information on all 15 types of assistance: Formula & Project Grants, Direct Payments - Unrestricted, Loans, Insurance, Sale/Exchange/Donation of Property, Goods, Use of Property, Facilities, Equipment, Advisory Services, Counseling, Technical Information, Training, Investigation of Complaints, and Federal Employment. Categories of service provided include: Agriculture, Arts, Business, Commerce, Community Development, Consumer Protection, Disaster Prevention and Relief, Education, Employment, Labor, Training, Energy, Environmental Quality, Food, Nutrition, Health, Housing, Humanities, Information, Statistics, Law/Justice/Legal Services, Natural Resources, Regional Development, Science, Technology, Social Services, Income Security, and Transportation. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique electronic book on CD-ROM - revised for 2009 - has comprehensive coverage of federal student aid programs and other federal grants and assistance programs. Federal programs available for higher education are grants (financial aid that doesn't have to be repaid), work study, and loans. There are four types of federal student aid grants: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant). The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program lets students work part-time to earn money. Student loans, which must be repaid with interest, include Federal Perkins Loans, FFEL Stafford Loans, Direct Stafford Loans, FFEL Plus, and Direct PLUS.CD-ROM: Newly revised and expanded for 2009 with updated material not found in earlier editions, our unique electronic book on CD-ROM has an amazing collection of the finest federal documents and resources on government grants with extensive coverage of federal student aid programs, Education Department information on college loans, and the 2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook. There is a section on getting files and records from government agencies through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act. Save time and effort by using this comprehensive resource to find grants, disaster relief, loans, student aid, programs, or records! There is individual coverage of federal agencies and departments, along with tips and resources for grant proposal writing. In addition, next-generation search technology allows complete cross-file indexing and makes all files on each disc fully searchable! The depth and breadth of the coverage of federal grants and small business programs is truly awesome. The full reproduction of the 2008-2009 Federal Student Aid Handbook provides authoritative information on the student aid application process. Student eligibility and school eligibility and operations sections provide a application and verification guide with complete data on the application process, FAFSA to ISIR, Expected Family Contribution, Verification, Student Eligibility, School Determined Requirements, Citizenship Requirements, NSLDS Financial Aid, and more.FEDERAL GRANTS - We go far beyond just the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), the OFFICIAL guide to federal grants, with its thousands of pages on loans, grants, surplus equipment, and training from 1662 agency and department programs worth $300 billion. (The printed CFDA is still sold by GPO, now for $75!) There are new programs from the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, HUD, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, EPA, Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security. Our CD-ROM has unique sections devoted to specific agencies or topics, with over 66,000 pages of material. FOIA and Privacy Act coverage has information on contacting every government agency, guides to writing FOIA requests, FOIA law and related topics. There is specific information on all 15 types of assistance: Formula & Project Grants, Direct Payments - Unrestricted, Loans, Insurance, Sale/Exchange/Donation of Property, Goods, Use of Property, Facilities, Equipment, Advisory Services, Counseling, Technical Information, Training, Investigation of Complaints, and Federal Employment. Categories of service provided include: Agriculture, Arts, Business, Commerce, Community Development, Consumer Protection, Disaster Prevention and Relief, Education, Employment, Labor, Training, Energy, Environmental Quality, Food, Nutrition, Health, Housing, Humanities, Information, Statistics, Law/Justice/Legal Services, Natural Resources, Regional Development, Science, Technology, Social Services, Income Security, and Transportation. ... Read more

Product Description
This unique book and CD-ROM set - revised for 2009 - combines our ring-bound book with our comprehensive 66,000 page CD-ROM on federal student aid programs and other federal grants. Federal programs available for higher education are grants (financial aid that doesn't have to be repaid), work study, and loans. There are four types of federal student aid grants: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), and the National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant). The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program lets students work part-time to earn money. Student loans, which must be repaid with interest, include Federal Perkins Loans, FFEL Stafford Loans, Direct Stafford Loans, FFEL Plus, and Direct PLUS. ... Read more

