The book reads a bit satirically -- think of your standard baby care book but written like a VCR manual. But it's actually useful information; we had our first child born recently, and it's been really useful to us. I've ended up buying copies for friends, too. Once you figure out a few of the slightly less obvious "terms" (like "service provider" for "doctor"), it's easy to read and avoids a lot of the editorializing and "my baby was this way" found in similar books. Worth the time.

Historical fiction is a curious breed of writing. On the one hand, writers are expected to (within reason) stick closely to actual events, at least when the events in the novel connect to historical timelines. Similarly with personalities, customs, technology, cultural developments, etc. On the other hand, the fact that it's fiction gives the author leeway in inventing new characters, motivations, and in general peering into the details of history that we couldn't possibly know.

"Quicksilver" is the latest offering from Neal Stephenson, an author known better for his science fiction than novels set in the late 17th century as this one is. It's a monster of a novel (944 pages) and is really only the first of three novels in the Baroque Cycle. It's not as far away from his other writing as one might think, however, as many of the characters are the ancestors of various characters in "Cryptonomicon", which itself followed two or three generations of some of these same families (Waterhouse, Shaftoe, etc.)

Unfortunately, the novel meanders so much that it's nigh on impossible to give a plot summary. In fact, the novel seems to putter to a stop rather than climax. It starts out as flashbacks interleaved with events in the early 18th century, but this device doesn't last long and we're left in the Daniel Waterhouse's college days with Isaac Newton. Eventually we begin to follow Bob Shaftoe, then a Qwghlmian woman named Eliza. These three cross paths at various times and interact with other historical figures like Leibniz, Louis XIV, Robert Hooke, and so forth. Stephenson is his usual clever self, but this time it seems more like showing off rather than entertaining as in prior writing.

To be honest, despite a few exciting moments, this was a singularly uncompelling read. By the last third of the novel, I continued reading it out of sheer doggedness rather than any interest in what would happen. Interlocking plot lines are great, but there should be a common thread to make the reader care about the characters and their various fates. As an experiment in historical science fiction, it's worth some time. Stephenson is simultaneously experimenting on the Internet with Real Character writing and a Wiki with more information about various characters and events in the novel (allowing reader input and editing). But novels have to stand on their own two feet, not just as a gimmick, but as worthwhile reads. "Quicksilver" just doesn't cut it, which is a shame: Stephenson is capable of so much more.

Body of Secrets is essentially a sequel to The Puzzle Palace, published twenty years ago to give something of a face to the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA is responsible for signals and electronic intelligence for the US government and in fact is several times larger than its better known cousin, the Central Intelligence Agency. The book is presented primarily as a chronological history of the famously-secretive agency, starting with its beginnings at the close of World War II and the beginning of the US struggle against Communism and progressing to the post-September 11th era.

NSA operations against North Korea are discussed, including some early diplomatic/military problems caused by operational mistakes. The agency's early technology and organization are described in some detail, using now-declassified documents as sources. Some of the key figures in this era are described, and quick mini-biographies give the reader a basic understanding of who these individuals were and what motivated them. A great deal of time is also spent discussing reconnaissance overflights of the USSR, including the infamous U2 flight by Gary Powers that was shot down. Bamford takes this opportunity to criticize President Eisenhower, who is represented in the book as a corrupt, scheming politico scared to take responsibility for his actions.

But his criticism isn't limited to Eisenhower: the NSA's role in Cuba is dissected as well, such as for the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis. The Joint Chiefs of Staff bear the brunt of Bamford's fury here, as he documents numerous efforts to incite a US-Cuba war (including a treasonous terrorism campaign to be waged in the US and blamed on the Cubans).

The use of naval ships to gather signals intelligence (Sigint) and electronics intelligence (Elint) is also outlined, including a number of episodes that resulted in captured ships and men, including one ship captured by the North Koreans as well as the NSA role in the Gulf of Tonkin incident that President Johnson used as a pretext for the Vietnam war. The author takes great pains to describe the USS Liberty incident involving Israel's attack on an NSA ship during the Six Day War. Interestingly, while this review was being written, the NSA released additional information on this incident that supports the author's position.

Bamford also catalogues NSA activity in Vietnam, including the first US soldier killed there (an NSA operative). While he may have little respect for much of the senior command structure, his respect and admiration for the grunts is clear as he outlines the many sacrifices they made in the service of their country even when poor decisions were being made far above them. This is a key theme of the book, actually: while the President and his staff sometimes didn't do what the author believes to be the right thing, the individual NSAers were sweating it out in impossible conditions to follow orders and protect their cause.

Given so much discussion of the monitoring activity and technology of the NSA, the issue of civil liberties is important here. Transgressions were made, and many of them are listed and analyzed in the book. Body of Secrets has multiple meanings here: certainly this sort of airing of past sins is revealing of a lot of secrets that many folks would rather never see out in the open. In particular, Bamford presents large amounts of evidence regarding the targeting of individuals in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.

