[PDF] Download Presidential Elections and Majority Rule: The Rise, Demise, and Potential Restoration of the Jeffersonian Electoral College by Edward B. Foley | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: Presidential Elections and Majority Rule: The Rise, Demise, and Potential Restoration of the Jeffersonian Electoral College Author: Edward B. Foley Number of pages: Publisher: Oxford University Press (January 2, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 0190060158 Rating: 5     2 reviews

Book Description Review “Nobody writes more thoughtfully about the theory and historical practices of American elections than Foley.�This book is a model of careful argument” — Sanford Levinson, author of�Framed”This book should be read by everyone interested in the conduct of U.S. presidential elections. Informed by deep historical scholarship into the origins and meaning of the Twelfth Amendment, Presidential Elections and Majority Rule�illumines the path along which our electoral system strayed from the principle of majority rule. Foley also offers, and makes a strong case for, a statebystate policy approach that would bring our presidential elections back in line with that principle without amending the Constitution” — Alexander Keyssar, Matthew W. Stirling, Jr. Professor of History and Social Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and author of�Why Do We Still�Have the Electoral College?”Presidential Elections and Majority Rule�brilliantly sheds light on the importance of the Twelfth Amendment in recasting the Electoral College as a majoritarian institution that disfavors the election of candidates preferred by only a plurality of the electorate. This book is not only timely, but a masterful, scholarly must read” — Franita Tolson, Vice Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, Professor of Law, USC Gould School of Law”Presidential Elections and Majority Rule is essential reading for anyone concerned with how the U.S. chooses its President. Drawing upon a deep understanding of the historical sources on the Electoral College, Foley argues that a fundamental flaw in the system is increasingly likely to result in winners who are not favored by a majority of voters in each of the states making up the winner’s Electoral College majority. Foley explains why this is a problem for democratic legitimacy and offers practical solutions that do not depend upon quixotic calls to amend the U.S. Constitution.” — Richard L. Hasen, author of�Election Meltdown”This powerful, original account of the purpose and design of the Electoral College will be the most important guide to anyone trying to understandand preservewhatever genius there was in this odd institution. It offers critical and urgent advice to anyone trying to reform it now. The pieces come together in this beautifully crafted account.” — Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard Law School, and author of�They Don’t Represent Us Read more About the Author Edward B. Foley directs the election law program at Ohio State University, where he also holds the Ebersold Chair in Constitutional Law. Previously, Foley clerked for Chief Judge Patricia M. Wald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Harry Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court. He has also served as State Solicitor in the office of Ohio’s Attorney General, where he was responsible for the state’s appellate and constitutional litigation. He is the author of the acclaimed book Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in the United States (Oxford University Press) and co-author of Election Law and Litigation: The Judicial Regulation of Politics. Read more Customers Review: We, the voters, regardless of party affiliation, must elect a president that a majority of people want. This is the gist of (Thomas) Jeffersonian rule and the bottom line of Foley’s book. The author does a great job of describing elections in which this goal was not reached, three times since 1992. One of the author’s suggestions for remedy, Instant Runoff Voting (IRV). Voters give second and third choices, which can be added to the first place votes, if need be, to form a majority vote. Edward Foley shows how a the fundamental principle of majority rule gets violated in the breach when states allocate ALL their Electoral College votes to candidates who capture only a plurality of votes. It’s high time that the state secretaries and AGs recognized the need for uniformity of principle and establish methods for assuring that the will of the majority prevail in the state allocations of Electoral votes similar to the rules used by the voting in the Electoral College itself!

[PDF] Download A Beautiful Crime: A Novel by Christopher Bollen | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: A Beautiful Crime: A Novel Author: Christopher Bollen Number of pages: Publisher: Harper (January 28, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 0062853880 Rating: 4,4     12 reviews

Book Description Review “Elegant.”  (New York Times Book Review)“Entrancing…. Patricia Highsmith by way of Alan Hollinghurst: morally gray, utterly mesmerizing, and intensely erotic. Beginning with his 2011 debut, Lightning People, Bollen has displayed a fascination with how power works in America; his newest is an astute meditation on the ways financial inequality and racism affect one’s sense of identity and interactions with others—including romantic partners.” (Alexander Chee, O: The Oprah Magazine)“Deliciously diabolical…What makes the crime in Bollen’s stylish new novel so beautiful is that the perps’ plan works out even better than they’d hoped—at least for a while…A skilled purveyor of suspense…Bollen’s wit sparkles on almost every page.” (Washington Post)“Intricately plotted and elegantly structured…. Bollen captures Venice in all its decadence, art-rich history and ineluctable decay…. His language is simultaneously inviting and forbidding — accessible, playful, and then suddenly, shockingly brilliant.… What makes A Beautiful Crime work so well is how much empathy Bollen affords his characters.”  (Newsday)“Fans of Patricia Highsmith’s subtly insidious mysteries will find dark delight in this caper by the talented Mr. Bollen.” (Oprah.com)“A brilliantly conceived international crime story with two complex, queer characters at its center. If you never thought the world of counterfeit antiques could keep you on the edge of your seat, think again. It’s as complex and engrossing as ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley,’ but don’t be surprised when in the midst of the intrigue, the story breaks your heart. We wanted to follow these characters over and around the canals of Venice to see where they’d end up next.” (Good Morning America)“A smart, fast-paced, Highsmith-y novel full of con men, crumbling palazzos, and sentences so sharp they’ll cut you. It made me want to pack a bag and flee to Venice, while looking over my shoulder the whole way.” (David Ebershoff, author of The Danish Girl)“Like Venice itself, A Beautiful Crime is full of twists and shadows and intrigue – an irresistible and stylish novel in which I found myself thrillingly lost. A master of suspense, Bollen seduces the reader not with tricks, but with beguiling, multi-layered main characters whose flaws are as compelling and relatable as their virtues. I loved every moment in their company.” (Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men)“Extraordinary. A razor wrapped in silk, a cocktail spiked with poison — a novel both sophisticated and savage, inviting and dangerous. Death in Venice? You have no idea.” (A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window)”André Aciman meets Patricia Highsmith in this satisfying exercise in literary crime… Fans of crime fiction will delight in this marriage of knowing aestheticism and old-fashioned mayhem.” (Kirkus, starred review) Read more About the Author Christopher Bollen is the author of Orient, which was an NPR Best Book of the Year, and the critically acclaimed Lightning People. He is the editor at large of Interview magazine. His work has appeared in GQ, the New York Times, New York magazine, and Artforum, among other publications. He lives in New York City. Read more Customers Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. I always wanted to read “just one more chapter,” which is a sign of great read to me! I agree with those who compare the story and characters to Patricia Highsmith AND with those who remark upon the vivid world-building in Venice. It also has a whiff of Goldfinch about it (maybe it’s the antique store aspect or the hint of old New York or the heist travel to Europe), but somehow I found myself absorbing and re-reading passages in a way that reminded me of my first time through the Goldfinch (which is one of my all-time favs). If you’re looking for beautifully written prose with a tension-filled plot set in steamy Venice, this one is for you! I think this is his best book. His talent for painting his leading characters in many dimensions makes him one of my favorite writers. Much of current writing today is so very shallow. Perhaps the graphic depictions of the sexual scenes will be found difficult for some. For me, a most splendid read. I truly hated it to end! Superb. Loved all his books but this is my favorite. Such richly drawn characters, fabulous location, elegantly executed plot. What attracts me to Christopher Bollen is his tensile literary thrillers. THE DESTROYERS and LIGHTNING PEOPLE were standouts of dramatic and suspenseful plots with prose to match them, and kept me fascinated until the exciting finales. Like DESTROYERS, Bollen selected an exotic backdrop; not Greece this time, but Venice, Italy, for his story of intrigue and grift in his latest boiler, A BEAUTIFUL CRIME. Venice, to me, was like a character in the book—the unique pedestrian city of canals and confinement that, at times, expanded its claustrophobic setting, especially if you’re trying to get away with a “beautiful crime.” It brought me right back to Venice—-the author animated it for me once more.Two fairly new lovers, Nick and Clay, come to Venice from NYC with an agenda to rip off a wealthy American, Richard West, who lives in a historic palazzo, a walled half once shared with a former Dutch scion of NYC, Freddy Van der Haar, who lost his wealth to his flamboyant lifestyle and drugs, and recently died of AIDS. He left it to Clay, a true platonic friend. West lives in the other half of the house.West was an enemy to Freddy, and Clay has his reasons, also. The plan is to sell to West Freddy’s ancestral family’s (now) counterfeit silver, enough to pay off debts and start a new life together, away from their sorrows in NYC. It’s an elaborate but simple plan, but develops into even more entangled grift as their rip-off scheme becomes less risk averse and more perilous. I’ll leave it to the reader to watch the plot amplify.Bollen did an adept job of bringing Clay and Nick to life—less so on some of the secondary characters. Although the brutal plot was believable, and I felt each footfall along the Venetian Lagoon, the middle section of the story lost some tempo, as it lulled me with a stretched out narrative—until a knotty jam shook Nick to the core. It added another layer of suspense, but all this treachery had less effect on Clay and Nick’s relationship than I would have imagined. For me, it wasn’t Bollen’s best, but it possessed an acrid charm. 3.5 rounded upThank you to Harper for sending me an ARC for review It’s risky to write a novel set in Venice. Eminent literary shades — Thomas Mann, Henry James, Daphne du Maurier, Patricia Highsmith — inevitably gather, setting up echoes and comparisons: DEATH IN VENICE meets THE WINGS OF THE DOVE meets DON’T LOOK NOW meets THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. On the other hand, La Serenissima, with its ravishing water and light, its mazelike streets, never fails to dazzle and enchant. (I’m lucky enough to have just been there, which made reading this book all the more fun.)A BEAUTIFUL CRIME, Christopher Bollen’s fourth novel, has some of the same themes as that roll call of Venice-inspired books: schemes to swindle the wealthy, same-sex love, getting away with murder. Former editor-in-chief of Interview, the author no doubt has intimate knowledge of the rich, arty and offbeat — and he’s adept at imagining the tangled psyches of those who plot to rip them off.Getting the reader to root for a charming con man/killer — in this case, two of them — is a classic fictional strategy, from Ripley to (more recently) ethical serial killer Dexter and Joe, the stalker/murderer guy in YOU. Bollen pulls it off. And by making Nick Brink and Clay Guillory not only co-conspirators but lovers, he appeals to the romantic in all of us. We don’t want them to be caught; we want them to get their happily-ever-after.The story is told alternately from the two men’s points of view. Nick, a newcomer to Venice, is a devastatingly handsome, compulsively flirtatious guy from Dayton, Ohio: bullied as a kid, still closeted to his family (“For him, walking around as a gay man in his hometown was tantamount to being out on bail: he was free to go about his business, but everyone treated him with a heightened suspicion, as if