4 comments about Chosen by Fate.

1. This book really let's you know how it was in the midst of the Death Row project. I was really amazed on the life of McKinley Malik Lee, Jr. Buy the book. You will not be disappointed . I hear he is recording great music now (gospel rap) that should be released at the beginning of the year (2000). Wouldn't it be awesome to hear somthing with him and Snoop Doggy Dogg? Platinum baby!!!!! God Bless!!!!!!



2. Ok well Tupac Shakur is the best rapper that ever liver and no one will ever top him. It is a same what happened to him he was very talented and i wish he was still here. I have ever cd he ever maede and he is mostly all i listen to.. I think all the books writen about him are good as long as they say the good points about him to and how sweet lhe was.Tupac Amuru Shakur R.I.P.



3. Just like Li'l Kim says first you get the money then you get the power after you get the power you get the respect. No matter what coast your from most people got respect for Snoop and his crew. Told to you by McKinley 'Malik',Jr. Lee you get the inside info about the rise of Death Row Records. This book is one of the ones that will make you want to keep reading forever. After you read tihs book you'll know more about Suge, Snoop, Dre, and how they came to be.



4. I am a white female who is into all kinds of music and I found Snoop and 2Pac, both to be very talented people. I felt that reading this book would help me understand the lifestyles of a gangsta rapper. I am afraid all I found was a complete waste of life and talent. Death Row Records was appropriately named. All involved seemed to have encountered death at some time. It's really a shame that people these days are so quick to pick up a gun and use it without regard for human life. Hind sight is indeed 20/20. Nothing will bring Tupac or Biggie Smalls back and still the guns and drugs are out there every day, stealing away the great talents from our world. People wake up. Death isn't the answer to Life, it is only the end of an era.

4 comments about Clark Gable: Portrait of a Misfit.

1. Hollywood's moral values were not those of the rest of the country even in the 1920's & 30's. Anywhere else Clark Gable is a cheating swine. Nobody knew this at the time because big brother MGM protected it's own from unpleasantness leaking out to his adoring public. His acting ability & magnetism allowed him to have any women anytime he wanted, if you believe the author Jane Ellen Wayne. She blows hot, cold & lukewarm on her subject. I guess that passes for objectivity.
   Gable was a whinner, over-sexed & never satisfied. His first two marriages to older mentors were shams. They served their purpose & were discarded. He cheated on them both regularly.
   His rise to stardom was slow & tedious, like the first two tapes of this audio version. But then it picked up. He was committed at first to the live stage. But, like many other legitimate actors, he was seduced by the $$$ to be made in Hollywood. His timing was excellent. Many silent era stars could not make the transition to talkies. His voice was very masculine & very sexy. He cleaned up his act with a new set of teeth & physique. He life was owned by MGM. He never had the backbone to defy Louis B. Mayer. He hated him & griped constantly, but did what he was told. MGM in turn, made him their biggest star, & his fans could not get enough of him. He was dubbed the King of Hollywood & never relinquished that title. He was a working actor & made many very good movies such as "It Happened One Night", "Saratoga", five with Jean Harlow, & of course "Gone With the Wind".
   The turning point in Gable's life was his marriage to THE love of his life, Carole Lombard. She died a hero's death as she returned to California from a bond drive early in the war. She was flying back rather than taking the train & her plane crashed in the mountains near Las Vegas. She had decided to fly because either she missed Clark very much (they were in love with each other) or she suspected him of cheating on her. Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, or ??? Take your pick. He was fooling around on the only women he ever really loved. He never recovered from her death or the guilt he felt. This made him a more serious, introspective & maybe better actor. He saw action in the Army Air Corps in World War II but was pulled out of the line of fire when it became more of a hassle keeping Hollywood's greatest star from harm than it was worth. A remake of the 1932 movie "Red Dust' was renamed "Magambo' with Ava Gardner & a young Grace Kelly was probably his most ballyhooed post war movie. Others such as "Run Silent Run Deep" were also pretty decent.
   A lifetime of abusing his body plus a lot of booze & cigarettes were
   taking their toll. The great male actors were dying in the 50's. Bogart, Cooper, Flynn, all gone. Gable died shortly after making "The Misfits" with Marilyn Monroe, also her last movie. His only child was born to his fifth wife, Kay Speckles, shortly after his death.