Product Description
Politics plays a major role in all our lives. This book contains short accounts of 101 key ideas in politics arranged in alphabetical order. The accounts focus on key political themes and ideas in order to give the reader the background knowledge to analyze important political questions. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Middle East since 1945" is an essential guide to one of the world's most turbulent regions. Informative yet lively, it examines the origins and developments of the issues that have made the headlines over the last half-century. This new edition has been comprehensively updated to cover recent developments within the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the terrorist attacks in the West and elsewhere. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

It's succinct.It's well written. It's informative.
It's the kind of book you'd expect young M16 agents to have on their bedside table.

Quick and easy to read, Ross'the Middle East Since 1945 is detailed throughout but does not get wrapped around the axels of any one issue - just a punchy and well written page or two on the main issues and protagonists post the second war.It would read most like an intelligence briefing were it not for the colour that this author adds to the writing in an unbiased and mature fashion.5 out of 5.

A good start to your knowledge
I'm not saying that this book should be one's only basis of knowledge of the recent history of the middle east, but I did find it to be a good way to start learning about a part of the world that is very important, yet is never covered in school classes. I don't think that there is any one book out there that covers the whole history of the region and shows no bias, but I do believe that this book does a good job of laying out the history of the middle east and I know that I learned so much from reading it.

Reads like a parody
This book is useful in teaching yourself some Middle East history.You see, some folks claim that some books about the Middle East merely parrot a bunch of anti-Zionist myths and taunts.This is one of the books that proves them right.

Ross says that by 1945, Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini's reputation was "tarnished" because he moved to Germany in World War Two and entered into "negotiations" with the Nazis.Well, that surely is one way to put it!

The author continues by saying that more fervent Zionists were "irked" by Britain "limiting" further Jewish immigration to the Levant with the 1939 White Paper.That also is one way of putting it.I think that some of the more fervent Tutsis were also irked by the fact that 800,000 of them were slaughtered by Hutus.Now I know what "irked" means, I guess.

We also hear of secret meetings between Jordanian King Abdullah and Golda Meir in 1948.Of course, their meeting is totally misrepresented by the author.

What do you suppose Ross says about the assassination of Count Bernadotte?He says that the UN mediator was killed because he "seemed too pro-Arab."This ignores the question of why opposition to human rights of life, liberty, and property might be synonymous with being "pro-Arab."I also think the author ought to have had the nerve to say what Bernadotte did and let us readers judge him ourselves.

What about the six-day war?Our intrepid author blames the Jews, of course.I wonder why he praises the Arab aggressors and blames the Israeli defenders.The benefit of doing this is not clear to me.Such misrepresentations are not going to lead to peace or harmony.

Ross says that Egypt's Nasser "felt obliged" to re-occupy Sharm al-Sheikh.Now Nasser did say at the time that Egypt was ready for war.And in no uncertain terms! But the author wants to blame Israel, so he explains away Nasser's statement by saying "It was not what he meant at all."If I could misrepresent facts the way Ross does, I think I could prove anything.

Now we get to the topic of Arab terrorism.What do we get to read about one of the worst human beings of the twentieth century, Arafat?Do we read about his vicious slaughters of innocent civilians?His constant lies and taunts?Or even his misuse of funds?

What we read is that Arafat overcame his drawbacks "with an exceptional vitality that combined passion, determination, charm, and bravery."

That takes the cake.Obviously, such words, true or false, could be used to describe any thug or mass murderer.But what does it say about the writer?Only a person wholly committed to opposing human rights could dream of associating the words Arafat and charm in such a manner.


How about the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which was in response to terrorist attacks from there?And which did drive Arafat's gang out of Lebanon? Ross says it is the other way around.He talks about Israel's incursions into Lebanon as if Arafat belonged there.And then he says "Arafat refused to play ball.Despite repeated incursions into Lebanon, the PLO did not retaliate."I think a reader who wants to learn about the Middle East might want to check some of the other books I have reviewed about the topic to decide if this is a good description of events.

