5 comments about ALL'S FAIR LOVE WAR AND RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT: "Love, War and Running for President".

1. The love affair of the Ragin'Cajun and the hippie-turned-conservative, the election of '92 with him running Clinton's campaign and she stumping for Bush sr., a cast of thousands; and it reads like a novel.
   
   Wonderful insider view of politics, told in alternate blocks by the two, with writer Peter Knobler keeping the flavor of each's speaking style. Amazingly the pair was able to keep their work out of their personal life, marrying a year later with a jazz band procession through New Orleans's French quarter, naming their first daughter Matalin Mary, called Matty to acknowledge Mary's stature). Intimate looks at the candidates, with James's high regard for Hilary, Mary seeing Bush sr. as warm and personable.
   
   A must-read in this election year!



2. I can boast of having a copy of this book kindly sent to me by James Carville when it was first published. It's no exaggeration to say it's amongst my most treasured possessions.
   
   There's no denying that James brought the role of the politial consultant into the public eye. Sure, there had been people like Roger Ailes before him, but they'd tended to be shadowy figures, working behind the scenes and known only to political insiders. Carville started the cult of consultant-as-celebrity and his relationship with Matalin - an equally intelligent, equally interesting, but naturally less ebullient figure - whilst both were working for opposing Presidential campaigns catapaulted them both into the public mind.
   
   Perhaps because it was written at the time, the book doesn't have much to say on the subject of consultant-as-celebrity. Of course it was written pre-Stephanopolous / Morris / Rove et al, but it'd be interesting if Carville and Matalin re-issued the book with an epilogue. I for one would like to read their reflections on the trend.
   
   Without Carville and Matalin it's doubtful there'd have been as much focus on the role and influence of Morris and Rove, for instance. Certainly the film "He said, She said" would probably not have been made. Perhaps even "Wag the Dog" mightn't have got off the ground. But have things gone too far when a series like "K Street" makes consultants and politicians players in an imaginary drama?
   
   But for an insight into the Clinton years that's less about the personal and more the political, this is an excellent, lively read. In many ways it comes closer than James's other books to giving an insight into the campaign techniques that made both Carville and Matalin the most successful consultants of their day, as it charts their day-by-day activities.
   
   A cross between campaign diary, a love story and a political how-to manual probably wouldn't work with anyone but the authors at its center. But with Carville and Matalin, it serves to provide a unique way of looking into the inner workings of two Presidential campaigns.
   
   There's probably no other book quite like it - certainly all that comes to mind is Joe McGinniss's "The selling of the President" - for mixing personal observations with professional insight in the midst of a high level political campaign.
   
   It's a book well worth adding to your library, whether you're a political junkie or a romance reader.



3. Ever since I saw the documentary "The War Room," I have been a huge fan of James Carville's. It also helps that I am a big liberal Democrat. However, for the longest time I did not know that he was married to Mary Matalin, a longtime top Republican strategist. I also was unaware of the fact that they were more or less opposite numbers in the 1992 campaign, when Carville worked for Bill Clinton, and Matalin for President George H.W. Bush.
   
   This book shows the inner workings and machinations of both the Clinton and Bush campaigns in 1992, from the viewpoints of Carville and Matalin respectively.
   
   The book is written in turn; first Carville tells a little of what was happening in the Clinton camp, then Matalin offers the contemporary perspective of the Bush camp. This style works really well. At some points it develops into quasi-conversation, as if they were speaking to each other. There is ample room for the airing of their own personal views of what was going on as well.
   
   There were two overriding themes in the book: the way Carville ran Clinton's operation, best known as The War Room, clearly changed the way political campaigns are conducted in this nation, and, partially because of the innovations of The War Room the Bush effort was off its game big-time. At times it was amazing to see the sheer ineptitude of the Bush campaign, such as when Mary Matalin describes how the White House and the Bush campaign were unwilling or unable to effectively coordinate their activities until the Republican convention.
   