2. Started reading this book after the death of Katharine Hepburn. Gable is another one of those great stars I know and love only from GWTW and black and white movies on TCM. I knew little of his personal life, except for his storybook marriage to Carole Lombard. This book filled me in on his background. I had no idea he worked so hard on the craft he made look so effortless. Nor did I know how complicated he was. Knowing this will make me appreciate his work that much more. Does it bother me that the biographer writes as if she was in the room for some of the conversations? Not really. This is, after all, a movie star biography, not a history book. If Gable had been a politician or statesman, it might concern me more.



3. I didn't really like the book and the author seems to reiterate information from her different books into others. I had just borrowed the book from the library as well as the book on Grace Kelly and neither this or the book on Grace had any pictures to speak of and any author who cannot be resourceful enough to get pictures to include in the biography is lazy or did not try hard enough...others have been able to so why can't she? So you definitely can't say I am her biggest fan.



4. This biography is saddled with many flaws. It often reads like one of those silly romance novels one sees at the literature sections of such famous bookshops as Walmart, K-Mart, Walgreens and B.Daltons. It is filled with irrelevant gossip, much of it more suitable for a luncheon of late-middle aged hens rather than a serious biography. The author's interviews with Joan Crawford(one of Gable's many lovers) dominate too many sections of the bio; much of what Miss Crawford says is taken at face value with little to counter-balance her assertions. Most undefensible is the author's portrayal of intimate conversations as if she were there with a microphone and tape recorder. Many of the precise "conversations" alleged by the author were between two people long since dead. How would Jane Ellen Wayne know precise conversations between Louis B. Mayer and Clark Gable? Both have been dead for over thirty years. Did the author interview either man from beyond the grave? This technique of the author is most dishonest. However, this biography has some very good points. Gable's early life and rise are covered in great detail. The author's desriptions of the big studio milleu of pre-TV Hollywood are interesting. The author paints a thorough personality portrait of Gable- his calculated decisions, his high sex drive, his alcoholism, his love of the outdoors, his tight wallet. Gable's marriage to Carole Lombard is handled rather well. Oddly, the Gable-Lombard marriage reminds one of the marriage of the current First Couple in the White House, only Carole Lombard is better looking and much, much better humoured than Hillary R. Clinton and Clark Gable is much more manly than Bill Clinton. Clark Gable is worthy of a fine biography; Jane Ellen Wayne's is not it, however.

No comments about Dick Francis: A Racing Life.

3 comments about Officially Osbourne: Opening the doors to the land of Oz.

1. The Osbournes have gained fame not just for pioneering the reality TV show (and succeeding in it the way pretty much nobody else has), but for letting the masses in on their family life. It's weird, it's wacky, and when you pare it down it's pretty close to anyone else's family life. And that includes dogs peeing on the furniture, music, thongs, the arrogance of big sisters, getting tattoos, and much more.

   "Officially Osbourne" is an episode guide (first season) interspersed with biographies, interviews, and information. Each of the bios includes favorite music, birth date, video games, personal philosophies, what their family members say about them, and then an interview. Each episode has a basic summary (about two or three paragraphs) and a slew of pictures. Also there are best lines ("Bubbles? Oh come on, Sharon! I'm the Prince of #$&*in' Darkness!"), and highlights (a fire in the kitchen -- "the first one in the new house").

   There are chapters on other topics too: On Melinda Verga, a lower-key employee, on home decor (black, antiques, and crucifixes), the different rooms in the house, and on the pets (dogs and cats, most memorably Lola). One chapter is devoted to Ozzy and Sharon's parenting methods, and what their kids think of those methods. And most tantalizing of all is the chapter where they talk about what never made it onto your TV screen...

   This book captures some of the spirit that infuses the Osbourne TV show. The coverage and interviews with Ozzy, smart wife Sharon and kids Jack and Kelly (Aimee declined to be in the show). Their attitudes are refreshingly honest and open -- in a celebrity subculture where people say prescripted, inoffensive lines, the Osbournes will tell the world what they do and don't like (Kelly hates pop singers, for example).

   The pages are likably colorful, not just black text on white paper. The pictures are a slightly more mixed bag -- there are a lot of them on almost every page in the book, of everyone: The house, the furnishings, the dogs... unfortunately, many are too small to look at easily, and some are blurred. Many are quite good, clear and well-lit.

   "We're not the #$&*ing Partridge Family" -- Sharon said it best. And "Officially Osbourne" takes some of the best elements from the TV show and commits them to paper. Definitely recommended for people who watch the show.




2. Officially Osbourne is an excellent guide to the Osbournes. It shares details of the episodes, profiles of the family members, untold stories, interviews, parents' advice from Sharon and Ozzy, and more. The pictures in this book are mostly animated, and while regular photos would have been great, it does add a more fun approach to the book. This is a must have for fans. You'll learn so much more about the Osbournes.



