5 comments about The Privilege of Youth : A Teenager's Story of Longing for Acceptance and Friendship.

1. It took a while for me to get my order but the seller was extreamly helpful and answered all my questions very fast. Product is in great shape!! Better then described!!



2. This book covers a time that was already written about in The Lost Boy. Despite my love for Dave's other books I think this was an attempt to milk out more money from his already established fans. This book does not give much more information about his life and only a few forgettable fun stories about his teenage years. Don't waste your time on this one, just read the first three.



3. I have read A Child Called "It", The Lost Boy, A Man Named Dave and Help Yourself and I must say that this book was not Dave's best work. The writing did not keep me interested as his other books have. While reading this I felt like the passion just wasn't there.



4. Read every Dave Pelzer book he writes. He is an exceptional human being. There should be more people like him without having to go through the abuse he endured.



5. this is a good book! i love it when dave sees that boy from the lost boy, and the boy says what you call my sister? then david says a horror? then the boy punches dave, makes his nose bleed, and says, don't you ever, ever, call my sister a whore again! read it if you like dave pelzer as much as me!

5 comments about Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit!.

1. 'Catch me if you can' is a fairly entertaining, badly written fiction book that served as a base for a very entertaining, well directed fiction movie. It's not an amazing true story as the blurbs proclaim.
   
   Don't reach for this book if you want to read a true-to-fact autobiography. 'Catch me if you can' is a ghostwritten, highly embellished in style and content, largely implausible narrative that diverts from what probably really happened as much as the Spielberg movie diverts from the book. In words of Abagnale himself:
   
   'I was interviewed by the co-writer only about four times. I believe he did a great job of telling the story, but he also over dramatized and exaggerated some of the story. That was his style and what the editor wanted. He always reminded me that he was just telling a story and not writing my biography. This is one of the reasons that from the very beginning, I insisted the publisher put a disclaimer in the book and tapes.'
   
   I have yet to find this disclaimer in my copy. I like fiction and don't mind reading it as long as the author (or the publisher) doesn't try to sell it as a true story. Reading 'Catch me if you can' I had an increasing feeling that I was being conned. I swallowed all the tall tales of his forgeries, swindles and impersonations hook line and sinker, but the devil, as usual, is in details.
   
   Funnily my suspicions were aroused only when I found out he was fluent in French despite the fact that a few pages earlier he used an interpreter to communicate in that language.
   
   The description of his incarceration in a French hellhole of a prison is unbelievable to the point of ridiculous, but still the time is extended from 6 months he purportedly served to about one year.
   Then he's rescued by a Swedish policewoman Jan Lundström. Fine. I understand that all names in the book have been changed but Jan is a male name in Sweden. At this point I couldn't suspend my disbelief any longer and I put the book down unfinished.
   
   A few words about the style of writing. It's about as overdone as the facts it's supposed to desribe and nearly unreadable.



2. I gave it 4 stars only because I reserve 5-star ratings for books I could not have lived without reading, so to speak. But it is a fascinating account, and if you like knowing that it's a big world out there with people doing interesting things, you'll probably enjoy this book. Abagnale is obviously intelligent and likes to have fun -- an infectious combination. I'm interested now in reading his follow-up, The Art of the Steal: How to Protect Yourself and Your Business from Fraud, America's #1 Crime. I suspect his advice will be more helpful than the dispirited, obfuscating "instructions" of the credit reporting agencies!



3. I read this book right after seeing the movie in theaters because of how much I liked the movie. The book is a great addition to the movie because you will get to read a lot of the stories that didn't make it into the movie and read the non-hollywood version of the actual events.



4. "The parental drive Frank wants from Carl feels less evident, missing the sensitive looks and words as played in the movie by Hanks and DiCaprio."
   
   don't you realize how silly it is to complain that stuff happens in the movie(fictional) and not in the book (factual).



5. This is a fun book. Abagnale's intelligence and wit come through, though the writing is a bit stilted and the material quite dated. But Abagnale's ability to exploit appearances and to exploit the level of trust necessary for society to work is fascinating and very funny. Perhaps his most interesting con is his relationship with women. This is the ultimate con game, I'm afraid, and the book would have been far better had he explained his con in this regard and had he come to terms with it. Also, the book ends quite abruptly and is unsatisfying in explaining how Abagnale ultimately came to terms with himself.