   There is also a lot of discussion of how the media, especially television and newspapers, influence the way a campaign is run these days. Predictably, there is a healthy amount of negativity expressed toward the press, especially Matalin's railing at the so-called liberal media, even though Carville makes some good arguments that Clinton was not receiving the best coverage, either.
   
   A must-have for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of political campaigns, especially for people who want to get involved in the higher operations of politics.



4. I know that this is the first book I have ever read with two senior people on the opposite sides of a presidential campaign combining on one book. As far as I know this might be the only one out there like it. Just the fact that both sides of the total campaign were discussed point by point would be enough to give this book a high rating, but these two authors (and probably the added professional writer) helped to make this book a very entertaining read. The authors struck the right balance between the exciting blow by blow of the campaign and the day to day decisions that most people would find dull. It was just so interesting reading both sides of each issue as it came up in the race. Reading how each side perceived a situation and then reacted gave the reader a rich understanding of how the campaign played out.
   
   The one area that I found a bit annoying was the rabid partisanship of Mary Matalin. I actually thought that James Carville would be the rip it up partisan trash talker that was going to spell out the red meat attack on every issue. Now I tend to lean a little left so I at first thought it was just my liberal sensitivities getting a bit out of joint, but the more I read and tried to be fair I really got a negative view of Matalin. It is one thing to attack Clinton, heck stand in line, but the over blown attacks on average Democrats was a bit much. It just made me doubt much of what she said when balance was required and it eliminated any sympathy I should have had for her being she was on the losing side.
   
   Another area I found interesting was how much she truly respected and adored President Bush. Now this might be a symptom of any campaign worker, but make no mistake about it, Mary held her love for the candidate front and center. With this being said it is understandable that she would take the loss hard and find some avenues to place a little blame, but her dislike of the press was only surpassed by Bill Clinton himself. Every bad decision or misstep on her side was somehow laid at the feet of the press for simply reporting the event. If Clinton was leading in the polls then Matalin made the claim the press was favoring Clinton. It got to be so pervasive that it took on the appearance of the town drunk arguing that he does not have a drinking problem. It might have been an underling factor as to why the Bush team did not pull it out at the end. Overall I really liked the book and if you are a political junkie then so will you.



5. Even though the Clinton vs. Bush campaign was 12 years ago, this book is well worth a re-visit. The book is relatively long but I found every page of high interest.
   
   Mary Matalin's sections on the Bush re-election were wonderful reading and I am an avowed liberal. She perfectly captured the patrician nobility of Bush Senior and the campaign that destroyed itself. From the disasterous reign of John Sununu as Chief of Staff, the tragic death of Lee Atwater, the paralysis of Margaret Tutwiler, the insanity of Ross Perot, the mean-spiritedness of Patrick Buchanan, the shrill defeatism of Rich Bonds, and the often confused and muddled voice of an out of touch President, George Bush, the characters are vividly drawn and almost sympathetic.
   
   Carville on the other hand is masterful in his analysis of the consciousness of the American Everyman. The strength of Carville's strategy is common sense played offensively. He respects the middle class American sense of irony and skepticism trying to move toward optimism and problem solving.
   
   Even though the book is 478 pages long, it is really a fast read. Both Matalin and Carville are witty, strategic professionals with years of experience. I didn't get the book to read a sappy love story and I was glad the book focused on the considerable professional experiences of this couple rather than on their fledgling romance.
   
   Carville's desciptions of Bill Clinton do the man justice as a flawed but brilliant leader. Matalin's desciptions of George Bush do the man justice as a man who believes his class, gender, and race was destined for leadership but he just can't navigate the reality of the average American experience.
   
   Where both Matalin and Carville converge is in their perspectives on Patrick Buchanan, a mean hateful old man, and Ross Perot, a crazy old man.
   
   Besides a blow by blow detailed story of the Clinton vs. Bush campaigns from beginning to end, the book is full of political wisdom and strategy.

5 comments about Flight of Passage.

1. Interesting and well written story of two kids flying across the country in a Piper Cub. Great adventure and an example of God's provision and protection even when people don't acknowledge His existence.



