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THE ART OF GUERILLA WARFARE

Name: THE ART OF GUERILLA WARFARE
Author: J.J. Tucker
ISBN: 978-1497537088

by J.J. Tucker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 19, 2014

A treatise that might whet the appetite of readers looking for a more searching reflection on its subject.

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An instruction manual that navigates the contours of guerrilla warfare.

Tucker’s inaugural effort covers, in 16 pithy chapters, nearly every subject relevant to understanding guerrilla tactics. The book looks at this peculiar brand of combat from a political, tactical, moral and even economic perspective. Along the way, the author discusses the nature of empire, espionage, arms acquisition and psychological warfare, as well as more philosophically charged topics, such as ideology, the guerrilla soldier as “lone wolf” and the nature of propaganda. In the spirit of Sun Tzu’s seminal The Art of War, Tucker fills each chapter with a numbered list of aphoristic expressions, each one rarely more than a sentence or two in length. As in Sun Tzu’s work, Tucker’s apothegms are often oblique, more poetical than conventional: “A guerrilla is the bullet from a sniper that strikes the head of an emperor.” Other times, the attention shifts away from strictly strategic concerns to issue moral pronouncements: “No excuses are accepted from the killers of babies and adolescents.” Sometimes the observations are so broad and obvious that they may fail to hold the reader’s attention: “When one nation becomes indebted to another, the creditor can influence the debtor’s policies.” This is a timely work, given the rise of terrorism throughout the world. However, it’s not a meticulous one, as the aphoristic method limits the author’s ability to rigorously discuss its bold, sweeping declarations, such as, “War is waged on an enemy for three reasons: riches, power, & respect.” The book also might have benefited from a discussion of the rich tradition of similar works that preceded it, and the analysis could have been greatly sharpened if it used real-world historical examples to substantiate its claims.

A treatise that might whet the appetite of readers looking for a more searching reflection on its subject.

Pub Date: Feb. 19, 2014

ISBN: 978-1497537088

Page Count: 142

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

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ROSE BOOK OF BIBLE CHARTS, MAPS AND TIME LINES

by Timothy Paul Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2005

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

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A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.

This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is â€œHow We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.

Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005

ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION

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THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS

AND OTHER ESSAYS

by Albert Camus ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 1955

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This a book of earlier, philosophical essays concerned with the essential "absurdity" of life and the concept that- to overcome the strong tendency to suicide in every thoughtful man-one must accept life on its own terms with its values of revolt, liberty and passion. A dreary thesis- derived from and distorting the beliefs of the founders of existentialism, Jaspers, Heldegger and Kierkegaard, etc., the point of view seems peculiarly outmoded. It is based on the experience of war and the resistance, liberally laced with Andre Gide's excessive intellectualism. The younger existentialists such as Sartre and Camus, with their gift for the terse novel or intense drama, seem to have omitted from their philosophy all the deep religiosity which permeates the work of the great existentialist thinkers. This contributes to a basic lack of vitality in themselves, in these essays, and ten years after the war Camus seems unaware that the life force has healed old wounds... Largely for avant garde aesthetes and his special coterie.