3. For any Osbourne fan, this is the book to get. It has every detail you ever wanted to know about the show. Great pictures and interviews, as well as info you didn't know!

4 comments about Albert Einstein: Creator & Rebel.

1. not to say that einstein wasn't exceptionally clever, but i found the tone of this book to be leaning a bit to far to the 'worship einstein as a minor deity' side of things. any potential cause to think less of old albert is glossed over in an unapealing way. the examples that come to mind are the minimal treatment that poincare's accomplishments regarding relativity recieve, and the minimal information on his divorces. i wish the authors had stepped down from the altar of the holy einstein long enough to give him a human treatment. even the title is a bit much. creator and rebel? it would be funny if it weren't sadly earnest.



2. I have read several biographies of Einstein, some of which are among my list of all-time favorite books. None however, approach the intimacy or sense of personal connection as Hoffmann and Dukas' 1972 classic "Creator and Rebel." Perhaps because of Helen Dukas' influence, this book contains perhaps the most intimate look at the man and, thanks to Hoffmann, the one of the clearest explanations of his science. Though other biographies are also must-reads for Einstein devotees (Folsing and Frank, for instance), this one goes to the top of my list.



3. Why is this book so good? Its first phrase is:"We sketch in this book the story of a profoundly simple man." This could be done only by friends. And friends the authors are. Banesh Hoffman, a collaborator of Einstein's, happens to be a great writer, possibly the best as books for the layman are concerned. Helen Dukas, the other author, was Einstein's secretary for many years. The book is very beautifully produced, full of nice photographs. Relativity is really explained. A labor of love which deserves much more popularity.



4. One cannot seperate the man from his work and this biography branches into other people who touched upon A. Einstein as well as his science. The incomparable simplicity of his brilliant thought is driven home in the discussion of AT-LAB and GRAV-LAB. The story may be known or not. It deserves good re-telling. This audio book is well done and special thanks to the reader who handles the math examples (less than a handful) with precise language, grace, and accuracy. My complaint is that the book is too short. I woud have liked more of the interaction with subject in his personal life. But still a solid 8.

No comments about Shearer: My Story So Far.

2 comments about An Evening with Ranulph Fiennes.

1. One day, on a book hunt at my local used book stores, I noticed an oversized photograph of a handsome man staring back at me from the top shelf. Turns out it wasn't a photograph, it was the cover of this book. A quick look at the book indicated that it was written by a british explorer, whom I had vaguely heard of. I decided to buy the book, as it's $2.00 price tag was very reasonable. The fact that it was an autographed first edition was an added bonus. I put it on my shelf, and thought little of it.

   A few weeks later, I was looking for a book to take to help me to sleep. I grabbed this book off the unread book shelf. I was reading all night, following young Ranulph Fiennes as he attended Eton, fought in Oman, and pursued many historic expeditions. The book was written in an easy, conversational tone, and it was impossible to put down. It would have been worth buying at $100.00. I hope whomever decides to buy the book based on this review enjoys it as much as I did.




2. This book serves two purposes: 1) The recollections of an army officer and explorer; and 2) The redemption of said man.

   Sir Ranulph, who is an actual Baronet, comes from one of the most illustrious families in Britain. Unfortunately, he initially inherited some of the worst personal traits which the British upperclass has to offer. He was sent to the right schools and eventually entered the adult world as a serviing British Army officer in one of the best regiments. Only after he was accepted into the elite British Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), did his true nature and worth appear.

   Cashiered after an incredibly stupid "bit of fun," Sir Ran found his niche in life - explorer. It soon became apparent that he was a 19th Century British man trapped in the 20th Century, and the same conduct which had made Britain a world power was now a social embarrassment. As a member of the Royal Geographic Society, Sir Ran has gone on to conduct some of the most spectacular explorations in the world - and become a damned nice chap along the way. None better.

   Sir Ran's recollections of his service and redemption in Oman are priceless. His military career was salvaged by an offer to serve as a "seconded" officer to the Sultan of Oman's Forces during the Dhofar Campaign of the 1970's. In this little known campaign, British "seconded" officers led Omani troops in successfully putting down a spreading Communist insurgency. Any officer or NCO who will be leading or advising indigenous troops should read this book. Sir Ran led, fed, sheltered, ate with and loved his Omanis - and they reciprocated. This is a sort of "Apocalypse Now" with a happy ending.