5 comments about I Took a Lickin' and Kept on Tickin': (And Now I Believe in Miracles).

1. this book is one of the beat books in the world. it will make you happy and sad. if you naver read any of his work before read this one it is a good intro to lewis's work



2. Only Lewis Grizzard could make me laugh and cry at the same time and about what? His own near death experience. His unusual humor will be sorely missed. This book is almost as good as what I think was his greatest - My Daddy was a Pistol and I'm a Son-of-a-Gun. I will miss the talents of this great writer.



3. I went out and bought this book b/c I'd listened to the abridged recorded version. This made me laugh and cry. It truely pulled me out of a "Why are we here and why do we bother?" kind of funk. I'm not sure I got the answers, but the answers didn't seem to matter after all. His presence is missed deeply in my life.



4. The work of a true humorist. From writing to his dog to his wife to his own short life, Lewis Grizzard is my hero and my role model. I have read almost all of this great man's books, and I believe in everything this man wrote. I was very sad when he died, for it meant that there would be no more books of this kind of quailty from one of the leading authors in America. This particular book was Grizzard's life story, but he managed to tell it in a funny, new way. I generally stay away from autobiographies and biographies, but since this one was written by Lewis himself, I gave it a try. It proved to be as funny as all his other books and really touched me. This book was just as funny as his other works and I was not disappointed by it's quality or content. I suggest that anyone who likes either humor or autobiographies (this book is versatile) should pick up this book from your nearest library and start reading



5. The work of a true humorist. From writing to his dog to his wife to his own short life, Lewis Grizzard is my hero and my role model. I have read almost all of this great man's books, and I believe in everything this man wrote. I was very sad when he died, for it meant that there would be no more books of this kind of quailty from one of the leading authors in America. This particular book was Grizzard's life story, but he managed to tell it in a funny, new way. I generally stay away from autobiographies and biographies, but since this one was written by Lewis himself, I gave it a try. It proved to be as funny as all his other books and really touched me. This book was just as funny as his other works and I was not disappointed by it's quality or content. I suggest that anyone who likes either humor or autobiographies (this book is versatile) should pick up this book from your nearest library and start reading

5 comments about The House on Beartown Road: A Memoir of Learning and Forgetting.

1. The author writes of her father's decent into Alzheimer's Disease (being more
   and more child like in his progression of the disease and her young son growing up from a toddler to young boyhood..the opposite ends of the spectrum. A very moving book. I may reread this one.



2. In September 2004's Australian Reader's Digest, the story "The Unlikely Gift" had me in tears. It moved me so much that I searched out and ordered the book it was taken from - "The House on Beartown Road". I had been mourning the
   death of a favourite and much loved friend who died from the ravages of a similar brain disease (vascular dementia). Although her body died recently, the soul and the entity that I loved which made her who she was, was taken from me many years ago when the diagnosis was made and the slow but inevitable slide began.
   
   My friend Kath, whom I met in 1980, taught me joy and sharing, she took me into her family as if I was one of her own. As I am of a different background, she taught me to enjoy roast dinners and chocolate ripple cakes. She was a favourite auntie, a surrogate mother and most of all, a best friend. In the later years, I have been unable to be in her presence,
   as I couldn't reconcile the angry, violent person as being the same caring friend I had known. She was diagnosed in her 60's which is much too early and didn't allow her to enjoy her twilight years with those she loved and who loved her.
   
   Elizabeth Cohen's book is a beautiful and simply told homage to the reality of family life and in my opinion, a must read.



3. What a wonderful book. I have noticed that many who review this book are intimately involved in Alzheimers, be they professional or private care-givers. I don't have anyone in my immediate family with Alzheimers, but I read this as a potential gift to a friend who does. I am grateful that I was motivated to read this lovely, loving account of a disease and the way if effects those who are near it. The author and her family serve as reminders that love comes in all forms, and may be asked of you at the most inconvient moments. Don't wait until you have Alzheimers in your family to read this book. So much gentle learning to be done, so much joy to be given, so many miles we go, travellers through life.