The author does not like Jewish settlements in the West Bank.He calls them an "obvious affront" to the Arabs.And he implies that the settlements are simply a theft of Arab land.

The only problem with all this is that the land is disputed.Jews and Arabs have equal rights to it.Jews may well feel that the presence of Arabs in the West Bank is an "obvious affront."One day, some other group of people (maybe one with a truly immense army) may feel that the presence of Arabs is an obvious affront. Is the author trying to say that this will justify the ethnic cleansing of Arabs? Or is he trying to say that the Arabs are the only real people in the world, and that the Arabs are justified in stealing whatever they want whenever they want?

Ross mentions Arab riots over the opening of a door to a tunnel in the Old City of Jerusalem.The tunnel was already open near the Western Wall.This door was at the other end of the tunnel.But Ross tries to imply that this somehow threatened the al-Aqsa mosque.Hey, maybe it threatened the Kaaba and the Kremlin as well.Stories like these are not facts.They are so obviously untrue that they count as taunts.

In 2000, we read that Ariel Sharon killed the peace process by visiting the Temple Mount.This leaves unasked the question of why one more visit to Judaism's holiest site, in the middle of the capital of Israel, ought to provoke a murderous Arab riot.Oh, but that wasn't the only provocation.In addition, we are told that a 12-year old Arab boy was "shot several times by Israeli soldiers."But it is extremely unlikely that Israelis actually shot this boy.In fact, the incident may well have been entirely staged.In any case, the author owed it to us to tell us this, as well as to tell us about the saturation of the international information supply with anti-Israeli propaganda.We're also entitled to know that much of the reporting of events from Israel is indeed staged.

Obviously, I do not recommend this horrible book.
... Read more

Product Description
Offers a quick and flexible understanding of the history, theories, and key players of world politics. Set out in A-Z format. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an introduction to the study of politics. It focuses on the key themes and ideas essential for a basic understanding of this universal subject, looking at examples from all over the world. It also features issues such as the media and the role of international communities and the EEC. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on 15 years' research, this biography tells the story of how Churchill's political career developed, and why he could serve in both Conservative and Liberal governments. It reassesses his role in the Dardanelles fiasco and it describes his long climb back to power and influence as well as the human price which his ambition exacted from those around him. The conclusion demonstrates how and why the man created by the previous six decades had the vision he had in 1940 - and what the limits of it were. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

End of a Myth
It was good to find an in depth biography that exposed the `great leader' myth surounding Churchill. He told us we were fighting to save the empire. In fact it cost us the empire.

Churchill destroyed one world power, the UK, and relaced it with two more: the USA and USSR.

No war aims save victory
Charmley, and some his reviewers, have got things wrong. Sure Churchill was an empire man, that is why he got so unpopular between the wars, when he resisted efforts to give India even the most limited self-government.

But Churchill had no war aims, save victory. OK, victory was important, but we would not have had victory on Churchill's watch.

He was terrified of D-Day, believing a re-run of the Battle of the Somme was in the offing.

All his life, he was a side-show man. When troops were needed in Normandy, he pleaded for them to stay in Italy.

In 1939-40 he even floated a notion - you could not call it a plan - to attack Germany via the Caucusus! The small matter of crossing Russia didn't seem to daunt him.

Then there was his little known adventure in the Eastern Mediterranean in 1943: this was an attempt to drag Turkey into the war. It was a dismal and humiliating failure.

Unlike the other two leaders, Churchill lacked post-war aims.

Stalin was quite clear: he wanted to take Communism westwards. He got his way.

Roosevelt had clear war aims: one of which was to break down the system of trade on which the British Empire was based. He got his way, though he did not live to see it. (Globalisation started here.)

Churchill? He basked in glory, a romantic to the end. Was he good for Britain, though?

