No comments about A Pig in a Passage.

5 comments about Captain Bligh's Portable Nightmare: From the Bounty to Safety... 4,162 Miles Across the Pacific in a Rowing Boat.

1. It's rare that I give 5 stars for a book review but this, in my opinion, has earned it. I'm a self-confessed Bounty-phile, sucking up all the literature that she has to offer and this was no exception.

   William Bligh must go down as one of the most maligned persons in history. This from a man who acted as second in command to Cook in his early 20's, became governor of Australia and, as this book explains, sailed over 4000 miles from memory in a 23 foot boat losing not a single man during the voyage.

   Toohey starts us with the happenings at Keakekua Bay, Hawaii the day Cook was murdered. This, according to Toohey, stayed with Bligh all his years and coloured his actions thereafter. Sections of the book contain dialogue between the men in the boat; this has to be guessed at obviously but Toohey makes a decent stab at it.

   This wil not take you long to read but will provide some valuable information on an oft-neglected area of the whole Bounty lore.




2. This is simply a rewrite of what has already been published many times. William Bligh published a full account in 1792 with the full title, "A Voyage to the South Sea Undertaken by Command of His Majesty for the Purpose of Conveying the Bread-Fruit Tree to the West Indies in His Majesty's Ship the Bounty Commanded by Lieutenant William Bligh and an Account of the Mutiny on Board H.M.S. Bounty and the Subsequent Voyage of Part of the Crew in the Ship's Boat, from Tofoa, One of the Friendly Islands, to Timor, a Dutch Settlement in the East Indies." That book was republished in 1961 with a shortened title, "The Mutiny on Board H.M.S. Bounty." I am sure that there are copies in various libraries and private collections. Nordhoff and Hall published a fictionalized version, and that seemed to lead to a spate of books in the 1930's about the life of Vice Admiral William Bligh. The story is well known, and there is little to add. Bligh's problems came mainly from inexperience coupled with his own brash way of addressing people. He took command of the Bounty at the age of 33, and it was his first command of a Royal Navy vessel. Prior to that he had been a ship's master, with a very short period as a lieutenant. He was on his own far from the fleet. His skill as a navigator saved the crew members in the ship's boat (although many died from illness after reaching Batavia, a well known fever port).



3. While this book was nicely written and a quick read, I did not particularly enjoy it. While the story of Bligh and his men and their journey across the South Pacific is truly one of the most amazing stories of sea survival ever to occur, this book tooled thru so much of the journey so quickly that I never got the sense of its scope or its heroic nature. I also agree with comments of other reviewers that it did not convey Bligh's great leadership abilities well. In that regard the fcitionalized 'Men Against the Sea' (Nordhoff and Hall) did a much better job. If anything, this telling made me more understanding of the resentment of the men in the boat (as opposed to those who stayed behind after the mutiny) against Bligh, while the novel made it clear that the same qualites of control and rigor which resulted in the mutiny are also the major reasons that Bligh and his men survived the journey. I would heartily recommend the entire MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY trilogy for those who are interested in the Bounty story over this somewhat factual account.



4. Faint praise, but I like my narrative history to be beautifully written, to tell me things that I never knew, and to open my mind to new ways of seeing the world. For my money, the five line description of Bligh's voyage that appears incidentally in Diana Muir's Bullough's Pond gives us all the essentials. Of course, Muir is in the midst of another story. For all his defense of Bligh and his undoubtedly virtuoso navigational skills, Toohey fails to convince that he was a great leader. The plain fact is that British captains almost routinely led sullen, ill-educated, ill-clad, ill-housed, ill-fed men on nearly unendurable journeys and got them home again without mutiny. Bligh's men rebelled twice. How great a captain can he have been?



5. If you are going to write a defense of William Bligh, you are going to have to deal with what happened on "The Bounty". This book doesn't address that and this is a major problem with the book. This is not a story about a ship sunk by a storm or by a whale. It is a story about a Royal Navy captain whose crew committed mutiny and put him adrift in the Pacific. It seems to me if you are going to tell Bligh's story you just can't start at the point where he is lowered into the boat by the mutineers. Especially not when you are going to spend a lot of the book defending the man's character. I can only think that Mr. Toohey felt that people had such a cartoonish image of Bligh as some sort of sadistic beast that he needed to concentrate on Bligh's positive leadership qualities and navigational skills in bringing those loyal to him over 4,000 miles across the ocean to safety. But even here we have a problem, as some of the men who went with Bligh did not respect him and were openly rebellious. Their criticisms are made to seem petty and indeed they were. Bligh's second in command, John Fryer, clearly did not like Bligh and made false accusations that Bligh gave himself larger rations and overcharged the Royal Navy for supplies. But other men besides Fryer did not respect Bligh either. Since Toohey will go no further than to say that Bligh was not very flexible and was a stickler for regulations you really can't see what the problem was. The author asserts that Bligh was not a brute. He was a loving husband and father. He did not believe in flogging, which is rather remarkable for that period. So something is missing as the book loses its focus. Rather than being able to concentrate on the remarkable journey to safety we are always left wondering at what was behind the whole thing. In the epilogue Mr. Toohey explains that Bligh was later the victim of another mutiny when he was in command of the aptly named "Defiance" and on the "Director" his men voted to have him replaced! What was the problem with this man? The reason I am still giving this book 3 stars is that is well-written in the sense that it has a nice style and flows along smoothly. It is almost novelistic. The descriptions of Bligh's encounters with Pacific Islanders are interesting and exciting. But it is not enough to overcome the fundamental flaws of the book.

No comments about After the Fire: A True Story of Love and Survival.

No comments about Character Above All : James Cannon on Gerald Ford, Michael Beschloss on George Bush (Character Above All , Vol 8).

5 comments about RABIN: OUR LIFE, HIS LEGACY CASSETTE: "Our Life, His Legacy".

1. This was a very good book. It not only told about Rabin's rise to power but also about their life together, and the founding of Israel. I didn't agree with all of her political views but she did speak very highly of their life together. I read this in one day.



2. Leah Rabin, at the side of her husband Yitzhak Rabin participated over a period of over 40 years in the major events of Israel's history, including the War of Independence, the Six-Day War in which Yitzhak was Chief-of-Staff, his period as Israeli Ambassador to the US, his two terms as Prime Minister and the signing of the Oslo Agreements with Arafat. The tragedy of Leah Rabin is that her narrow-mindedness brought about her psychological downfall when she failed to see how the disastrous agreement with Arafat brought massive bloodshed and war in spite of her broad experience which is outlined in the book. This was sadly demonstrated on the night in 1996 when Benyamin Netanyahu defeated her husband's successor, Shimon Peres, in the election for Prime Minister and she told a reporter that she intended "to pack up her bags and leave the country". In the end, she stayed, but this unfortunately shows the mentality of so many people on the "establishment Left" in Israel, that they consider the country to be their personal property and their loyalty to it is conditioned on their being in power. She would often state that she viewed Arafat as a "personal friend of the family" and at the same time she would denounce the opponents of her political movement (the majority of the country) as fascists, a type of political terminology that went out of style in the 1970's. She reached her nadir in her final public statement before she died which was a call for "Shimon (Peres) to sit down with Arafat and reach an agreement to stop the violence" a meeting that in the end produced nothing. This tragically shows how truly out-of-touch she was with reality. It was inconceivable to her that "her friend" who had said so many nice things to her would at the same time conduct a war against her country.
   I must add, though, that the book is important to read because of her frank account of the night of Rabin's assassination in which she states how the SHABAK (Israel Secret Service) bundled her off and kept assuring her for a long time that the shooting "was not real" and that Yitzhak was all right. This certainly lends credence to those who claim that the SHABAK set up some sort of "game" in which there would be an attempted assassination as a "provocation" to make the right-wing political opposition look bad, but something went wrong and he was killed. In spite of my strong opposition to her political views, I respect her candor.



3. Leah Rabin died 12th November 2000 of Cancer 5 years after the Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated. This is a very good personal Story about The first 50 years of the State of Israel. This is why it should be read. In Tel-aviv and in Rabin Square You can find posters stuck up about the Intifada 2000 that say "This is not Peace, Friend". So the Incitement against Rabin and the Oslo agreements has not ended. For a academic book on the subject of Violence in Israeli Politics look at "Brother against Brother" by Sprinzak.



4. Leah writes from her personal view about Rabin and Israels History. I liked the book very much and I have Leah's signature on my Hebrew Copy. From a reader who is commited to carrying on with Rabins Legacy. We miss him.



5. Leah Rabin is tough and gentle, a good wife and a good political partner. The story of my hero, her spouse, Yitzhak Rabin, brought tears to my eyes many times. The story is told not only of a war hero and politician, but of a life long love that has been lost. Even if you could care less about Israeli poltics, Leah Rabin's story can teach you lessons that we all need to learn

5 comments about This Is Orson Welles.

1. THis book is a must, especially if you are in either Movies or TV.
   It's a text for making movies. I've learned more about movie making after I read this book than I have in the entire 40 years I've been in the business.
   
   John MoioThis is Orson Welles



2. I enjoyed this book very much. It's a good read, informative and entertaining. Fans of Welles will feel that they are sitting in on a conversation between him and Bogdanovich (who asks insightful and pertinent questions, not noticeably obseqious), and that's lots of fun. You learn things about movies and about Welles, and even his evasive responses are interesting.
   
   What nobody has mentioned so far is the photographs. There seems to have been some problem with the printing, and they look, in my copy at least, like 12th-generation photocopies: washed-out, grainy and almost indecipherable. Too bad, because there are a lot of them, some of them historic, and they are just really hard to look at. I don't understand it.



3. As the cover quip suggests, this IS a treasure trove of insights.
   I have been totally inspired by this man's conviction and boundless enthusiasm. His conception of theatre is unique and phenomenal, I dont think we will ever see his like again, not with the dumbing down of the world and aesthetics, etc.
   
   I understand the rawness and points of many a play thanks to this man. His voice is hypnotising and authoritive.
   
   Can genius like this ever see the light of day again?



4. has a very distinct voice. It has the voice of Orson himself.

   Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book was the voyeuristic personal insight I was able to get from Welles and-despite his relatively passive role of interviewer-Bogdonovich as well. In this sense, is quite unlike the other required texts, and I do not read too much into the title of "author" that is loftily bestowed upon Bogdonovich and Welles. Through a brief surface comparison between this book and several other texts on Welles, it's clear that there is a great difference between a removed, historical opinion and a defensive individual discussing his own life. Although much could be said about Welles' misleading-albeit thoroughly entertaining-statements, I cannot fault a man for being unable to have sound perspective on his own affairs. I can only read the book as a historical text, but Welles was being asked questions about his life, and I cannot fault him for his oft-grandiose replies. The sheer nature of an interview such as this places an enormous amount of attention on Welles, so I can only smile pleasantly at his recurring ego, wondering if I could be any more impartial or less boastful in his place.

   Back to the question of authorship though.

   While I readily disregard comparisons between and, say, Thomson's due to their drastic differences in intent, tone and content, the strong yet shadowy hand of the omnipotent editor is ever present in all forms of biographical text. Cut this, change that, add this, move that. A book like Thomson's may greatly benefit from such professional revision, but in the cases of I felt as though the authorship accreditation was misplaced. "Edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum" should have graced the cover, replacing the names of Welles and Bogdonovich. Much like any documentary invariably guides an audience along a certain path, Rosenbaum has reconstructed the interviews amidst other such historical documentation in a very calculated and meticulous fashion. In this sense then there is no author at all, and I find it very difficult to discuss the book as a biography written by anyone.

   In truth, this may be one of the worst biography's one could possibly pick up if they wanted to learn more about Welles and his life, and I doubt I would call it a biography at all. As required course reading, I am wholly appreciative that I was given the chance to "hear" the words of Orson Welles as he spoke of his own creations, idly gossiping about other actors and filmmakers. Is it all truth? No, it is laughably biased, but it is the bias of Orson Welles, and definitely a very unique variation on accepted truth. If I can trust that Rosenbaum left the integrity intact, then Welles' half-truths are just as important to understanding the man than commonly accepted "whole-truths" by some biographer.

   Whereas can never stand on its own as an investigative biography of the filmmaker's life, it remains as the text that helped me to understand the man behind the myth above all others.




5. As one who had just completed a viewing of Ciitzen Kane on DVD
   (featuring the excellent audio commentary on the film by Roger Ebert & Rudy Behlmer) I turned to Frank Brady's excellent biography.This is Orson Welles completes my examination of this giant of film directorship. Over several years and in many locals the Falstaffian Welles shares his thoughts on film, his own movies and life with his devoted student Peter Bogdonovich
   (himself a talented director best known for "The Last Picture Show'). If you want to know what Welles really thinks and believes this book is the Rosetta Stone for your investigation!
   As Truffaut was able to discuss his life and films with Sir Alfred Hitchcock so does Peter B. do the same thing for Welles.
   After all the reading and studying of Welles the man emerges as a titanic force of nature whose undisciplined genius is a wonder to behold. Any fan of Welles or Cinema should add this excellent book to your library. Well Recommended!

