The Potts Hot Springs/Hot Tub is on Private Property and has never been open to the public with out permission. Because of all the people this Hot tub had been pulled. It is No longer there.

I absolutely LOVE this book. If you're a hot springs addict (like I am) you'll never leave home without it. It has remote hot springs with excellent directions, she-she spas, photos and honest descriptions. Clothing optional to "Versace only bathing suits required." It's the only book you'll need for hot springs if you travel on the west coast. It's definately the most thorough one I've come across.

I bought several guides to hot springs in Nevada & California, and this is clearly the best. Provides a B+W photo for every spring, as well as GPS coordinates, detailed driving instructions, pool temporature and detailed description. This book described several springs that were right under my nose and that were described nowhere else. If you get this guide, you won't need any other.

My fifth grade teacher gave this to me as a gift. I read it several times, mainly because I thought that if a teacher had given it to me,then it must be good.
Needless to say, it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. I didn't really sympathize too much with the characters, and I found it unbelievable that a girl could see pictures that she had created with...magic markers. Anyway, I had no other exposure to anything remotely south of the border before, so it was a new experience.

The reason why I give this four stars is because it really wasn't as bad as I seem to be saying. Things happen to Maria that are easy to realte to--falling in love for the first time, trying to be an adult while still very young, and dodging sexual exploitation while working and living illegally in the States.

Maybe the reason why I was disappointed was that this could have been a more vividly described story. The story of the bird seemed more like a blatantly literary device which wasn't properly integrated.

Well, this is my two sense. Worth investigation, worth a read.

Full of romance and struggles to understand a new language and the people around her, this book has the greatest elements to draw you in as a reader to read this book again and again until it falls apart. The beginning was gripping, you kept wondering if they'd make it...the only bad thing about this book was that the "quizel" the bird in other words was a corny element and should have been left out. Other than that, this book was fantastic and should be read by all at one point of their lives when stressed and searching for self understanding.

With this book, the elements aren't really for you as a person to relate to the characters and their ancestory but the book and plot itself. Just like LETTERS FROM RIFKA, a young female immigrant migrates to America but runs into problems. Like how she has to work for money, her hidden talents and loves, her romance with one her age, taking care of her pregnant sister and so forth. I found this book to be a fabulous read, I read it twice in a row, afraid I missed something. I highly recommend this as a historical romance.

This is one of the corniest and poorly written books I have ever read. With GI Joe conversations and mentality, it boasts about American superiority in everything. The book doesn't even really describe Murphy himself, since the descriptions seem to focus on secondary characters. And how does Murphy know how many soldiers he incapacitated? What, did he carve notches in his gun? REAL soldiers aren't proud of how many people they killed. Anybody can pin a whole bunch of medals on somebody; they don't have to deserve it. Those medals could have gone to soldiers who really deserved them. This book is a joke. If you want REAL heroism, check out Ghost Soldiers or The Forgotten Soldier. Don't waste your time.

Audie Murphy's To Hell and Back is one of the quintessential front-line soldier accounts of the Second World War. The book is not a memoir or autobiography, since Murphy wrote little of it himself and describes little of his life before or after his combat experiences. Nor does Murphy even mention any of awards, including the Medal of Honor, or the fact that he served the entire war in B Company, 1-15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division. The book focuses entirely on the period July 1943 to March 1945, with most of the emphasis on the Anzio, Southern France and Vosges campaigns. On the negative side, Murphy's account is extremely self-effacing and at times is more focused on his squad members, whose GI Joe conversations appear fake and silly. Nevertheless, Murphy's comrades appear as real human beings and the reader will regret the death of each. To Hell and Back is not particularly well written - it is in fact a rather pedestrian account that wanders at times - but what it lacks in style it delivers in frank reality. Murphy's wartime account is often brutal - sometimes humorous - but it makes other more recent homogenized efforts like Band of Brothers seem contrived in comparison.

