Editorial Review

The inspirational true story of how one man led a football team—and a city—to triumph in Super Bowl XLIV.

In the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Superdome became a national symbol of misery and hopelessness, where the truly desperate rode out the storm.
Four years later, in that very stadium, the New Orleans Saints won the NFC championship and earned their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.
Two weeks later, the Saints soundly defeated the heavily favored Indianapolis Colts 31 - 17 in what would become the most-watched television event in history.
This is the inspirational story of a city recovering from disaster and a team with a history of heartbreak, seen through the eyes of the coach who taught them both how to win.

Reviews

RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "AN AMAZING SYMBOL OF A DUAL TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY... THE NFL SAINTS & THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS!"
The whole world is well aware of the horror of Hurricane Katrina and due to the NFL's international appeal the whole world also knows about the New Orleans Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Because of the constant exposure of these two monumental events, I had first hesitated to buy this book... because I had watched the game... watched the news... read the papers... and I'm a sports fanatic... so I figured how many different ways can someone describe the same game... the same victory parade... and the same monumental havoc caused by Mother Nature? Man! Was I pleasantly surprised when I read this book. Saints coach Sean Payton traces his life from the emotional high... high atop a float in a Mardi-Gras-like victory parade before EIGHT-HUNDRED-THOUSAND-FANS-IN-NEW-ORLEANS back to his roots with not only an "everyman" type dialogue... but even more amazingly Sean delivers a no-holds-barred look behind the scenes at some of the sports well known individuals.

An example of his "everyman" approach... with all the varnish removed as he cast political correctness to the wind... is demonstrated very early on as the Super Bowl victory parade was in full swing when Sean writes: "I WAS SEVEN BUD LIGHTS IN. IT WAS MY TURN TO GREET THE MAYOR. MY WIFE SQUEEZED MY WRIST AND SAID," CONTROL YOURSELF HONEY." The reader is taken from his college ball to short stints in "pro ball" in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Arena Football League that lasted as long as an average blink of the eye. His attempts to make coaching a career had him bouncing around like an out of control pin-ball machine. From graduate assistant-to assistant-to-position-coach from one side of the country to the next. He worked with coaches such as Jon Gruden, Bill Callahan, his most cherished mentor Bill Parcells, and Jim Fassel among others. Payton's tell-it-like-it-is-shoot-straight-from-the-chest-honesty is never more apparent than when he was an assistant and called the plays under New York Giant Head Coach Jim Fassel. The Giants got the ball back with a few seconds left in the first half in a game against the Cardinals and Sean wanted to just "take a knee" and end the half. Fassel overruled him after asking Sean more than once and Sean steadfastly said he wanted to down the ball and end the half. Fassel instead called a pass play that was intercepted and returned for a game-tying touchdown. After the game Fassel blamed Sean for the call to the media. Sean confronted Fassel "mano- y- mano": "UH, COACH," "WHOEVER TAKES THE BLAME FOR THAT CALL IS UNIMPORTANT TO ME. BUT YOU KNOW THAT WHEN WE DISCUSSED IT ON THE SIDELINE, I SAID, "WE SHOULD TAKE A KNEE." That season was Payton's last with the Giants. When Payton took over the Saints he made it clear that he was installing new goals and expectations. Some notable players didn't seem to "get" the message. "DONTE' STALLWORTH, THE SAINTS FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK IN 2002 AND THIRTEENTH OVERALL THAT YEAR, SHOWED UP LATE FOR MANDATORY TEAM MEETINGS MORE THAN ONCE. I HAD A WORD WITH DONTE' AFTER THE SECOND TIME." I'M DYING TO TRADE OR CUT YOU, I TOLD HIM". ".YOU'RE MAKING IT EASY FOR ME." "HE WAS A SLACKER. IN THIS NEW SAINTS OFFENSE, SOMEONE WHO WAS UNRELIABLE WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME FITTING IN." "DEFENSIVE TACKLE JONATHAN SULLIVAN WAS ANOTHER PLAYER WHO SHOWED UP ON THE RADAR-AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY. HE TOO WAS A FIRST-ROUND PICK, SIXTH OVERALL. HE WAS OVERWEIGHT NOW AND DIDN'T SEEM EAGER TO EXPEND MUCH EXTRA EFFORT."

*BOTH PLAYERS WERE SOON ON OTHER ROSTERS.*

There is a chapter on Sean's interview for a head coaching position with the reclusive... mysterious... Hall Of Fame Legend... Oakland Raiders owner, Al Davis... that is absolutely a classic. From Al's constant habit of changing topics faster than Larry King changes wives... to his less than impressive choice of dinner. Where other potential employers wined and dined Sean in the fanciest restaurants... Mr. Davis eschewed such class establishments and instead sent an aid out for ten McDonald's kid's meal cheeseburgers and coleslaw from KFC. And for what it's worth Sean makes sure to let you know that despite the Super Bowl rings on Al's fingers... he was a sloppy eater.

There are countless insider tales such as these along with many "cold-ones" being thrown back. Along the way it's refreshing to read about all the motivational tools that Payton uses during training both before and during the season. Everything from paint ball wars... to water park contests... to Bill Belichick imitations... to charitable causes that brings tears to the players and coaches eyes. And of course the comeback of a team and a city. No football fan... regardless of your favorite team... will ever think the same way about Coach Sean Payton after reading this book!

Great, "bring back the excitement "read!
For those of us who have followed the Saint's journey to the big game, this book creates and allows the reader to relive the excitement of their championship season. Coach Payton does a superb job of telling his story in a simple, but interesting and totally readable manner. I read it in two nights. i just couldn't put it down! He provides interesting background information regarding securing a coaching job and the social networking associated with it. His re-telling of the motivational events and activities for the team gives great insight into his brilliance and leaves no one to wonder how he brought this team to the Super Bowl. The only thing I felt was missing is that I wished he would have discussed the Shockey acquisition. I think Shockey and his contributions to the team are formidable, and i'm sorry that that was not highlighted. Otherwise, a perfect book for Saint's fans, football fans, and anyone who wants an inside look at a NFL's team success.

Loved it!
I am born and raised in NOLA and I loved this book! I don't read much but I finished this book in two days. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the saints and the city of new orleans.

Great read for every saint fan. It is very easy to read and i could not put it down!

Awesome book!

Best book I've read so far in 2010
Full disclosure - I've been a fan of the NFL and a fan of the NO Saints for all 43 years of their existence. But even if I were not, I would have absolutely loved this book.

In an interview, Sean Payton said that this book was the literary equivalent of sitting with him in an airport bar and this would be the resulting 5 hour or so discussion while waiting for a delayed flight. He is right. The book is Sean Payton telling his story and the story of the Saints and their City.

It is at once wonderful and enlightening. Through his eyes you see the unique City of New Orleans, the people of the City and how the team and the City interact. Nowhere else does a city and a professional sports franchise have this kind of symbiotic relationship and that relationship is hard to fathom for those who haven't seen it first hand. Still Payton and his author, Ellis Henican manage to create a clear and lucid portrait of these 2 entities.

This is truly a wonderful book. You do not need to be a Saints fan or even a football fan to get a lot out of it. It speaks of people, of motivation, of desire, of love and of fortitude. This is not intended to be a motivational tome, but just observing Payton and the City through his eyes and words, you can't help but be moved and even motivated.

Wonderful Read, truly a behind-the-scenes look at coaching
Before the book was released, Sean told an interviewer he wanted the book to read like someone got 5 hours with him at an airport bar when their planes are delayed. Mission accomplished. This is not your normal rah-rah coaching to win book. This is truly a behind-the-scenes, warts and all look at a team, and a city, in shambles that was taken to the pinnacle of success in 4 short years by a man who embraced the challenge of the circumstances and grew to love the city and their wildly loyal fan base- while that fan base grew to love and respect him and his team.

An easy, fun, humorous and touching read - I highly recommend it!

Great Book
Rarely does a football book bring tears to my eyes but this one did. Payton's love for New Orleans, his team & the team's fans is remarkable & so is this book.

Great Book
As a long time New Orleans Saints fan (I was born wearing a black and gold jersey), I was absolutely thrilled when the Saints won to the Superbowl. Life in New Orleans went from crazy to ecstatic very quickly. In this book, Payton talks about his career before the Saints, the decision making process, and then truly focuses on his commitment to the New Orleans Saints and how he brings the team--and the city--to life.

Payton is completely honest in the book. From how he wanted the Green Bay job to his dislike for certain players, and it's all revealed in this book. The behind the scenes traditions and sayings are all explained and nothing is left out. Payton said, before the book was released, that he wanted it to feel like the reader and him were sitting at a bar, just talking. When I closed the book after the last page, I felt just like that.

GREAT read!

Home Team
I dont read books very often, but this I could not put down till I finished it. Everyone who loves football should read this. This man is so down to earth, that is a good reason for being a winning coach. If you are a Saints fan, you really need to read this. I Loved it.

Great book about a great city and a great team
This is the story of Sean Payton's rise to become the Super Bowl winning coach, but more significantly it's the story of the return of a great city from the worst Hurricane Katrina had to give. Equal treatment is given to the coach, the team, and the city, and they are woven together extremely well. It presents the city and the team we love and how they were both rebuilt, at least partially through a commitment from each of them to love the other, no matter what. I think it's a great book that belongs on the bookshelf of anyone who loves football, the Saints, and/or the City of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

This book BEGS to be Read - Understand the last 60 Years of American History!!!!

I approached this book with caution. It is a book of select letters written by the late Senator from New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan who served 18 years in the Congress. The Senator also happened to be a Harvard professor, and Presidential adviser to JFK, LBJ, and Nixon before serving in the Congress. He is brilliant, literary, funny, prescient, and perhaps even clairvoyant.


This book will have a limited audience because of the subject matter, and although it will not be widely read, it will be read by those who are widely read. Moynihan was a gift to all of us, and our society will sorely miss his wisdom, and his advice. This will be true regardless of what side of the political fence you come from.


The book is composed of letters, some 700 of the 10,000 that were available to the editor, Steve Wiseman. It was left to the editor, in his selection process to give us a flavor for who the Senator was, a man who never wrote his own biography. He did however author 18 thought provoking books, and it seems that the core of those books is revealed through these letters.


Each letter has a brief sentence or two introduction setting the time and tone of when it was written. Remember, you are reading the exact words that Daniel Moynihan wrote. There's no editing, so he sometimes appears to be years ahead of his time because in fact he was. Some of the words in the letters are not politically correct. The word Negro was in common usage 50 years ago, and everybody including Martin Luther King was comfortable with it then, and not now.


The book is a living testament to the POWER OF IDEAS, because that is what Moynihan was all about. I have been told by his fellow Senators that he was the most gifted intellect in the Senate in 50 years. There was no typical political phoniness in this man. You knew where you stood. He was opinionated, firm, and subject to change if you could show him that he was wrong.



The Senator demonstrated on page 499 that he was a class act. He and Senator Barry Goldwater were about as far apart politically, as you could be. At a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence when Goldwater was absent, the CIA tried to blame Goldwater, and stated that the Committee had been fully informed through Goldwater. Senator Moynihan knew this was not true. He told the CIA in no uncertain terms, "If you are going to brand Barry Goldwater a liar, you're going to have to get yourself another Vice Chairman (meaning he Moynihan would resign). CIA Director Casey apologized. It's all on page 499.



Here are just a few of the provoking thoughts you will find in this collection:


1) The central conservative truth is that it is culture, not politics, that determines the success of society.


2) You might recall that back in 1990, when the Soviet Union was falling, no one in the CIA predicted it. They were all either asleep at the switch, or in denial. Senator Moynihan had predicted it very clearly in 1979, eleven years before. It's in the unedited letters, it couldn't be clearer, and everybody wants to know why he thought the CIA should be dissolved?


3) We all believe that Ralph Nader was the man who orchestrated the whole automobile safety movement in this country. It's not so. It's in the letters, Moynihan was there first. At that point Professor Mohnihan was instrumental in bringing Nader to Washington DC, and pushed for safety legislation before Nader got there.


4) He coined the term "iron law of emulation", which means he felt that bureaucracies or groups in conflict tend to become more and more like each other over time. He thought the Soviet and American policies on nuclear war were an example of this.


5) A month before JFK's death he wrote an amazing letter on October 22, 1963 on organized crime to the President. It is clear to me that he understood the threat of the underworld on our society like nobody else in government except for Robert Kennedy. This was a time when the FBI and Hoover denied that organized crime existed. This letter shocked me, look at page 63.



Daniel Patrick Moynihan was an intellectual, diplomat, professor, politician, and statesman. We are all better off for the life he lived, and we are very much enlightened by the energy and time it took Mr. Wiseman to put this collection together. He has done an admirable job. By the end of this book, one develops an extraordinary and in-depth feel for this most remarkable public man. Born dirt poor, shining shoes, the Senator left the planet a high brow intellectual with a deep love for his country. Read it at your leisure by your bedside, and be prepared to be enlightened. Thank you for reading this review.



Richard C. Stoyeck

Excellent Portrait
Daniel Patrick Moynihan was a brilliant, distinguished statesman who used the English language splendidly. His letters are a joy to read!!

Experience first hand the thoughts of a brilliant man
Moynihan wrote letter as reflections on his own thoughts; and as memos. Why else do you think he would have kept copies and left them to the Library of Congress?
The book illustrates how difficult if is to care for a stability of an institution.
Moynihan predicted in 1974 after India's first nuclear test that the issue of Pakistan nuclear would arise.
He his heart out to Nathan Glazer about being deceived/betrayed by Nixon
Moynihan is clearly possessing such personality traits as:
* Wide ranging intellect
* Eloquent
* Immense memory and ability to recite history
* Willing to take risks
* Non linear thinker, pulling things together from different thoughts
* Humor and willingness to fight back

"When words fail him, which is almost never, Moynihan does not mind making a point peripatetically: he will wander into the Security Council during a debate, walk around, sit down, get up, go out and come back in. "We sometimes feel that he does not take the Security Council seriously," complains one East Asian diplomat." Time, Jan 26, 1976

You might also like to read "Floccinaucinihilipilificationism: A Word as Big as the Man" By ALISON LEIGH COWAN, NYTimes blog at [...] ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Beautiful Set of Audrey Images
Audrey 100 contains some stunning and beautifully laid out photographs of Audrey throughout her life and career. Among them are splendid candids and intimate images by leading photographers, including Leo Fuchs' [...] whose portrait of Audrey is the autograph print included in the book for framing. For some other images of Audrey by Leo Fuchs, please see the upcoming book Special Photographer at Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood

A DELIGHTFUL AND CHARMING COLLECTION

THIS LATEST BOOK, AUDRY 100, IS A BEAUTIFUL AND A CHARMING INSITE INTO THE
MOST BELOVED ICON OF FILM AND IT ALSO PORTRAYS HER MOST PERSONAL AND INTIMATE
DAYS OF HER LIFE. THE PHOTOGRARHS AND AND EXPLANATIONS OF EACH PHOTOGRAPH ARE TRULY A WORK OF ART. I WILL TREASURE THE BOOK AND DISPLAY IT OPENLY FOR ALL
TO ENJOY AS WELL. SHE WILL LIVE ON IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER. IT IS SIMPLY ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL ADDITION TO MY AUDRY HEPBURN COLLECTION.

... Read more

Editorial Review

Setting the Record Straight is a unique view of the religious and moral heritage of black Americans, with an emphasis on the untold yet significant stories from our rich political history. The material presented is ground-breaking and revolutionary, leaving viewers amazed and inspired. ... Read more

Reviews

As An Avid Student of History, All I could Say Was WOW!, September 20, 2006
I have collected history books for many years. I have been an avid student of history since I was quite small- collecting books from the 1800's and even 1700's if I could find anything (which I once did but it got lost).

Anyway, I would normally not do this, but I saw this DVD and was so amazed that I sat with my mouth open much of the time. Never have I seen so much valuable information gathered in one place about the REAL history of the US and Black America that is not twisted to manipulate the viewer.

What we saw in this DVD literally changed our lives in a positive way. If I had the ability I would purchase tons of these to distribute to students throughout the US of all races to give hope and pride back to us all. We have been manipulated over the years to believe and feel things that are not entirely true.

This collection of information gives dignity back to both white and black people of the US. It does not hide anything bad, but it shows a lot of good as well. The DVD was exceptional- the real roots of the Democratic and Republican parties (which are well known facts, not contortions of reality) was very well done.

Did you know that there were MANY black men in Congress BEFORE the Civil War? Not just one.

I was astonished at the COMPLETE quotes from Frederick Douglass not just the truncated ones that travel around in the depressing museum displays that we have been inundated with around here.

This book is a must for every US citizen (and anyone else who wants to learn about US history). It unites instead of divides and that is precious these days when everythings seems geared to manipulate division instead of true unity between races in the US.

wallbuilders site is a wonderful resource where you can also see posters and visual aids as well as the media production of this title.

History has no color, only truth., April 5, 2008
A great deal of information contained in "Setting The record Straight: History In Black and White," I was previously aware of. However, there was plenty I found to be "eye opening." But the most important reason to read this book is, it contains all of the information needed to verify the information it contains.