He got it wrong, very wrong on Europe: one of the biggest lost opportunities in British history was waved away by a nation that ended the war under the killer illusion that it was still a great power.

More of an apologist for Chamberlin than anything else.
While Churchill's status as an icon is entirely too uncritical of a brilliant but erratic and flawed statesman, this is hardly a good faith effort to due Churchill justice.Charmley's constant apologies, evasions and outright deception regarding Neville Chamberlain's failed and ongoing efforts at appeasement after Munich & Churchill's opposing efforts clearly stems from an agenda more to rehabilitate Chamberlain's reputation than to do justice to Churchill's actions.Charmley's deception in this area is extreme.His reference more to Chamberlain & Halifax's diaries & letters than to Churchill's for the 3 chapters leading up to Churchill's ascent to Prime Minister doesn't do him much credit nor does his uncritical and adoring acceptance of Chamberlain's evaluations of virtually everything and everyone, including Hitler of all people.To give an example, Charmley, disregards 3 separate accounts of Churchill not rising to applaud Chamberlin's speech in the House of Commons upon his return from Munich as not being either recorded at the time or of being suspect due to malice toward Chamberlain.This same `critical' eye paints Chamberlain as being relentlessly opposed to Hitler after Hitler's entry into Prague in May 1939 in spite of Chamberlin's constant well documented efforts to continue appeasement after that time.He even neglects to mention Chamberlin's efforts to continue appeasement negotiations that continued even after Poland's invasion, not even mentioning something as significant as the Cabinet's revolt and ultimatum to Chamberlain that he must put a deadline on negotiations to Hitler & withdrawal from Poland on the 2nd day after Poland's invasion.All in all this book has some valid debunking of Churchill's myth and questions about the long term costs of Churchill's decisions but it is at times blatantly deceptive and far, far too uncritical of Churchill's rivals, none of whom except Eden are subject to much criticism.

Flawed premise but some valid criticism of Churchill
I regard Churchill as one of the alltime overrated figures in history, and certainly enjoy seeing him cut down to size.Charmley provides a veritable all-you-can-eat buffet for Churchill haters, as he recounts in excrutiating detail the extraordinarily flawed personality of Churchill.

After setting the stage by illustrating Churchill's early years as a relentless opportunist and self-promoter, Charmley begins to build his case that Churchill was not the great wartime leader that posterity would have us believe, and in fact did not even have a sound grasp of military operational strategy.The most glaring example is, of course, the Gallipoli Campaign, which was an unmitigated disaster and effectively ended Churchill's political career for more than two decades.Churchill had gotten his shot at the big time (by becoming First Lord of the Admiralty) and had blown it.When he got his second chance, he showed that he had learned effectively nothing in the intervening period about military operations.Throughout World War II, he would attempt to undertake various zany military campaigns, most of which were politely ignored by the Allied commanders.

While demonstrating Churchill's ineptitude in this area, Charmley (clearly a Neville Chamberlain apologist) builds a reasonably convincing case for Chamberlain, arguing that Chamberlain was using appeasement more as a tool for buying time than anything else.Far from being the naive optimist, Chamberlain was quite sure, argues Charmley, that Hitler was not to be trusted in any agreement.While giving Hitler what he wanted, Chamberlain was quietly building up Britain's military strength for the war he was sure to come.Because one cannot create a potent fighting force overnight, Chamberlain knew he had to buy time by whatever means necessary.Churchill, by contrast, was ready to rush into war with Germany in 1937-38, when Britain was in no way prepared to fight a continental war.

Up to this point, Charmley's treatment of Churchill is reasonable from a scholarly standpoint.He can make coherent arguments and back them up with citations and evidence.However, Charmley's main beef with Churchill has never been that he was reckless & impetuous, or that he wasn't the great military mastermind.Charmley's problem with Churchill is that he lost the British Empire.At this point, Charmley's book begins to fall apart.

