Praise for 'The Craft We Chose'
"A rare and masterful glimpse into the inner workings of the clandestine service ... But more than that, his story is an account of extraordinary personal courage that sets a standard for those who would call themselves intelligence officers."
--Porter Goss, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
"Arguably the best book I have ever read on the agency ... and I've read practically all of them."
--Larry Cosgriff, Maritime Lens
"Blunt and colorful!"
"The stuff of great spy fiction ... a must-read."
--David Pitt, Booklist Online
"The memoir of a true patriot ... a fascinating look into the motivations and everyday life of a highly decorated CIA operative ... who gave his life--almost literally--to serve our country in ambiguous and dangerous circumstances that we everyday people cannot truly appreciate."
--Gregory Herbert
"Remarkable! Thank you for all the work Mountain Lake Press did in bringing this inspiring CIA Officer's autobiography into print in the manner it long deserved."
--Elizabeth Bancroft, Executive Director, Association of Former Intelligence Officers
"Clear and engaging ... Holm corrects the media's portrayal of spying operations as car chases punctuated by martinis shaken-not-stirred and disregard for American laws and values."
--André Le Gallo, former senior CIA officer and author of Satan's Spy
"A terrific book--required reading! His story magnifies the importance of human intelligence in warfare, and is demonstrable of the valor of our clandestine services."
--Frank Gaffney, Secure Freedom Radio
"Something worth being grateful for--both the book itself and the actual decades of service detailed in its pages."
--Ronnie Rittenberry, Security Products magazine
"A terrific blend of detailed memory, emotional involvement, and fascinating subject matter. Richard Holm put me on his shoulder and walked me through his life, through a variety of cultures in Asia and Europe, and through the twisting corridors of the CIA."
--Nelson Antonio Denis
"An absorbing trip through the mind of a gifted operative who for 35 years did his difficult and sometimes dangerous job to heroic effect ... America was lucky to have him."
--Charles McCarry, The Wall Street Journal
Read Howard Altman's interview with Richard Holm in the Tampa Tribune.
| Raves for 'Adventures in the Scream Trade'
"Long's book surprised me by its earthiness and honesty ... He spares no one in his narrative, least of all himself ... [His] tone is downright irreverent, but it's beautifully written and easy to read; even the musical terminology is transparent."
--Tom Glenn, Washington Independent Review of Books
"Singers' memoirs are generally '....and then I sang...' 'I starred in...' 'this conductor is an idiot... and' 'I married this idiot and that idiot.' They often go on for hundreds of pages in this vein. Charles Long's book is wickedly and delightfully atypical. He knows where the bodies are buried and he spells out locales, proclivities and locations. [He] says what people know and dare not spill ... There are delightful scenes ... Buy the book. It's a delight."
"A good title is no guarantee of a good book, but Charles Long’s Adventures in the Scream Trade is an uncommonly candid and opinionated account of his life as a starring operatic baritone."
"Adventures in the Scream Trade is companionably written in a bemused tone. It’s full of stories like the time an aging tenor lost his voice in the middle of Pagliacci, and his “cover” (understudy) tried to sing the role from the pit while the older singer’s wife urged her husband to try to belt it out anyway."
"Each story/chapter informs and inspires. Collectively, they form an amalgam of experiences as readers follow the personal growth and professional accomplishments of a man who took advantage of opportunity to achieve what few have been able to achieve ... Music fans of all genres will identify with his trials, tribulations, and successes in the scream trade. Any reader who has ever screamed due to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune will take heart in knowing that in Charles Long they've found a fellow traveler."
| And Acclaim for 'Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8'
"With great intelligence and an eye for enjoyable reading, Zimmerman highlights a period in American history when everyday heroes still existed and we had not lost our capacity to be awed by scientific achievement."
--Publishers Weekly
"Well-told... Provide[s] a unique perspective... Zimmerman's work is the first to cover this flight alone and to stress its monumental significance as the most important Apollo mission."
--Library Journal
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."
--San Antonio Express-News
Zimmerman is accurate and thorough in his approach, giving the reader insights into Apollo 8 and the U.S. Space Program that might never have been told at the time. He weaves an exciting and thought provoking tale. . . . he not only tells the big picture - the politics, the Cold War, the titanic struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States and their "Race to the Moon" - but he vividly portrays the little pictures as well.
--Destination Space
"Genesis captures the essence of the space race and the Apollo program."
-- Frank Borman (Apollo 8 commander)
"The flight of Apollo 8 brought a shining ending to a year of turmoil. Zimmerman tells the reality of that story with vigor."
-- Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 astronaut)
"Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 successfully weaves together the flight to the moon with the political backdrop of that very troubled decade of the sixties."
-- Bill Anders (Apollo 8 astronaut)
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