unsure whether he had committed a crime”), and chafing at the role (“the eternal apprentice”) laid out for him by Ari, his older, highly cultured, marriage-minded boyfriend in New York.Clay’s first contact with Venice, like Bollen’s, was as an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the city’s premier modern-art museum; he describes himself as “a middle-class black kid from the Bronx suddenly crowned a prince of Italy.” Still reeling from the premature death of his mother (who “smothered him with love and acceptance” when he came out) and the remoteness of his grieving father, Clay was at a vulnerable point when he became the part-time assistant of an affluent American expatriate, Richard Forsyth West. Later, he found out that his employer had spread false rumors about him, sabotaging his chances for a permanent job at the museum.It was then that Clay became the soulmate of one Freddy van der Haar, scion of an illustrious Dutch-American family that had fallen on hard times and a legendary, flamboyant figure in New York’s gay subculture. For four years Clay lived with Freddy in Venice, Paris and Brooklyn; cared for him during his final illness; and, when he died, inherited some “antique” silver of dubious authenticity; part of a Venetian palazzo; and a humongous pile of debts. Now he needs money, and he wants revenge on West.The route to both is to get West to pay hundreds of thousands for the phony heirlooms. Nick’s role is to authenticate them (Ari, an expert on silver, taught him enough to pose as a professional). So far, so good. Until, well… A BEAUTIFUL CRIME is the kind of novel where you just know something is going to go wrong with the scam sooner or later, leading one or both of the guys to commit acts they’d never imagined themselves capable of. But you don’t know when, or how, and Bollen is adept at keeping the suspense nicely taut.He also excels at evoking Venice itself. His fascination with the watery city is clear, his descriptions both accurate and eloquent. Clay “loved getting lost. It seemed like the whole point of Venice, built to trick and confuse. Taking a wrong turn and nearly plunging into a canal or skipping over a bridge that dead-ended in a brick wall was part of the town’s fugitive magic.” Bollen underlines the tension between those who want to save Venice, preserving its ancient glories, and those who replace palazzi with cheap tourist housing and run roughshod over the diminishing number of people, only 53,000, who actually live there. “I’m afraid the tourists are finally winning,” Daniela, a friend of Clay’s, tells Nick. “We’ve been conquered by a well-organized army of occupiers who have no interest in staying more than three nights.” Or, to put it another way, “Venice has been visited to death.”While Bollen’s characterizations of Venice really sing (“a symphony playing inside a shipwreck”), his people aren’t always as vivid. Supporting players like Ari, Freddy and West’s current assistant, Battista — even the villainous silver expert Dulles Hawkes — seem to me more colorful than Nick and Clay, who need to be presented attractively and somewhat blandly in order to sustain the reader’s sympathy.Nick especially is a bit of a cipher, cute and initially rather passive. He hasn’t yet found his life’s passion; meanwhile, “he has Clay.” Clay is tougher; he grew up “expecting every door to be nailed shut before he even reached to open it.” Yet he, too, is sweet and decent, hardly a hustler or gold digger, though Freddy’s old friends label him as just that.Some critics have compared Bollen to Patricia Highsmith; however, I think he’s gentler than she is. Unlike her antihero, the amoral Ripley, Nick and Clay struggle with conscience; there is nothing offhand about their crimes and misdemeanors. “I’m a really bad crook,” Nick tells Clay. His response: “A bad crook is the best kind.” A BEAUTIFUL CRIME has a lot more heart than Highsmith’s dark thrillers, but the plotting is less skillful, lacking the surprise twists I expected.If the structure is imperfect, the setting is marvelous. Venice isn’t just a scenic background for the action of A BEAUTIFUL CRIME. Its capricious tides and twisty, deceptive geography seem to mirror the characters’ secrets and intrigues. I rooted for Clay and Nick to get away with their swindle. I also rooted — and still do — for proud, resilient Venice to survive the floods of water and tourists that threaten to drown her.Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman I greatly enjoyed the characters, writing and plot but too much Venice. The author, Christopher Bollen, lived in Venice as a young men. For most of the book, his vivid love of Venice is a major plus. But For me, the city eventually (and an ancient building) crowded out the suspense.Even though I have visited Venice and the Lido area, I stopped reading several times to look at maps including the map in the book.Still, I read the book to the last sentence, so that’s why I rated the book four stars. The plot is beyond excellent

[PDF] Download A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America by Philip Rucker,Carol Leonnig | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump’s Testing of America Author: Philip Rucker,Carol Leonnig Number of pages: Publisher: Penguin Press (January 21, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 1984877496 Rating: 4,7     955 reviews

Book Description Review “[Rucker and Leonnig] are meticulous journalists, and this taut and terrifying book is among the most closely observed accounts of Donald J. Trump’s shambolic tenure in office to date. . . . Their newspaper’s ominous, love-it-or-hate-it motto is ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness.’ A Very Stable Genius flicks the lights on from its first pages.” —Dwight Garner, New York Times“Richly sourced and highly readable…It is not just another Trump tell-all or third-party confessional. It is unsettling, not salacious.” – Lloyd Green, The Guardian“Imagine, for a moment, a high-octane courtroom prosecutor summing up for the jury a case built on the vivid testimony of multiple eye-witnesses…. You could scarcely ask for more capable advocates. Leonnig won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the U.S. Secret Service in 2015, then joined Rucker and others on a team awarded the Pulitzer for stories on Russian interference in the 2016 election.  Their new, collaborative account…walks readers step by step through the first 30 months or so of a presidency like no other. They leave little doubt that they and many of their sources regard that presidency as an unmitigated and deepening disaster — a threat to American government as we have known it.  