Currently, the myth has been propagated that only highly trained specialists in peak physical and mental condition should engage in close infantry combat. Audi Murphy, the scrawny, orphaned teenager from Texas who was rejected by the marines and paratroopers, stands to discredit that myth. In combat, Murphy found his niche in life. With a carbine in his hands, Murphy became a real killer. Quick reflexes, common sense and a certain amount of luck gave him the edge and allowed him to survive all his original squad mates. A great deal has been written and speculated about Murphy's psychology and motivations; there is no doubt that he sought out combat even when he could have avoided it. Was he a war-lover or have a death wish? No. Murphy fought because he was good at it. As the main character in the French film Capitaine Conan noted, "millions were in the war but only a few thousand actually fought it." Murphy was one of those soldiers who was never content just to survive the war but rather, he was strongly motivated to play an active role. While Murphy never cracked under the strain of nearly two years of combat, there is little doubt that the war marked him indelibly. By Anzio, Murphy had become imbued with a tough, no-nonsense set of values. At the end of To Hell and Back, Murphy writes, "when I was a child, I was told that men were branded by war. Has the brand been put on me? Have the years of blood and ruin stripped me of all decency? Of all belief? Not of all belief. I believe in the force of a hand grenade, the power of artillery, the accuracy of a Garand. I believe in hitting before you get hit, and that dead men do not look noble."

Unfortunately, the weakest aspect of To Hell and Back is the author's failure to paint a complete portrait of himself. Important issues, like how did a combat-wise Sergeant Murphy deal with his inexperienced lieutenants in Anzio or France are virtually ignored. The fact that Murphy rose from squad leader, to platoon sergeant, to platoon leader to company commander in the same company is never addressed, but would have been very interesting. How did Murphy handle the transition from enlisted, to NCO to commissioned officer surrounded by his peers? To Hell and Back is enhanced by the fact that it was written only shortly after the war when memories were still sharp, but the rush to publish a "blood and guts" account undermines the value of Murphy's story. The brief introduction by Tom Brokaw also appears a blatant attempt to market a dead hero, as if his name was brand-name merchandise. Brokaw says nothing of value in this introduction, and it should have been written by somebody who actually knew the man, rather than some publicity-hog talking head from NBC who never met him or served in the military.

Hopefully, the reprint of To Hell and Back will help to keep alive the notion that America can produce fine soldiers from places other than West Point. Murphy's book should also be compared with other war memoirs from other authors and other wars. Recently, I read the Persian Gulf War memoir entitled The Eyes of Orion, and was struck by the authors' near-obsession with post-war graduate school plans while remaining virtually oblivious to their potential for battlefield death. Murphy said, "until the last shot is fired, I will go on living from day to day, making no postwar plans." Compared with the pretentious, homogenized, backbiting Band of Brothers, Murphy's book seems incredibly modest and civil. Although Murphy's unit suffered heavy casualties and was often short of food in the front-line, the author never complained about his superiors or the US Army. Murphy's unselfish and uncritical reflection of his wartime service should stand as an example of others who serve and write.

