Spain's Civil War, a tune-up for WW II, began in 1936. In three years, 600,000 patriots lay dead. Americans played a role in the conflict and Gerassi has chronicled their experiences. . . . Gerassi interviewed Americans who survived the Spanish Civil War, creating an oral history from those interviews. But the author has done more than that; he has written a social history of the 1930s, providing a window into an era in which radicalism took many forms. His `people's history' of men in arms and why they chose to take them up is most enlightening. Choice

"Mission of Folly is a candid report on Canada's participation in America's "War on Terror" in Afghanistan. Laxer explores the policy vacuum that resulted in Canadian troops being sent to fight a war that would last longer than any previous Canadian allied engagement. With passion and perspicacity he details the motives underlying the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, outlines the recent history of that troubled nation, and challenges the assumption that infringement of human rights is sufficient justification for Canada's involvement. Laxer's familiarity with U.S. and Canadian global policy provides the backdrop for a concise study that will be of interest to a broad readership."--Publisher.