Whatever may happen to that impeachment effort in the weeks and months ahead, it creates a moment of intermission in the Trump saga and a chance to consider how the landscape has already been altered by this president. A Very Stable Genius offers a harrowing companion narrative to be read during intermission.”  – Ron Elving, NPR Read more About the Author Carol Leonnig is a national investigative reporter at The Washington Post, where she has worked since 2000 and covers Donald Trump’s presidency and other subjects. She won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on security failures and misconduct inside the Secret Service. She also was part of the Post teams awarded Pulitzers in 2017, for reporting on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, and in 2014, for revealing the U.S. government’s secret, broad surveillance of Americans. Leonnig is also an on-air contributor to NBC News and MSNBC. Philip Rucker is the White House Bureau Chief at The Washington Post, leading its coverage of President Trump and his administration. He and a team of Post reporters won the Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award for their reporting on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Rucker joined the Post in 2005 and previously has covered Congress, the Obama White House and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. He serves as an on-air political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in history. Read more Customers Review: 500 pages that are well organized, exceptionally edited and full of nothing new – it’s just said better, without histrionics and has lots of “dialogue”, from those who wish to remain anonymous…Rucker and Leonnis clearly managed a gargantuan mountain of data to fill these pages. Collecting interviews, articles, tweets, news broadcasts, etc. for over 3 years to support this effort is mind boggling and they’re blessed to have had a great team. The effort is most evident in the spectacular index. It’s set up by person, place or event and every nuance you can imagine related to each. The Kindle version is interactive and will take you directly to the text.The writing is clear, not very concise, in fact it’s verbose. The language is colorful, mostly on the part of POTUS, in his direct quotations, and there are a fair amount of them. There is an attempt at fairness altho’ the decided tenor of this tome is negative towards him. More credit is given to his faithful staff and for their willingness to serve, nobly. Much effort is given to creat first person accounts that permit the reader to decide rather than being dictated to.Exhaustive and at times exhausting, but a good compendium of the facts thus far The latest Donald Trump expose published today is “A Very Stable Genius”, by Washington Post reporters Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig. They’re part of a political reporting team at the Post that has won a Pulitzer Prize and Leonnig has won two Pulitzer prizes on her own. Both appear frequently on MSNBC and are acknowledged as excellent reporters. I’m putting in the authors’ bona fides to establish their credentials in writing a tell-all book on Trump and his administration.The title “A Very Stable Genius” comes from a Trump tweet in January, 2018, issued when another author was disparaging about Trump’s mental stability and acumen. He’s used it often in tweets and speeches since and doesn’t seem to recognize the illogical claim a person shouldn’t make about himself. The authors have looked at Donald Trump’s almost constant daily lies and braggadocio about himself. They present his deeds and his words but are somewhat sparing about drawing the conclusions of Trump’s actions, figuring that their readers can do so for themselves. I think the part I was – and still am – shocked about was that President Donald Trump did not know exactly what happened at Pearl Harbor and the importance of the “USS Arizona”.Again, Rucker and Leonnig’s book is but the latest tell-all but I think it’s one of the best written. This is a well researched book, of course, given Rucker’s and Leonnig’s reputation (and a Pulitzer prize each). They interviewed nearly 200 people, many of them top Trump advisors although most chose to remain unnamed sources. There are a lot of quotes, enlivening the text, and they know how to lay out a strong narrative with often-vivid details about the participants.There’s no getting around it President Trump is shown as erratic, impulsive, ignorant of the things a president should know, vindictive, profane and mean. He runs a chaotic administration and likes it that way. Pitting people against each other, creating insecure lackeys, is his preferred management style. He did it at the Trump Organization, and the opportunities for testing loyalties–and making himself the center of all the attention–are even greater now.How many books describing a completely unfit president will be published before his core support drops significantly? Books come. Books go, and yet Trump’s support among Republicans in Congress and voters (95% or so approve of him) remains basically unchanged. (And, spoiler. The title is ironic, at least for the authors. Trump, who’s used it at least four times, seems completely convinced of his superiority. In his mind, it is always others who have to be wrong–while he has to get all of the credit. The writing was on the wall for Steve Bannon after he made the cover of TIME. Trump treats both political appointees and experienced government experts the same–with disdain and disrespect. He doesn’t listen, won’t learn, and thinks he knows “more than the generals”…also, more than the communications director, the financial experts, intelligence officials, lawyers….and on and on. As some previous biographers have noted, it would not surprise him to be told he knows more than anyone. He would agree.) When things go wrong—and they often do—his first thought is to find someone to blame. (And blame them he will, even if the problems were caused because they did exactly as he told them to.)Trump’s leadership style is also defined here by his temper, by uncontrolled (and apparently uncontrollable) rages. This is not a psychologically well man. He is shown frequently ranting, raving, reducing people to tears (Nielsen and Sessions and Spicer are just three of them). We’ve all seen how he insults and demeans his political opponents or anyone who mildly criticizes him. But Trump doesn’t even treat “his” people with respect. There is no manager in America who would not be reported for this kind of abusive behavior to HR–too many examples to list–and