Charmley is writing from the perspective of someone who thinks the British Empire was a pretty neat thing, and wishes that Britain still had its empire, just like the good old days.In subsequent writings, Charmley has taken his argument even further, casting FDR as an anti-imperial villain who had, as one of his wartime goals, the deliberate destruction of the old colonial empires.In Charmley's opinion, the primary goal of the British High Command during World War II should have been the preservation of the British Empire.The defeat of the Nazis and containment of the Soviet Union?Sure, the British could have tried to do that also, but the preservation of the Empire was the important thing.

In fact, the British High Command was trying to do exactly that, and was continually butting heads with General George Marshall over priorities in strategy.The US wanted as its goal the invasion of Europe proper, and had hoped to launch the Normandy campaign in 1943, a full year before D-Day.The British, by contrast, favored a peripheral approach, sending valuable resources to reclaim portions of British territory that had been seized by Germany & Japan.The British also wanted opportunities for their commanders (such as Montgomery) to win glory on the field.The concessions the US made to Britain, it can be argued, prolonged the war in Europe by up to a year.

So Charmley's argument that Churchill did not do enough militarily to preserve the Empire is not particularly valid.Charmley probably understands this, because he also comes as close he can to stating (without actually doing it) that maybe, just maybe, Churchill might have been well-advised to cut a deal with the Nazis, keep the Empire intact, and focus on the real enemy, which was (in Charmley's conservative viewpoint) the Soviet Union.Charmley does not explicitly say this, because he would then run the risk of being lumped into the same category as the likes of David Irving.However, he makes this argument repeatedly, in as an oblique a fashion as he can muster.

The whole problem is that Charmley bases his argument on the premise that the British Empire could in fact have been saved, and this is where the biggest flaws in this book creep in.Charmley would like to ignore the fact that the British Empire had been slowly coming apart at the seams since the Boer War.Even during Victoria's reign, Britain had been struggling to provide the resources necessary to maintain Imperial control.The attrition of World War I was effectively the final nail in the Imperial coffin; it was only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.One only has to look at post-war France, which tried to restore its colonial empire by force, to see how things probably would have turned out for Britain.

One can also ask the question, is Charmley's belief that the Empire deserved to be preserved valid?This is definitely a matter of perspective.Did the British Empire ultimately do more harm than good?Conservatives like Charmley and Thomas Sowell may think that the British Empire overall was a good thing, but I do not agree with that at all.When you get right down to it, the Empire was simply the subjugation by Britain of other peoples & cultures by naked military force.I don't recall too many subject people voluntarily entering the British Empire.If FDR wasn't bent on destroying the British Empire, he should have been.

While Charmley does provide some valid criticism of Churchill in this book, overall his most important criticisms are based on some seriously flawed premises.In the end, this calls into question the ultimate scholarly value of the book.While it has certainly been controversial enough, does this book truly contribute much to the scholarly debate over Churchill and the history of the 20th century?I don't believe so.

An Abridged Work
I was sorely disappointed when finishing the book, not because of poor authorship, but, on the contrary, because Charmley's abrupt ending after a laborious examination of Churchill's political career did not seem at alladequate. He begins with a lurid examination of Churchill's early life andtransformation into a political maverick, assaying his beginnings as afreshman MP in 1901 to his rise as one of the most powerful statesmen inthe world. Among the most engrossing, although not necessarily new,criticisms are the Prime Minister's deference to the Rooseveltadministration's foreign policy, which the author believes, with very muchjustification, was a catalyst that helped to bring about the Cold War andthe eventual dismemberment of the British Empire. Charmley also drawsparallels with Chamberlain's appeasement of Hitler in 1938 with that ofChurchill's handling of Stalin in 1945, and infers Churchill washypocritical in his criticism of the Munich Pact, in part because of hislater policies with regard to the Soviet Union. But after the chapter onthe fall of the Churchill government in 1945, the book wraps itself up witha conclusion of little more than two pages; this is hardly befitting such amonumental undertaking. Charmley does not take interest in documentingChurchill's postwar exploits, and makes almost no reference to his Fultonspeech or his return to power in 1951. For those already familiar with thestandard "song and dance" given by most Churchill biographers,this work is definitely worth your time, but those expecting a more plenaryreference on all of Churchill's political career, not just that until 1945,should look elsewhere. ... Read more

