Heath

From one of the best chroniclers of modern life and crime, I would expect a lot more. This book fizzled in the middle compared to his other works. Compared to Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo, it's just good. But if you haven't read Bowden and want a short account, this is a really good read.

What's so interesting about this book is that unlike the "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and overnight millionaire books that deluge the market, it's based on good research and interviews. This will not tell you how to flip properties or find probated estates. It will tell you how to model the behaviors of people who have been in the same situation you find yourself in and have had the same success you want. Really well done in both content and narration.

Bowden is one of the few authors who can read his own work and keep you intrigued. The trade-off is that he does sound like a journalist rather than a story teller.
You won't find a more well-researched account of the drug wars up close and personal. A fascinating read and one of the books I found myself listening to in my driveway.
My only beef - it's abridged...

We listened to this in a trip across Germany and my brother and I often found ourselves staring at each other in amazement. We died a little each time as the divers suffered setback after setback.
The reader did seem very dry at first, but it works and the material more than overcomes any narration short comings.
I was unsure if I would enjoy this book at first, not being a diver. However, if you have any interest in history or are the kind of person who watches NOVA, go get this book today.

Edmund Morris has a knack for making biographies interesting. With someone like Theodore Roosevelt who is such a charismatic figure in our nation's history, he really shines. The descriptions of his trips out west made me want to head to the Dakotas to see the Badlands for myself. I really enjoyed how Morris tied together the political picture and not just the adventures of Roosevelt.
Also, the narration is fantastic, the voice of Roosevelt shines through and was used appropriately throughout the reading.
The last star is missing simply because I really wanted to have the unabridged version.

This and his earlier work "All Over But the Shoutin'" are some of the most compelling family stories you weill ever read. Mr. Bragg made me fel what he and his family felt, which the acme of skill in writing. I wanted to send his Momma flowers after his earlir book and I toasted Ava's Man after reading this. The stories are poignant and often heart wrenching but I couldn't wait to keep reading because he made me care about what happened next.