fired if it continued. What Trump creates in the workplace is the definition of a “hostile work environment”.His verbal abuse of others–including publicly humiliating women who don’t even work for the government anymore like Lisa Page–would not be tolerated (by law) at any workplace in America. Why are the behaviors these authors describe tolerated from the nation’s top CEO? There is no one who can rein him in and it’s unnerving to read about his unrestrained tirades, including calling the nation’s top generals–with their aides present, squirming– “babies” and “dopes”. How is this permitted from the nation’s president?Rex Tillerson wasn’t a good SOS, but at least he shows up in book after book as having the spine to stand up to Trump. He was genuinely upset about how Trump–who took five draft deferments during Vietnam–disrespected the nation’s military leaders. Tillerson did not deny calling Trump an “f-ing moron” after the above “dopes” meeting. Preibus corralled Pence afterward to come and show Rex how to treat Trump with proper deference and how not look to look so contemptuous when he spoke–repetitiously, ignorantly, ramblingly, irrelevantly–in group meetings. Working for Trump, means knowing and accepting that that loyalty is EVERYTHING. And you show you’re loyalty by endless flattery and compliance with whatever Donald Trump wants.Leonnig and Rucker show a profile of the nation from the Oval Office. If I had to make a criticism–observation, really–its that it benefits from all their sources but also suffers from them. With so much emphasis on information from those who had the willingness to work with Trump in the first place, the book fills a certain political niche, but lacks the sweep of popular history. There’s not enough about how Trump policies are impacting real peoples’ lives, and little about what others are doing in opposition to his policies–and why. The travel ban is one impactful decision extensively described, but the descriptions are largely confined to reactions in the executive branch (and, in one brief passage, what Trump staff sees happening at airports via television.).There’s ample detail but sometimes it lacks context. The Russia investigation, for example, is gone into at great length, but some of Trump’s statements are treated as if we all should assume they’re true. After how the authors’ own paper has documented over 16,000 presidential lies in 3 years, they should be in the forefront of encouraging readers to be skeptical of whatever he says. Certainly, no one can say with certainty what President Trump “feels” or “believes” about anything. All we really know is what he says and does. This includes reaction to the Mueller investigation which has a number of missing pieces in the retelling, and is marred by the idea that “Trump believed Putin when he said he wasn’t involved”.”A Very Stable Genius” is an up close look at Trump and how he governs. It rarely pulls the lens back for a wider view, for a look at his impact around America and how he’s changing the country with his laws, his deregulations, his nationalism and his apparent goal of returning to the America of the 1950s. They leave it largely to the reader to make those conclusions for themselves. Some will appreciate that approach; others will wish for more of a sustained argument that a president like this is dangerously unfit for office.They quote one official who summarizes Trump’s impact at the top. In the beginning of his administration, “There was more of an ethos in the place of trying to help the institution and to help enlighten him rather than simply to execute his marching orders.” Now, this official said, “I’m not sure there are many, if any, left who view as their responsibility trying to help educate, moderate, enlighten and persuade–or even advise in many cases. There’s a new ethos: This is a presidency of one. It’s Trump unleashed, unchained, unhinged.” In the end, we are left to imagine with some alarm what a second term would be like. The most effective indictment of Trump to date. A well researched and cohesive argument detailing how our Oval Office has become a latrine. If you only read one book about our national disgrace, this should be it. America is in turmoil but we should celebrate our free press and the incredible job they are doing to expose the harm being done to our country by this shallow little man. If you read and liked “Fear” and “American Carnage,” you’ll end up devouring this quickly.The Woodward book was only about the year before and then the first year and half of the Trump administration. “American Carnage” did an excellent job at showing how the GOP changed over the 20 years leading up to the 2016 election and how Trump capitalized (he did not create them) on the anti-immigrant, anti-media waves that had been fermenting.This book cover the first 2 1/2 years of the Trump administration, up through the summer of 2019. The Mueller report is discussed in full (Ukraine is not in here, so we’ll have to wait for that book later this year). As in those other books, the quotes by both Trump and his current and former staff members are telling, biting, funny, and dreadful.Trump fans will almost certainly hate this. Great book,couldn’t put it down.

[PDF] Download The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr by Captivating History | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine Parr Author: Captivating History Number of pages: Publisher: Captivating History (January 10, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 1647483425 Rating: 4,3     42 reviews

Book Description Explore the Captivating History of the Six Wives of Henry VIIIHenry VIII, King of England and Ireland in the first half of the 16th century, is one of history’s most famous monarchs for many reasons. He ruled ruthlessly, was quick to cry "treason!" and execute, and equally quick to fall in and out of love. Henry changed the religious fabric of England forever and left his mark on the wider world – but what of the six women he took as his queens?From the regal and capable Catherine of Aragon to the patient and generous Katherine Parr, Henry’s wives represented a range of personalities, goals, beliefs, and influences on the king. Each of Henry’s six wives represented a facet of the king himself, whether he liked to admit it or not; unfortunately, a Queen of England at the side of Henry VIII could never be sure of her husband’s love – or her safety. These are the stories of three Catherines, two Annes and one Jane.This captivating history book covers topics such as: Henry Tudor Catherine of Aragon Mistress Elizabeth Blount Mistress Mary