As the book reaches the modern era (post-1980), its tone changes from a historical account to a more general statistical analysis and description. This is probably due to the recent (and therefore still-classified) nature of the data that would provide more texture here. Hopefully, in another twenty years these stories can be told as well, particularly those involving satellite imagery and Echelon. The book also discusses the modern challenges facing the NSA, both technological (the telecom explosion, the Internet, etc.) and organizational (funding, competition for talent, etc.). An afterword addresses September 11th, but in reality the NSA involvement in this section is only tangential.

Both a well-researched archive and a riveting account of the history of the NSA, Body of Secrets is a fascinating look inside one of the most reclusive and insular US government agencies. It provides another perspective on many key events in modern US history and is well worth the time a reader invests in it. Bamford's leanings in the book are clear and, while occasionally distracting, probably inevitable. For those interested in the NSA, it's indispensible and unmatched.

I read this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR. While the author evidently knows the subject matter well, the book reads as if it were written to be read aloud rather than just read. Confusingly, it's not really written chronologically, either.

But it's pretty good anyway, and offers an excellent, though brief, summary of the events of fall 2001 without dwelling overly long on subjects (like September 11) that we're all quite familiar with. The author also spends some time reviewing the "person of interest", Stephen J. Hatfield, and his background. It's a short read (I read it cover to cover in about a day), but it's worth it.

"Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC" is the story of two researchers for the Centers for Disease Control who spend years in Africa, treating and researching such diseases as Lassa, Ebola, and HIV. Some of the stories are fairly interesting and my eyes were opened to some of the circumstances faced by folks living in central Africa. But the book feels like it lacks a point; it's really a collection of short recollections (4-20 pages each), sometimes with very little tying them together. More maps would have been useful, and the end of the book has more information about "level 4" labs constructed to examine these viruses in safety. The book wasn't a waste of time but it didn't have what I was looking for, which was a focus on the mindset of the doctors as they investigated the various viruses. It's pretty decent evening reading, though.

I've been trying to slug through Half Hours With the Best Thinkers. It basically consists of excerpts from works by Confucius, Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli, etc. This was a mistake: while I've read some of the works included here, and was just hoping to discover some others that appealed to me, jumping in the middle isn't conducive to that like I had hoped it would be. The "mental whiplash" between one reading to another is just too great for me. I need time to find the rhythm of the writing, to really be able to follow the flow of the writer's thoughts. And each excerpt really isn't half an hour long (except for some of the more convoluted writings, like Aquinas's). Somebody else might enjoy it, but not me.

I really enjoyed this book. It's not too clinical, though it does have sections in each chapter for what's going on with the mother, the baby, and you. The writer isn't afraid to reveal the worries and concerns he had through his wife's pregnancies, and he takes the time to speak to adoptive fathers and those whose pregnancies end in miscarriage. So he doesn't try too hard to write a "guy" book, and at the same time isn't overly sensitive and touchy-feely. It's a nice balance of a human voice while still being informative. I'm really glad I bought it, and it's definitely recommended reading for other men who are new to the whole process. In fact, it might even be useful for those who have gone through it before, but I'm not sure, not having been there yet myself.

The Coming takes place later this century in a world wracked by social change. A scientist in Gainesville detects an approaching spaceship, and the news causes some upheaval, though not as much as might be expected. Nothing new, it would seem, but Haldeman keeps the focus almost entirely within Gainesville: very little of the action takes place outside the university town. The novel feels stretched out: it probably would have made a fine short story, but as a novel it left me thinking, "This is it? This is all we get?" Without giving away the ending, it's not a particularly satisfying one. Haldeman doesn't really explain the why of the plot. In fact, the plot feels like just so much baggage while he expounds on a few social themes, like the criminalization of homosexuality and the implications of real traffic control. In the end, Haldeman has many interesting ideas (as always) but it was stretched out far too long. He's a fine author with lots to say - just not here.

I used this in my undergrad course as a math major at UT Dallas. I really enjoyed it; the book has sections on applications in just about every chapter, and there are lots of computational exercises as well. In addition to answers to odd-numbered exercises, each chapter has a "self-test" with all the answers provided at the back of the book. It's a bit chatty, but that befits an undergrad text.

This is a good book for self-study, though if you are really serious about it, you might want to supplement it with a more rigorous reference (the Dettman text is good for this).

I purchased this book to help me prepare for a graduate-level course as an undergrad. The book is written at a good level: not as rigorous as a typical grad textbook, but not as chatty as many modern undergrad textbooks. This allows the reader to focus on the material and have it well-explained without being distracted or treated like a junior high student. The book contains no answers for any of the exercises. If I was not using it for self-study, this wouldn't be a problem. There are a few places where he does a bit of handwaving or is a bit lazy in his definitions (see the definition of "subgroup" on p. 207 for an example), but this does not overly detract from the quality.

While it's not perfect, I'm very happy with the book for my somewhat limited purposes. I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, but I'll be generous and round to 4 since I can't.