Product Description
A photographic essay on the Cuban Literacy Campaign of 1961 ... Read more

Product Description
When acclaimed Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy was invited to teach a course on writing at an impoverished public school in Washington, D.C., he responded, I d rather teach peace. Thus began the work he has passionately pursued for the past 25 years teaching courses on nonviolence, conflict management, and peace studies. I d Rather Teach Peace chronicles one semester in six of these schools, as students find themselves challenged and inspired by an unconventional course and by a man who believes that if we don t teach our children peace someone else will teach them violence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

"You could teach writing." I replied, "I'd rather teach peace."
Not finished yet, but it already merits five stars, easily. This dedicated teacher's journal of his efforts to further education in nonviolent conflict resolution a.k.a. peace studies is a must-read. Every page is a gem.

positively!
Yes yes yes....he is great-recommend to all who are interested in peace ...as a life lesson...read it, it will rock your world...

I'd Rather Teach Peace
That's the name of the book too. If you read this book, you may find yourself agreeing. Don't read this book if you'd rather not find a place for your ideals in your life. That's how many people will conclude they need to be. We are conditioned and rewarded to abandon our principles in the quest for success and in our striving to dominate and eliminate perceived threats to survival.

Coleman McCarthy understands that we have it upside down. Don't read this book unless you want to be inspired. We are taught violence from the moment we are born and McCarthy describes a simple alternative that he has been living for more than twenty years; teach peace. He leads students of all ages - including elementary age, where we most need to begin - and prisoners, including the many young, black male victims of culturally ingrained injustice - to the study of Ghandi, non-violence, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Daniel Berrigan and others like them. He suggests, yes illuminates, the fact that we can and must act on the ideals of peace and non-violence that exist in us all, but are only buried by the current institutions of our culture and the world.

Don't read this book if you want to stay asleep. Right now, in today's world, as the US financial system spins quickly into oblivion, we need to orient to the values of peace; need to quickly develop a felt understanding of the quality of life available to each and everyone of us if we teach peace, live peace, give peace, are peace. But we will naturally respond differently to the catastrophe. We will grip even harder onto that which we know, are comfortable with, have been taught. We have been taught violence. We will need to learn something new or suffer greatly.

In this book, Cole McCarthy describes his life of teaching in schools and prisons the elements of peaceful conflict resolution. He teaches the absurdity and ineffectiveness of pursing peace through violent means.

As we struggle in the coming years to resolve our personal confusion between survival and success, we will need to grab hold of peace and nonviolence lest we simply fall back into the dead end beliefs of fighting and overcoming instead of collaboration, compassion, relationship - not only with each other, but with the natural world as well. Our violent beliefs have brought us to where we are now, a catharsis of civilization.

Read this book. Pass it on and go forth into the emerging paradigm with an evolved consciousness. And if someone tells you that you are being too idealistic, politely, lovingly, emphatically teach peace. Suggest that they read the book too!

Inspiring Non-Violence and Social Justice
Colman McCarthy's I'd Rather Teach Peace opens with his description of the first course he ever taught.Mr. McCarthy explains how an invitation to speak at a children's high school in Washington, DC in the spring of 1982 transformed his life, bringing challenges, but also opening the limitless possibilities to teaching peace.Upon deciding to enter the classroom, McCarthy had already accrued fourteen years as a syndicate columnist with the Washington Post.A Roman Catholic, McCarthy spent five years in a Trappist Monastery previous to his role as a journalist.This solid contemplative foundation is evident in the genuine, thought-provoking ideas Colman presents in his autobiography, I'd Rather Teach Peace.