Boleyn Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Mistress Mary Shelton The Wooing of Jane Seymour Catherine Howard The Culpeper Affair Katherine Parr More Theories on Henry Tudor’s Fertility The Illegitimate Children of Henry VIII And much more! So if you want to learn more about the six wives of Henry VIII, click "add to cart"! Customers Review: I quite enjoyed this book. It gives an overview of Henry’s wives, mistresses, various associates, and their respective fates . I have checked and found it is factually correct and would be suitable for school/college If it had gone into more detail much of that would simply be interpretation by the writers, ( for example seev the TV series “Wolf Hall” for a flesh-out interpretation of Anne Bolyn and the machinations of Thomas Cromwell.) However, that is to be expected because the purpose of the book: to give an overview of the main people, which it gives in 10-12 pages each (not just a couple of paragraphs).All-in-all I found it an enjoyable read. Kindle Unlimited but bought, this one goes decent enough, if you wanted pair to read back to back or same kind, the Marie Antoinette one btw, that’s really why I keep a running list, it’s helpful for other people to see the full list {minus some of the collections so don’t repeat/make longer} but so I can keep up with sections/areas/time periods etc, gets confusing, have read every single one of them, wouldn’t want to say am ‘captivated’ by the books but do keep up with them allExplore the Captivating History of the Six Wives of Henry VIII Free History BONUS Inside!Henry VIII, King of England and Ireland in the first half of the 16th century, is one of history’s most famous monarchs for many reasons. He ruled ruthlessly, was quick to cry “treason!” and execute, and equally quick to fall in and out of love. Henry changed the religious fabric of England forever and left his mark on the wider world – but what of the six women he took as his queens?From the regal and capable Catherine of Aragon to the patient and generous Katherine Parr, Henry’s wives represented a range of personalities, goals, beliefs, and influences on the king. Each of Henry’s six wives represented a facet of the king himself, whether he liked to admit it or not; unfortunately, a Queen of England at the side of Henry VIII could never be sure of her husband’s love – or her safety. These are the stories of three Catherines, two Annes and one Jane.This captivating history book covers topics such as:Henry Tudor Catherine of Aragon Mistress Elizabeth Blount Mistress Mary Boleyn Anne Boleyn Anne of Cleves Mistress Mary Shelton The Wooing of Jane Seymour Catherine Howard The Culpeper Affair Katherine Parr More Theories on Henry Tudor’s Fertility The Illegitimate Children of Henry VIII And much more!Erik the Red: A Captivating Guide to the Viking Who Founded the First Norse Settlement in GreenlandLeif Erikson: A Captivating Guide to the Viking Explorer Who Beat Columbus to America and Established a Norse Settlement at VinlandWars of Scottish Independence: A Captivating Guide to the Battles Between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, Including the Impact Made by King Robert the BruceWilliam Wallace: A Captivating Guide to a Freedom Fighter and Martyr Who Impacted Scottish History and Scotland’s Independence from EnglandMarie Antoinette: A Captivating Guide to the Last Queen of France Before and During the French Revolution, Including Her Relationship with King Louis XVIThe Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Katherine ParrHaitian Revolution: A Captivating Guide to the Abolition of SlaveryBlack History: A Captivating Guide to African American History and the Haitian RevolutionAfrican American History: A Captivating Guide to the People and Events that Shaped the History of the United StatesNative American History: A Captivating Guide to the Long History of Native Americans Including Stories of the Wounded Knee Massacre, Native American Tribes, Hiawatha and MoreTrail of Tears: A Captivating Guide to the Forced Removals of Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw NationsThe Culper Ring: A Captivating Guide to George Washington’s Spy Ring and its Impact on the American RevolutionThomas Jefferson: A Captivating Guide to an American Founding Father Who Was the Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence and the Third President of the United StatesJames Madison: A Captivating Guide to an American Founding Father Who Served as the Fourth President of the United States of AmericaJames Monroe: A Captivating Guide to the Founding Father Who Served as the Fifth President of the United StatesAlexander Hamilton: A Captivating Guide to one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of AmericaAaron Burr: A Captivaing Guide to the Life of Aaron Burr and the Most Famous Duel in American HistoryThe Duel: A Captivating Guide to the Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron BurrAndrew Jackson: A Captivating Guide to the Man Who Served as the Seventh President of the United StatesMartin Van Buren: A Captivating Guide to the Man Who Served as the Eighth President of the United StatesAmerican Presidents: A Captivating Guide to Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren – The Two Founders of the Democratic PartyThe Roaring Twenties: A Captivating Guide to a Period of Dramatic Social and Political Change, a False Sense of Prosperity, and Its Impact on the Great DepressionHistory of Chicago: A Captivating Guide to the People and Events that Shaped the Windy City’s HistoryP.T. Barnum: A Captivating Guide to the American Showman Who Founded What Became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey CircusMao Zedong: A Captivating Guide to the Life of a Chairman of the Communist Party of China, the Cultural Revolution and the Political Theory of MaoismThe Russian Revolution: A Captivating Guide to the February and October Revolutions and the Rise of the Soviet Union Led by Vladimir Lenin and the BolsheviksKorean War: A Captivating Guide to the Korean War HistoryVietnam War: A Captivating Guide to the Second Indochina WarCold War: A Captivating Guide to the Korean War and Vietnam WarWorld War 2: A Captivating Guide from Beginning to End (The Second World War and D Day Book 1)D Day: A Captivating Guide to the Battle for Normandy (The Second World War and D Day Book 2)The Second World War: A Captivating Guide to World War II and D DayCold War: A Captivating Guide to the Korean War and Vietnam WarWinston Churchill: A Captivating Guide to the Life of Winston S. ChurchillFranklin Roosevelt: A Captivating Guide to the Life of FDRChurchill and Roosevelt: A Captivating Guide