Two Words, One Answer.
Services?
 In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect $26.00 My hope, when obtaining this book, was for an inside look at the Secret Service and how they operated. Instead, there are basically two subjects that the author reveals. The primary objective seems to be to prove that the funding for the Secret Service is tight and that they are not able to provide adequate protection to protectees. The argument for under funding is mixed with, what amounts to gossip about the past Presidents and their families. While I do believe that there may be some problems with the Secret Service, I do not believe it is as bad as is painted. It is hard to gauge the depth of any problem since many of the sources are not attributed, and those that have been attributed are usually people who left the Secret Service. That, to the author, is a huge problem, apparently as he continually discusses the low moral and number of agents that leave for industry. I would guess that the author never worked in the real world, as there are disgruntled employees at every job. They don't like the hours, or the need to move or any host of other things, and they quit. To place all this on policies of the Secret Service that the author believes are wrong, is to ignore the fact you will always have people with changing priorities in life. I have to say that I was disappointed all the way around. The writing was adequate, but at about a sixth grade level. The book was an easy and quick read that reminded me of a tabloid newspaper. If you are looking for a definitive work on the Secret Service, stay clear. This is more of a "tell all" type book without much real substance.  Trotsky: A Biography $35.00 Half the reviews say this is about a great man and is a smear job; the other half implies it helps to clear the air about Trotsky's true evil. Well, both sides are right - at least about the book. I may be the only one who finds this a compellingly even-handed biography. Service is constantly praising moves and policy standpoints of Trotsky's, but never hesitates to note his sanctioned executions during the Civil War, the certain not-so-thought-out policy choices, or his character faults. I left this book understanding why people who are concerned with this man can show both the utmost hatred and the utmost adoration for him, and that was worth the price of the bio alone. As for the beef about Service's prose, I cannot subscribe to the notion that it is somehow lacking. I enjoy his style. The nuances of early Bolshevik debates aren't exactly as gripping as a Brett Favre 70-yard hurl. I find his style of simplification and explanation of rather dense ideological disputes both effective and rewarding. As this is part of a group of bios, I would heavily suggest reading the Lenin volume first, as it just enriches the focus found here on Trotsky's side of the relationship.  Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter $13.95 As a student about to graduate culinary school and is going to work in the front of house, this book was very helpful and elightening. I had the unique and rare opportunity to interview with Per Se twice and was able to observe a night of there service from both the kitchen and the dining room. This book is very accurate in decribing what goes on at the restaurant and how things are done. Could have been more detailed seeing as Per Se is deailed orriented but I would assume she wouldnt want to bore those who are not in the industry. For the people that are in the industry, we understand this book. Pretty well written though. |
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