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Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful in its exposition of what unfairness life may hold
Review: A fantastic collection of extreme and bizarre biographies, detailing the lives of down-trodden little guys getting brutally shafted, the way that little guys usually do. This book is a testament to the greed, ignorance and indifference to suffering of human beings. Ken wisely refrains from infusing too much personal opinion, and just lets these well-written short stories speak for themselves. It is left to the reader to make the plausible extrapolation that such injustices are still being perpetrated today. The only forces that have ever motivated human beings to abandon personal goals and attempt to improve the world are not the hollow and sanctimonious words of moralists, ministers and holy books encouraging people to "Love their neighbours" and "Do good deeds", but flaming and outrageous injustices. This book provides examples of these in abundance. Certain to awaken the moral sense of all but the most greedy and hard-hearted among us, this book is sure to bring a tear to the eye of every CEO and politician in the land. Please read this book and when you've finished, give the book to someone else to read. Alternatively, if you think that Ken Smith deserves a few more cents in royalties for his hard work, then buy them a brand new copy instead. As the final words on the back cover says: Some things are just not right!
Rating:
Summary: Eloquent Storytelling! Very enjoyable,though brutal,reading.
Review: A fantastic collection of extreme and bizarre biographies, detailing the lives of down-trodden little guys getting brutally shafted, the way that little guys usually do. This book is a testament to the greed, ignorance and indifference to suffering of human beings. Ken wisely refrains from infusing too much personal opinion, and just lets these well-written short stories speak for themselves. It is left to the reader to make the plausible extrapolation that such injustices are still being perpetrated today. The only forces that have ever motivated human beings to abandon personal goals and attempt to improve the world are not the hollow and sanctimonious words of moralists, ministers and holy books encouraging people to "Love their neighbours" and "Do good deeds", but flaming and outrageous injustices. This book provides examples of these in abundance. Certain to awaken the moral sense of all but the most greedy and hard-hearted among us, this book is sure to bring a tear to the eye of every CEO and politician in the land. Please read this book and when you've finished, give the book to someone else to read. Alternatively, if you think that Ken Smith deserves a few more cents in royalties for his hard work, then buy them a brand new copy instead. As the final words on the back cover says: Some things are just not right!
Rating:
Summary: The Real American Dream Realized
Review: I have purchased Ken's Guide to the Bible, and I liked his writing so much I got this book. I was not dissapointed! I always knew that the "underdog" never has gotten the recognition that they deserve....this book fixes all that. Its chock full of stories about people who really meant well (some of whom could have really changed the world for the better with their passions), but then get caught in the crosshairs of Big Money companies when their plans don't "go with the flow", and threaten the established system's moneymakers. You know that this kind of stuff happens all the time, and its only right that these poor souls get at least some semblance of respect in death, something that was denied them in life. Some of these stories will almost bring a tear to your eye, knowing that these victims recieved the full brunt of corporate vengeance and governmental greed. Imagine a situation where an entire *company*, or and entire division of *government* is trying to take YOU down because of an invention you created that can make something that they have done obsolete (or because your trying save peoples lives by alerting them to something illegal and unsafe their doing), then be glad that it happened to someone else when you read about the hell that they go through as a result! Keep these stories in mind the next time you hear about some guy being squashed underfoot from big buisness....and know that stuff like this has, is, and will continue to happen! Kind of short, but a great read.
Rating:
Summary: A very sobering take on what life holds for the unlucky few
Review: I have purchased Ken's Guide to the Bible, and I liked his writing so much I got this book. I was not dissapointed! I always knew that the "underdog" never has gotten the recognition that they deserve....this book fixes all that. Its chock full of stories about people who really meant well (some of whom could have really changed the world for the better with their passions), but then get caught in the crosshairs of Big Money companies when their plans don't "go with the flow", and threaten the established system's moneymakers. You know that this kind of stuff happens all the time, and its only right that these poor souls get at least some semblance of respect in death, something that was denied them in life. Some of these stories will almost bring a tear to your eye, knowing that these victims recieved the full brunt of corporate vengeance and governmental greed. Imagine a situation where an entire *company*, or and entire division of *government* is trying to take YOU down because of an invention you created that can make something that they have done obsolete (or because your trying save peoples lives by alerting them to something illegal and unsafe their doing), then be glad that it happened to someone else when you read about the hell that they go through as a result! Keep these stories in mind the next time you hear about some guy being squashed underfoot from big buisness....and know that stuff like this has, is, and will continue to happen! Kind of short, but a great read.