It was interesting to read this account of Audie Murphy's travails in World War II (Murphy was one of the most highly decorated soldiers of that war) having read Ambrose's eulogy Band of Brothers .
Murphy received (every major medal, some more than once, that the army has to offer). He joined the army at age 17 to support six siblings after his mother died (his father had left the family earlier), and he doesn't talk about how the war haunted the rest of his life.
He portrays a brutal, harsh struggle to survive, where the only thing that matters is keeping oneself and one's friends alive. There are moments of great poignancy, others of humor. Once, hungry, dirty and wet, mired in their foxholes, they notice they are under a tree with ripe cherries. Not daring to stick a head up, let alone climb out of the foxhole, Murphy's buddy gets the idea of shooting down the branches with his machine gun, and soon they are delighted to have cherry branches falling on them, making the day just a little brighter.
Not once does Murphy mention his numerous awards, Clearly, Murphy believed that luck played as much a part in his survival as anything he did. He was however, the kind of person who tried to control his destiny, doing what was necessary and taking the initiative in order to get through the day. A little piece of Murphy died every time a friend was killed, and soon almost all of his friends were gone. He was delighted if they received a wound that would return them to the rear, away from battle. He sympathized and worried for the lieutenant who had been badly injured and returned voluntarily to the front only to lose his nerve under the intense shelling. It must have been horribly traumatic to develop such close bonds and to have them ripped apart.
At the risk of sounding a little chauvinistic, I quote from the last lines of his book:
" When I was a child, I was told that men were branded by war. Has the brand been put on me? Have the years of blood and ruin stripped me of all decency? Of all belief? Not of all belief. I believe in the force of a hand grenade, the power of artillery, the accuracy of a Garand. I believe in hitting before you get hit, and that dead men do not look noble.
"But I also believe in men like Brandon and Novak and Swope and Kerrigan; and all the men who stood up against the enemy, taking their beatings without whimper and their triumphs without boasting. The men who went and would go again to hell and back to preserve what our country thinks right and decent.
"My country. America! That is it. We have been so intent on death that we have forgotten life. And now suddenly life faces us. I swear to myself that I will measure up to it. I may be branded by war, but I will not be defeated by it.
"Gradually it becomes clear. I will go back. I will find the kind of girl of whom I once dreamed. I will learn to look at life through uncynical eyes, to have faith, to know love. I will learn to work in peace as in war. And finally - finally, like countless others, I will learn to live again."

The book provides a very thorough representation of what there is to do in Florida with children, but I found a couple of things with which I take issue. First, on page 176, Brandon's advice for Waiting Line Strategies for Theme Parks suggests to use "elevator shoes for the short and the brave." Maybe Brandon doesn't understand that the height restrictions for theme park rides is for the protection and safety of kids and small adults, and legal liability of the theme parks! Getting your kids to stand up straighter, or putting heel lifts in their shoes (Brandon's advice) just so they will be permitted to ride an attraction is pretty lame, not to mention dangerous.

In addition, I was shocked to visit St. Augustine Beach and see cars driving on the beach. I thought I had thoroughly read the St. Augustine chapter of the book. Guess not. The only mention of cars on the beach is on page 78, listed under Northeast Florida's Best Beaches, NOT in the St. Augustine chapter. I was very disappointed and felt that the driving on the beach is a hazard for young families, and is obviously downplayed both in this book and by the proprietors of beachside motels (particularly the author-recommended LaFiesta Oceanside Inn). All in all, a disappointing book which I feel I can't trust for further Florida adventures with my children.

The Fordor guides are a good source for the various locations around the globe. They are not as good as the Arthur Frommer guides. The Fodor guides are not for the budget traveler. They focus on the pricier accommodations and restaurants. But, what they do rate there is a wonderful detailed description. The maps could be a little more detailed.

After our family's great success with The Unofficial Guide to Disney World, we eagerly snapped up The Unofficial Guide to Florida With Kids when the 2nd Edition was published in January, 2001. What a terrific book!

We decided to take a weekend trip to St. Augustine, FL this past Wednesday, and left after work on Friday. With very little time to plan, I dug out this book and quickly flipped to the chapter dedicated to St. Augustine. There, the author gives a quick and interesting history of the city, as well as a map with recommended family resorts, attractions, and restaurants clearly marked. This section is followed by impartial reviews of each.

The family resorts section goes over a number of cozy historical hand-picked bed & breakfasts and inns, with an eye towards children. It is very helpful in telling you what aged children are welcome, whether breakfast (and what type) is included, accurate rates, distance to nearby attractions, etc.

The restaurant section focuses on dependable family-friendly local restaurants. This list is a godsend when you cannot stand the sight of another fast food restaurant, yet are afraid to try anything else.

The place where this book really shines, however, is in the attractions section. Here the author and actual readers list and rate each attraction's appeal by age group! This feature is extremely handy in trying to sort through Florida's myriad of attractions with limited time on your hands and with an even smaller budget! We really liked the fact that the author points out lesser-known and less crowded attractions that are often overlooked by unprepared families.