2. I am a new private pilot and devour anything aviation related, so I very much enjoyed the flying theme of this book. But even without the flying aspect, it is a great story of how complicated father/son relationships can be and the bonding between brothers. It is a very touching story. Mr. Buck is a solid author as well, which is not always a prerequisite for writing a memoir.



3. This is a fantastic book! I've read it twice and will most likely read it again. It has so many compelling elements that it can't be fully appreciated in one reading. I think that the sheer adventure in Kern and Rinker Buck's 1966 coast-to-coast flight is what really seized me. I am the same age as the Buck brothers and struck out on my own the very same week they made their flight. Their desire to have an adventure, prove something to their father and master a pursuit reserved for skilled adults hit home with me. The book is funny, touching and insightful about family relationships.
   
   It is a great read and I, for one, am very grateful to Rinker Buck for putting this story down on paper all these years later.



4. WARNING: the first few chapters are dry, I almost gave up on the book and I am glad i didn't because after the first few chapters the book is so interesting and grabs you.
   
   Very Funny and descriptive you will love this book even if you don't have an interest in aviation.
   
   it takes you through the boys journey and Rinker Buck describes everything in enjoyable detail. The book describes their flight across the country and back(although he really does blow through the journey back).
   
   The book reminds you of a different time in the world, 1966, when you could fly around without a radio and sleep on the tarmac at the airport.
   
   Anyone can enjoy this book and it is in story format, not biography.



5. Rinker Buck is an engaging storyteller and this story is truly delightful. Touching at times and hilarious at others, Buck takes you along on he and his brother's amazing adventure across America in a Piper Cub. I would recommend this book to just about anybody, especially aviation enthusiasts.
   
   One note: you don't need to read the after word as it is a little sad and depressing after such a good read, and it doesn't relate to the story that much.

5 comments about The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Part 1.

1. My Son commented to me that I give a lot of 5 Star reviews. Yes, I do. And why not, every Saturday I pore over the New York Times Book Review. I also subscribe to the London Review of Books. Before I purchase a book I do research it.
   I've read Edmund Morris' narrative of the formative years of Theodore Roosevelt. I've learned the following:
   1. Theodore was born to wealth and privilege in 1858 before the Civil War.
   2. Teedie fought ill health with asthma and through sheer will overcame its disabilities.
   3. He disciplined and willed himself to extraordinary study to graduate from Harvard.
   4. At a young age he saw himself as a Patrician seeking to help humanity as a New York City Police Commissioner and later Governor of the State of New York.
   5. He survived the death of his wife and mother on the same day.
   6. He became the leading American to begin an appreciation for life in the great outdoors. This later led to the development of the National Park System when he became President.
   Edmund Morris brings all this to life with a fiction like narrative. But what makes the book great is that is was a real. He won a Pulitzer Prize for this book. OK Scott, it does rate 5 Stars!!



2. This book details what an extraordinary man President Roosevelt was.
   Physically and intellectually, there was never a president like him or perhaps, anyone else. His leadership skills were second to none as well as his integrity. He was one of a kind and the mold was broken with his passing. Beware, reading this book may make you feel somewhat inadequate. But, reading this book will also give you great insight to a great man. A role model in many ways.



3. I could not put it down. A wonderfully written book about an exciting president, with great photos included. I enjoyed it so much, that I started the sequel, Theodore Rex, immediately after finishing. I recommend it highly.



4. What a tremendous biography, or actually one third of a biography, as this is the first of a projected three volumne work. It is hard to imagine someone having a career like this today, although to be fair to our own times, Teddy Roosevelt was a dynamo by the standards of his own era as well.
   
   The books only covers Roosevelt's life up until he becomes president, but because of Roosevelt's statue, drive and intellect, and Morris' thorough research, expert analysis and superb writing, it is also a very exciting view into America in the second half of the 19th century. A total of 700 pages and at the end I could not wait to start the next volume, Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks)



5. I knew little of TR's life prior to reading this book, but having read it, I feel like I have a very good understanding of the man. In this thoroughly researched book, you are treated to every struggle TR had, starting with his battle with asthma and continuing through his political battles. The man loved a challenge and if he didn't have one, he created one. Love him or hate him, he was a fascinating man, and this biography does justice to his life. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down.

2 comments about The Lost King of France.

1. In respectful response to Mr. Raynor, I would submit that it was amongst the foremost goals of the French Revolution to remove God from human history and in particular, to destroy the Roman Catholic Church. The cruelty you witnessed in researching this low point in human history is the result of a people who forgot their God. In other words, it does not prove that God does not exist, just that frequently when He is abandoned that evil reigns paramount. The French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, Cambodia and Pol Pot, one can go on. God does not force Himself on anyone and the result of people forgeting Him is a loss of grace. It may be that we are not far from this kind of anarchy again because people have forgotten the source of their sanity, humanity and goodness.-J.M. McMillan



2. This book is a truly superbly written historical biography. When I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Deborah Cadbury writes in a style that holds the reader's attention from beginning to end. The terrible suffering endured by that innocent little boy moved me deeply. How could anyone be so cruel to him as those French revolutionaries were? It was one of the worst injustices in history. Unless you've got a heart like a swinging brick, this book will greatly disturb you and upset you. But it does tell it like it was. France was, after all, in total chaos during the revolution. No one was safe. People in power who were ordering people sent to the guillotine one day could find themselves denounced the next day and sent to the guillotine themselves and no one dare show any sympathy for the cruelly treated little boy in case they were judged to be royalist sympathisers and executed for showing their concern. Perhaps this was the main reason why the boy was allowed to die in such appalling agony. The subject of this book does, however, prove one thing. If there is a God, he certainly doesn't give a damn about any of us, especially suffering little children like Louis Charles.

5 comments about Native State.

1. I'm quickly approaching the end of this book and already saddened by that fact. This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. I'm principally a fan of non-fiction and this memoir has really touched me. If you fancy yourself as musical, nostalgic, cosmopolitan, idealist or perhaps, simply human in the least bit, you will undoubtedly find yourself attached to this book. Maybe I relate to it more than others will but the wanderlust, the music, the cast of shadowy figures, the distance (figurative and literal) between self and family all tug at my heart with a true, visceral immediacy. I found it extremely thought-provoking and wisdom-imparting. With jazz in my ears, misadventure on my mind, and a bittersweetness in my heart, I will be reading this one again and again.



2. Tony Cohan's attempt to cope with the father who dominated his life has produced this splendid tale of escape into adventures literary, musical, and romantic in lands far and near. Mr. Cohan's abundant talents enabled him to find acceptance among musical and literary figures whose names will surely inspire threads of memory for readers of a certain age, say 60 and older. The memoir thus opens many more windows than would the ramblings of a less gifted protagonist.
   
   The writing is more than equal to the images it is called on to create, and the influence of Mr. Cohan's father is delineated touchingly and understandably as it evolves from early days in New York and Hollywood up to the day of the elder Mr. Cohan's death.



3. This is a favorite for me - a retrospecitve on real life adventures of a man experiencing life with reckless abandon, yet searching for something - meaning, fulfillment, legacy...
   
   Tony Cohan bares his sole, show his flaws, character strengths and character failings. No glossing over the facts, just tells it like it was. Easy to relate to for those with a sense of wanderlust. His failings are our failings. We experience his adventures as if we were there.
   
   A really good read if you like biographies, adventure, character studies...
   
   Cohan's "On Mexican Time" was also a very good book.



4. I purchased this book based on the author's experiences with many artists that have touched my life. I found this to be a slow read and not particularly thought inducing. Perhaps someday as my father is aging I will re-read it and find a new appreciation for it, but until then I would suggest avoiding this one.



5. Tony Cohan, an incredibly gifted writer - his account of finding a new life in Mexico, 'On Mexican Time', is a superior contribution to the genre of literary travel memoir - has written a sort of early prequel to that book, a fascinating and heartrending story of one man's search for a meaningful life. This is played out in retrospect as he watches his father die in present day Los Angeles. He takes us back to his boyhood in the shadow of a belittling and domineering man, who shaped him for all that was to come. Young Cohan was an accomplished jazz drummer playing with greats like Dexter Gordon in Copenhagen - and pre-Ringo Beatles in Hamburg! - but he gave this up to follow a trickier path of self-expression as a writer. This led him through the early days of the counterculture that began in the late 1950s and flowered into the sex,drugs, rock and roll, Buddhism of the 60s. Cohan hung out with Paul Bowles in Morocco, Jim Morrison in LA, Burroughs in Paris. But this is much more than a name-dropping memoir. It's the paradigm voyage of a generation, and Cohan is its very best, most moving explicator. A great and moving book.

5 comments about Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper -- Case Closed.

1. Disturbing history of Jack the Ripper and disclosure of Cornwell's claimed resolution: The Ripper was Walter Sickert, an English artist who, claims Cornwell, painted some of the murder scenes in his art and wrote the Ripper letters to the police and newspapers.
   
   The argument appears convincing, although Cornwell, a famous fiction murder mystery writer, uses too much speculation and circumstantial evidence.
   
   Ultimately, if Sickert was the Ripper, as painted by Cornwell, the whole thing was very creepy. Don't read this book alone after dark.



2. Why on earth did Cornwell spend a fantastically huge amount of money in order to produce this? Maybe I should get her to adopt me; I'd make better use of her funds.
   
   Other reviewers have already mentioned her lack of sources, her erroneous DNA conclusions, and the like. One of the things that really caught me was her assumption that a dark lantern provided hardly any light at all, simply because she experimented with one. On her patio. Not in the East End of London. She claims that a dark lantern was NOT the brilliant, illuminating tool shown in contemporary illustrations, but a weak and hotly burning liability.
   
   If that were the case, why would dark lanterns be issued to London's police force? Why would a lantern that, as Cornwell claims, can't illuminate an object only six inches away, be thought of as a helpful instrument? It wouldn't. Clearly, Cornwell's "test" was just as useful as the money she spent in "research". The $6 million dollar book. She'd have done better to try to create a bionic man.



3. this books is well constructed,and is very entertaining. i enjoyed it very much.i would recommend it to any one who is a real jack the ripper fan.most other books are poorly written and hard to follow,even for the most avid readers.



4. There is not a shred of evidence linking Sickert to these killings. All Cornwell does is try to prove it's "not impossible" that he did it. Totally unconvincing. Cornwell should stick to fiction, where this book belongs.



5. Cornwell has some serious hubris to come to, and stick to, this conclusion. Let us hope that she is never run up on charges backed by as little evidence as she presents in this wild goose chase. I understand the case is about as cold as they get a hundred years after the fact but the very circumstantial leaps of faith she builds her case with is very laughable and not even the basis of an indictment let alone a conviction. Now Walter Sickert [yeah, a name made to order] may have been a tyrant and misogynist but these are not crimes. In fact a lot of artists are these things, fueled by their own self import and ego but that doesn't make them murders.
   
   The most likely explanation tends to be the correct one, which is that Jack was a nobody [not a nationally known artist with several biographies to his name]. And it is most likely that he died in 1888, was committed, or imprisoned for other crimes. Sickert was none of those things, if he was even in London at all during the canonical five murders. Cornwell goes on the assumption that since she finds no evidence that he was out of London, therefore he must have been there [though he was a frequent traveler]. It would be a stronger case if she could get strong traction in handwriting expertise in the Ripper letters and Sickert's. She says that some experts conclude them identical but is awfully skimpy on the experts' names. She should mention the evidence against her own case. Take it head on.
   
   The situation kinda reminds me of people that deal in reincarnation. They always claim they were someone famous in another life and never the common nobody. It's selling sensationalism, and that's this book. The two selling points about this book are the presented facts of the Ripper murders and letters [and not the baseless conjecture of Sickert's involvement]. The second selling point are that the chapters seem to end precisely when you have had enough of them. That kind of pace is refreshing actually. My advice, get it from the library [as I did], and skip the biographical chapters about Walter and his wife and family.

5 comments about Bend in the Road Is Not the End of the Road, A.

1. Having recently gone through a major change of my own I saw this book on tape and thought I would listen to it. I have read quite a few self help books on change from more "accepted" authorities but she has given me inspiration and really made real the fear that one can feel and how to calm yourself. I have read a lot of self help books but this was like listening to a friend tell you how she got through it. It made me realize that my change is only a fork in the road and that life can get better.



2. I tried to like this book, but it was a little too dull and boring. Her sense of humor seems contrived. I'm sure she is a nice person, but this book did not hit home with me. It didn't speak to me.

   It seems like she just wrote this book to make money.




3. I reviewed the audio tape several times and found it to be very helpful in our approach of how we deal with issues in everyday life. While many of the stories were insightful and inspiring, the one that most stuck with me was when she talked about one of her aids on Good Morning America that told Joan that she could start her day over whenever she liked, when she felt that Joan was off to a bad start in the early morning hours when most of us are still in bed. We all deal with rough times in our lives, and it is important to learn how to best deal with those times. Joan Lunden shares some idea's that would help most anyone. I also attended an Anthony Robbins seminar a few years ago - where he had assembled numerous celebrity or high achievers to speak to the thousands assembled. Joan Lunden was by far the best speaker there. This is not only a great tape or book to review, it would be one that others would really benefit from.



4. I picked this audio book up in a discount store. It was truely what I call a diamond in the rough. Sometimes people give them selves a self evaluation and feel that they need to make changes in their lives but just don't know how or where to begin. I am at that point and thru much prayer my answer came from this book. It makes you realize that though change is a part of life and sometimes it is vital, it is how we handle it that can make the difference. I've read the reviews and I while they are all different it is how we view something as to how we will benefit from it. There are some things I did not agree with and I chose not to focus on those things. There was much that I can use to my advantage and I choose to do just that. My whole life is about to change. From a person who felt that there was no hope I can say keep looking and keep praying. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Keep an open mind and an open heart and be ready to recieve the blessings.



5. I picked this audio book up in a discount store. It was truely what I call a diamond in the rough. Sometimes people give them selves a self evaluation and feel that they need to make changes in their lives but just don't know how or where to begin. I am at that point and thru much prayer my answer came from this book. It makes you realize that though change is a part of life and sometimes it is vital, it is how we handle it that can make the difference. I've read the reviews and I while they are all different it is how we view something as to how we will benefit from it. There are some things I did not agree with and I chose not to focus on those things. There was much that I can use to my advantage and I choose to do just that. My whole life is about to change. From a person who felt that there was no hope I can say keep looking and keep praying. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Keep an open mind and an open heart and be ready to recieve the blessings.

5 comments about The Lives of the Kings and Queens of England [UNABRIDGED].

1. If you enjoy and read novels, biographies or history books about England and Europe this is a must have reference book. Very condensed, dry and factual history but a tremendous help in keeping people, time and places in order and perspective.



2. If your a history buff like I am you will love this book. It is a must for those interested in the past.



3. I love this book. Even with all of the reading I have done on the British Monarchy, this book had never before seen pictures. My only complaint would be that it often focuses more on political events rather than personal lives. But, there is wonderful information in this book, and I have enjoyed every page.



4. As a lover of British royal history, I think this is a fantastic overview that 'sums' things up, devoting a few pages to tell the story of each monarch. Antonia Fraser manages to pass on a lot of information in short form. The illustrations are wonderful, as are the charts (although as someone else mentioned, they are missing some details for us serious fanatics). I consider this is a great compilation if you just want the big picture, or a starting point to jump off into detailed biographies of individual monarchs and/or houses.



5. My dad gave me this lovely book for Christmas back in '99, and I have used it as a reference ever since. Although it is a splendid read from cover-to-cover, I find that it is one of the best books out there to really whet the appetite for more in-depth research into the monarch, rebel or time period of your choice.
   
   The genealogy charts are fun to puzzle out, and the illustrations, including coats of arms, maps, tapestries and portraits, add extra personality to the history, which is, in itself, fascinating.
   
   Of course, a book of this length only scratches the surface of the noble, scandalous, shocking and never-dull lives of the British monarchs, their families, friends and enemies, so you must dig deeper if any one subject appeals to you. All in all, a well-written, organized and illustrated overview of a sizeable chunk of history.

5 comments about Gracie: A Love Story.

1. Lamb Chops...What do lamb chops have to do with this story, well everything! Lamb Chops is the vaudeville routine that brought fame to this comedic duo in the late 1920's. I have the link to a You Tube movie short that was filmed in 1929 for this popular routine here. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFcsdgkg54 ) In this clip and others that I've seen with Burns and Allen, I think Gracie is the reason that they had so much success. She was so natural in her role as the "ditzy dame". She was good if not one of the best funnymen to a straightman role. This book takes the reader back to the waning days of vaudeville and the beginnings of film, radio and television as the new media for bringing entertainment to its audiances. George Burns takes us back down memory lane with a personnal love story that lasted nearly 40 years. His memories include many places and friends that I as a reader enjoyed visiting. I don't read love stories usually, but this love story is one that I enjoyed and won't soon forget.



2. In our disposable transient society of today, it is a refreshing change to see a love and a marriage that lasted so long. As time goes on, it is becoming an even rarer event.
   
   In this book, Mr. Burns fondly remembers his wife, Gracie Allen. The stories that he tells about her, how they met, and how they managed to stay together so long were interesting to read and entertaining.
   
   I would recommend this book to all ages. It is easy reading and also tells somewhat of the history of vaudeville, radio, television, and movies.



3. If you love old Hollywood, read this book. If you loved George & Gracie, read this book. If you want to read a true life love story, READ THIS BOOK. I just love the inside scoop on the old Hollywood that George dishes out. I never knew Cary Grant sold neck ties before becoming a screen idol. Harpo Marx (the quiet one) wanted one child in every window to wave goodbye or hello when he pulled up in the drive. George wasn't all that impressed with Marilyn Monroe.
   
   This book is an easy read and so hard to put down.



4. Growing up, I really only knew Goerge Burns for the occasional television special he would host. Other than that, and his "Oh, God" movie (which came out when I was very young), I was relatively unfamiliar with him.
   
   In the mid 80's, when I was about 10 years old, I found that a local radio station would run old time radio comedies from 8-10pm, and as such, I used to fall asleep nightly listening to the like of Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly, and, of course Burns and Allen.
   
   I finally just purchased this book from and Amazon bookseller about two months ago, and honestly, it's as good a $2.95 as I've spent in a while.
   
   As other reviewers have said, many times bigraqphies can be a bit on the dull side, but George really did well with this. It is an easy read... a page turner. It's very interesting to get more insight on what a great performer she was, and how natural it came to her. One always got the feeling that even though she was delivering her "dizzy" Gracie charater, that underneath that was a very smart, clever person. This book certianly backs that up, and it backs it up with all the warmth and affection George Burns had for his wife.
   
   I thoroughly enjoyed this not only for the story of Gracie, but also as a way to look inside the life of an entertainer at that time. I neverquite understood before what it was to work the vaudeville circuit, but there is a ton of insight in this book.
   
   This is a must read for even the most casual fan of old time radio and the celebrities of that era.



5. I glanced at the reviews here to see if my opinion of this book was just a fluke, but they pretty much bear me out. I didn't expect this book to be nearly as good as it is. On second thought, though, it's not that surprising. This pair was magic and it was seen in everything they touched, the prime and lasting example being the without parallel Burns and Allen Show.
   
   Burns and Allen successfully weathered many storms, making the transition from Vaudeville and stand-up comedy to radio and later to television. The earliest TV shows are the only ones available on DVD, but in later seasons they really hit their stride. In this hilarious and ground- breaking show, George would turn on the TV in the den to see what Gracie was doing, and regularly chat with viewers about events in progress. Gracie would walk in the wrong side of the set and regale viewers (or listeners) with non-stop comedic patter, malapropisms and surrealistic humour (ala Ernie Kovaks) with George as the straightman and pinnacle of style puffing his ever-present cigar.
   
   Even as an octagenarian he could still act (Oh God, You Devil) but as a nonogenarian (92) he could still write. This marvelous memoir is not only the most delightful reading I've had in a long time, but makes me all the more want the Burns and Allen show on DVD. This book was a bestseller in hardback, but is now unaccountably out of print. Yet many readers would love this book, and would enjoy making the acquaintance of the remarkable Gracie Allen.

5 comments about A Long Way from Home: Growing Up in the American Heartland (Tom Brokaw).

1. Tom Brokaw must think that people care about every facet of his dull life--because he has elaborated on it in so much boring detail in this book that even Brokaw fans will throw their hands up after hearing another insignificant story and say "who cares."
   
   Sadly, he comes across as a person who considered himself better than others and was incredibly insensitive when it came to class status. He often mentions in the book whether someone is "working class" and he claims that in high school "I was a member of the ruling class...it was a white man's and white boy's world" and writes about racism issues that deal with his going to school with Native Americans. If he thinks he is getting sympathy from the reader because he somehow grew beyond his bigotry it is hard to come to that conclusion through this book.
   
   Brokaw is trying to build on his past "Greatest Generation" reputation by painting a picture of his childhood on the South Dakota prairie. But the problem is that it was a pretty boring childhood. Camp, summer jobs, trips to Minneapolis, fitting in at school--almost nothing happened to him that was anything unusual.
   
   There are two exceptions that are worth hearing about. First, as a teenager he headed to New York City to appear on a game show with the South Dakota governor and ended up cheating on the show. Yes, he was part of the quiz shows scandals. This is something he probably should not have revealed.
   
   Second, the only good thing about the book is that it tells the story of how this partying college kid was "counseled" to leave school by a caring professor who told him, "Get all the wine, women and song out of your system." Though this should embarrass the future anchorman, his professor used it to turn Brokaw's life around. Tom dropped out of college then begged the professor to let him back in as a serious student.
   
   The book is also deceptive in length. It may look like a long book of over a couple hundred pages, but the types is double spaced and there are about 30 pages of picture-only pages mixed in the middle of chapters, so the actual length of the book would be about 100 pages in a normal book.
   
   After reading this book any favorable opinion people have of Brokaw should decrease because he comes across as a smug, arrogant, rich guy who thinks his lowly upbringing was something special. It wasn't--he was raised the same way most other people were in the Midwest and nothing really changed for him until that college professor gave him a verbal kick in the pants to change his life.



2. Tom Brokaw has always projected to his viewers a caring, sincere presence
   as he outlined the happenings of the day in our nation and around the world. Even if the news he broadcasted was sad or shocking he gave us the feeling that we could get through this together. This book offers the same
   warmth and sincerity in describing my similar experiences in growing up
   during and after WWII.



3. Been there and done that. Refreshing read! Stirred up many old memories and recollections.



4. One reviewer called this book "for simpletons by a simpleton." Well, as I have very little respect for today's mainstream media, especially Dan Rather and Katie Couric, Brokaw, though preachy, is better than most. This book is a simple book, but it's also pleasant and does lend insight into his modest upbringing in South Dakota---far different from what the elites usually value.
   
   I read it while I drove cross country, which is probably why I gave it 3 stars, rather than 2, as I appreciated it more.
   
   Brokaw may be biased and pedantic now, but he's no ninnyhammer either. He covered stories with some depth, and was rarely lazy or a liar, like Rather. And he worked hard to get where he was, without modern affirmative action. The stories of Big Sky country and the "tragedies" he observed befalling the "Natives" when he returned were unnecessary and awkward, though.
   
   He's still better than Brian Williams.



5. Brokaw gives a seemingly honest and direct account of his formative years. His respect and admiration for his parents gives him guidelines for a life in the limelight where it may be easy to loose one's footing.
   
   It is interesting to get a glimpse of the life in the heartland of the U. S. in the forties and fifties when so much of my own perception of the U. S. from a Scandinavian viewpoint was formed.
   
   Congratulations to Tom Brokaw for a fine book!