By citing historical and public records available to anyone, and giving one these resources, this book does more than "open your eyes." It feeds your mind and teaches you to not accept many of the established sources of politically correct messages about the origins of this country, and the self-serving politically slanted "truths" that are 180-degrees from reality. Buy it, read it, and check the resources for yourself - if you dare!

Setting The Record Straight: American History in Black and White, June 17, 2009
Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black & White This is an excellent book that finally shines the light of truth on the dirty little secrets of who really started the KKK. Everything this author writes he backs up with records in the library of congress in the bibliography of the book. So take off your partisan glasses and see the truth. This is not a republican diatribe, it is the truth and it's truth that is long, long over due.
Read it as an American, not as a republican or democrat. Frankly both parties have let down the entire country, how anyone could defend either is beyond me. We need a 3rd party!
Want the truth READ THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!

Should be required reading for all black Americans, June 6, 2010
Absolutely excellent book that should be required reading for all black americans that wish to really learn about their history. For hundreds of years there has been a clandestine effort by the Democrat party to either enslave or oppress the black americans. However, this history has been hidden from them and in fact black americans vote in majorities for Democrat candidates. Unfortunately the history continues as these people are kept subservient and under control by addicting them to welfare instead of helping them succeed and forwarding the pernicious lie that minorities are some how inferior as to not be able to succeed without the government's help.

In this book the reader will learn about the first black speaker of the house in 1870, the thoughts of Frederick Douglass on the constitution after he had embarked upon a study of it and the real genesis of the Klu Klux Klan. This book will make you angry. Angry at the injustices committed upon fellow human beings. Angry at the wrath of tyranny unleashed by Democrats on anyone who was black or was white and advocated for black rights. Angry that you have not been taught this part of history of the country. And angry that the story has been twisted for political gain for 200 years.

However, the book will empower you as well. It should be required reading for all black Americans.

Start your discovery with the following video and then buy and read this book:
[...]

Untaught History, June 9, 2010
I bought this book because it was featured on the Glenn Beck show...this book is VERY enlightening! Anyone interested in learning Early American History should read this book. We really should be teaching this in school! Minority children would be so uplifted if they were taught this version of history!

amazing, March 4, 2006
This was an amazing DVD full of primary sources as is the case in all of Barton's works. This may be his best work yet. I appreciate someone who takes the time to research and present the facts. It's difficult to argue with the records of Congress up through the 1960's, which show that Democrats voted against almost every opportunity to provide equal rights for African Americans. You have got to see this for yourself. I'm not a Republican, and I won't pledge my allegiance to that party, although I do agree with most of what it stands for today. I do wish Barton would have spent a little more time on one of my heroes, Martin Luther King, Jr., but there is so much material that is covered (about 2 hours covering the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, Reconstruction, acts of Congress, and the civil rights movement in the 50's and 60's). Hopefully Barton can make a DVD on the life of MLK, who I have found to be a devout man of God and a prophet to our country. Based on my studies of the man, I cannot believe King would be at all happy with the politics and anti-Christian stances of modern Democrats. I loaned this DVD to a couple of friends, who also deeply appreciated the video. An excellent history lesson.

The REAL history of blacks and the democrats, June 7, 2010
David Barton does a great service to all Americans and black Americans in particular by bringing back to life much of their long-lost history in our country. One cannot but be amazed that so much that is clearly documented has been "erased" from our memories and our history books.
In this short and well-written book is a complete revision of what has come to be accepted as the narrative of black American history. Not only do the facts debunk many accepted myths, but the history of the Democratic Party and black Americans is a real surprise for most of us.
Here it is, as Barton states; in Black and White, everything any honest black American needs to know to understand how he has been manipulated and deprived of the real story of his predecessors, and of which political party has always been on the right side of the Civil Rights struggle from the start. Suffice it to say that were it not for the Democrats' obstructionism and reversal of Republican efforts, most Civil Rights laws now on the books would have been a reality more than 50 years before they came to be. Simply an eye-opener!

History that some politicians don't want you to know, June 21, 2006
This rewiew is based on the DVD rather than the book. If you can't find the DVD here, go to wallbuilders website. This DVD is Strong, documented history. I personally know many good black people who always vote democratic just because they think that they are supposed to. They have (sadly) not taken the time to look into the History of either political party. The same can also be said of many white people as well. History is ALWAYS valuable. When one watches this DVD (or reads the book) he will see which of the two major political parties has done the most to help black folks. Also highly recommended - "Unfounded Loyalty" by Rev Wayne Perryman.

History should be taught to everyone, June 3, 2010
History I should had learn in school or in college. I will be give this book to my 13 year old child. This book should be part of any history class.

Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black & White, August 8, 2009
Very eye opening. The context of history and politics is so often forgotten with the passage of time. Democrats will not like this book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The Beatles - This nostalgically-shaped Special Edition spins fans back to time when music was vinyl and The Beatles ruled the charts and hearts. Collages of singles' covers, candid publicity photos, and unforgettable moments make each month a sentimental journey as well as a refreshingly new take on the incomparable, inimitable Beatles. ... Read more

Reviews

GREAT MINI CALENDAR
Love the Beatles and everything Beatles! Love this mini calendar. Will cherish it all next year. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters -- Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson -- and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man -- a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined -- but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman's story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman's own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary "man from Missouri" who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history. ... Read more

Reviews

Surprising for a biography, this was a page-turner.
At first the size of this book can seem daunting. However, from the very first page I found it fascinating. For most of the 1,000 or so pages it read like a novel, a real page-turner. Because of the kind of time commitment necessary to read a book of this size, I read it in sections over a couple months, reading other things in between. Having lived through most of the significant events discussed in the book, I found them presented with accuracy. Mr. McCullough showed all sides of every significant conflict. The book gives a fascinating insight into the difficulties of public office and the setting of public policy. It also presents Harry S. Truman as a man of real integrity and one who will, in the long run, undoubtedly go down as one of our great presidents. Throughout this book I was consistently impressed with Mr. Mccullough's writing style. Anyone who can keep the pages turning for 1,000 pages of biography is an extremely skilled writer! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in 20th century American history, but also to anyone interested in just plain good writing!

Superb Coverage Of An Amazing Man's Life and Times!
I am a great fan of biographies of great men. This is the first time I have ached to spend time in the company of the subject of a biography. There is something about Harry Truman --underestimated, shrewd, fallible, magnificent, decent and straight-taliking -- that comes across in this biography. I highly recommend this book.

This is the BEST book I have ever read!
David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize winning biography "Truman" is undoubtedly the best Presidential biography I've read in recent years. Written in a graceful and powerfully eloquent style, it is meticulously researched, and accurately captures the essence of the man who was the 33rd President of the United States.

McCullough challenges a commonly held view of history that Harry S Truman was nothing more than a common man of mediocre abilities who became President almost by accident, and owed his political success to his loyalty to the Democratic party and the Kansas City political bosses. By tracing the life of this self-made man - a farmer, artillery captain during World War I, haberdasher, local politician, U.S. Senator, Vice President, and ultimately President of the United States - the author acquaints the reader with a highly intelligent, competent and complex man. Here is seen the highly principled politician whose ability to judge the character of others enabled him to select outstanding men like Dean Acheson and George Marshall to serve in his administration; a Chief Executive capable of making some of the most momentous decisions of the twentieth century, such as ordering the use of the atomic bomb against Japan in 1945, integrating the Armed Forces in 1948, and firing General Douglas MacArthur in 1951. But, here also is seen a man who remained loyal to personal friends and Democratic party bosses and tolerant of their often disreputable activities; and who, in a fit of petty anger, authored a threatening letter to a music critic who wrote unfavorably about his daughter.

"Truman" is above all a fair and balanced portrait of one of the most unique and greatest of American Presidents. In my view, this extraordinarily well written book is destined to be the biography of Harry S Truman against which all others will be measured. Highly recommended!

A wonderful, serious biography, worthy of praise
I'm normally not one to chat on-line or write reviews like this, but I had to weigh in to defend an unfair comment re McCullough's Truman. An earlier reviewer chastens McCullough for not writing a "balanced" biography.

This is a false and unfair charge. In fact, this is why Truman is such a great book. It paints an accurate picture of the mere man, Harry S. Truman --- his frailities, weaknesses and outright blunders as a human being, all presented in light of his remarkable Presidency.

A good summary of Truman's blunders (there were many) appears on p. 990 of the hardback edition. More in depth discussion of these and other misguided actions are found throughout the book. Harry T's scathing letter, written to a music critic who dared to tell the truth about Margaret's singing, is an excellent example (p. 829).

All in all, this IS a well-balanced, beautifully written, engaging biography. It has all the credentials of serious biographical scholarship, yet it is wrapped in an elegant, warm style. I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in understanding the plain-spoken man from Missouri.

Get to know Harry S. Truman
I've read a number of other reviews and found that the rating tends to be determined by the reviewers' opinion of the man, rather than the book. Critics of Truman argue that McCullough has written a paean to his subject, which is why they give the book fewer stars. Nonsense. What makes Truman so appealing to me (and probably to many other reviewers who, like me, did not know much about him before reading the book) is that he was so very normal, so very human. McCullough makes it clear that Truman was no genius, that he held prejudiced views of blacks and other minorities, that he suffered from strong self-doubt, that he could be petty and selfish and weak, and that the stresses of the job often caused him physical suffering. Despite all of that, he performed admirably as President and established principles that were to guide U.S. foreign policy (and Presidents of all political persuasions) for the next half century.

It is clear that McCullough has some affection for Truman, but it seldom colors his judgment. This is a great biography, which enables the reader to feel as if he truly knows the man. It is also great history, providing a well-researched and well-written account of the vanishing U.S. frontier, of small-town America, of metropolitan political machines, and of the genesis of U.S. Cold War policy. I submit that the distorting biases are not those of McCullough, but those of the readers who do not like Truman, either for personal or political reasons. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Nestled in the Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee, the town of Johnson City saw its first AIDS patient in August 1985. Working in Johnson City was Abraham Verghese, a young Indian doctor specializing in infectious diseases who became, by necessity, the local AIDS expert. Out of his experience comes a startling, ultimately uplifting portrait of the American heartland. ... Read more

Reviews

One of the best memoirs I've ever read
With the eye, ear and voice of a novelist and with the compassion of a healer, Dr. Abraham Verghese has taken his experiences as "the AIDS doctor" of east Tennessee and turned them into an incredible memoir. This is one of the most touching and engrossing books I've read in years.

When Verghese landed in Johnson City, Tennessee in 1985, he came as a newly-accredited infectious diseases specialist to treat veterans, most of whom had lung cancer and emphysema, and to spend one day a week in the town medical center he learned to call the "Miracle Center". When the center's first AIDS patient entered the hospital, it was the beginning of the plague which would soon extend across the country, not just in the big city locales where the majority of homosexual men and drug abusers lived. They were coming home to die.

Because the young doctor had a strong desire to help and an ability to tolerate the differences of others, he gradually found himself almost obsessed with caring for his patients. He loved them as people, and as they began to die, he mourned. They were on his mind constantly, even when he was home with his beautiful wife and small sons to the point where his marriage and the center of his home became endangered by his devotion to a setting and to people which excluded them.

This book is so beautifully written I could not put it down. Each patient became fully alive for me, thanks to Verghese's ability to describe them, and I, too, mourned them as they passed. This is a memoir I will not soon forget. Poignant in its humanity, staggering in the scope of its tragedy, it will remain Verghese's monument to Tennessee and the people he came to love in all their variety.

Wonderful book.

This account of the early days of AIDS rings true.
As a physician who was just finishing training when AIDS burst on the scene in the 80's, the panic and fear among medical staff described in this book are actually tame to what I saw in my hospital. I am one of those "who would, " as Dr. Verghese categorized those who would or would not care for HIV infected patients, and this truly separated us from the vast majority of those at that time who let their fear rule over their intellect. Dr. Verghese tells this exciting story with great compassion for his patients and their families, and it is clear that his emotional connection to them, which is stongly discouraged in medical training, came at great personal cost. As someone who now lives and practices in East Tennessee, I feel he accurately described the people, the culture, and the region's great beauty. His yearning to fit in--to have a home--is poignantly obvious throughout the book even as he becomes more and more isolated from his family and his collegues. Several of my collegues trained under or worked with Dr. Verghese during this time, and they all attest to his brilliance as a diagnostician, his great empathy for his patients, his nonjudgemental approach to the gay lifestyle, and his decency and approachability as a person. This book, in their opinions, is an accurate portrayal of the AIDS story in the rural setting. I am drawn to medical writing, particularly when written by physicians themselves, and Dr. Verghese is a master. This book moved me to tears as the deaths of all of these patients began to add up toward the end of the book, and one can't help but to feel the great waste of life that this virus causes. As a hospice medical director, I was also touched by Dr. Verghese's struggle to understand the process of dying, moving from his all-out attempts to save lives at the beginning of the book to his hospice-oriented approach toward the end. This is a masterful telling of how AIDS affects everyone -- patients, families, and doctors alike.

a stunning book
This book is absolutely stunning. Verghese's writing style is so unusual as he writes with humor, compassion, and keeps you fully informed as a outsider to his patients treatment, and their disease. During the begining stages of our dealings with the AIDS virus we were so quick to judge the population that received AIDS rather than treating it as a disease that impacts not only the patient but their family. Verghese is able to reflect a wholistic picture of the patient, and their family. He was a person that was interested in the patient, the disease, and learning about the gay culture. He did so in way that was free of prejudice, and it was a true learning experience. I highly recommend this book for those that wish to read a good book as well as those that are interested in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

A compassionate doctor confronts the HIV epidemic
As a doctor, I rarely enjoy books about physicians because they simply don't show the reality of our lives.
Unlike the soap opera sexuality and black humor (and ridicule) in many medical best sellers, Dr. Verghese writes a the simple tale of a doctor and his patients, told with quiet compassion and an eye for the small details of human experience.
He tells of the daily fight to keep people alive. And he tells the story of how ordinary Americans confront this new disease with courage.
Too often, Southern Americans are portrayed as bigoted religious homophobes by the literati. His stories of how the close knit families confront and accept their dying sons and husbands.
And he tells of the common --but rarely discussed-- story of immigrants. This a story I see in my own family, where one person comes, and then is joined by friends and family, and soon a thriving immigrant community invigorates the small towns of middle America.
Finally, he shows the strains of practicing medicine in the context of a daily life.
Most of the reviews paint this as a book about HIV, and it is.
But it is a book about families, about culture, and especially about the life of ordinary physicians who daily confront the struggle against sickness and mortality.
I would recommend it to anyone thinking of joining the medical profession.

Chronicling the transformative power of both fear and love
My Own Country : A Doctor's Story by ABRAHAM VERGHESE ostensibly chronicles the appearance of AIDS in the rural burgh of Johnson City, TN in the mid 80's, and in fact the book does chronicle that event. However, this book is far less about AIDS than it is about the human condition in general and, more specifically, the transformative powers of both fear and love.

I had previously read Dr. Verghese's The Tennis Partner, an excellent book that shares some critical threads with this effort. In both books Verghese, an Indian from India, effectively portrays both the problems as benefits associated with being a foreign doctor in America--the former being the prejudices that accrue to those who had the perceived misfortune to be born in the third world and the freedom that being an "outsider" brought to the patient-doctor relationship.

The Tennis partner was a fictional work with obvious significant autobiographical undertones. This book is clearly an autobiographical work of nonfiction that benefits considerably from Verghese's previous work within a fictional realm. Verghese writes very well and he uses his quite considerable talents to render a moving, suspenseful and insightful book.

These being a medical autobiography, a fair amount of fairly detailed, turgid technical aspects are a part of the package. That is the only genuine criticism I can make. Other than that, the book is a fascinating, engaging, highly moving account of human misery, death and, ultimately, triumph.

This is one of the best books I've read this year. Definitely a 5 star effort.

A gem of a book! Honest, heart-warming, elegantly written.
This is one of the best books I've read from a contemporary author. Verghese writes elegantly and with searing honesty about the AIDS patients he encountered as a young immigrant in small town America. So much has been written about his wonderful writing style and his compassion and humanity as a doctor...and I agree with all of that. I was especially interested in how he describes the gay experience as being analagous to the foreign immigrant experience in America. Both groups gain sustenance from their communities; both groups long for acceptance from the mainstream. It's interesting that the author's desire for assimilation is greater than his need to identify with the local Indian community. This book succeeds on every level. You gain insights into the life of the gay community, Indian immigrants, the medical community, and most of all the emotional and mental state of the man who describes it all. Thank you Doctor Verghese for this great book!

A Wonderful Medical Drama
There is out there a growing field of medical fiction; that is, books authored by literature doctors about their patients' stories. This is a compelling read about AIDS in an East Tennessee town, one where the doctor knows he's not God, and in many ways, is just as confused as his AIDS patients. We at once see a country grappling with how to handle an epidemic, a town trying to overcome their phobias, and a doctor trying to make a difference while balancing his work and his family.

Dr. Verghese writes with finese and does not miss a beat. This is a true novel, compelling through and through, and raises important themes about finding your place in the world and alternatives to the elusive American dream. Do not miss this fantastic piece of medical literature.