To the politically moderate reader, a book as honest as Mr. McCarthy's might be either shocking or disregarded as ideological banter or both.At its core, McCarthy's book takes great strides in challenging the reader to think outside of a conformist and obedient society.These jabs are very intelligently constructed avoiding insult or condescension.In one succinct sentence of his preface, Colman states his objective in teaching, "Alternatives to violence exist and, if individuals and nations can organize themselves properly, nonviolent force is always stronger, more enduring, and assuredly more moral than violent force" (McCarthy xiii).Throughout his book, McCarthy expands on this idea, emphasizing the power of peace.

Taking place across a semester, McCarthy journals about his experiences in several different schools, ranging from Oak Hill Youth Center in Laurel, Maryland to Georgetown Law School.While a sizeable portion of the book follows from McCarthy's thoughts and ideologies, the meat of the narrative is derived from McCarthy's students and their reactions to his teachings.This is a particularly strong aspect of I'd Rather Teach Peace for the way in which it allows McCarthy to respond to doubters while also physically illustrating the potential for his theories on peace and its study.These responses enable McCarthy to fluidly analyze many aspects of non-violence theory, while incorporating his witty humor and vast experiential knowledge. This format, combined with McCarthy's natural style, makes for an incredibly fascinating and engaging read.

Despite the strengths of McCarthy's book, I have difficulty naming it as one of the best pieces of literature I've ever read.Pondering this in disappointment, it seems that one of the books strengths, its accessibility, may also double as its greatest weakness.Mr. McCarthy speaks directly and honestly.These qualities give the book a unique flavor that make its read feel as though you are sitting next to the author as he shares the narrative aloud.The ideas presented are heavy, yet tangible and real.Mr. McCarthy steers clear of literary devices typical to the humanities, symbolism, metaphor, and other thematic elements.As a result, I have difficulty taking Mr. McCarthy's book for anything more than surface value.This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it remains a very powerful read.But regardless, this style seems to take away from the imaginative and interpretive qualities found in some of literature classics, from Shakespeare to Twain.

Nonetheless, Mr. McCarthy's book most certainly leaves the reader wanting more.While it may not provoke second and third readings in search of deeper analyses, it remains a very discussable book.What McCarthy's book lacks in interpretive substance, it more than makes up for with the inspiration it leaves the reader.After a strong initial impact, the book does not conclude without creating a legacy for itself within the reader.

It is difficult to objectively analyze this legacy because it is likely different for every reader.However, there are several points that seem to build the foundation for the book as an eternal guardian in the conscience of the reader.McCarthy presents many of these ideas in his chapter titled "Ideas to Practice, Not to Mull", long before the Epilogue.One of McCarthy's most poignant passages is his response to a student's speculation about the use of non-violent strategies against Hitler.
"Sound bites don't do it.I feel like a math teacher who chalks the blackboard with calculus equations and then a student - who has never taken a math course before and has been told all his life that 2+2=423 - rises to say that nothing on the board makes sense.But make it clear with a quickie answer.Right now."
(McCarthy, 82)
This is impossible of course.Yet, this scenario seems to drive the objective of McCarthy's book.

He works throughout his memoir to nullify the notion that, "2+2=423," and slowly prove to the reader that it, in fact, equals four.Not in a demeaning or patronizing way, but in the methodical way any teacher would help a student who didn't understand a concept from class.The legacy of the book lies in McCarthy's revelations and the tools he gives the reader for further questioning and understanding.So sure, McCarthy's book isn't Tolstoy, Gandhi, or Merton.But, it's a start.And change must start somewhere.

An excellent pick for educators seeking insights on teaching peace within the education curriculum
When Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy was invited to teach a course on writing at an impoverished public school in Washington DC, he responded that he'd 'rather teach peace' - and thus he began a new career, teaching courses on nonviolence and conflict management to a range of schools. "I'd Rather Teach Peace" details one semester in six of these schools, and is an excellent pick for educators seeking insights on teaching peace within the education curriculum.
... Read more