to the Life of Franklin and WinstonGeorge Patton: A Captivating Guide to a Combative American War Hero Who Played a Critical Part in the Battle of Normandy During WWIIAdolf Hitler: A Captivating Guide to the Life of the Führer of Nazi GermanyJackie Kennedy: A Captivating Guide to the Life of Jacqueline Kennedy OnassisJohn Kennedy: A Captivating Guide to the Life of JFKKennedy: A Captivating Guide to the Life of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Kennedy OnassisAchaemenid Empire: A Captivating Guide to the First Persian Empire Founded by Cyrus the Great, and How This Empire of Ancient Persia Fought Against the Ancient Greeks in the Greco-Persian WarsAztec: A Captivating Guide to Aztec History and the Triple Alliance of Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan (Mayan Civilization, Aztecs and Incas Book 2)Maya Civilization: A Captivating Guide to Maya History and Maya Mythology (Mayan Civilization, Aztecs and Incas Book 1)Ancient Civilizations: A Captivating Guide to Mayan History, the Aztecs, and Inca EmpireAztec History: A Captivating Guide to the Aztec Empire, Mythology, and CivilizationThe Byzantine Empire: A Captivating Guide to Byzantium and How the Eastern Roman Empire Was Ruled by Emperors such as Constantine the Great and Justinian {see Roman}The Fall of Constantinople: A Captivating Guide to the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks that Marked the end of the Byzantine EmpireThe Ancient Canaanites: A Captivating Guide to the Canaanite Civilization that Dominated the Land of Canaan Before the Ancient IsraelitesCeltic Mythology: A Captivating Guide to the Gods, Sagas and BeliefsMythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersChinese Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Chinese Folklore Including Fairy Tales, Myths, and Legends from Ancient ChinaEgyptian Mythology: Captivating Stories of the Gods, Goddesses, Monsters and Mortals (Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology – Greek Mythology Book 2)Egyptian Mythology: A Fascinating Guide to Understanding the Gods, Goddesses, Monsters, and Mortals (Greek Mythology – Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology Book 3Ancient Egypt: A Captivating Guide to Egyptian History, Ancient Pyramids, Temples, Egyptian Mythology, and Pharaohs such as Tutankhamun and Cleopatra (Kindle Edition)Ancient History: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient RomeMythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersAncient Greece: A Captivating Guide to Greek History Starting from the Greek Dark Ages to the End of AntiquityGreek Mythology: Captivating Greek Myths of Greek Gods, Goddesses, Monsters and HeroesGreek Mythology: A Captivating Introduction to Greek Myths of Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersGreek Mythology: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters (Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology – Greek Mythology Book 3)Greek Mythology: A Fascinating Guide to Understanding the Ancient Greek Religion with Its Gods, Goddesses, Monsters and Mortals (Greek Mythology – Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology Book 1)Greek Mythology: Captivating Tales of the Greek Gods, Goddesses, Heroes and Monsters (Classical Mythology; Greek Myths Book 1)Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersHittites: A Captivating Guide to the Ancient Anatolian People Who Established the Hittite Empire in Ancient MesopotamiaJapanese Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Japanese Folklore, Myths, Fairy Tales, Yokai, Heroes and HeroinesMaya History: A Captivating Guide to the Maya Civilization, Culture, Mythology, and the Maya Peoples’ Impact on Mesoamerican HistoryNorse Mythology: Captivating Stories of the Gods, Sagas and Heroes (Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology – Greek Mythology Book 1)Norse Mythology: A Fascinating Guide to Understanding the Sagas, Gods, Heroes, and Beliefs of theVikings (Greek Mythology – Norse Mythology – Egyptian Mythology Book 2)Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersOlmecs: A Captivating Guide to the Earliest Known Major Ancient Civilization in MexicoParthian Empire: A Captivating Guide to the Enemy of the Roman Republic and Roman EmpireThe Roman Republic: A Captivating Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic, SPQR and Roman Politicians Such as Julius Caesar and CiceroRoman Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Roman Gods, Goddesses, and Mythological Creatures (Classical Mythology)Roman History: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Rome, Including the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and the Byzantium {see above for other Byzantine}Ancient Rome: A Captivating Introduction to the Roman Republic, The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, and The Byzantine Empire {see above for other Byzantine}Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and MonstersSumerians: A Captivating Guide to Ancient Sumerian History, Sumerian Mythology and the Mesopotamian Empire of the Sumer CivilizationGilgamesh: A Captivating Guide to Gilgamesh the King and the Epic of Gilgameshplent of sets/combo books, the list was getting WAY too long so trying to shorten it a bit I was very impressed with ”The Six Wives of Henry VIII: A Captivating Guide to Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleveland…” The author has an engaging writing style, and conducted an immense amount of research for this book. Sure, we learn about Henry VIII in school, and a bit about his wives, but this book really engaged me, and for that I am glad. Well done! It was an overview of each of the wives with insights to each of their attractions and foibles. Henry’s mercurial moods and changes in thought led to their fate as those of his own religious thoughts. His grief for Jane Seymore yet not the others is strange. All the miscarriages and stillbirths of his children, were blamed on his wives. Anne of Cleves was the lucky one because he felt no attraction toward her. as someone who is a big sucker for reading books on the Tudor Era, I was impressed on that i was able to still learn some things about Henry and his 6 wives. The book is very well written and very easy to follow. If you are a beginner to reading on this part of history- this is a good book to start with Okay but would have liked more detail. Quick read. A short but complete recounting of Henry’s six wives. The book moved quickly and held my attention. A great read. This is an enjoyable read. The facts are presented well. The book is both entertaining and educational. Well done.

[PDF] Download SEBASTIAN AND SONS by T.M.Krishna | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: SEBASTIAN AND SONS Author: T.M.Krishna Number of pages: Publisher: Context (2020) Language: English ISBN: 9389152186 Rating: 5     7 reviews

Book Description Customers Review: Absolutely amazing! T.M. Krishna has brought out the details well behind mridangam making. The relationship between the artist and the maker is understandable given the nature of the caste equations. Palghat Mani Iyer was an idea man and Parlandu was a high class inventor, innovator and implementer. We should not judge Palghat Mani Iyer in today’s context.The book is well written and I finished reading it in one go. T.M. Krishna has brought out the importance of recognizing instrument makers and inventors. It is high time the society recognize them. Some brahmins may feel offended by Krishna’s description of brahmins. In my view, we should accept the history and move on. We need not get offended, but instead learn from it and recognize the contributions of others to the music and to the society without prejudice.Although the brahmins stopped eating meat and especially the beef, they have not stopped or prevented others from eating beef. I have heard folks skinning cows and eating beef in my village (early 70s) and the caste Hindus, especially the brahmins, did not interfere.I hope somebody makes a movie based on this book.

[PDF] Download Ella's Umbrella by Courtney Shannon Strand,Jennica Lounsbury | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: Ella’s Umbrella Author: Courtney Shannon Strand,Jennica Lounsbury Number of pages: Publisher: Kicky Cane Press (January 22, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 1734278900 Rating: 5     4 reviews

Book Description Review Reviewed by Jacob R LaMar for Readers’ Favorite:Ella’s Umbrella is a children’s book written by Courtney Shannon Strand and illustrated by Jennica Lounsbury. The book clocks in at a vibrant 33 pages that tell the story of young Ella as she goes out in the rain with her bright red umbrella. Through the course of the book, Ella has fun splishing and splashing through the puddles and must traverse the strong winds and lightning storms that come her way. In the end, she emerges unharmed and just about as smiley as she was at the beginning.Ella’s Umbrella is a wonderful book that enticed me to read it at least five times due to its well-written text and stunning visuals. Strand has unearthed a diamond in the rough with her character Ella’s infectious joy for life. I also relished the abundant use of onomatopoeias throughout the story and the lyrical feel of the text. Lounsbury does a magnificent job of capturing the nature of the book with vivid illustrations that are bursting with character. Together Strand and Lounsbury prove they have perfect chemistry with this book and I hope to see more from this duo in the future.In style, Ella’s Umbrella reminds me of a less wacky version of a Dr. Seuss story. There isn’t much of a message to take from it and why should there be. It accomplishes its main goal in spades which is making young readers smile. Can there be a more worthy cause in a book? I would recommend Ella’s Umbrella to children, parents, grandparent or anyone else that just loves to smile. Ella’s Umbrella by Courtney Shannon Strand will help you do that. Read more About the Author Courtney Shannon Strand is a PNWA.org first place winning author for her children’s book Ella’s Umbrella. She lives with her husband, Jeff, in the Pacific Northwest where you’ll find her spinning her favorite umbrella on rainy days. This is her first picture book. Find her on social @CourtStrand – #EllasUmbrella. Visit her online at courtneyshannonstrand.comJennica Lounsbury is an illustrator, painter, and fun things maker living in Toronto with her family and cats. She has illustrated several books for children as well as many other lovely projects for online and print! See more of her work @Jennica.Lou. Visit her site at jennicalounsbury.com. Read more Customers Review: This precious book can almost be sung and played. I can imagine it being a gentle rap song being played in a toddler and preschool playroom. This book is an adventure that is happy and playful. It is an interactive book as the reader can invite children to make the sounds as Ella joyfully wanders in the rain. The illustrations are wonderful and enhance the creative writing. This book is a treasure to be explored and played joyfully!!! I bought this book for my toddler & we both love it! It’s a fun, sing-songy read that holds her attention & the illustrations are fabulous! Well written, great drawings. The words are great at teaching children sounds and vocabulary. Well worth the price of the book. Great original children’s book-the perfect gift for all the Pacific Northwest kiddos in my life. The words are very melodic and fun, and the illustrations really bring it to life!

[PDF] Download Lectures on Astrophysics by Steven Weinberg | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: Lectures on Astrophysics Author: Steven Weinberg Number of pages: Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (January 30, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 1108415075 Rating: 4,4     6 reviews

Book Description Book Description Lectures on Astrophysics provides an account of classic and contemporary aspects of astrophysics, with an emphasis on analytical calculations and physical understanding. Written by Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg, recent developments and new results are also discussed. This book is an invaluable resource for students and researchers in astrophysics. Read more About the Author Steven Weinberg is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas, Austin. His research has covered a broad range of topics in quantum field theory, elementary particle physics, and cosmology, and he has been honored with numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in Physics, the National Medal of Science, and the Heinemann Prize in Mathematical Physics. The American Philosophical Society awarded him the Benjamin Franklin medal, with a citation that said he is ‘considered by many to be the preeminent theoretical physicist alive in the world today’. He is a member of several academies in the USA and abroad, including the US National Academy of Sciences and Britain’s Royal Society. He has written several highly regarded books, including Gravitation and Cosmology (1972), a three-volume work The Quantum Theory of Fields (Cambridge, 2005), Cosmology (2008), and Lectures on Quantum Mechanics (Cambridge, 2nd edition, 2015). Read more Customers Review: Not for plebs who want a casual, engaging but a slightly technical read. Not like his First Three Minutes but as the book says these are lectures and in the tradition of Chandrasekhar. Very mathematical but still very crisp in his english as well with the explaining the lectures good