Rating:
Summary: A very sobering take on what life holds for the unlucky few
Review: I have purchased Ken's Guide to the Bible, and I liked his writing so much I got this book. I was not dissapointed! I always knew that the "underdog" never has gotten the recognition that they deserve....this book fixes all that. Its chock full of stories about people who really meant well (some of whom could have really changed the world for the better with their passions), but then get caught in the crosshairs of Big Money companies when their plans don't "go with the flow", and threaten the established system's moneymakers. You know that this kind of stuff happens all the time, and its only right that these poor souls get at least some semblance of respect in death, something that was denied them in life. Some of these stories will almost bring a tear to your eye, knowing that these victims recieved the full brunt of corporate vengeance and governmental greed. Imagine a situation where an entire *company*, or and entire division of *government* is trying to take YOU down because of an invention you created that can make something that they have done obsolete (or because your trying save peoples lives by alerting them to something illegal and unsafe their doing), then be glad that it happened to someone else when you read about the hell that they go through as a result! Keep these stories in mind the next time you hear about some guy being squashed underfoot from big buisness....and know that stuff like this has, is, and will continue to happen! Kind of short, but a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: The format does it in.
Review: In "Raw Deal," author Ken Smith has compiled twenty-two "horrible and ironic stories of forgotten Americans." And indeed, that is what they are. We read about "Star of the Monkey House," an African pygmy who was put on display at the Bronx Zoo and his ignoble future once he is discharged. And there's the story of Black Kettle, the Cheyenne chief who argued for peace before he was slaughtered by Custer. Plus the inventor of laughing gas who ended up dead in his prison cell at the age of thirty-three. And you'll learn why James Garfield was our unluckiest President. All of the stories are fascinating, well written, and accompanied by good pen and ink sketches. And each is more horrifying than the one before. But, none of them are very moving. How can you not be moved by Jerry Tarbot, the living unknown soldier from World War I who suffered from severe wounds, mustard gas poisoning, and shell shock which led to a long recovery process and finally total amnesia? Because, his life story is told in thirteen pages. It's difficult to build and maintain deep sympathy for any of these characters when their story is condensed into such a short space. For example, imagine the emotion involved when Tarbot visits an antiques shop he thought he might have worked in, only to find it was closed, but the owner lived across the street. He hurries to the home to discover they're holding the owner's funeral and another door is slammed in his face. In none of these stories do you enter the head of the subject to learn how he was feeling, what he is thinking. Again, it is not Smith's fault, but the problem is with the format. Each subject deserves at least one-third of a book, if not the whole book. Smith must have realized this, because at the end of the book he gives us a bibliography for each chapter, which lists entire books devoted to the individuals he has encapsulated. So, for each, you can learn the full story in possibly more dramatic terms. This book remains like an encyclopedia to lead the reader to further exploration of the topics contained within. To that end, it magnificently achieves its goal. But, it makes for not a very satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful in its exposition of what unfairness life may hold
Review: This book is so well written. I wish so deeply that others will pick up a copy so that the people Ken Smith writes about shall not be forgotton in death as they were in life.
Rating:
Summary: The Real American Dream Realized
Review: This book simply blew me away.Tragic in every sense of the word.The story of one of our most brilliant inventors hides among its pages.He jumped out of a 10-story window because corporate greed ruined his life.The story of the only human being in history with a 300 IQ. He suffered because a country full of Babbitts forced him to conform.Unable to do so,he died a pauper's death at 46.Too bad he pioneered the concept of Black Holes in the late 1920's and quite possibly rivaled Einstein in the realm of quantum physics.There are many more.All are Americans who suffered terribly.Simply one of the best books I ever read.It is worth it's weight in gold purely for obscure conversation value among friends who believe the lies thier schools taught them.
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