For instance, although we normally would never have stopped at anything called the St. Augustine Alligator Farm (I still grin at the name :)), we took the advice of the book and gave it a chance. It turned out to be terrific, one of my 3 1/2 year old's favorite parts of the trip! Another attraction that we would have certainly overlooked was Marineland, listed at the end of the chapter under side trips. Normally we wouldn't have given the park a second look, but we followed the book anyway and spent a fantastic Sunday afternoon there. Much smaller crowds meant that we got great seats at all of the shows, and we also got to spend a good bit of time talking with the animal trainers. My daughter even got to pet, feed, help train, and have her picture taken with a live dolphin! She was ecstatic, and I quietly whispered a thank you to author Pam Brandon for sending us here instead of the ultra-crowded Sea World where we could never have gotten that much time so close to the animals.

I overrode the book's warnings about taking a preschooler to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum (rated in the book as 1 star out of 5 for that age group, although higher for older kids and adults). Sure enough, Ripley's was way too scary for my daughter, and I regretted not listening to the author's good advice. We could have saved $20 right there - more than I paid for the book!

The Unofficial Guide to Florida With Kids saved us so much time and money in one weekend that it has already more than paid for itself. We are currently pouring through our copy working on our next trip. We spend a lot of time and effort on our family vacations, and we want to get our money's worth. We won't go back to Florida without this book. Highly recommended.

The title might make this seem like a fairly comprehensive waterfall guide for three states. It does cover waterfalls of Georgia better than any other book I know of. It's section for Alabama is relatively short. I'm less familiar with Alabama and don't know whether that means the book's coverage is sparser there, or whether there are far fewer waterfalls (or at least far fewer public-viewable ones) in Alabama. But as for Tennessee, the book's title is a bit mislesding to the extent that it would seem to claim general coverage for waterfalls in that state. There are whole good-sized waterfall-rich portions of Tennessee that are completely left out. The north part of the Cumberland Plateau is one part left out and the other is the northern district of Cherokee National Forest. Those areas are more or less as waterfall-rich as their more southerly counterparts that are covered in the book. Also omitted from this book is the Tennessee portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but another book by the same author does cover waterfalls of that park. Another drawback of this book is that it has no index. But the upside is that, in the areas it does cover this book provides good directions to the waterfalls in question and maps in most cases. The maps show contour lines, which makes the trails easier to follow for those who know something about reading topographig maps. For the falls it does cover, it is therefore a good guide. It also has in the middle a section of beautiful photographs, most of them in color. Possibly it is the most comprehensive waterfall guide for Georgia, and I wouldn't konw about Alabama. But as for Tennnessee, there is a much more complete waterfall guide that covers all parts of that state that have waterfalls, and that is WATERFALLS OF TENNESSEE by Gregory Plumb.

The title might make this seem like a fairly comprehensive waterfall guide for three states. It does cover waterfalls of Georgia better than any other book I know of. It's section for Alabama is relatively short. I'm less familiar with Alabama and don't know whether that means the book's coverage is sparser there, or whether there are far fewer waterfalls (or at least far fewer public-viewable ones) in Alabama. But as for Tennessee, the book's title is a bit mislesding to the extent that it would seem to claim general coverage for waterfalls in that state. There are whole good-sized waterfall-rich portions of Tennessee that are completely left out. The north part of the Cumberland Plateau is one part left out and the other is the northern district of Cherokee National Forest. Those areas are more or less as waterfall-rich as their more southerly counterparts that are covered in the book. Also omitted from this book is the Tennessee portion of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but another book by the same author does cover waterfalls of that park. Another drawback of this book is that it has no index. But the upside is that, in the areas it does cover this book provides good directions to the waterfalls in question and maps in most cases. The maps show contour lines, which makes the trails easier to follow for those who know something about reading topographig maps. For the falls it does cover, it is therefore a good guide. It also has in the middle a section of beautiful photographs, most of them in color. Possibly it is the most comprehensive waterfall guide for Georgia, and I wouldn't konw about Alabama. But as for Tennnessee, there is a much more complete waterfall guide that covers all parts of that state that have waterfalls, and that is WATERFALLS OF TENNESSEE by Gregory Plumb.

The book's table of contents serves as the index: all 125 waterfalls are listed. At $9.95 this book is an exceptional value (8 cents per waterfall).

For someone completely ignorant on the making of "homosexuality" or the arguments between essentialists and constructionalists, et al. this may be a eye opening and engaging read. I was certainly intrigued many of the stories, particularly in their letter fragments to describe their attachements to each other. However, Katz, really is quite repetitive, with almost every chapter failing to build beyond his initial arguments. There are many overwrought suppositions and readings into the many different texts, particularly Whitman. In fact, I feel that Katz's "readings" distracted from what I really desired, actually getting to read the letters for myself and make my own decisions. I felt many times that it is hard to feel that Katz is anything but an untrustworthy or unwitting guide.

I think a much more interesting and better written book on the same topic is "Same-Sex dynamics between 19th Century Americas: A Mormon Example" by D. Quinn.

..and then was very disappointed in the content. When I bought the book, I assumed it was truly about "sex between men before homosexuality." Instead, I found a thinly veiled biography of Walt Whitman and his writings. Nowhere on the cover does it indicate this. Only way in the back in the acknowledgments, is this "acknowledged." When I started the book, the section on Abraham Lincoln was fascinating and I'm glad Katz advocates ensuring we look at relationships within their own context of society and culture. But he spends too much time on Whitman and hyperanalyzing every word he wrote. I am not interested at all in poetry or Walt Whitman, so it was a shame that I bought this hardcover and had to try and pick out the parts without Whitman. The only time this became interesting was toward the end where the focus was more on Whitman's life.
The best part of the book, and I have to agree with another reviewer, are the wonderful vintage photographs.
While I believe Katz is an expert and writes fairly well, I would not recommend this book to someone looking for a wide range of subjects.

"Love Stories" is about a struggle for men who love men to find a place for themselves within their own imaginations. Katz examines the 19th century intellectual nexus where same-sex male lust, emotional intimacy between men and, to a lesser extent, male femininity meet and from which the origins of contemporary gay male identity are found. This book gives context to those who believe the "gay community" as it is popularly thought of today is not a point of arrival, but a temporary and, in the history of same-sex attraction, relatively short-lived form. In a time when being gay is a commodified identity analagous to rooting for a sports team, Love Stories gives substance, history and meaning to those seeking to understand where we come from. Love Letters reads easy, in parts like a Vanity Fair-style social history, with famous names and well-known historical circumstances. I hope Jonathan Ned Katz lives, researches and writes forever.

I found this book very similar in material to Gene Smith's earlier book Maximilian and Carlotta. I think Ridley followed
the same context as Smith, and threw in a little more material on
Juarez. So, if you have read one of these books, don't read the other.
Overall, it presents the conflict between the Conservatives and
Liberals and Maximilian and Juarez correctly. It poses Maximilian as heroic and wrong headed while Juarez is portrayed as stubborn and single minded. Both needed more analization to portray them correctly. The book was very readable.

I started doing some basic reading about Juarez prior to writing a newspaper article about Cinco de Mayo. A number of sources recommended this book, so I found a copy and dug into it. Ridley doesn't "whitewash" any of the main figures, nor is it a hatchet job. I'd certainly gained more respect for Benito after reading Ridley's book.