   If you are looking for a personal journey along with high adventure, you can do no better that "Living Dangerously" by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

No comments about In and Out of the Forest (Reminiscence).

No comments about Her People.

5 comments about Travels with Charley (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics).

1. Steinbeck's Travels with Charley was his last book I believe. This is a memoir of John Steinbeck's drive from Long Island, New York to the tip of Maine to California and back to Long Island. Of course it's well written, as you'd expect from any Nobel Prize winner in Literature, but it also captures that turbulent time in the early 1960s when Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to achieve Civil Rights and Khrushchev was banging his shoe in the United Nations.



2. In Travels with Charley, Steinbeck is on a journey to discover if he still knows the country he memorializes in almost all of his other works. Steinbeck manages to express in this memoir of his journey through America a whole host of emotions that many of us still feel today, a conflicting love for our country and disgust with our countrymen, appreciation for our past and worries about what we have become. Like all of his best works, the writing is natural, warm, and often funny. This is a beautiful book that captures America, both the good and the bad, in it's pages.



3. TRAVELS WITH CHARLEY gives us a chance to move to an up-close-and-personal position with the aloof, John Steinbeck, At the age of 60 in the fall of 1960. Steinbeck acquired a primitive pickup-style recreational vehicle, packed up a few belongings, and loaded his faithful poodle. He drove throughout the United States to reconnect with the inhabitants of the nation.
   
   Like any other tourist who travels too far too fast, he was unable to see everything, and he skimmed over many details in his tale. He delineated some of his stops in sufficient detail. Most of the travel log is a glazed-over account.
   
   Steinbeck wrote with the voice of a mature senior citizen, who was disappointed with much of what he saw in the nation. When I first read this book, I was in college. Now that I am in the age group of Steinbeck when he wrote it, I wonder what he would think of our nation today. He showed some of the good, such as the idyllic farms with friendly people, and some of the bad, such as people who were prejudiced and unkind. I believe if he could see our country today he would find something positive. He always expressed trust in the underlying goodness of our people.



4. In this book, John Steinbeck shows patriotism at its best. He travels through the United States, and experiences all the beauties of this nation in a marvellous way. He shows no arrogance as he appreciates his homeland. Instead, he shows this nation's beauty and riches in an amicable way, and invites others to travel and experience the beauty of this nation. The hymn "America The Beautiful" comes to the reader's mind.



5. (4.5 stars) When John Steinbeck obeys a life-long urge to drive from coast to coast in 1960, he little anticipates the variety of the "American experience." Beginning in Maine and traveling along the northern states through Wisconsin, the Badlands, Montana, and all places in between, to Washington and Oregon, Steinbeck then decides to visit his childhood community of Salinas, in northern California. After meeting with friends there, though many have died, he then drives southward through the length of California and then eastward through the southwest desert to Texas, Louisiana, and eventually up to Virginia before returning to New York.
   
   Carrying the reader along with him as he reconstructs this journey for publication in 1962, Steinbeck observes people and human nature, being careful not to draw conclusions about an entire area based on the individuals he meets along the way. Often it is their reactions to Charley, his aging standard poodle, which stimulates their conversations and allows Steinbeck glimpses of their thinking and ways of life. From the terminally gloomy waitress in Maine to the evil-looking mechanic in Oregon (who turns out to be the kindest and most generous of men), Steinbeck explores attitudes toward life (and strangers). Steinbeck's high school buddy (who almost comes to blows with him) shows him that you really can't go home again, and "the cheerleaders" of New Orleans, a group of white-supremacist women who taunt and scream obscenities at a tiny black girl integrating one of their schools, shows him how much work the human race still has left to do.
   
   As he travels in his truck with a house attached to its bed (a pre-camper invention), he notes the changing landscape, the disappearance of treasured aspects of the environment, and the growth of new trends--including the increasing popularity of the mobile home and the contemporary loss of "roots." He is genuinely frightened by the Badlands, until night falls, when it becomes beautiful. He adores Montana, and he hurries through the almost blank southwestern desert where he learns something new about shooting. Though Steinbeck gets tired of travel before the end of the trip, he still manages to record signal moments which resonate with the reader.
   
   What elevates this book especially is the glimpses it gives of Steinbeck himself, a far more upbeat man than one would expect from novels like Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, and Grapes of Wrath. His observations of life in the early 1960s capture the country at pivotal moments of history--the time of Sen. John Kennedy and freedom rides. In this respect, Steinbeck creates a time capsule for future generations and a picture of himself that lovers of his writing will treasure. n Mary Whipple
   
   Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck Centennial Edition)
   John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography