America or Fire on the Mountain

America: Our Next Chapter: Tough Questions, Straight Answers

Author: Chuck Hagel

Senator Chuck Hagel has long been admired by his colleagues on both sides of the Senate floor for his honesty, integrity, and common-sense approach to the challenges of our times. The Los Angeles Times has praised his "bold positions on foreign policy and national security" and wondered, "What's not to like?" In America: Our Next Chapter, Nebraska-born Hagel offers a hard-hitting examination of the current state of our nation and provides substantial, meaningful proposals that can guide America back onto the right path.

In America: Our Next Chapter, Hagel speaks the truth as he sees it—in a direct and refreshingly unvarnished manner. Basing his suggestions on thorough research and careful thought, as well as on personal insight from his years as a political insider, successful businessman, and decorated war hero, he discusses domestic issues—including the health care crisis, immigration, and Social Security and Medicare reform—and global climate change. He confronts foreign policy problems that the current administration has bungled or ignored, including China's growing economy; control of U.S. debt; India's and Pakistan's nuclear capabilities; and Iran's aggressive political, ideological, and nuclear stances. He decries the pervasive disease of third world poverty, arguing convincingly that this is where the real fight against terrorism must begin. Always true to the beliefs instilled in his childhood on the prairie, he speaks passionately about service—to one's country and to one's fellow citizens—as the path toward a renewed America. And, of course, he gives a candid examination of the debacle that is the Iraq War.

A staunch Republican yet a "hero to liberals" (Time), Hagel asks the tough questions and delivers straight answers to America's most pressing problems. America: Our Next Chapter is a serious, honest, and, ultimately, optimistic look at our nation's future, from an American original.

Jill Ortner Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information - School Library Journal

Those tired of reading about the 2008 presidential candidates may wish to turn to these books by U.S. politicians expressing varying degrees of separation-even alienation- from current party dogma. Hagel, senior Republican senator from Nebraska, is popular in his home state, but he has faced attacks from fellow Republicans for his outspoken objection to the Iraq War and the Bush administration's foreign policy. His book with eclectic journalist Kaminsky (American Waters: Flyfishing Journeys of a Native Son) is a thoughtful and provocative assessment of current U.S. policy and loss of stature in the eyes of our allies. Hagel evaluates U.S. diplomatic relations and stresses the need for consensus building and collaboration with other countries' leaders. He expresses dismay at the current divisive, partisan political climate and rejects the position that criticism of the Republican administration is disloyal or unpatriotic. A former business owner, he also discusses economic issues and tax policy, expressing a more conventional, business-oriented Republican philosophy.

Specter, the centrist Republican senator from Pennsylvania, ventures in his book with attorney Scaturro (The Supreme Court's Retreat from Reconstruction) to theorize that the stress he suffered as he fought with more conservative Republicans to obtain the Senate Judiciary chairmanship-his comments on the nomination process for Supreme Court justices were interpreted by some fellow party members as a challenge to Bush's authority-as well as the stress of strenuous primary and general election campaigns may have contributed to his contracting Hodgkin's disease. He details his determination to maintain anormal work (and workout) routine during his successful chemotherapy treatment and also provides extensive behind-the-scenes reports on the actual approval processes for Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.

Former Minnesota governor Ventura is the ultimate political outsider, and he couldn't be happier in that role. His book, with environmental journalist Russell, is a combination memoir and call-to-rally as he and his wife travel across the West and down the Baja Peninsula. All his dislike for the two-party system and the media and his distrust of government, the CIA, and the military-industrial complex are displayed in an engaging, sometimes humorous, assessment of his experiences as governor. He reminisces about his trip to Cuba, where he met Castro, and he proposes solutions to environmental, economic, and foreign-policy problems facing the world today. In the epilog he holds out the possibility that he may open a third-party campaign for President this year. All three books offer insights and thoughtful perspectives on current U.S. political issues and are recommended for public libraries.

Look this: The Practical Handbook of Homeopathy or Food Allergy Field Guide

Fire on the Mountain: The True Story of the South Canyon Fire

Author: John N MacLean

In this acclaimed bestseller of investigative journalism, John N. Maclean chronicles the deadly 1994 Colorado forest fire that was wrongly identified at the outset as occuring in South Canyon. This misidentification was the first in a string of seemingly minor human errors that would be compounded into one of the greatest tragedies in the annals of firefighting as fourteen men and women firefighters—experts in their field—lost their lives battling the South Canyon blaze.

This stunning reconstruction of the fire and its aftermath, drawn from Maclean's exhaustive research and countless interviews, reveals fascinating insights into what went wrong, and how so many top-notch firefighters fell victim to nature at its most unforgiving. A page-turning adventure narrative brimming with action and intensity, Fire on the Mountain offers a powerful and indelible profile of a special breed of people who put thier lives on the line as part of their daily jobs.

Denver Post

Like is father [Norman Maclean, author of Young Men and Fire], Maclean has written a work that will be read and reread for years.

NY Times Book Review

...renews our awe of and reverence for fire's primal, inextinguishable essence, which corsses state lines, lifetimes and generations.

Washington Post Book Review

Riveting.

KLIATT

Environmental conditions in western Colorado in the summer of 1994 were conducive to an outbreak of forest fires. Drought coupled with hot, dry weather transformed the parched flora of the area canyons to tinder. On the afternoon of July 1, a local National Weather Service forecaster issued a Red Flag Watch to firefighters: expect high winds, lightning and no rain with a high potential for large fire growth. The winds blew, lightning struck, and fires were ignited. Several blazes erupted on the slopes of Storm King Mountain, a rugged peak situated on the fringe of the Rockies. Local firefighting personnel were unable to contain the fires so smokejumpers were recruited to assist. Due to both the difficult terrain of Storm King and a troubling sequence of bureaucratic snafus, the fires spread. By July 6, 49 firefighters were toiling diligently on the mountain, unfortunately making little progress. At four p.m. a fast-moving cold front whipped up winds that fanned the scattered fires into a blowup. A massive, unified inferno raged up the mountain, allowing no time for escape. Tragically, 14 men and women firefighters died that day. The author vividly recreates the critical events leading up to the disaster, the anatomy of the deadly conflagration itself, and the sobering aftermath. He also honors a profession whose members with scant recognition put their lives on the line every time they go to work. John Maclean is the son of Norman Maclean, author of the acclaimed Young Men and Fire about the Mann Gulch fire, and like the work of his father, Fire on the Mountain is destined to become a classic. A harrowing, heroic account. Includes photographs, map and glossary. KLIATT Codes:SA*—Exceptional book, recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1999, Pocket Books/Washington Square Press, 275p, illus, 21cm, 00-036317, $13.95. Ages 16 to adult. Reviewer: Randy M. Brough; Lib. Dir., Franklin P.L., Franklin, NH January 2001 (Vol. 35 No. 1)