My Own Country, my home town.
This book is an amazing way to discover the hardships that those must over come who are diagnosed with HIV and AIDS. I am from Johnson City, TN. As a part of a clinical I was doing in high school we were given many options of books to read for a grade, this was one. I was drawn to it because hey, this was my home town. But what I got from this book overcame everything I had expected.

I wept reading this book. It is amazing how you get to know Dr. Verghese and his patients. You, in a way, experience their hardships and triumps, even the families loss. He explains word for word the exhausting battle of finding out and forming a plan of action. He puts you into the realization of these individuals and what they felt. You begin to morn their loosing battles and celebrate in their strength in recovery.

He discribes this area of Tennessee with such effortless ease. It's beauty struck with something so horrid. Reading the book I forgot that this was my home, the people in it were people of my town. For a nieve high school student it made me realize that no matter what the year was this was real and it was here in my own back yard. "My Own Country."

I learned more than just about the people or about the land but the medical terminology was explained and he made you the reader understand what it meant to him and the world of medicine. Each detail will make you feel like you are right there in the ER of the "Miracle Center".

There were times I just could not put this book down. I have read it three times now and I am starting my fourth. The stories in this book of the patients are tragic. Anyone who has any type of preconceived notion of what it is like to have AIDS/HIV or what "kind of people" have AIDS/HIV should read this book. It will open your eyes to a whole new world.

This story of our small town, as it was then, has reached all over the world. It has inspired and educated everyone who has read it. I'm sure that it still means a great deal to the families of those in it.

AIDS will always be scary, it will always be something that will cause pain and horror to our ears, this book describes a small town with prejudice of it's own before a time of AIDS and how it conforms to another way of thinking. Just like in this book, not everyone will ever be accepting of those who contract this disease but everyone will be made aware of it.

I suggest this book to any reader with any reading taste. You will walk away with much more than what you came with. You will get to know our people and their stories from the mind of a man who knew them all. Abraham Verghese was brilliant in writing this collection of lives on paper. Thank you Dr. Verghese for letting their voices be heard all over the world and inspiring those who take time to indulge in your brilliance.

richly detailed book full of suspense, sorrow, and humor
The author of this book is an Indian doctor, working at a hospital in Johnson city, Tennessee, at the start of the AIDS epidemic. His account is of being the only infectious diseases physician in a rural community at a time when the first wave of HIV-positive gay men were returning to their hometowns from New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. His observations of the men and women who come to him for care, and the relationships that have grown between them, are insightful and vivid. Though he is heterosexual and married with two small children, his intuitive compassion for people with AIDS is a lesson in what it is to be nonjudgmental.

However, the crisis for him is to live in a place and time where his curiosity and compassion are shared by almost no one else, both within and outside his professional community. Through his work, he comes to a deeper understanding of homophobia and the irrationality that drives people's fear of disease and disability. As an African-born Indian, happily Americanized, he finds in the social isolation of his patients something of his own status as an "outsider." We also see the demands that professional commitments can make on marriage and parenting.

An outgoing and obviously dedicated, self-sacrificing physician, the author is slowly overcome by the growing solitude of his professional and personal journey and the weariness of battling a disease with no cure. Although sometimes a triumph of dignity against all odds, the deaths of his patients are heart-breaking. This is a richly detailed book full of suspense, sorrow, and humor and beautifully written.

Haunting memoirs from the trenches of a distant front
Foreign-born physicians, especially South Asian ones such as the author of this remarkable memoir, frequently are perceived as even more arrogant, distant, and smug about their high status and income in rural areas than are urban, American-born ones. Verghese, who grew up in Ethiopia and who finished medical school in his (Christian) parents homeland of India, clearly describes the allocation of medical personnel in the US. He also understands the resentments by those of old stock, poor white patient of affluent foreign-born doctors. As the title indicates, Verghese wanted to feel at home where he chose to settle, to provide his sons a sense of belonging in one place, a sense that he had not had in his own peripatetic life. Like his patients, however, he was never certain that seeming acceptance was was more than provisional.

This insightful, lyrical, and moving book provides a vivid account of being an alien doctor in rural America dealing with a terrifying disease that was (and is) also perceived as alien, as something that, in the view of many, other kinds of people contract and probably deserve. Acute analyses of American (including Asian-American) arrangements and assumptions underlie a poignant narrative of AIDS coming to the northeastern Tennessee hills. Verghese shares Oliver Sackss ability to engage readers in the horror and the mystery of sufferings for which physicians have no magic bullets. As Paul Farmer, another physician who made a difference, showed in _AIDS and Accusation_, how a society responds to AIDS illuminates much about the society, not only how medical services are organized and financed in it. Verghese shows strengths as well as weaknesses in rural Southeastern American backwaters. He also illuminates connections from such seemingly isolated places to the larger society and ties of blood to distant urban centers where gay men sought refuge. ... Read more

Editorial Review

“I have been incredibly fortunate over the course of my career to have been associated with some extraordinary dramatic and musical productions, and also some rather spectacular disasters. Looking back, I can find gifts and life lessons in every one.”

The legendary Patti LuPone is one of the theatre’s most beloved leading ladies. Now she lays it all bare, sharing the intimate story of her life both onstage and off--through the dizzying highs and darkest lows--with the humor and outspokenness that have become her trademarks.

With nearly 100 photographs, including an 8-page four-color insert, and illuminating details about the life of a working actor, from inspired costars and demanding directors to her distinct perspective on how she developed and honed her Tony Award–winning performances, Patti LuPone: A Memoir is as inspirational as it is entertaining. And though the title might say “a memoir,” this is ultimately a love letter to the theatre by a unique American artist.

Raised on Long Island’s North Shore, Patti discovered her calling at the age of four and knew that she was destined for the stage. A prodigiously gifted child, she was one of only 36 young actors chosen for the inaugural class of The Juilliard School’s Drama Division, where she fought near-constant criticism from her instructors, and here describes those early years with disarming frankness.

From the heady days of her early twenties—crisscrossing the country as a founding member of the classical repertory theatre ensemble, The Acting Company--to her early success on Broadway, her four-year stint as Libby Thacher on the television series Life Goes On, her loving marriage to Matt Johnston, and much, much more, Patti chronicles her professional and personal life with inimitable candor and wit.
 
With its insightful retrospective of her career-defining turns, both on Broadway and abroad, in Evita, Les Misérables, Anything Goes, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, and Gypsy, Patti LuPone: A Memoir reveals the artist’s deeply felt passion for music and the theatre and is, in the end, the compelling and quintessential tale of an exceptional life well lived.

Reviews

Fascinating memoir, great audio performance
The extravagantly talented Patti Lupone shows that she is as sparkling a memoirist (with Digby Diehl as collaborator) as she is an actress. If you love theater, acting, or Patti Lupone herself, you need to buy this book - and get it ON AUDIO. Lupone doesn't simply read the memoir, she PERFORMS it, and as in her best stage, TV and movie performances, she will move you to tears and laughter. She shares the good, the bad and the ugly from a career that started when she performed as a child with her brothers, and spans some of the high points of the Broadway and London stages. She also settles a few scores (Andrew Lloyd Webber, ahem) and provides insights into the art and craft of theater. A fascinating memoir from an American treasure, and a great audiobook experience.

Patti LuPone: A Memoir
I really really loved this bio. Read it cover to cover in one sitting. I have only known her work through recording, until I saw her in Sweeney in 2005 and Gypsy in 2008. BRAVA on making this book so entertaining. I didn't find her a downer at all. I think she has had a really rocky road and I heard her story told with grace and style. It gives the readers hope for laughter and good friends to help find the silver lining when you are down. She also does an excellent job on giving her side of the story without being crass, or disrespectful to other people invovled in the situation. I appreciated that.
A well told story that is very entertaining and well worth the money!

From Long Island to Broadway
I saw Patti LuPone in "Evita"on Broadway I was also fortunate to see and hear her perfom at Les Mouches, in NYC. I watched the t.v. show, "As Life Goes On." Recently, after many years, I was again fortunate to see her perform with Mandy Patinkin,at the Mayo Center for The Performing Arts,in Morristown, N.J.They were fabulous!
This not only brought back many memories for me, but made it clear as to why she is so beloved by her audiences. She's a "belter." Ethel Merman has nothing on her believe me.Her diction, and styling are so brilliant..and if you read the book you will understand that this may not always have been the case..much to my surprise.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this very gutsy, sometimes irreverent and sassy book.I admire her talent and dedication to her art, and her committment to her families; her own family, and her Broadway family.
Sincerely,
Kathy L. Hendrickson

Patti LuPone: A Memior
What a wonderful read!!! Patti wrote this bio the same way she performs on stage...she gave her all
& I think those of us fortunate enough to have seen her dazzle us with her performance knew she held nothing
back & we were a party to something very very special. In her very honest book she left nothing out & the reader
is privy to life behind the curtain. Its not all applause & awards & the difficult times make for a very
interesting & very quick read.

Throughout the book I felt she was talking to me-not at me, as many bios seem to do-but telling me a
very interesting story that included not only the high points of a star's life, but that there were also many
low points over the years. She does a very good job in writing about the bumps in her career & how they took
their toll on her...both personally & professionally. When I finished the book, one of my thoughts was that
she was able to overcome thse setbacks & difficulties & somehow she never quit & she managed to become a stronger &
maybe a better person for it. In these difficult times it is something we all can do if we try.

I have been fortunate enough to have seen Patti perform in a many different venues & roles & walked away from
them all amazed at her enormous talent & almost unlimited energy. In Evita one of the songs has the 2 words
"star quality". From that moment on that defined, to me, Patti LuPone. She has a star quality that can't be learned
or practiced. Its just there & very few performers have it. Her book has that same star quality & it is such an
interesting & quick read that you hate for it to end.

Diva On Stage and Off
Patti LuPone has a tough act to follow. After appearing as the quintessential Evita, the tarnished Norma Desmond, the bitterly wonderful Mrs. Lovett, and the take-no-prisoner Mama Rose,it's a wonder that LuPone could even manage to come close to one of those iconic characters. Not only does she do it, she does it in spades, in her ultimately fascinating tell-all memoir.

I've been a fan of Ms. LuPone for many years now, entranced by the power of her voice, especially in the aforementioned roles. She dominates the stage with her presence and her pipes, and leaves no stone unturned, nor no note unhit, in any given performance. After reading her recounting of her life, author can be added to the mix. LuPone's book is a fun romp through her life, never dwelling too long on specific events (save her Evita and Norma Desmond stints). Even her bout with breast cancer is discussed and mentioned within the span of a few pages. LuPone is one to tell the details, but never dwell in them.

Because of this, the book is a quick read. Interestingly, the weakest part of the story occurs early in her career, as she talks about her start in show business and the ride through Julliard and several companies before landing some major roles. However, as soon as Peron comes into her life, the book strengthens, and then begins to hit home runs during her ill-fated Sunset Boulevard times. When she wraps up the book with her stories of the revival of Gypsy, my heart ached for two reasons One, I wanted more from writing from her, and second, I wanted to see her performance in Gypsy (I have to settle on You Tube snippets).

One thing I so appreciated was Lupone's honesty, both directed at herself as well as colleagues. She includes bad reviews, moments of diva-ness, and times she was petty and mean. What a rare, refreshing part of a celebrity memoir, that fragile honesty. So perfect for the book. In fact, I began to listen to some of her music as I read, for example, a favorite CD of mine Patti Lupone at Les Mouches

I left the book admiring this theater veteran. Ms. LuPone has a tale to tell, and tell it well, she does.

Thank you, Patti!
Since I was 12 years old, I have been fascinated by this woman. Evita was the first Broadway musical I ever saw and I knew the score backwards and forwards within a month of hearing it. Patti's voice was a source of strength for me as a lonesome teenager.

Twice, I have emailed Patti at her website to compliment and congratulate her on performances that literally felt like an out-of-the-body experience; a communion with the Divine. Twice Patti replied with genuine, heartfelt gratitude. I knew I had to buy this audiobook rather than read the text so that I might hear my dear old friend regale me with tales of her amazing and tumultuous life in her inimitable dry, witty way.

I'm no longer that lonesome teen; but Ms. LuPone's voice has the same reassuring quality as it did 30 years ago. Her stories are vivid, poignant and often hilarious as they are moving. Any fan of Patti's or of the American theatre owes it to themselves to give this book a listen. She truly does it all for our love!

Quite Interesting
This really is a memoir and should not be regarded as a biography because it is not one of those all-encompassing tomes that goes into minute detail about LuPone's life from day one. There are snippets of information about family and education here, but the bulk of the book covers Patti LuPone's career with a series of well-written anecdotes about the people who have played major and minor parts in her personal and professional life. She covers an early relationship with actor Kevin Kline, some grizzly characters who were decidedly not a joy to work with, and some wonderful actors who made great opportunities even greater.
In a career that appears to have been peppered with far more positives than negatives, LuPone speaks with amazing candor. I found it really surprising when she discussed the personal dynamic on the tv show LIFE GOES ON. Apparently, she had a good working relationship with the cast with the exception of the man who played her husband, actor Bill Smitrovich.
Talky and honest, this was a very enjoyable view of a life in show business.

Excellent, For What It Is - Fast and Juicy!
I listened to the audio book, read by Patti, which I think is the best way to go. She's a little distanced and seems to be concentrating on enunciation (always an effort for "Flannel Mouth"), but when she gets into a good story, she utterly lets go and it's like listening to her live.

This is very much a stage memoir. It's told show-to-show. You get the high points of her personal life (marriage, having a child), but 95% of it is about theatrical experiences and the people specifically involved. She's very honest. At times you feel like she might have glossed over some dirt (vague allusions to her being a "dirty girl" and such), but when she lets loose she doesn't spare tact. One of my favorite lines is to Andrew Lloyd Webber: "Go sh@t in your hat!" Topol, Paul Sorvino, Bill Smitrovich (her "husband" on Life Goes On) and others get some no-holds-barred choice words from Patti. Delightful dish!

On the other hand, she's kind of a whiner. If you put yourself in the place of an actor, and really think about it, a contract is really all you have to stand by. The industry is HEAVILY regulated by the unions, etc, and it's vital to honor contracts and hold with labor laws to a tee otherwise the whole experience just falls apart. However, even from her own mouth, she makes herself sound petulant and entitled...and spends a LOT of time discussing contract breaches. You just have to remember that this is her life, her profession. She really comes off as a diva, but when you think about it she kind of has to. I just hope other readers think it through and aren't put off by her.

Factual note...she complains that Barbra Streisand recorded "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" before her, and that it was released "for all to hear" before the Evita album. It may be true that Barbra recorded it at some point (though it seems unlikely, since I've never heard of it and it never surfaced on any bootlegs), but even if she did it was certainly never released for all to hear.

Here She Is Boys
In PATTI LUPONE: A MEMOIR, Broadway star Patti LuPone gives an intimate, frank and honest look back on her life and her career.
Having enjoyed her work on Broadway (Anything Goes and Gypsy!) I can attest to the fact that the woman is an extremely talented individual whose magnetism projects across the footlights and captivates even the most difficult of theater-goers.
This same powerful force that she uses to create her magnificent characters (Eva Peron) is evident in her book. Even when she is recreating a role another star has created (such as when she starred as Reno Sweeney/ Maria Callas/ Mama Rose), there is always that LuPone imprint upon the creation so that it shines with originality from all her hard work and talent.
Many reviewers focused on her error in stating that Barbra Streisand had recorded her best numbers from EVITA. Readers: It's a mistake so get over it. The rest of her story is point-on accurate and a fascinating, albeit dark, look into the theater world.
Some might focus on the negative slant that Ms. LuPone places on people whom she does not like (Andrew Lloyd Webber/ her co-star from LIFE GOES ON) but she is being honest, not a hypocrite. She views and rates herself by using the same strict guidelines as she does the others mentioned in her book so let's give her extra points for that. Also, she lavishes praise on those whose work (Arthur Laurents, her co-stars in GYPSY!) warrant such.
PATTI LUPONE: A MEMOIR is a short, easy read but it is also a no-holds-barred look into the complicated and quite heart breaking world of a professional actress. As millions of others have shouted: Bravo Patti.

Great Dish
I'm a big fan of LuPone's, and I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir. Anyone who is interested in the theatre, and especially Broadway, will love the backstage gossip and fascinating behind-the scenes moments.

I do have to say that nothing that LuPone says, however, makes her come off as any less of a diva than she is often pictured in the press--there are tantrums, breaches of contracts, etc. Even though I now understand some of the shennanigans that went on during "Evita" and "Sunset Boulevard", one has to wonder: when there are often disputes on the sets of TV shows, movies, and theatre, can it always be everyone else's fault? In any event, she is not afraid to be honest about those times she was not on her best behavior, either.

LuPone has wonderful words to say for those folks that she holds in great esteem. I think she would be a wonderful, life-long friend, but I would hate to be on her bad side (although that makes for hilarious reading).

I went to YouTube and listened to versions of "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" by LuPone, Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, and Madonna. LuPone's version was phenomenal, and the best--hands down.