Ridley does a more than credible job of portraying the conflict surrounding the attempt to install a foreign emperor in Mexico. Much emphasis is placed on the internal power struggle between conservatives and liberals and the ultimate succes of the Mexican hero Benito Juarez. Many of the leaders of the times are introduced but seldom with any great depth. The title is Maximillian &Juarez and this is not a biography I suppose. Napolean III is obviously given more treatment since it was his idea to install the ill fated Maximillian. The other leaders who are involved in the story are Mexican Generals Santa Ana, Leonardo Marquez, Porfirio Diaz, Miguel Miramon, Melchor Ocampo and other foreign major role players like Marshall Achille Bazine, William Steward. United States major role players brought tot life are Generals Grant amd Sheridan and of course President Lincoln. Their are also some pages dedicated to the plan(adopt) of Maximillian to install his successor Augustin Iturbide(grandson of Emperor Iturbide) but this was not to be. Of particular interest is the international scheme and involvement of various nations in this attempt to install Maximillian. Light is shed on the United States involvement although it was preoccupied with it's own internal problems since it was during the time of the Civil War. The difference between the South's attitude is also discussed. It was also interesting to see the interaction between the foreign French society in Mexcio and the ruling class of Mexico, many marriages were conveniently arranged to preserve the strength of families. I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into a part of Mexico's past and learned some interesting facts about the players and places involved. The importation of arms and the circumvent route was fascinating as was the involvement of the French Foreign Legion. The importation of 500 captured black Sudanese by Egyptian forces I found quite alarming and cruel as they were taken unwillingly from their families not knowing their fate. The thought behind this was that they would be better suited for the heat and could fight(for their lives) better than the French. Many of the cruelities and manipulations of war are revealed in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a history buff or has a particular interest in Mexico or France. Although the title features the main players the emphasis is not neccessarily just focued on them and gives a much broader and realistic scope. A very readable and enjoyable portrait of a part of Mexico's history of foreign intervention that does not read like a history book but more like a novel, a bittersweet story of foreign intervention, war and triumph.

My wife and I lived in Santiago, Chile 1971-1975 and revisited the country in 1993. We are impressed by the author's ability to see its people with different, more discerning perspectives of her native land than she had earlier in her writing career. Here she describes why she now prefers to live in California with an American husband willing to assume his share of household duties rather than in a democratic, relatively prosperous nation with its freedoms restored. She knows her country, the foibles of its people and its history well. Would that we had such an acute observer of our own!

The terrorists attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, a traumatic day for the United States. In the same month and on the same day (Sept. 11) in 1973, Isabel Allende's Chile experienced its own trauma.

On that day almost thirty years ago, a CIA-engineered military coup brought down the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende, a cousin of Isabel Allende's father, and installed General Augusto Pinochet, a dictator whose reign of terror lasted for 17 years (1973-1990).

Isabel Allende has never forgiven Nixon, Kissinger & Co. for what she describes as an arrogant and brutal attack on human rights.

Nor was Chile an isolated case of America's bungled foreign policy. "The United States," she Allende, "has had a shameful record of overthrowing legally elected governments and of supporting tyrannies that would never be tolerated in its own territory: Papa Doc in Haiti, Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, Somoza in Nicaragua, and many others."

But the news is not all bad. In Allende's opinion "the United States is beginning to realize that its policy of supporting tyranny does not solve problems--it merely creates new ones."

Born in Peru in 1942, Isabel Allende was reared in Santiago, Chile. Her new work, My Invented Country, is a memoir of her life as an exile and immigrant, wanderer and outsider.

"I never fit in anywhere," says Allende, "not into my family, my social class, or the religion fate bestowed on me. . . . When I was fifteen, I left the church forever and acquired a horror of religions in general and monotheistic faiths in particular. . . . My religion, should anyone be interested, can be reduced to a simple question: What is the most generous thing one can do in this case?"

At age 35, Allende became a divorcee. She then married Willie Gordon, an American lawyer, and now lives in San Francisco. Although far from her homeland, she carries within her a haunting memory of her childhood home, and takes us on a nostalgic, and often painful, journey through Chile.

Her essay in memory reveals a love-hate relationship with her native land. On the one hand her comments-- censorious, condemnatory, and caustically critical--reveal a seething fury; on the other hand, she writes with genuine affection for the foibles idiosyncrasies, the virtues and vices, of her people.

Although Allende admits that her version of the truth is mythic ("memory twists in an out, like an endless Mobius strip"), her portrait of Chile--its people, customs, traditions, religion, economy, and politics--seems candidly honest.