2 comments about The 1600 Killers.

1. I have to admit I'm a little biased since Andy Jacobs, Jr. is a distant relative of mine, but I loved this book. If you're interested in politics or just love history, pick up this book. This provides great insight about our country's leaders from a man who has seen and done a lot in Washington over the years. Very relevant book given the current state of our country.



2. and the superficial motivations that cause world leaders to posture with the lives of others. Additionally, an entertaining memoir by Mr. Jacobs, with asides regarding those whom he has liked and those whom he has loved. At times, it seems familial. High recommend.

1 comments about Cliff Richard: The Biography.

1. I couldn't put the book down until I'd read the last page. Sir Cliff is truly one of the most admirable men I've read about. He has worked very hard to be where he is now. He deserves all the accolades bestowed on him. I first heard him in 1963 while growing up in the Philippines, and I'll always love him and his music. Cliff Richard: The Biography

5 comments about Geronimo His Own Story.

1. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO REMEMBER THAT ALL THE COMMENTS ATTRIBUTED TO GERONIMO'S "DIPLOMACY" AND LACK OF ANIMUS TOWARDS WHITE PEOPLE EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK AND BY REVIEWERS HAD MORE TO DO WITH THE WORDS A MAN WHO EXPECTED TO BE ASSASINATED AT ANY MOMENT BY HIS CAPTORS. AS SUCH, HIS ANTIPATHY FOR THE WHITE MAN IS ATTENUATED BY A MAN LOOKING DEATH IN THE FACE FROM A CULTURAL TRADITION THAT ONE'S LAST MOMENTS SHOULD BE FREE OF HOSTITLITY.



2. This was a good book, but it said it was in a "like new" condition and it showed up with half the cover missing. But that's alright. Who needs covers, right?



3. If you understand that Geronimo ( correctly pronounced "Herr-ON-EE-Mo") was a prisoner of war who expected to be shot or hung at any time while he was dictating this autobiography, it is well worth reading. To get the REAL STORY behind Geronimo's motivations for providing Barrett with what he did, read the excellent book "Indeh, An Apache Odyssey" by Eve Ball. Indeh, along with his autobiography, allows Geronimo to become a real person in many respects - especially in terms of being qualified as a highly intelligent, astute, exceptionally "powerful" individual and probably the most outstanding warrior/leader the Apaches ever had bar none.
   This said, I urge the reader to reject any and all works done by Politically Correct Story Telling cranks such as Dan L. Thrapp, Edwin Sweeney, and ilk. Read this autobiography of Geronimo's along with Ball's "Indeh" and THEN read my reviews of Thrapp's preposterous drivel and nonsense and Sweeney's garbage on various Apache leaders. You'll then have a real idea of the difference between historically valuable information and mere fantasy-filled, sky-pie jibberish churned out by love-sick buffoons who neither lived at the time of the people they write about or have any intention of offering their readers ACCURATE information on anything.
   These days there is far too much insane and inacurate literature available on the American Indian of yesteryear, but this book and Ball's "Indeh" certainly deserve to be considered as far above and beyond the fiction-as-fact PC rubbish which comprises a trecherous information swamp that anyone interested in Frontier history must wade through to get to the truth and facts.
   If you want some truth about Apaches from Apaches, avoid books by Thrapp, Sweeney, Roberts, and ilk like the plague. Purchase this book and Ball's "Indeh". You won't be sorry you did.



4. Geronimo: His Own Story is an endlessly fascinating autobiography that belongs in the pantheon of other great American works of autobiography and memoir. This book should take its place alonside other great works of personal non-fiction such as The Autobiography of Malcom X, A Moveable Feast, The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and (arguably the best of the bunch) The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. This is a strong statement, but after reading this short autobiography it's at least an idea that should be entertained. I found things in this book that I was not expecting, and it ended up being a far more complex and intriguing portrait of Geronimo than I had previously entertained. The most fascinating side of Geronimo that comes across in these two-hundred pages is not Geronimo the warrior but Geronimo the diplomat.
   
   S. M. Barrett's introduction tells us that after Geronimo finished what he wanted to say he would not take questions or add anything more, but merely stated "`Write what I have spoken.'" These are the actions of a man who has a very specific purpose he is pursuing. After reading Geronimo's story I believe his purpose in publishing his tale was to accomplish in peace what he was unable to in war--he wanted to deliver his people back to Arizona.
   
   Geronimo dedicates his story to Theodore Roosevelt, because, in his words, he "knows I speak the truth;...he is fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future; and because he is chief of a great people." Even before his story has started Geronimo strikes a cordial tone. Not only are Geronimo's words flowing with accolades, but they are also giving Roosevelt something to live up to. By stating that Roosevelt is "fair minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future" he is almost challenging Roosevelt to live up to this description.
   
   Much of the fighting in Geronimo occurs between the Apache's and the Mexicans. Geronimo doesn't try and hide his feelings about the Mexicans, stating not only that he as "no love for the Mexicans," but also that if he was younger, "and followed the warpath," he would "lead into Old Mexico." In fact, his battles with the Mexicans take up a slight majority of the book. He does not make any similarly broad statements when speaking about Americans. Whenever Geronimo criticizes American policy he makes certain that he focuses his criticism on the officer in charge rather than American policy as a whole. Geronimo realizes that merely lashing out at an unfair, but time honored, practice of breaking U.S. treaties would alienate his audience and hurt his cause.
   
   The rhetorical technique Geronimo uses in telling his story is rather matter of fact. This is in stark contrast to some of the more melodramatic works that were popular around the turn of the century. Certainly this highlights a difference in two cultures, but it is also indicative of how Geronimo goes about trying to achieve his goal. Instead of histrionically telling his story he presents it in what seems to be an objective and reasonable voice. When Geronimo gave himself up to the U.S. Army one of the conditions was that his band of Apaches would be sent to Florida with the rest of their families. When the U.S. breaks this condition Geronimo flatly states that this "treatment was in direct violation of our treaty made at Skeleton Canon." He lets the action speak for itself. If he railed against the injustice committed then he would have turned off a mostly white audience. After all, it was their government who was responsible for breaking the treaty.
   
   I won't make this into a thesis (although I probably could). Geronimo: His Own Story is a wonderful portrait of one of American History's most courageous heroes. In the book I was surprised to find out just as much about Geronimo the diplomat as I did about Geronimo the warrior. I'll end this with Geronimo's words: "There is no climate or soil which, to my mind, is equal to that of Arizona. We could have plenty of good cultivating land, plenty of grass, plenty of timber and plenty of minerals in that land which the Almighty created for the Apaches. It is my land, my home, my fathers' land, to which I now ask to be allowed to return. I want to spend my last days there, and be buried among those mountains. If this could be I might die in peace, feeling that my people , placed in their native homes, would increase in numbers, rather than diminish as at present, and that our name would not become extinct."



5. "Geronimo: His Own Story" has been revised and edited, with an introduction and notes, by Frederick Turner. This book is the autobiography of the legendary Apache warrior, as told to S. M. Barrett. The copyright page notes that the main text was originally published as "Geronimo's Story of His Life" in 1906.
   
   The revised edition includes the 1906 preface by Barrett; a 33 page introduction by Turner; a "Note on the Text," which describes the genesis of the book; a map, "Apache Country, 1865-1886"; a bibliography; and a generous collection of photographs showing both Geronimo at various stages in his life, and other people of his times. Barrett's introduction tells how the text was delivered orally by Geronimo, and how translator Asa Daklugie helped Barrett turn it into book form. Indeed, in his introduction Turner notes that Geronimo's story is "a preliterate and essentially a prewhite narrative." Altogether the text and supplemental features are about 200 pages long.
   
   Geronimo's fascinating story begins with an Apache creation myth. He discusses his early life, his family, his battles against the Mexicans, his conflict with United States forces, and his life as a prisoner-of-war under U.S. military control. I was especially interested by his descriptions of the military tactics he used. Geronimo also discusses Apache life: religion, hunting, cultural taboos, etc. The book includes some really remarkable accounts, such as Geronimo's visit to the St. Louis World's Fair. The text is quite poignant when Geronimo reflects upon his hope for the survival of his people and their culture.
   
   I would recommend this book to all who are interested in Native American studies, 19th century American history, military autobiography, and the relationship between oral and written literature. But above all, this book is an encounter with an extraordinary human being whose voice remains passionate and compelling after all these decades.

No comments about Dust in the Lions Paw (Isis).