One other comment: thank goodness she has taken a stand against all of those inconsiderate boors who come to the theatre and text on their phone, keep their phones and beepers on, and continue to take pictures of the performers. I LOVE that she got that idiot at "Gypsy" to be thrown out of the theatre. BRAVO! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Bravery/Passion/Family Ties
This is an excellent read. If you enjoy the series as much as I do, you will appreciate this book. I had the pleasure of having lunch with Sig last year at Catch Con, and his personality - that of a vivacious and passionate professional, certainly comes forth in this book. This book celebrates this family, back several generations. There is an extradorinary appreciation and respect for hard work, perfection, determination and drive. This family is clearly identified by what they do and do it extremely well - Crab fishing in the deadly Bering Sea.

This book will be an inspiration to those who read it, as a testimony to what a person can achieve when you put your entire self into your passion. Great job, Sig, Edgar, and Norman.

Elliana Agnello

An outstanding book
If you are a Deadliest Catch fan you will LOVE this book. Sig gives us the history of fishing in Norway back to the vikings and how norwegians came to Seattle and eventually Alaska. There are several story lines in the book, one of the main ones being the story of Sig's father on a boat that was going down. Sig tells not only his family's history but that of himself and his brothers, his father and uncles. He explains in detail how crabbing is done. This book is so interesting that you won't be able to put it down! It is very well written and I'm sure you will enjoy it.

GREAT READ!
I received this book today and read it in one sitting, could not put it down. If you enjoy watching Deadliest Catch you will love this book. The book reads just like Sig talks, which is a plus. He takes us back to his roots and explains how he became a fisherman. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Even if you don't watch the show, you will enjoy this book!

Extremely Great Writing
This was an exceptional book in many ways. Obviously, Sig Hansen is an incredibly fascinating person. The co-author did an amazing job of putting his stories together in an interesting and easy to follow way. The book really provides great depth in to his personality.

Most of us find Sig to be a bit of an enigma. We have great admiration for his power, work ethic, and bravery, but struggle with his lack of compassion. I think Sig largely communicates the same in this book. It is always pleasing to me when somebody can evaluate themself with some objectivity.

There is a very interesting technical description of the crabbing process and the science of crab as a species. It is just enough information to give the reader a much better grasp of the process without boring them with the details.

Regarding Captain Sig---What You See Is What You Get
The Deadlist Catch has redefined reality tv for me in a genre populated with a lot of mediocre shows that have a staged feeling. It is the real deal and chronicles the often dangerous and back breaking conditions of fishing for crab in the Bering Sea. Since I have been watching this show from the first season, I have become a real fan of Captain Sig Hansen and his brothers, the Hillstrands, and the late and lamented Captain Phil Harris. This book has only increased my admiration for Sig and the others as Sig details what is involved in fishing for crab in much greater detail than the show manages to do.
As a bonus, the usually stern Sig provides his reader with the history of his family and of norwegian fisherman in general. He takes much pride in the business, his family, and his roots in Norway. The entire effect is that it humanizes the man and explains why he has to run a tight ship with little margin for error.
Written in Sig's voice, one with which I have long been familiar with, is a plus.
While the book is co-authored with a professional writer, this account isn't jazzed up for a book buying audience. It simply tells the story of a family and their experiences fishing. Sig has fishing in his blood. Starting from his teen years (and even earlier)he apprenticed himself and worked his way up the ladder. He has a respect for the sea and understands the dangers inherent in the constant battle between man and nature and the stories he relates are often quite frightening.
This is definitely a must-read for any fan of the show and the captains and crews that choose to do this for a living. This book kicks it up a notch from just what a viewer sees on The Deadliest Catch and provides a fuller picture of what goes on in the crab fishing industry.

Brief Comparison of Time Bandit and North by Northwestern
I read both Time Bandit and North by Northwestern, books co-written by captains of crab fishing vessels featured on TV's Deadliest Catch.

Time Bandit was published first and is basically a rambling adventure story. It jumps back and forth in time and between brothers telling the story. Andy's chapters are more philosophical and purposeful than Johnathan's, and also more reserved. The book begins and ends with a story of Johnathan Hillstrand in trouble while salmon fishing and this story is broken up by various tales, facts and details about the Hillstrand family and their jobs, personalities, families, and various adventures. I think the purpose of Johnathan's salmon fishing story was to provide a first-hand quick grab to bring in the reader and provide excitement and tie various pieces of the book together, but I don't think that gimmick totally succeeds here. When that story ends the book, the entire work still feels unfinished to me. However, Time Bandit is still a very interesting, fun, fast read.

North by Northwestern came out a year later than the Time Bandit book, and in many ways seems to copy the Time Bandit. It follows a similar story structure, it uses photos in the same way, and provides similar information, albeit from a different perspective. The "grabber" in North by Northwestern is a story about Sig's father and is more dramatic than Johnathan's, although revealed in less of an in-your-face fashion. A few parts, such as a description of what crabs are and how they live and move around on the ocean floor, is so similar in both books that it seems almost plagiarized.

I personally found North by Northwestern to be much better written than Time Bandit and a more satisfying story over all. Perhaps it succeeds because it is all in the voice of one person instead of two, but I also speculate that Mark Sundeen is a better writer than MacPherson or made a direct attempt to follow MacPherson's model and improve on it. North by Northwestern really seemed to have more of a story to tell, and provided a multi-generational seafaring family saga much more coherently and completely than is found in the somewhat jumbled feel of Time Bandit. Even the pictures in the book were better than Time Bandit's. The end of the book about marketing and branding was one of the weaker parts of the book and read a bit defensively or apologetically, but it did serve to complete the timeline.

I think Time Bandit deserves the credit for doing it first and creating the template that North by Northwestern followed and improved upon. I related more to the Hansen clan than the Hillstrands on many levels, but both books are enjoyable and both families worthy of respect for their hard work. Time Bandit does read more like a pirate's work in typical Hillstrand fashion while North by Northwestern's Norwegian sensibilities are strong. I have some Norwegian ancestry and I came away from North by Northwestern with a better understanding and appreciation of certain family stories from that line of my family tree. The voice of each work is true to the captains. I read both through interlibrary loan and ended up deciding I wanted to purchase North by Northwestern for my collection.

Wonderful, not at all what I expected
I am a huge fan of the series, with a special fondness for the Northwestern and her crew, so it was inevitable that I read Captain Sig's book. I expected a good read about the captain and crew, but nothing special since the author is a fisherman, not an author. What I found instead was a real treasure; the story of brave and enterprising Norwegian men and women who sought adventure and livelihood in the United States. I read the entire book in one sitting, because the story Sig told of his family and fellow Norwegian-Americans was absolutely riveting. The best part for me was the obvious respect and pride Sig felt about his father, grandfather, and all their companions in the Seattle area. He told the story not just of the Northwestern, but the story of the whole group of Norwegian fishermen who braved the most hostile climate of the Bering Sea to be some of the first to make their living fishing crab. This really is a gem, and I recommend this to anyone interested in American history, whether or not they are fans of the series.

North by Northwestern
Excellent book. If you watch the Deadliest Catch show you can imagine Sig talking. Learned a lot about the history of the Alaska crab fisheries. I highly recommend it.

a proud legacy
North by Northwestern is a stirring tribute to Sig's ancestors, especially his father. Now we know why he and his brothers Edgar and Norman are such fine men. Their tremendous work ethic, compassion, and humility were instilled in them by Sverre and Snefryd Hansen. It is this genuine spirit of appreciation that permeates the book and makes it a satisfying read.

The book succeeds in telling us more than the incredible documentary series. Science, maritime history, even spirituality are woven into this skillful tale. We are swept along by the gripping saga of the sinking of Sverre Hansen's steel boat the Foremost, which is threaded throughout the book. He leaves a proud legacy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

What did Walt Disney really think about religion and prayer? Why did the FBI keep a file of memorandum about the original Mickey Mouse Club? Was Uncle Remus really banned from attending the movie premiere of Song of the South?Were there dozens of feral cats living in Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland? All of these true tales and more are waiting to be discovered between these covers. Jim Korkis is an internationally respected Disney Historian whose hundreds of articles and presentations about all things Disney have been enjoyed by people world wide for decades. Utilizing over thirty years of his personal interviews withDisney animators, Imagineers and associates as well as obscure and long forgotten documents and many years of research, Jim weaves timeless tales and fascinating secrets about the "lost" world of Disney. ... Read more

Reviews

A Must Read for Any Disney Fan
This book is a wonderful collection of stories about the world of Disney, including stories about Walt himself. I am a huge Disney fan but do not typically read "unauthorized" books for fear of them being explotative and inaccurate. This volume is sanctioned by Disney's own daughter, Diane Disney Miller, by way of the foreward. If it is good enough for Disney's daughter, it is good enough for me. The stories are well researched and well written. Many of them are quite charming. The book is split into four areas of interest: Walt, the films, the park, and miscellaneous. The stories are self-contained and can be read in any order. Reading them is both easy and addictive, as they are formatted in bite-sized chunks that are hard to put down. Disney fans everywhere will love this volume.

I heartily recommend this book!

Disney History ar its best
This book clearly ranks among the 3 best Disney History books of 2010. Jim Korkis' research is precise and in-depth. The book focuses on rarely discussed areas of Disney history and manages to uncover countless facts and stories that had never appeared in any other books. A critical book to own for all serious Disney historians and enthusiasts.

The Vault of Walt
Jim Korkis is the most respected and knowledgable Disney Historian I know. His stories capture the truth, while preserving the magic. A most read for every Disney Fan.

One on the best books on Walt Disney and Company
I've known Jim Korkis for several years and have enjoyed us sharing our love for the creative works of Walt Disney and the Disney Company. Over the years, Jim has shared many of his special Walt and Disney Co. tales with me. I'm glad that this book has finally been published to allow other Disney fans to enjoy a honest sharing of stories about Walt and the Disney Co. More than any other Disney historian I've known, Jim combines rare gifts in storytelling, liking Walt Disney without the hero worship, and not making too big a deal about Walt's faults - realizing Walt was human like the rest of us. I loved some of the stories in this book that I hadn't heard before and enjoyed the way the chapters are organized into different subject matter. I would very much welcome similar future books by Jim. He has numerous more stories to share - he is truly most deserving of the title DISNEY HISTORIAN.

Great book!
I have enjoyed the stories in this book so far. It is nice to be able to pick it up and read a complete story in just a few pages. Jim Korkis is a great storyteller! ... Read more

Editorial Review

DESCRIPTION: In January 2003, Nicholas Sparks and his brother Micah set off on a three-week trip around the world. It was to mark a milestone in their lives, for at 37 and 38 respectively, they were now the only surviving members of their family. As Nicholas and Micah travel the globe, the intimate story of their family unfolds in the details of the untimely deaths of their parents and only sister. Against the backdrop of the wonders of the world, the Sparks brothers band together to heal, to remember, and to learn to live life to the fullest. ... Read more

Reviews

Makes you appreciate his novels that much more!
To begin with, I have to say that Nicholas Sparks is my absolute favorite author. I am usually one of the first in line to purchase his books on the day of their release. I go home and "gobble" it up as fast as I can, then am disappointed for the other 364 days of the year until his next novel is released. I've always wished he would release more than one novel in a one year period, and was thrilled when he began releasing twice a year. Sadly, this is the last year for that, and next year I will go on yearning for a Nicholas Sparks book for a little more than 11 months of the year!

That said, after reading his memoir, I can now understand why he only publishes only once a year, and appreciate his work that much more. His family comes first, and although he loves to write and is honored by his readers' attention & devotion, he simply does not want to spend any less time with his family than he absolutely must. In order to fulfill this need, we as readers must savor the books we are given, and anxiously await his next delicious read.

I was deeply touched by the relationship Nicholas has with his brother. Being the only surviving members of the Sparks family, they have a deep bond, and their admiration and love for one another is obvious in the words on the pages, and even in the smallest of photos in the book. It most certainly deserves the attention this book calls to it, and I can only imagine that some of the readers whose views are printed here must be envious of this bond, lacking the love & support of their families, which the Sparks brothers so deeply cherish.

If you know anything about Nicholas Sparks and read the book's jacket, you must certainly know that this is NOT a travel book! The trip around the world only serves as a setting for the brothers to reminisce and share the stories of their childhood and the roads they led, and how the effects of these events shaped their lives & made them into the successful, respected men they have grown to be. The trip around the world was a celebration of sorts, for these two brothers who have shared the most painful experiences two brothers can share, yet carried on and persevered. The book was not written to describe the places they saw and encourage others to visit these places. The trip served as inspiration for Nicholas to share HIS STORY, demonstrating to others that you can survive life's most painful experiences with the love & support of family.

If you knew anything about this book beforehand, you also know that the book was written entirely by Nicholas, and Micah was included because of his inspiration, and how Nicholas' admiration for his brother led him to share their story!! Although Nicholas did all the writing, this story is as much Micah's as it is Nicholas', and both brothers are deserving of its credit.

Although the book is a memoir, Mr. Sparks remains true to his craft, and at times, you may think you are reading his next novel, and forget that these events actually happened to one family. It is because of these events, we as readers have been treated to wonderful, endearing stories of love, courage, strength and the bonds of family. We can truly appreciate the love & connection of Noah & Allie, understand why Jamie was so forgiving, strong & courageous, and see just how difficult is must have been for Denise to bring words to the lips of Kyle. The characters of Sparks' novels have been mostly inspired by members of his family, and it because of the tragic events of his life, we as readers have been treated, and come to love novels like THE NOTEBOOK, MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE, A WALK TO REMEMBER, THE RESCUE and THE WEDDING.

I anxiously await the release of Sparks' newest novel this fall, and while I'm still disappointed that I will again have to wait an entire year for his next book, I can now understand why I have to wait, and it only makes me more appreciative of his work, and treasure all of his stories that much more.

Thank you Nicholas - for opening your heart, inviting us in, and sharing your life. You will always be my favorite, and your memoir has only made me cherish your writing that much more!

I enjoyed it.
Like the other reviewer, I picked the book up on a whim at the airport. It was an easy read but also an emotional one. Mr. Sparks talks about the importance of balance in one's life - Between family, work, friends etc. And that if one becomes all encompassing, then your life becomes out of sync and out of balance. He also talks about the importance of family, and as he discusses the loss of his parents and sister, it reminded me that although my wife and kids are the focal point of my life, that I've been letting the relationship with my siblings pass me by, and that you never know when they will be taken away, and then it's too late.

A very good book with a simple but yet also complex point.

An extremely enjoyable read
This book is one of the best books I have ever read. The stories Sparks tells about his experiences made me laugh out loud at times and made me cry at others. This is not only his story of a trip around the world with his brother, but a story of growing up and the tragedies they have faced together. His story is a special one and one definately worth reading. I will be reading this one over and over again.

Lifestyles of the Rich and the Spoiled?
Nicholas Sparks made a million dollars off his first novel, "The Notebook." His books have been made into movies. Some might say he lives the charmed life. So why should we care that he got to travel around the world with his brother? Who wants to read about spoiled rich people and their international trots?

This book will convince you to look at others through a new set of glasses. Not only does "Nicky" reveal the wonders and shortfalls of cultures from Cambodia to Easter Island to Norway, he also shows us the heartbreak of his own family. Without revealing all, let me say that he tells a readable tale of his own childhood, spliced in with scenes of his three week journey with his brother. At times, the story is laugh-out loud funny; at others, it is sobering and poignant.

Yes, I may have harbored a bit of envy for Mr. Sparks' "charmed life." Now I harbor feelings of admiration, compassion, and brotherhood. Thank you, Nick, for opening your heart and your life to encourage those of us traveling the same path.

"Nobody ever said life was fair"
Three Weeks with My Brother is two books in one. The author did a nice job of weaving together two 'good' but separate stories into one GREAT single story. The transitions are seamless. The TCS Heaven & Earth a Journey travel tour would be an exciting subject just by itself, however more importantly in this case it serves to set the stage for the two Sparks brothers to reminisce and reconcile their childhood lives and come to a deep appreciation of what it was like to grow up together. The sometimes offensive and juvenile conduct on the trip lightens the sadness of the main story which is being told at the same time. I personally think that this "ugly American" behavior serves to balance or reduce the sad/negative impact of the Sparks childhood tragedies on the reader. On the upside, throughout the book you can hear their parents repeating some GREAT parenting words of wisdom. For instance: "What you want and what you get are often two entirely different things." and "Nobody ever said life was fair, it's your life - do with it whatever you like." My parents said many of the very same things for example when I was a kid and was confronted with an unusually large task. They would say: "See how fast you can get it done." or "If you are in it - get in it, otherwise get out." They said them so often that the words rolled off their lips as if they were gospel. I believe that is why these types of pearls of wisdom are still with me today and more importantly I use them on my own kids.
Speaking of kids, with both of their parents working to support the family, the Sparks children were given a long leash. As you might imagine with so much freedom growing up they managed to get themselves into mischief without much difficulty. Over the course of their world tour, it is THESE stories that the brothers tell that make the book so enjoyable. A couple of other funny things that stuck with me were the stories about family "default" Christmas gifts, like a "family" stereo and don't forget the personal headphones to match or better yet every kids dream - a carpenters hammer!! As a kid if you have ever received something like a file cabinet as a Christmas gift you will be able to relate.

The part about the "feast or famine" mentality when it came to sweets in the house was hilarious! These episodes included such things as eating an entire box of sweet cereal or an entire bag of their dad's "hidden" Oreos in a single sitting!! My brothers & I did the same thing!

The final couple of chapters are filled with both joy and pain. It makes for an interesting AND emotional read. - I liked it enough to read it twice!

I must say, if you are looking for specific travel information on Tikal, Guatemala * Lima, Cusco & Machu Picchu, Peru, Easter Island * Samoa * Ayers Rock, Australia, Angkor, Cambodia * Jaipur & Taj Mahal, India, Lalibela, Ethiopia * and Valletta & M'dina, Malta then this is the not the book for you.

I say buy this book if, like the Sparks brothers, you wish to enjoy a short trip back to the fond memories of your childhood. I did.

Insight to an author
I've read almost all of Nicholas Spark's books and after reading Three Weeks With My Brother, I felt that it provided great insight into the author. After reading about everything he and his family have been through, I can really see why he puts his heart into every book that he writes. When you read this book, you not only found out more about the author, but also about the places that he's traveled that may of us will never be able to see. I liked this book because I think it is actually two books in one, a travel log and a memoir.

An Exotic Trip to the World Outside and Inside
Somewhere around forty years of age one begins to think differently of that brother that we picked on when younger. About that time mortality in the forms of parents growing old and passing on. The bloom of first love is long past and the spectre of divorce court may have appeared. Somewhere around this time you begin to realize that your brother is about the only family you have left.

Nicholas and Micah Sparks set off on a vacation together that took them to several exotic places around the world. Outwardly this is a trip of a lifetime to these wonderful place. But inwardly the trip may have even more exotic. This is a time for two men to bond together, laying aside the childhood differences from their growing up years and preparing them for the years yet to come.

I've been there with my brother, but certainly don't have the literary skills to make a record like the one here. The best I can do is to send my copy of the book to my brother. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris --a common woodland snail.

While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater under standing of her own confined place in the world.

Intrigued by the snail's molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and mysterious courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, providing a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.�

Told with wit and grace, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world illuminates our own human existence and provides an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive. ... Read more

Reviews

Uplifting and fascinating, with no hidden agenda
"...the snail had emerged from its shell into the alien territory of my room, with no clue as to where it was or how it had arrived; the lack of vegetation and the desertlike surroundings must have seemed strange. The snail and I were both living in altered landscapes not of our choosing; I figured we shared a sense of loss and displacement."


Elisabeth Tova Bailey was in her mid-thirties when struck with a mysterious illness that soon led to her complete incapacitation. Without knowing the cause, much less the cure or the course that it might take, the disease was a frightening visitor. One day, a friend stops by with a rather odd gift. A snail, from out in the yard. First placed in a flower pot and eventually a terrarium, the snail becomes Bailey's constant companion. Because of her lack of mobility and energy, much of her time was spent observing the creature.

You might think this would be dull, or worse, that you'd be stuck listening to someone bleakly describing their every physical complaint. Not so. This book has very little to do with health issues and far more to do with curiosity and resilience. Bailey is not a complainer, actual details of her health are few and without self-pity. She doesn't simply give up either, she makes clear she wants to fight this unknown assailant on her life. That she does so with the help of a small snail is astounding.

The first surprise is that snails have a daily routine. They have certain times to eat and sleep and travel. They often return to the same place to sleep, and they sleep on their side. (!!!) As she watches the daily activities of the snail, she manages to study research on snails in general and in detail. Turns out snail research is pretty deep...volumes have been written on every tiny detail. As in: snails have teeth, 2200+ of them! Seriously, if they were bigger you'd think twice about stepping on one. They also have a special talent for when the going gets tough in their little world: they start a process called estivation. It's not hibernation (they do that too!) but instead it allows them to become dormant when the weather goes bad, or they lose their preferred food source, etc. Some snails have been known to estivate more than a few years. The process of sealing off their little shell is fascinating, and a study in insulation.

Then there's the romance. Researchers have studied that too, and I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say lady snails are not complaining about romance in their life! Male snails really knock themselves out on the charm aspect. So much of the research that is out there is fascinating, and Bailey sorts through it and shares the most interesting details. This isn't just a science project for her, she sees parallels in her condition as well as the snail's. Illness took her out of her social circle, and her life seemed slow and inconsequential. And snails usually are a typical example of slow and inconsequential living:

"Everything about a snail is cryptic, and it was precisely this air of mystery that first captured my interest. y own life, I realized, was becoming just as cryptic. From the severe onset of my illness and through its innumerable relapses, my place in the world has been documented more by my absence than by my presence. While close friends understood my situation, those who didn't know me well found my disappearance from work and social circles inexplicable.

...it wasn't that I had truly vanished; I was simply homebound, like a snail pulled into its shell. But being homebound in the human world is a sort of vanishing."

What makes this memoir unique, besides her indomitable spirit, is that she doesn't push any sort of religious or spiritual agenda for her positive outlook. There is no implied message, which is often a feature of such an inspiring book. Her facts are based on solid research, and she doesn't waste words; her prose is clear and precise. Additionally, and this may be trivial, but the book is exceptionally beautiful: little snail insignias, and designs, poetic quotes, and the actual fonts and design layout make it lovely.

One word of warning. Some inspirational "illness" stories often end up being the 'go to' gift choice for a sick friend. I know of one gentleman, who, when diagnosed with a serious illness, received eight copies of Tuesdays with Morrie from well-meaning friends. This is not that kind of book. It would be a far better gift for a Type-A personality that needs to slow down in their hectic life, or a book just to savor for yourself. It actually might make a great gift for a young person interested in science (the "romance" portions are tame). In any case, this book made me want to reconsider how much of my hectic life could be slowed down to enjoy the smaller but ultimately relevant details in the natural world around me.

A Healing Book
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey is a healing book. While a woman recovers from a life-threatening condition she has the time and patience to observe one small wild snail. Her thoughts, research, and experiences help her, and us, to heal our damaged relationship with the world of nature. The result of careful and heartfelt observation of even the smallest bit of life can not only enrich a life but also find and give life anew. This book is the perfect gift for anyone recovering from a set-back or in need of inspiration. I love how Elizabeth, while appreciating the small things of life, also brings in haiku. Perfect.

even my husband enjoyed it!
My husband and I rarely read the same books...what interests me does not interest him and vice versa. However, I thought that he might be intrigued by the biologic descriptions of the snail so I recommended it to him. Yes, Elisabeth Tova Bailey did the almost impossible! She bridged the gender gap of reading in our home. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a beautiful book, both in its sentiment and its physical presentation. The pencil drawings of the snail are engaging. This is a perfect holiday present for almost anyone - I highly recommend it.

Truly interesting and inspiring
It was on a trip to the Alps that Elisabeth Tova Bailey first felt weak and ill. Not really being concerned, she continued her explorations but in a day or two she found it difficult to move at all let alone get out of bed. Somehow she manages to return home to Maine but she continues to spiral downward. In very short order, Bailey is flat on her back, laid low by some exotic micro-germ.

That is how The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating opens. Like other reviewers I want to warn you that this isn't a tell all expose about her illness. Bailey mentions it in passing only occasionally and never does it become the center of the book. In stead, the star of The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is just that, a small snail.

A visitor to Ms Bailey finds a wild snail in the woods near her house. With a visit to the stricken author the objective, the she picks up the snail and also digs up some near by violets which she pots. The visitor deposits both with the author and is on her way.

It is from humble serendipities that often reveal true magic to us if we are patient. Bailey keeps the snail and in very short order becomes captivated with its comings and goings. Initially the snail lives under the foliage of the violet and explores the surroundings, in and out of the clay pot, at night. Eventually the snail is moved to a terrarium. Observing the snail daily, Elisabeth Bailey becomes curious about behaviors she is witnessing. She gathers an impressive array of resources with which to read about mollusks in general and snails specifically. It is this learning and study that we are allowed to share. If you're curious, check out the sources she sites at the end of the book.

I've seen hundreds of terrestrial snails in my life time and to be honest I never paid a lot of attention to them. That is my loss. I found Bailey's descriptions of the life of a snail fascinating. Reading her descriptions is not like reading a dry tome filled with interesting but busy facts about snails. She does share the information she learns, but wrapped up in her explanations is a wonder that comes through loud and clear. Her almost child like wonder at sharing what she's learned infects the reader with the same awe and surprise that she experienced.

I won't spoil the experience of reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. Trust me, this is a book you'll probably want to add to your personal library and will certainly want to recommend to your friends.

I highly recommend.

Peace to all.

Endearing sensitive memoir
"Survival often depends on a specific focus: A relationship, a belief, or a hope balanced on the edge of possibility. Or something more ephemeral: the way the sun passes through the hard seemingly impenetrable glass of a window and warms the blanket, or how the wind, invisible but for its wake, is so loud one can hear it through the insulated walls of a house."

The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating records a year in the life of author Elisabeth Tova Bailey--a year in which she struggled for her survival as her focus was lost, her mobility all but gone and her passion for life trapped inside a body that no longer cooperated with her wishes. With grace and wit, Bailey shares the story of the impact that an ordinary, humble creature, a wild snail, had on her during this trying year, and all of the lessons she learned as she lay motionless, observing in minute detail the everyday rituals and wanderings of her tiny companion.

An active woman with many interests, Bailey became not only housebound but bedridden when she was felled by a mystery illness. She was moved from her own familiar farm home to a small studio apartment to receive the care she could not give herself. For most of the day, Bailey felt anxious and heart-wrenchingly alone. "When the body is rendered useless, the mind still runs like a bloodhound along well-worn trails of neurons, tracking the echoing questions; the confused family of whys, whats and whens and their impossibly distant kin how." She became distraught, wondering how, or indeed if, she could make it through.

One day, a visiting friend went for a walk in the nearby woods, returning to Bailey's bedside with a pot of field violets in which she had placed a snail. Bailey gave little thought to it, except to wonder if it was feeling disturbed to be out of its element, much as she was. Then she began to watch it move, out of the pot, into the bowl below, exploring its new surroundings. She fell asleep thinking she would probably never see it again, but when she awoke, she saw her new companion back in the pot under a violet leaf and a square hole chewed in an envelope propped nearby. Worried that a snail could not live on paper alone, Bailey set out some withered flower petals near the pot. Within minutes, the snail was contentedly chomping on the petals--and Bailey could actually hear it in the silence of her room. "The sound was of someone very small munching celery continuously...the tiny intimate sound of the snail's eating gave me a distinct feeling of companionship and shared space." This would prove to be a turning point for Bailey.

Time weighed heavily on the author, causing her to ponder, "Time unused and only endured still vanishes, as if time itself is starving, and each day is swallowed whole, leaving no crumbs, no memory, no traces." She also noted, ironically: "It was perplexing that in losing health I had gained something so coveted but to so little purpose." In the end, it was her gastropod guest who lent some rhythm to her endless hours. Once the snail was moved to a larger terrarium home filled with elements of its native woods, Bailey could lie quietly and calmly, watching it move about: "Its curiosity and grace pulled me further into its peaceful and solitary world...it put me at ease." Like her, the snail was nocturnal. She slept little at night and while this once caused her to fret, she now found comfort.

She began to learn all she could about snails, mainly from older books dating back to Darwin and his companions. What she learned about their habits, their strengths and even their sensuality caused her to have even more respect for the life of her roommate. (I, for one, would certainly have never guessed that a snail could be amorous.) The more she read, the more impressed she was at the complexity of this seemingly simple creature.

Aside from the witty and astute snail observations, this book also is a commentary on the trying life of someone with chronic illness, especially one who is bedridden--issues of loneliness, feelings of abandonment, uselessness. "My bed was an island within the desolate sea of my room." Bailey noted that her friends and former companions did not know how to be around her. It was as if her stillness unnerved them. "Those of us with illnesses are the holders of the silent fears of those with good health." This small book is full of such meditative thoughts, and might well be informative reading for anyone who deals with the chronically ill.

Life with her snail covered only a year of the author's nearly twenty-year struggle with illness, but it was an important one. In a big way, the tiny snail gave her reason to go on. She wrote her doctor: "If life mattered to the snail, and the snail mattered to me, it meant something in my life mattered, so I kept on..."

by Susan Ideus
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Elevating & Enriching Tale of a Lady & Her Snail
This beautiful little book with it's light and illuminating touch is surprising, elevating, endearing. Her experience from within the limitations caused by severe illness, her mindful and appreciative observations of her tiny snail companion, and the amazingly varied and detailed harvest of her research on snails..from haiku to obscure scientific texts are interwoven seamlessly and enchantingly. It is witness in its elegance and simplicity to her indelible life affirming spirit. It's not about her ilness or her struggle with it ( which in iteslf says volumes about her) and at its heart, not really about her beloved little snail and his/her species ( snails are hermaphroditic we learn). At its heart it is about living in mindul presence to life, to all sentient beings in wonder and celebration. Thank you Beth.

A new time zone
As human doings going this way and that, talking on this phone or that, buying this item or that, driving here and there; we miss that which is the essence of living life. We are blinded to the miracles that surround us and support us while we are trudging this earthly walk.

Because of a disease, the author is forced to transition from a busy human-doing into a human-being who witnesses the miracles of life while experiencing a debilitating disease. She travels into a different time zone where she is able to slow down and appreciate the strength and busy activities of a wild snail that has found its way onto her table side.

Bailey's observations from this alternate time zone provide insight into what might be the answer to our cultural disease of distraction and busyness. She demonstrates that living this life, whatever our circumstances, can be joyful and full of gratitude. Acceptance of our circumstances we cannot change is the key to serenity. The temporary changes in our activities and self beliefs we must be willing to make in order to live through difficulties carry the solutions to our current problem. We learn something new and then come out stronger for the experience.

Though her life is full of physical imperfection, her heart and soul are fulfilled and serene. The author takes what she is able and lives a glorious, if not perfect life while she recovers from a long-term chronic illness.

And after all, doesn't life throw each of us some kind of curve ball every once in a while? The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a great example of a human being making the best of a sad situation and still finding gratitude in the opportunity to witness the miracles that surround us. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In the post-meltdown world, it is irresponsible, ineffective, and ultimately useless to have a serious economic debate without considering and challenging the role of the Federal Reserve.

Most people think of the Fed as an indispensable institution without which the country's economy could not properly function.But in END THE FED, Ron Paul draws on American history, economics, and fascinating stories from his own long political life to argue that the Fed is both corrupt and unconstitutional.It is inflating currency today at nearly a Weimar or Zimbabwe level, a practice that threatens to put us into an inflationary depression where $100 bills are worthless.What most people don't realize is that the Fed -- created by the Morgans and Rockefellers at a private club off the coast of Georgia -- is actually working against their own personal interests. Congressman Paul's urgent appeal to all citizens and officials tells us where we went wrong and what we need to do fix America's economic policy for future generations.
... Read more

Reviews

not a Ron Paul fan
I am certainly not an avid Ron Paul supporter by any means, and in fact I disagree with him on numerous points. But, I have respect for him because he is one of the only politicians who seems to actually, truly believe what he says. I really respect that, it's refreshing. He seems to be unswayed by lobbies, outside influences etc, and he has a fully-formed belief system.

So I read this book. I find his argument somewhat extreme at times and I do not agree with every point he makes (though I do agree with a lot). BUT in any case, the book made me think. A lot. And I think that is what's important about it. Reading it added a whole new perspective to looking at the federal govt (and specifically the federal reserve) that I had never really considered before. I still don't agree with everything he says, but I applaud him for being in Congress and having the courage to say it. I'm very glad I read End The Fed, if only to make me think long and hard about beliefs I had. Even if you are not a fan of his or disagree with him, it's really worth the time just to get you thinking in some new ways.

Ron Paul Hits a Homerun
Andrew Jackson ended his Fed in 1836. Ron Paul can do the same for us, if we make it possible. Read this book and work to end the central economic and political evil in America, the central bank that fuels recessions and depressions, the warfare state, the redistributionist state, and the police state. End the Fed!

Deals With Difficult Political Problems and Enlarges the Debate About Monetary Policy
In its first response to the global financial crisis, the Fed disbursed trillions in secrecy. This was during the critical period when so many were financially squeezed. Cash went to Goldman Sachs and others. Some beneficiaries used these funds to short the markets. Some was used for executive bonus commitments. We still don't know where it all went.

The Federal Reserve Act delegates money power to a private banking monopoly. Ron Paul introduced H.R. 833 to abolish the Federal Reserve System. He wrote this book to outline reasons to end the Fed. This doesn't mean he wants politicians to operate the money supply. While it doesn't appear likely the status of the Fed will be changed soon, it's possible that Congress will act to require full disclosure on Fed distributions with regard to the Global Financial Crisis.

The main counter argument is that it would be a terrible mistake to trust Fed oversight to politicians. The late Milton Friedman offered an alternative to the current system which might satisfy a broader constituency. The U.S. in theory could have its own currency called U.S. Notes (instead of Federal Reserve Notes). Friedman thought this could work if physical money were created only to match population increase or else align increases of money supply to a price index. The system that Friedman talked about would leave physical money creation independent of political control. Currently, physical money is created through Treasury debt. Nevertheless, Friedman acknowledged that it may not be politically possible to take money power away from the Fed.

Under President Abraham Lincoln, money power was vested in the Treasury Department. If money power were returned to the Treasury, perhaps under Friedman's plan, the federal deficit could be completely paid off with debt-free U.S. Notes. Ron Paul does not seem radical if the idea of issuing our own currency, using U.S. Notes instead of Federal Reserve Notes, is not radical.

End the Fed explains harmful consequences of our monetary policy and fractional reserve banking. In this system, money comes into existence only through debt and is then used to create more debt. There is an overreliance on debt and too much debt can be harmful to most citizens.

Why does the Fed resist telling us where the money went that it disbursed in the early stage of the global financial crisis - when a little liquidity allowed beneficiaries to buy any assets at fire sale prices? This is the question I return to most often.

The Fed makes funds available for government spending far in excess of what could sustainably be raised through direct taxation. Paul posits that our military engagements would not have played out as they did if government had to pay at least in part by raising taxes. Seen this way, the Fed influences political policy far more than people are generally aware.

Recall also earlier concerns of whether Fed-led credit creation was creating a housing bubble. Then Fed Chairman Greenspan would only allow that in isolated parts things were "frothy." He denied the bubble and encouraged mortgage equity withdrawals by homeowners. This turned out to be a trap for trusting citizens as documented in Dr. Paul's book.

Paul wrote about conflicts of interests between the powers behind the Federal Reserve and the American people. This is not a partisan issue. Even Chairman Ben Bernanke blames the severity and duration of the Great Depression on the Federal Reserve.

Like Paul, I got interested in coins since they seem to have intrinsic value. I like to collect nickels. Some from the 1920s are circulating. They last because they're 75% copper and 25% nickel - very durable.

It's not difficult to accumulate literally hundreds of pounds of nickels. Anybody can get $100 boxes of nickels at a cooperative bank without having to pay a service fee. These boxes arrive off the armored truck in neatly packed rolls. One box weighs 22 pounds so make sure to use a dolly to wheel and not carry them. Like Paul, I believe the U.S. Mint will eventually make steel coins and maybe these nickels are not a bad thing to have.

I think those nickels should be kept safe in a relatively inexpensive site box such as this one: Jobox 48" Long Heavy-Duty Steel Chest With Site-Vault(tm) Security System 1-654990.

Economics 101
Finally, a no-holds-barred, plain English explanation of the "Crime of the Century." Dr. Paul explains very clearly how the Federal Reserve has not helped our economy, but has virtually destroyed it. It's so clear, in fact, that maybe even our Congressmen and Senators will finally get it.

Economics 101: When you create more of something, the value decreases.

Economics 201: The Federal Reserve printing (Liquidity Injections) of Federal Reserve Notes (Dollars) has decreased their value.

Economics 301: The dramatic increase of Federal Reserve money printing in the last couple of decades has devalued our money and caused the current economic crisis.

Economics 401: The Fed is trying to solve the problem with more of the same thing that caused the problem.

Of course it's more complicated than this, and that's where this book is so important. Dr. Paul explains the history of the Fed, its relationship to modern wars and a myriad of other societal ills, the inevitable failure of a fiat currency and, more importantly, how we can get out of this mess.

The Federal Reserve system is nothing less than the most brilliant tool ever for the transfer of wealth and power from the average citizen to the wealthy and powerful, and we must rein it in to preserve our freedom. I know I must sound dramatic, but I can not stress enough the importance of honest, realistic, economic education. This book is a great first step. It should be required reading in all our schools.

A blueprint for economic repair
Ron Paul's "End the Fed" is equal parts an indictment of the Federal Reserve System actions in the last 96 years and a blueprint to repair the damage that the actions have caused. Unfortunately, the remedy can't be accomplished in half measures. Either the people audit the Fed and consqeuently destroy it, or future generations will be doomed to relive the central banking tactics that have proved Paul correct. We'll have just one chance to get this revolution right.

The Most Important Book of Our Generation
The Federal Reserve will no longer be just the name on the front of our dollar bills. Thanks to Ron Paul, millions of Americans are waking up to the true nature of this institution. Drawing on history, economics, and his personal experiences as a congressman, Dr. Paul shows us why the Federal Reserve cannot exist in a truly free and prosperous society. "End the Fed" is an interesting and engaging book that every American who cares about this country should read.

What Time Is It? Time To "End The Fed!"
I just finished reading the latest book from the great Dr. Ron Paul, Republican Representative from Texas' 14th Congressional District, titled End The Fed. With a title like this, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce what Dr. Paul is advocating.

"Of course, Congress could abolish the Fed tomorrow if it wanted to. The Representatives' ignorance of economics, as well as the benefits they enjoy from irresponsible spending, prevent this." - p. 117

With President Woodrow Wilson's signing of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913, a central banking system was created. That system was granted the ability to create credit and money out of thin air, and to do so with no oversight whatsoever. The framers of that legislative piece of garbage, as well as current supporters, would have you believe it was created to provide liquidity in the market in times of financial panic. What it has really done is weaken the dollar by artificially keeping interest rates low and inflating the money supply.

"Artificially low interest rates are achieved by inflating the money supply, and the penalize the thrifty and cheat those who save.

Manipulating the money supply and interest rates rejects all the principles of the free market, and so it cannot be said that too free a market caused this mess. The market was not free at all. It was manipulated and distorted. Ironically, free markets and sound money generate low rates, but unlike the artificially low rates orchestrated by the Fed, the information conveyed is beneficial to investors and savers. Only the Federal Reserve can inflate the currency, creating new money and credit out of thin air, in secrecy, without oversight or supervision." - p. 133

Any kid that has collected sports cards of any kind will tell you, the more a card a printed, the less it's worth. The same principle applies to money. The more the dollar is printed with nothing to back it, the less it is worth.

"When the printing presses are available to the government and the banking cartel, they will use them rather than do the right thing" - p. 127

I could go on and on quoting the good Doctor and this great book, but you should really check it out for yourself. In my opinion, Dr. Paul put pen to paper and easily illustrates the ways the Federal Reserve has hurt the US dollar and the economy since its inception and why we as American citizens must petition our elected officials to "End The Fed".

Action Item for Freedom Lovers
Want your representatives and senators to get the message? Order extra copies of this book and send one to each congressperson...maybe even highlight some interesting sections. Think about it, if just 50 people from each state were to do this, imagine the impact when the senate offices are flooded with this book! Let's send them a MANDATE FROM THE PEOPLE!!

Oh, and by the way, the book is excellent.

Educate yourself on monetary policy and you too will want to End the Fed!
I think a major reason Ron Paul's books are so compelling and effective is because they quite literally give you an inside look at how our current system of government operates. I think most people remain indifferent because they simply don't realize how truly awful things are. Ron Paul first began shedding the light in his masterpiece, "The Revolution" and now he turns his attention specifically to the Federal Reserve Bank. I'll be honest and admit that since I understand Austrian Economics I went into this book with a bias and mindset already that the Fed should be abolished. But wow after finishing this book, the urgency and desire that I have to help see this vision come true, and have a sound monetary policy in line with the Founders and the framework of the Constitution to be restored to America has increased tenfold. End the Fed! And take the first step back towards true and sustainable prosperity. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Now in paperback, AMAZING GRACIE is a moving, funny, and inspirational canine rags-to-riches story. "Tears will stain the pages as you read about Gracie," says USA Today. The Chicago Tribune advises, "If you're short on inspiration, read Amazing Gracie." "You don't have to be obsessed with dogs to love this story" (Philadelphia Enquirer), "Two paws up" (Portland Oregonian), "humorous yet poignant" (ASPCA Animal Watch). Booklist comments that "Dog-loving teens, especially reluctant readers, will eat this up." AMAZING GRACIE was nominated as a Young Adult Choice for 2002 by The International Reading Association-proof that it's a great crossover book.

Gracie was a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a delicate constitution and a penchant for small miracles. Dan is the man-sad over the loss of his last dog and trapped in a dead-end job-who adopted her. Three Dog Bakery is the burgeoning and much-publicized chain of canine bakeries that, inspired by Gracie, Dan and his friend Mark founded. A love story, AMAZING GRACIE describes how Dan saves Gracie, the loneliest pup in the litter, then how, over the next ten years, Gracie saves Dan and Mark, teaching them the real meaning of happiness. There's the moment of meeting, when Gracie gets to her feet like a clumsy foal and nuzzles Dan's nose. Gracie's romance with the pint-size Boston Terrier next door. And the eureka moment (born of Gracie's anorexia-inducing dislike for commercial dog food): Dan teaches himself to cook and within three days begins baking the dog cookies that will transform their lives. AMAZING GRACIE is a dog-lover's treat. ... Read more

Reviews

Delightful, moving -- a great gift for dog lovers
I laughed, I cried (sobbed, really), I fell in love. This is a sweet, sweet book and more -- a love story and the chronicle of a man coming into his own. It ranks right up there with J.R. Ackerley's "My Dog Tulip" in the annals of classic dog literature. I plan to buy a copy for every dog lover I know. I hope this book will encourage people to take a chance and rescue an animal that may not meet the standards of the AKC. Millions of dogs and cats are put to death each year in the U.S. because no one wants them, and this story is proof of the great potential for love and joy these dogs have.

An Excellent Book for Dog Lovers Everywhere!
I just finished this wonderful book and plan on buying more copies for Christmas as gifts. This is the story of Gracie, an albino, deaf great dane puppy who inspires Dan, her owner, to start the chain of bakeries: Three Dog Bakery. It was a funny book, although the last pages will definately get to you if you've ever been through an older dogs final days.

I truly laughed out loud through much of the book... Gracie's love life reminded me of my own! Her life, although she was deaf, was full of love and devotion, but she definately had a mischeivous streak which all dog owners will relate to. This was simply a wonderful read that provided much more story than I was even hoping for. Amazing Gracie proves that dogs can inspire and teach us as well as make excellent companions!

Story of how one dog can change the world
'Amazing Gracie' is the heartwarming story of how one neglected, deaf Great Dane named Gracie changed the lives of everyone who loved her. It is a book for everyone who loves dogs, as well as for anyone who has known 'a nutty dog person.' It is also the story of how Gracie inspired those who loved her to change and grow, and eventually to start Three Dog Bakery. I have recently adopted a deaf sheltie, and personally found many of the deaf dog anecdotes in the book funny and true to form. However, what I REALLY love about the book is that we learn that Gracie wasn't just a special deaf dog, but a wonderful dog, PERIOD. The book tells us very subtly that deaf dogs are just dogs that can't hear... otherwise they lead perfectly normal doggie lives. Hopefully, more people will see how wonderfully sweet our deaf dogs are, and won't think to put them to sleep just because they can't hear. They are great dogs, it's a shame more people don't/can't experience that love. Dan Dye's love for his pups, and his sharing that love with all of us, have made us all better humans, and dogs. Gracie's legacy lives on in all of us.

IF YOU LOVE DOGS, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!
This is a wonderful book about an amazing dog named Gracie. In my opinion it is a must read for anyone. It is a book that will make you laugh and cry. Gracie's story will show you how animals can touch our lives and how blessed we are to have them in our midst. You will not be able to put this book down! Another thing, the royalties from this book go to The Gracie Foundation which is a non-profit emergency relief fund for neglected and abused animals. By reading this book, you will not only see how Gracie changed a man's life but you will help to carry on her memory by helping animals in need. Please take my advice and buy a copy right away- I don't think you will be sorry.

Dog lover's delight!
Amazing Gracie is a wonderful story about a deaf, partially blind, albino Great Dane. Her story is told with humor by Dan Dye and Mark Beckloff, and whimsically illustrated by Meg Cundiff. This book, written sensitively, but without melodrama, will make you laugh, rejoice, cheer and cry. It is also the story of the beginnings of the wonderful bakery for dogs, Three Dog Bakery. Humorous parts include Gracie's first day in her new home, Dan's dress shoes, and what the dogs were possibly thinking at stategic moments in the story. Since this is a book about Gracie's entire life, it naturally includes the end of her shining light. Be prepared to cry. This is a book that will last in my mind for a long time!

Amazing Story
This book is beautifully written. I could not put it down. This story has made me think of my life and what happiness my animals have brought me. Gracie was truly an inspiring dog and will be missed forever. Many thanks to Dan for sharing his story with the world. Buy this book - you will not be dissappointed.

Not just for the dog-lover!
My boyfriend just gave this book to me as a Xmas present (I am a HUGE dog lover), and I could not put it down. I read the book in one day, which is a good thing because my boyfriend (who is NOT a dog lover, though he certainly doesn't mind them) insisted that I let him borrow it. It turns out that before wrapping it up and giving it to me, he read the first few chapters to make sure it was a good story and later wanted the book back to finish.

When I first received the book, one look at the cover with the picture of an albino Great Dane puppy with incredibly memorable eyes told me that I was going to love this book. And I did. Gracie's story is beautifully told. It is a story about a dog, but it is also a story about faith, loyalty, and love. To say it is a book only a dog lover would enjoy would be to say that Lassie was a movie only a dog lover would watch. It is a book that anyone, animal lover or not, would appreciate. It is touching and humourous and is bound to make you stop, look around, and feel very very blessed for the things you see.

Amazing Gracie Will Touch Your Heart
My husband brought home a copy of Amazing Gracie and looking at the cover said, "Just look at those eyes"! We were immediately smitten with Gracie, a deaf, albino, great dane puppy that was truly a miracle!

Amazing Gracie is a heart-warming, inspiring, unique and comical story that you don't want to end! Author Dan Dye eloquently shares the colorful stories of Gracie's life which touched the hearts of many and became a tremendous inspiration. Every page of this book is warm and fuzzy!

Amazing Gracie earns five stars ***** and is worth the highest recommendation! What a perfect book to give as a gift for the holidays! You will absolutely fall in love with Amazing Gracie! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Whiskey and porn stars, hot reds and car crashes, black leather and high heels, overdoses and death. This is the life of M�tley Cr�e, the heaviest drinking, hardest fighting, most oversexed and arrogant band in the world. Their unbelievable exploits are the stuff of rock 'n' roll legend. They nailed the hottest chicks, started the bloodiest fights, partied with the biggest drug dealers, and got to know the inside of every jail cell from California to Japan. They have dedicated an entire career to living life to its extreme, from the greatest fantasies to the darkest tragedies. Tommy married two international sex symbols; Vince killed a man and lost a daughter to cancer; Nikki overdosed, rose from the dead, and then OD'd again the next day; and Wick shot a woman and tried to hang his own brother. But that's just the beginning. Fueled by every drug they could get their hands on and obscene amounts of alcohol, driven by fury and headed straight for hell, M�tley Cr�e raged through two decades, leaving behind a trail of debauched women, trashed hotel rooms, crashed cars, psychotic managers, and broken bones that has left the music industry cringing to this day. All these unspeakable acts, not to mention their dire consequences, are laid bare in The Dirt.

Here -- directly from Nikki, Vince, Tommy, and Mick -- is the unexpurgated version of the whole glorious, gut-wrenching story. In these pages, published for the first time anywhere, are Tommy Lee's letters to Pamela Anderson from prison: Mick's confession to having an incurable disease that is slowly killing him; Vince's experience burying his own daughter -- and the train wreck that his life became afterward; and Nikki's anguished struggle to deal with an entire life fueled by anger over his childhood abandonment, his discovery of the family he never knew he had -- and his subsequent loss of them. And all of it accompanied by scores of rare, never-before-published photographs, mug shots, and handwritten lyrics. No one is spared. Not David Lee Roth, Ozzy Osbourne, Vanity, Aerosmith, Heather Locklear, AC/DC, Lita Ford, Iron Maiden, Pamela Anderson, Guns N' Roses, Donna D'Errico, RATT, or those two girls from Dallas, Texas.

Make no mistake about it: these guys are geniuses. They invented glam metal and then left it in the dust; sold more than forty million albums from Shout at the Devil to Dr. Feelgood; toured the world dozen times and have the scars to prove it it; and maintained a rabid following in an era of throwaway pop stars. M�tley Cr�e has done nothing less than tattoo the psyche of the entire MTV generation. They are the ultimate rock 'n' roll band. And if you don't believe it, read The Dirt. You don't know what decadence is...

Reviews

THEATRE OF PAIN...INDEED!
I'm not a fan of Motley Crue (the people or their music) but this book came to my attention through all of the stories I have heard over the years. As far as rock biographies go, it's a fast paced read. Motley Crue epitomizes the message of "Sex, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll!" So since there are so many other reviews I think I'll just share what I have learned about the band members through their 430 page opus.

Vince Neil has the most penultimate tear-jerker in the chapter that deals with the death of his daughter. In a book made to shock and astonish, this was as touching a moment as anything I have read. Beyond his love and loss, he comes off like a stand-up guy who enjoys the life style and isn't making excuses.

Nikki Sixx had a rough childhood and has so many father-son issues it's not even funny. While I respect the fact that he's been through more turmoil than I'll ever know...get over it. There's nothing more pathetic than listening to rock star millionaires pining away about how sad they are. I guess money can't buy happiness.

Mick Mars has the least to say in this book and this left me the most intrigued. He has battled rough times from personal illness to divorce to just plain being the victim of emotional abuse. I'm amazed he stayed with the band as long as he has. His is the true sad story in The Dirt.

Tommy Lee...moron. Here is the epitome of a millionaire jerk who just never learns. How a guy like this managed to bag babes like Heather Locklear, Pamela Anderson, and Carmen Electra...is beyond me. Don't expect to learn anything from his chapters except to see a spoiled baby who is used to getting anything he wants, and if he doesn't then the tantrums start...then and now.

It's a testament to this book that I enjoyed reading it. The chapters flow quickly telling each band member's story and author Neil Strauss never slows down. And unlike biographies by other rock groups, these characters actually have some bizarre stories to tell...and how they survived is beyond me. While I may not be racing out to buy any Crue music, I'm very happy that I read this biography.

Wow! Man, be prepared to be blown away!
Most people know that Motley Crue was/is a crazy band. We know the stories of them dating playboy playmates, getting crazy with Ozzy Osbourne and doing crazy drugs. But, in The Dirt, you get all the nasty, gutrenching information on one of the greatest Rock N Roll bands to ever walk this earth. The book covers each of the band members childhood. To the suprising story of Vince Neil growing up on Compton, CA and already getting hot chicks at age 16, to Nikki's very strange and sad childhood. The book covers the Crue's early days of partying, which should warn people to be get ready to be shocked, amused, grossed out, stunned and freaked out. The book also captures each of the band members honesty. Neil Strauss not only did a great job of writing, but also getting each band member to open up. The chapater on Vince losing his daughter was very tough to read. I must admit, I got emotional. The stories about all the girls is crazy and fun to read. It makes you feel want to be one of the guy's so much, but then you read about how these guys have sufferd in life as well. Not just with heavy drug use, but losing money and family. At the end of the book, you will most likely take a deep breath and say...Wow! I cannot believe these guys lived through all this. Weather your a Motley Crue fan or even a Rock N Roll fan for that matter, this book is a must read. I always thought only a movie and not a book could blow me away, but I was very wrong after I read "The Dirt"

One of the best books of the year!!!
First of all, I am not a Motley Crue fan and have never been one. I can't even name a song. But of course, being an avid watcher of VH1 and E!, etc. I know the members and some of their "history".

The book sounded interesting so I bought a copy and sat down one night to read. Wow! I really had a difficult time putting it down. These guys are really, really out of their minds!

I can't say how impressed I am by their candor. No matter what they did, they are more than willing to take responsibility for it. They give a whole new meaning to out-of-control.

The writing was humorous, witty, engaging, thoughtful and emotional. So emotional at times that it was heart wrenching when Vince describes the death of his daughter, Skylar. I got so choked up!

These guys get so many kudos for being embarassingly honest about their roots, behavior and image. Most stars would never be so willing to call themselves a nerd or an a--hole.

Reading about how they came together and reached the peak, then toppled was truly fascinating. So many stories about celebrity interactions are also mixed in, which was great! I always suspected that Pamela was no good. Also enjoyed the chapters from the managers, former managers, etc. Very interesting to get a different version of the same story recounted in others' chapters.

I do admit that I learned some new things about the female anatomy which I could have done without but that just adds to the story. This book really is a celebration of talent and where it can take you if you are willing to give it your all.

It is really a shame that these talented guys got sucked in to a decadent lifestyle of booze, drugs and women that it ultimately affected their talent.

They can count me as a fan albeit a late one.

Wow! Man, be prepared to be blown away
Most people know that Motley Crue was/is a crazy band. We know the stories of them dating playboy playmates, getting crazy with Ozzy Osbourne and doing crazy drugs. But, in The Dirt, you get all the nasty, gutrenching information on one of the greatest Rock N Roll bands to ever walk this earth. The book covers each of the band members childhood. To the suprising story of Vince Neil growing up on Compton, CA and already getting hot chicks at age 16, to Nikki's very strange and sad childhood. The book covers the Crue's early days of partying, which should warn people to be get ready to be shocked, amused, grossed out, stunned and freaked out. The book also captures each of the band members honesty. Neil Strauss not only did a great job of writing, but also getting each band member to open up. The chapater on Vince losing his daughter was very tough to read. I must admit, I got emotional. The stories about all the girls is crazy and fun to read. It makes you feel want to be one of the guy's so much, but then you read about how these guys have sufferd in life as well. Not just with heavy drug use, but losing money and family. At the end of the book, you will most likely take a deep breath and say...Wow! I cannot believe these guys lived through all this. Weather your a Motley Crue fan or even a Rock N Roll fan for that matter, this book is a must read. I always thought only a movie and not a book could blow me away, but I was very wrong after I read "The Dirt"

The Dirt: Once you're in, you'll never want out
The Dirt is a furious and vicious rollercoaster ride into the lurid, depraved and deliciously exciting world of Motley Crue. Like any good rollercoaster, this book will can make you cry, laugh and may even turn your stomach a little. And when you've gotten off and have caught your breath, you suddenly find yourself where you started, back on page one, ready for another ride. This book is so well-written it feels more like real-time than reading an autobiography...I guess that explains why I couldn't put it down: on some primative level I know I shouldn't acnowledge, I was afraid I'd miss something. You'll learn all kinds of things you didn't know, things you've always wondered about will be explained, and things you never thought humanly possible will be elaborated upon with titillating detail, as recalled by the 4 original members of the band In short, if you're a Motley Crue fan, you'll love this book. If you hate Motley Crue, you'll love this book. And if you have no idea who Motley Crue is...well, you really NEED this book! Enjoy it, Respectfully, CAT

These guys are lucky to be alive
Motley Crue make Aerosmith look like Cub Scouts. I was shocked reading this book about how close to death this band came to because of the drugs, alcohol, etc. Almost every band member had a pretty strange or bad childhood and, at least for Nikki Sixx, is what drove them to the decadent things they would do in their adult years(and I use "adult" loosely). A very entertaining read but disturbing at the same time. Vince Neil to this day has alcohol problems and in this book he attributes it to the death of his daughter Skyler of cancer. Another surprising moment comes in the book where Mick Mars decribes his health problems that is accelerating as he gets older. I've heard talk this book was going to be made into a movie. That would be very interesting to see... hopefully, it won't be lame and it will be true to the book and they will choose the right actors. This band is lucky to be alive. It's been 7 years since their "reunion" CD "Generation Swine".... hopefully they will return but judging from this book, it does not seem likely. And to Tommy Lee: stop saying 'dude' and 'bro' every other sentence. The guy can't even talk correctly in a book!

Crucial Crue- A must read
The Dirt is the story of four misfits who united to form one of the greatest rock bands of the 1980s. Unfortunatley, Motley Cure is frequently remembered for their bad-boy images and legal troubles and not for the great music that was a soundtrack for man of us growing up in the 80s. In the book, Nikki, Tommy, Vince and Mick finally get a chance to tell their own story...the best they can remember it. We read about the days before Motley Crue...Mick busting his butt playing in band after band, Tommy and Nikki playing the bars in search of the perfect band and Vince discovering that he could actually sing. The four joined forces in the early 80s and changed the face of music. In the process, the slept with thousands of random women, went through countless wives and girlfriens and injected all forms of drugs into their bodies. After reading the book, it's a miracle that these guys are all still alive or not in prison, although the guys did spend their share of time in jail over the years. Perhaps the best part of the book was that Mick Mars, who has long been in the shadows of the legend of Motely Crue, finally gets to set the record straight and tell his own story. Mick, for the first time, talks about his own demons and about the difficulty of working with 3 egomaniacs like Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil. Nikki and Vince often come off like sniveling little brats who are just screaming for attention, but isn't that what the music is all about. Motley Crue is all about decadence and glamour. Tommy's story is more of a guy who still, after all of these years, has yet to discover himself. Throughout his marital problems and even while in jail, Tommy remained a child at heart, who's biggest fear was being ingored. Read the book...It's a great testament to a great rock and roll band. And no other book better captures the spirit of the "Decade of Decadence". And after you're done reading...put on "Shout at the Devil"..... ... Read more

Editorial Review

On a November day almost forty-five years ago, the first episode of Days of our Lives appeared on the NBC Network, NBC's first color soap opera broadcast. Eleven thousand episodes later, millions excitedly tune in every weekday to watch one of the 260 original one-hour episodes produced each year. What few know though is that the show started as the dream of one family, the Corday family, who still owns and runs the show to this day. These are the days of their lives.

The Days of our Lives is the first insider account of the history behind one of our most beloved soap operas. It is about the family who believed in it, conceived it, and sometimes seemed to live it along with millions of viewers, as they struggled to emerge from nowhere to create and produce one of the most successful and enduring television shows in history.

Ken Corday reveals the triumphs and tragedies behind the scenes over the years, a moving personal story of a family facing everything from death to mental illness, the ever-looming threat of cancellation, and the struggle to keep their dream alive. It is also the story of an extended family-actors, producers, and crew-who formed a bond of love that went beyond just creating a show to establishing a legacy.

You will discover for the first time the true �stories behind the show, a story of living a dream and raising a family while things all around you, even fate, seem to conspire against you-and succeeding against all odds.

Reviews

Sands Through The Hour Glass...
For die hard fans of TV soap operas especially Days of Our Lives will be transfixed by the behind the scenes tale by Ken Corday--one of the true icons on Daytime Television. I was drawn into the story from the start and found the entire book engrossing and very well written. This is a man with passion and talent. Someone we can all learn from and aspire to be like. Excellent book.

"An Excellent Book On A Classic Sudser"
When you mention the term soap opera three serials instantly come to mind: "As The World Turns" (the #1 soap for twenty years from 1958-1978), "General Hospital" (who can forget Luke and Laura), and this serial "Days of Our Lives", the most cherished daytime drama by fans and the subject of this book. Ken Corday has written a very informative essay on his family's legacy. He is the son of co-creator Ted Corday, who along with Irna Phiilips, and a man by the name of Alan Chase, created "Days of Our lives" back in 1965 for NBC, a network who didn't have any hit serials on its struggling daytime schedule. Ken discusses how his father created the series, only to discover weeks into the show's broadcast that he was dying. At this point Ted Corday got a hold of legendary serial writer William J. Bell, told him of his illness, and how he (Ted) wanted William to save the show from cancellation. It was under the writing regime of Bill Bell that "Days of Our Lives" received its greatest popularity as the serial hit #1 in the late fall of 1971. Eventually after Ted died his wife Betty took over as executive producer, then in 1979 Ken Corday was handed the executive reigns as his mother began getting sick also. In this book Ken talks about his reluctance to take over "Days", but knew in his heart he had to as the show belonged to his family. Corday discusses how hard it is to produce a soap opera, and most informative are his pages in which he discusess the problems that are plaguing serials today, with dwindling audiences and slashed budgets. If you want info on today's soap opera industry this is the book to purchase as anyone will tell you serials are dying and every producer, writer, and actor are doing their best to keep the genre alive. This book doesn't go into the story detail of "Days of Our Lives", but goes behind-the-scenes into this 45 year old daytime institution. If anyone can make "Days" and serials have a comeback it is Ken Corday, for soap opera is in his blood.

DOOL Awesome!
This book has been inspirational and totally awesome! To find out how the Corday's began in their life and how DOOL came to be AND how Betty and then Ken fought so hard to save the show is wonderful. I will be doing a book review on my site [...] in the near future!

God Bless,
Patti Wavinak

Long time Days viewer
This book was so very insightful. Not only did you learn about the beginnings of the Soap, but how it impacted the whole family. I have been watching Days for over 35 years, and I still learned something about the characters and their actors.
I especially loved how he catagorized the main women in the show. Good Job.

Great!
This is a must for any Days fan - particularly those of us long term fans who remember the "early years". There is something to be said for ANY SHOW that lasts almost half a century and is still going strong.

Great book. You will enjoy it!

Days of Our Lives The True Story o One Family's Dream
A great Book. Very interesting. About the family who created Days of Our Lives drama. It also tells about the show. If you don't watch the show it is still a very interesting book. For those who watch Days of Our Lives it is a must read. I love the show so it really was great to know how it all started.

The Days of Our Lives
This is a very enjoyable read for anyone who has followed this beloved soap opera for any length of time. It is a behind the scenes story of how the show was started and the family who perservered to keep it on the air for over 40 years.

a fabulous story of the Corday family, and "Days of our Lives"
Our family has watched "Days of our Lives" for over 28 years- only missing an occasional episode in all that time, due to power outages! I couldn't wait to read Ken Corday's book about the show. What a fascinating read this is! From the first page, he has written such a captivating and honest account of the Corday family, it is even more interesting than had the entire book been devoted to "Days". There are plenty of pictures, and great insights about the wonderfully written characters, and the actors who portray them. ... Read more

Editorial Review

David Thomson’s New Biographical Dictionary of Film topped Sight & Sound magazine’s 2010 poll of international critics and writers as the best film book of all time.

Now in its fifth edition, updated, and with more than 130 new entries—from Judd Apatow to Lena Horne—the classic, beloved film book is better than ever.

For thirty-five years, David Thomson’s Biographical Dictionary of Film has been “fiendishly seductive” (Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone), “the finest reference book ever written about movies” (Graham Fuller, Interview), and “not only an indispensable book about cinema, but one of the most absurdly ambitious literary achievements of our time” (Geoff Dyer, The Guardian). For this edition, Thomson has brought up to date and in some case recast the biographies, and has added new ones (Clive Owen, Scarlett Johansson, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Marion Cotillard, for example). The book now includes almost 1,500 entries, some of them just a pungent paragraph, some of them several thousand words long, every one a gem.

Here is a great, rare book that encompasses the chaos of art, entertainment, money, vulgarity, and nonsense that we call the movies. Personal, opinionated, funny, daring, provocative, and passionate, it is the one book that every filmmaker and film buff must own, from the man David Hare called “the most stimulating and thoughtful film critic now writing.” ... Read more

Reviews

Misleading title; outrageously good book
If you're looking for a standard reference work, look elsewhere (Katz is probably your best bet). That said, this is one of the finest books I've discovered in years. You can read it from cover to cover and never get bored, which is impossible to say about any other reference book that I know of.

David Thomson is absolutely brilliant. I disagree with about half of what he writes here, but even when I disagree I respect his opinions and greatly admire the way in which he articulates them. Very often in these entries you will find that unexpected beauty and strangeness which is the hallmark of all great literature and all great art in general. Some of the passages are absolutely heartstopping. Here's Thomson on Jean Vigo:

"L'Atalante is about a more profound attitude to love than Gaumont understood. It is love without spoken explanation, unaffected by sentimental songs; but love as a mysterious, passionate affinity between inarticulate human animals."

Have you ever heard a more haunting, uncanny definition of love than this one? I certainly haven't. I read these words and then sat there like a fool in shock for five or six minutes, ruminating on their simple profundity.

Thomson is also not afraid to be nasty, which is refreshing in this age of mindless, frothy hype being spewed in all directions on just about everyone. Here he is on Roberto Benigni:

"Then came the thing called La Vite E Bella. As a matter of fact, I often echo that sentiment myself, but if there is anything likely to mar the bella-ness, it is not so much Hitlerism (I am against it), which is fairly obvious, as Benigni-ism, which walks away with high praise, box office, and Oscars. I despise Life Is Beautiful, especially its warmth, sincerity, and feeling, all of which I belive grow out of stupidity. Few events so surely signaled the decline of the motion picture as the glory piled on that odious and misguided fable."

Sometimes that nastiness reaches the heights of pure poetry. Here is Thomson on Richard Gere:

"There are times when Richard Gere has the warm affect of a wind tunnel at dawn, waiting for work, all sheen, inner curve, and posed emptiness. And those are not his worst times."

Lest you think that Thomson is merely a curmudgeonly old British [man], let me emphasize that in many other places (through most of the book, in fact), he displays a humanity and generosity of spirit that is nothing short of exemplary.

This book is not so much a reference on film as it is a meditation on life and everything in it. In these past hundred years movies have covered exactly that kind of encyclopedic range, both in their subject matter and in the lives of their makers. Thomson simply uses the world of cinema as a vehicle with which to explore the magnificent enigma of life and existence and somehow manages to pack more of that life into its 963 pages than any other book of any genre that I can think of. Opinionated, yes, but then again so is the Bible. A true desert island book. An absolute masterpiece.

One of the "must have" books about the movies.
I have bought every edition of this book (this is the fourth) and find each one well worth the money. Thomson is the best writer among the movie critics, probably the best writer that has ever reviewed movies. His writing is so good, even when disagreeing with him, I still love reading the reviews or biographical sketches. He has a tremendous poetic economy with the English Language: consider the following:

About Bruce Dern in the film Coming Home:

". . . A rapturous embrace between Jane Fonda and Jon Voight was being watched by a wistful, suspicious Bruce Dern, his eyes lime pits of paranoia and resentment."

Or Basil Rathbone:

"The inverted arrow face, the razor nose, and a mustache that was really two fine shears stuck to his lip. Ladies looked fearfully at him, knowing that one embrace could cut them to ribbons."

Both these passages capture the essence of the star perfectly. Just perfectly. The book is full of this kind of superior writing.

The update has all the new stars, some who probably wish they were excluded. Who can not read a reviewer that says of Ben Affleck: ". . . Mr. Affleck is boring, complacent, and criminally lucky to have got away with everything so far."

As I say, Thomson has a way of capturing things perfectly in a few words.

Oh, so worth the wait!
For those of us who are movie buffs, we're forever looking for biographical information on people in film. David Thomson goes way beyond the usual dry recitation of dates and facts and actually renders informed opinions on the people about whom he writes. Flip to any entry and you'll be entertained and informed by Thomson's refreshingly truthful take. He's one of the few people with the guts to say that Monster's Ball was not the greatest movie of all time, while giving kudos to Halle Berre for her performance. While I don't necessarily agree with all his opinions, it's great to read biographical material that actually offers commentary along with data. From Diane Lane to Bette Davis to Julia Roberts to Rudolf Valentino, Thomson offers comments and insights that no other volume does. I have the previous 1994 edition. Now, happily, I've got hours of happy reading ahead in the 2002 edition.

This is a must-have, not just for film fans but for its pure entertainment value as a gigantic collection of biographical short takes.
My highest recommendation.

Eccentric Gem
A sometimes maddening work that invents its own genre -- neither dictionary nor encyclopedia nor film criticism nor any other known category. Instead it's no less than one man's critical reflections on major figures from the length and breadth of world cinema, alphabetically listed from Abbott and Costello to Terry Zwigoff. Whew! (Where did he ever get the time since no staff is acknowledged?) All the majors are present including non-Americans, along with "second thoughts" on Ford, Capra, and others. Moreover, the new edition updates older ones by adding a fresh generation of movie-makers as special interest to younger readers. Also present: major figures from off-screen, including such seminal contributors as cameraman John Alton, writer Ernest Lehman, and giving-the-devil-his-due, notorious studio boss Harry Cohn.

Yes, it's a big book (989 pps.)-- most of the entries requiring no explanation. Still and all, Thomson needs to give us at least some idea why he included some marginal players, while excluding others. Why, for example, the distinctive and deserving Elisha Cook Jr., but not the equally distinctive and deserving Percy Helton whose gnome-like presence and raspy voice boosted many a 50's second feature. Sure, a discussion like this has no real resolution. Nonetheless, the question becomes an issue when Thomson devotes four full columns to non-movie, television star Johnny Carson, who may be a giant of popular culture, but whose only film credit is a single Connie Francis flick! So Carson comes at the expense of several deserving marginal players with real film credentials, including perhaps favorites of your own. (Mine being the luminescent and painfully sensitive Gail Russell, dropped from this edition.) Anyhow, there's a legitimate issue here that the author should address.

Nonetheless, there are good reasons why this series has endured. Above all, Thomson has the courage of his convictions, unafraid to challenge received wisdom or conventional opinion, which means that every page may hold a surprise. (His revisionist appraisal of the universally revered John Ford should by now qualify as a classic.) Couple that with some of the liveliest prose around, plus a remarkable talent for distilling an essence into a short space, and an unusual approach to the movies results. Also, it's one of those rare books that can be read cover-to-cover or in snatches with equally satisfying results. Sure, there is a lot of grist for argument throughout -- in my view he overrates Clint Eastwood, Gary Cooper, and even Bob Mitchum, (he admires strong, silent types), and underrates Kubrick, but is dead-on with Ford. Still and all, this is a good book to set the critical juices flowing, and rightly deserves a fourth edition.

... Read more

Editorial Review

One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams--including hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge--seemed to have slipped beyond his reach.

Then, during a desperate walk in the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn't have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.

Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal--come what may--of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.

One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank yous--for gifts or kindnesses he'd received from loved ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who'd done him a good turn, however large or small. Immediately after he'd sent his very first notes, significant and surprising benefits began to come John's way--from financial gain to true friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but thank-you note by thank-you note, John's whole life turned around.

365 Thank Yous is a rare memoir: its touching, immediately accessible message--and benefits--come to readers from the plainspoken storytelling of an ordinary man. Kralik sets a believable, doable example of how to live a miraculously good life. To read 365 Thank Yous is to be changed. ... Read more

Reviews

One man's year of living thankfully

Well-written "tale" of a simple step to heal your life. Thank YOU, Mr. Krulik!

Inspiring

very surprising and refreshing.. a life lesson learned

We loved this book!! Very inspiring.

Editorial Review

In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history.

This is history on a grand scale -- a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived. ... Read more

Reviews

One of the Brothers
"In the cold...New England winter, two men on horseback traveled the coast road below Boston, heading north. The temperature, according to records kept by Adams' former professor of science at Harvard, John Winthrop, was in the low twenties."

One can almost hear the amiable yet dramatic tones of historian David McCullough, punctuated by paintings of New England blizzards and the sound of hoofbeats. (McCullough is a frequent narrator of documentaries, notably those of Ken Burns.) McCullough's familiar cadence resounds through this extremely well written best-seller. The details never slow the reading or obscure the portrait; instead, source materials (much of it from the Adams' personal letters) illuminate and concretize his subject. McCullough writes clearly, forcefully, and with an ear for detail, humor, and anecdote.

Overall this is a flattering portrait of Adams' longtime service as lawyer, revolutionary, writer and philosopher, diplomat, politician, and farmer. The book could well have been subtitled: "An Appreciation," both because Adams demonstrates so much to admire (including integrity, erudition, patriotism, work ethic, and courage) and because McCullough either doesn't criticize Adams or couches his disapproval by leaving some issues open.

Some readers may suspect a positive bias. Criticized and embattled by Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton--and by the libelous hyperbole of opposition newspapers and rivals--Adams takes on an almost martyr-like persona. To test McCullough's balance, one must read other books on both the Founders and the political culture of the times. Joseph Ellis' "Brothers of the Revolution," for example, is a more analytic, speculative, and impersonal book than "John Adams," and Ellis does not temporize on such issues as Jefferson's affair with Sally Hemmings. (McCullough: "for all the rumors . . . relatively little would ever be known." Ellis: "which was only confirmed beyond any reasonable doubt by DNA studies done in 1998 . . . "). Ellis engages in comparatively more "psychobiography" ("[Adams had] a congenital inability to separate his thoughts from his feelings about them"); McCullough resists theory, and relies more on the literal evidence of his source materials. Also, because it is a biography, we miss some history: Since Adams was an ambassador in Europe during the war, securing French naval assistance and Dutch money, there is little mention of the country's trials military victories in the latter years of the war. Hamilton's role in stabilizing the country through the Federalist papers and establishment of a central bank receive little attention.

There is little question that Adams was, for the most part, the right man for the times, largely steering clear of both Republican and Federalist extremes. McCullough demonstrates that Adams was largely underappreciated by his contemporaries. More than Jefferson, Adams seems the man of the people, as well as the more flexible: Adams was an idealist when the times called for it; a pragmatist when they did not.

McCullough includes some fascinating insights into Adams' personal life, especially his love, partnership, and correspondence with Abigail Adams and their son, John Quincy Adams. One comes away liking Adams, despite certain tempermental qualities implied by McCullough. The book documents just how well (and how often) Adams served his country, no matter what the inconvenience to himself or his family. Overall, the appreciation is well deserved. Readers will likely use this fine biography as a springboard to further investigations, such as Ellis' book. "John Adams" has 654 pages of text; additionally, there are black and white as well as color plates, extensive source notes, and a thorough index. Highly recommended.

In the past John Adams may have been decribed as a Founding
Father & left at that. Such an unfortunate phrase. He was so much more & may finally getting his due. I wouldn't have believed David McCullough could top his Truman. But he did. The book doesn't strictly follow history. Very little on the American Revolution in America. But that's ok because Adams spent most of that time in Europe. Perhaps it was his most important time. Certainly more than his vice presidency because he had to shut up. As president his single term was in many respects a failure. How could anyone follow Washington. Nobody could & he knew it & Jefferson knew it also. He had the benefit of four years buffer that Adams provided. One of the two most important things he is responsible for is avoiding a war with France thereby foiling Hamilton's plan for empire in the southwest. The other good thing was the creation of the U.S. Navy. He had many enemies real & imagined. Maybe because he always told the truth & was very self-righteous about it. His most important advisor, the one who would never desert him or stop loving him was of course Abigail. McCullough dwells on her at some length as he traces the progress of Adams life & their many years of separation.
We know all this & more because they wrote it all down & saved their letters to each other & others in & outside of the family.
Adams kept a 50 years diary. Perhaps with an eye on history that would vindicate him. This is an epic work.

Excellent biography, Excellent author
Its a given that whenever you see David McCullough's name on a book cover that the scholarship will be awesome and the writing will be brisk and entertaining. John Adams is exceptional in that McCullough has managed to outdo even his works on Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, which takes some doing, believe me. The typical view of John Adams is that he was a dull, humorless failure of a President sandwiched between the two great success stories of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. McCullough shows us Adams the wit, Adams the innovator, and Adamsthe truly good man. Furthermore, McCullough also lets us see the entire Adams family, especially Abigail, John's soul mate in every possible way; and his son John Quincy, a worthy heir to his giant of a father. As Revolutionary leader, Adams was one of the first to be determined that the colonies should be free from Britain and one of the strongest representatives the country had in France, Holland, and England. As President, Adams had the thankless job of balancing between the pro-British High Federalists and the pro-French Republicans so as to keep the USout of a war which he knew we could not afford. Neither vain nor charismatic, Adams met the all too common fate of those who merely do a good job without hogging the limelight: he was jeered, ignored, and pushed to one side while he still had many more years he could have served. Another fascinating aspect of Adams' life which McCullough covers brilliantly is his long friendship with Thomas Jefferson. The two men were quite different in style and manner, but were close friends for many years until political differences divided them. I was very happy to read McCullough's account of how the friendship was restored after both men were in retirement, and to know that they kept in contact with each other almost up to the day they both died, July 4, 1826.

Perhaps David McCullough's greatest achievement...
This book is an outstanding success on so many levels. The writing is most lyrical and beautiful...there is not one wasted word in the whole book. It's a book that is difficult to put down for the night.

Perhaps the greatest success of the book is the correction of many John Adams stereotypes. In this book you meet a John Adams who is a delightful wit, a man deeply in love with his nation, and more-so with his wife. Mr. McCullough also gives Abigail Adams her due as a most delightful person and one of the most important women in our history. The love the couple shared is as deep a love as humans are possible of giving and receiving, and that love is radiated to you from the pages of this book.

A warrning to Jefferson fanatics...during his research, I think McCullough, perhaps more than anybody else, gained a true understanding of Thomas Jefferson and has done the nearly impossible...portraying Jefferson as a human being. As a human being, Jefferson loses some of his shine. As a human being, john Adams shines even brighter.

Mr. McCullough has done with John Adams what he did with Harry Truman a few years ago...he has restored the lustre of a truly great and underrated American. I hope that preparing this book gave Mr. McCullough as much pleasure as I had reading it.

A Master Storyteller
I wasn't overly excited about McCullough's John Adams when it first came out. I'd heard the rave reviews, but at the time I had just finished another John Adams biography by John Ferling. My appetite for Adams was sufficiently satiated. Early this year, however, I caught McCullough on CSPAN Book Notes, giving a speech about his various books, and I was enthralled. The man can tell a good story. And I mean good. The speech began somewhere around midnight and I couldn't change the channel until it finished somewhere around 3AM - I was transfixed. It was then, with weary eyes and stiffened back, I decided to give McCullough a chance.

Of course I was glad I did. There's a reason why McCullough is the latest darling of the popular history arena - he's (darn) good at what he does. I'm not talking about his research or capacity for insight - which, although both of high quality are no more impressive than any other historians I've read - but rather just the manner in which he weaves his writing. That's where the true craftsmanship shows through. McCullough is a true storyteller in every sense of the word. His writing is personal and fluid, seamlessly incorporating thousands of quotes from John and Abigail, as well as countless others, directly into his narrative. To read David McCullough is to read John Adams. No other book will ever bring the reader as close to good old John as this one.

If I had a single complaint about the book - there's always at least one - it would be that McCullough seems a bit too quick to justify (or worse, apologize) for certain unsavory aspects of John Adams' character and career. Adams was far from perfect. He was overly vain, quick to temper, and he often made very poor decisions - to wit, the Alien and Sedition Acts. In each instance, when relating an Adams snafu, McCullough acknowledges the mistake, but too often continues with "... but it makes sense if you consider..." But for many such instances, there should be no "buts". The Sedition Acts were obviously unconstitutional. Adams' temper and frequent outbursts did get him into serious trouble on several occasions, often to the detriment of his career. There are no explanations needed to erase away these flaws - Adams was human, like the rest of us, and he made his mistakes. In the end, the book would have been stronger had McCullough not only acknowledged these mistakes but used them to delineate the shortcomings in John Adams' character, instead of apologizing for them.

But hey, no one's perfect.

Get the book, you'll love it. I'm almost certainly going to pick up some other McCullough's in the coming months, even though most of the subjects he's covered interest me not at all (i.e. Truman, Panama Canal, Jonestown Flood...) Of course, the big news is that his next book will be entirely about the Revolution......

Excellent biography of Adams the person
The aspect of McCullough's biographies that I enjoy most is that McCullough seems to genuinely like the person he is writing about. John Adams is no exception in this regard. When we meet someone new, one of the first questions we ask (or are asked) is "What do you do for a living?" This is not surprising because most people base their identity off what they spend 40 or so hours a week doing. Furthermore, we base our initial opinions of others based on their jobs. When we become friends with a person, however, their career becomes secondary to (but not independant of) their personality and values. When I say that David McCullough treats John Adams as a friend, I mean that he focuses primarily on Adams' values, advice, examples of how he put his values into practice. Rather than get a lesson on the Declairation of Independence, McCullough tells the reader what John Adams role in the formation of the document was and how his values (anti-slavery sentiment for example)contribute to the result. And while Adams' career is discussed at length, the most enjoyable aspect of the book comes in the form of advice that John and his "dearest friend" and wife Abigail give to their children and to each other. In sum, McCullough gives us a well written biography about the life, career and wisdom/values of a man from New England named John Adams. I highly recommend this book; your opinion of the second president of the United States will be raised as a result and his practical advice will be appreciated. ... Read more

Editorial Review

National Bestseller�

The literary sensation of the year, a book that redefines both family and narrative for the twenty-first century. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is the moving memoir of a college senior who, in the space of five weeks, loses both of his parents to cancer and inherits his eight-year-old brother.Here is an exhilarating debut that manages to be simultaneously hilarious and wildly inventive as well as a deeply heartfelt story of the love that holds a family together.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is an instant classic that will be read in paperback for decades to come.The Vintage edition includes a new appendix by the author. ... Read more

Reviews

Good Enough To Warrant A Backlash
Clearly this book isn't for everyone. It's incredibly self-reflexive. It's more than willing to employ a device while simultaneously satirizing it. Eggers, as described in his own words, is rarely likeable, noble, humble, or charming. Instead, he's self-indulgent, arrogant, and so full of neurosis that Woody Allen looks calm and confident in comparison.

And while these factors will elicit cries of how overrated the work is, I find them the fuel behind what is a darkly compelling fever dream. Eggers takes the theme of being consumed (by cancer, by being young and wanting to make a mark on the world, by the responsibility of raising a child while maintaining friendships) and exposes its results in a harsh light. And it's angry and difficult and ... well ... real.

Far different and more challenging than the back-patting, self-congratulatory, "Gee, aren't I a strong and admirable person for surviving these tribulations?" tone that fills most stories of this genre. I congratulate him on avoiding making things neat and tidy. The result is an astonishing, staggering, and, ultimately, heartbreaking work.

Won't make Oprah's list
It is important to know that this is an early-life memoir as much as it is the story of Eggers' family situation. The premature death of both parents and the ensuing relationship between he and his much younger brother, whom Eggers raised from the age of 8, gets plenty of attention. But this is not the sentimental story that you might expect to emerge from such a situation. Eggers is as interested in relating his own story as much as much as that of his family. His story includes the launching of the short-lived satirical publication "Might magazine", his sexual and romantic exploits, the often-fascinating stories of his peers and many other details of the life of a bright and interesting twenty-something. He was never tempted to write a touching story of a tragic young man who unexpectedly finds himself raising a child. As such, many readers will not get what they are expecting; this is no "Tuesdays with Morrie". Eggers is simultaneously self-aggrandizing and self-deprecating. He is never sentimental, and he never looks for "deeper meaning" in his own tragedies. His writing is filled with sarcastic wit and ceaseless irreverence. As such, many readers might be uncomfortable with Eggers' style. It is ironic (Sorry, Dave) that people find Eggers to be narcissistic. At a time when everybody is looking in the mirror at "how much we've changed" as a result of the 9/11 tragedy that occurred hundreds or thousands of miles away from most of us, Eggers never claims to be a better or a redeemed person as a result of his own sufferings -- he is just himself and you can take him or leave him. You may be amused, offended, entertained or inspired by this book, but you will not be bored. ... Read more