According to Allende, typical Chilean characteristics are generosity, a tendency to compromise rather than confront, a legalistic mentality, respect for authority, enthusiasm for political argument, and resignation to a crushing bureaucracy.

"The problem [of bureaucracy] has reached such proportions," she writes, "that the government itself has created an office to combat bureaucracy. . . . Kafka was Chilean."

Like a jewel serendipitously discovered, My Invented Country sparkles with the revelation of painful truth, a freshness of wit and wisdom, and a hilarious sense of humor. It's a precious literary gem.

This book is delightful, humorous, and beautiful like its author. A wonderful memoir full of insights about Chile and about life in the US. This book reflects Allende's warmth and passion. A brilliant book from a brilliant writer. Highly recommended.

The chapters dealing with Colombia's early history are fascinating but the later chapters, dealing with more recent events, seem to expose some of the author's own bias. Jenny Pearce's "Colombia: Inside the Labyrinth" provides a harder hitting analysis of modern Colombian politics. Bushnell's book is still worth reading for its analysis of the early centuries in Colombia -- the influence of which is being felt to this day.

This book is an adequate introduction to Colombia for those people who currently only think that Colombia is a country full of cocaine dealers, vicious killers and leftist guerillas. This book is successful in putting these stereotypes in their proper places.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it is a history of presidents, wars and important people; i.e., a traditional style of history.

In order to dig deeper into the background behind the current situation in Colombia, I suggest people visit Human Rights Watch and pick up some of their reports on the human rights situation in Colombia. They are very enlightening, especially on the role of the US in Colombia's violence.

Anyone attempting to decipher the complexities of the Colombian crisis must start with this text. It is comprehensive and objective.

My expectations were high but this is just a poorly written book. About half the narrative is about the characters who joined the Rough Riders. Very little of the book deals with the battles in Cuba and the sections that do make the exploits of the Rough Riders seem grossly over rated. Roosevelt seems to write withh the intent on securing his place in history. And, if that wasn't enough, he includes self-serving appendices that laud his conduct on the battlefield and support his yearning for the medal of honor. I found his writing style tedious and often repetitious--you'll encounter countless references to the smokeless ammunition used by the Spanish. Enough already!

My comments are based on the 1997 hardback version of this book.
The following may have been corrected in the 2000 paperback.

Richard Bak collected many photographs of the Rough Riders to illustrate Roosevelt's text, and this is good. However, he wasn't very careful with his captions.

For example, the photograph leading off Chapter One "Raising the Regiment" is captioned "Colonel Wood and Roosevelt in Texas. Roosevelt's paunch would disappear in Cuba after he lost twenty pounds in the tropical heat." However, other photographs of Roosevelt at this time do not show a paunchy man. Also, both he and Wood seem younger than the men in this photo.

Later in this chapter, there is a photograph again showing the an identified as Wood, captioned "Colonel Leonard Wood (second from right)..."

In the background of this photograph, there is an automobile (looking closer in style to a Model A than a Model T), and the other three men in the photograph are dressed in Army uniforms from the 1920s.

The conclusion is that these men are NOT Roosevelt and Wood, but the actors who played them in the 1927 silent movie about the Rough Riders that was filmed in San Antonio with the assistance of the US Army's Second Division stationed at Fort Sam Houston.

In the section "The Mystery of the Maine," the photograph identified as the Maine is not the Maine that blew up in Havana Harbor, which only had two smoke stacks. This is probably the later World War I Maine.

So, Roosevelt's text is good. The collection of photographs are good. But verify those captions and the conslusions based upon them.

The 1st USV (the Rough Riders) has to be one of the most interesting units in US military history. The collection of characters who filled its ranks could spawn dozens of other titles. This book is WELL written by Teddy Roosevelt, one of our most colorful persidents, is a frank and great account of the life of this unit. I found it quite enjoyable, and didn't feel that the book was TR blowing his own horn, he cared very much for his men and this shows through in this book. A must for any history buff.