4. Few books have brought me to tears. This one did. The author writes in a matter-of-fact way about the heart-wrenching disease of Alheimer's, its impact to her life, and the lives of those around her. I didn't want the book to end. It is a quick read. Great book.



5. I found "The House on Beartown Road" shelved in our local library (Pound Ridge, NY) under Mental Health/Alzheimer's. I don't know who decides these things, but this wonderful memoir ought to be prominently placed along with other contemporary memoirs. Elizabeth Cohen is a fine writer and she deserves recognition for this generous tribute to her 80-year-old father, Sandy, to her daughter -- one year old Ava, and to new-found neighbors on Beartown Road and to friends in the Binghamton, NY, community. Sandy and Ava of these are at opposite ends of the verbal spectrum, one forgetting language and the other learning. Elizabeth Cohen herself is there in the middle, somehow trying to work full time as a reporter, managing day care for the two people who depend on her, figuring out how to survive the winter in one of the nation's true snow-belts, and keeping her own sanity as a harrassed single mother.My own mother is 97 with Alzheimer's and I have a one-year old granddaughter, so this book is close to the bone in many ways. I tell everybody about it. I use it in the memoir course I teach. I want to keep it to survive as a classic memoir and as a year-long account by an un-self-pitying caregiver. Elinore Standard Pound Ridge, NY

5 comments about Nancy Reagan the Unauthorized Biography.

1. Kelly's books, whether you like her or not, can be taken to the bank. You know they are true, no matter how salacious (which means most of them) otherwise she would end up tied into a thousand libel law suits -- and yet she has not.
   
   The same is true for his one. She mines the alley-ways of Washington, and drains the swamps of her close "tell-all" friends and family to come up with the goods on the "made in Hollywood plastic doll" called Nancy Reagan. Too bad Kelly had to become an institution in and of her self. If we had anything other than a "limp-wristed" press, we would not have to rely on the likes of Kelly to give us the "true skinny" on what's happening in the "Lincoln bedroom" and its environs.
   
   This 600-page tale has more than just the ring of truth. Even without hearing her voice, we all knew that Nancy was a flawed personality in the classic way of American flaws; the kind that makes her blend-in and makes her become all but invisible to the typical majority American public. She possessed a kind of "dainty and flighty empty persona" that goes down well with being a "washed-out ex-starlet" and a conservative Republicanism (or is this redundant?).
   
   But inviting Frank Sinatra in through the backdoor of the White House for private lunches when "Old Ronny boy" was away? This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "when the Cats away, the mouse will come out to play."
   
   And this is just the most salacious of a whole feast of salacious fare. Her firing of Donald Regan, for instance, was a Machiavellian work of art. It proves that Nancy knew how to protect and run interference for her "golden goose." Her consultation and faith in the prediction of psychics bordered on lunacy: Don't these people ever read books? And also, I thought that the Reagan's were religious? How do they pull it off, conning the American people so easily with their facades and "public show faces?"
   
   Nancy's deep insecurities grew out of her troubled childhood and erratic upbringing. However, throughout her life it was all covered-over by a patina of faux style and grace, that got her a long way in our empty culture. There is something mildly vulgar about having leaders as intellectually empty as the Reagans running our country. But Kelly did her job well.
   
   Three stars.



2. Whenever I see a biography that is unauthorized, that usually means two things...the subject had aboslutely no input into it and thus cannot refute or put into perspective on tidbits given to the writers by (usually) disgruntle sources, and the book itself is going to trash the subject (Madonna Unauthorized by Christopher Andersen comes to mind).
   
   In any case, I do have to admit the Kitty Kelley did her research into Nancy Reagan. Straight from the mouths of her children, step-children, relatives, colleauges, fellow Hollywood starlets (and from Nancy herself, thanks to her own gossipy book "My Turn"), Kelley chronicled Mrs. Reagan's beginnings as a Hollywood starlet to her tenure as America's first unofficial "petticoat president".
   
   The tone of Kelley's approach was cast when the book began with Kelley claiming she ran into a wall of silence while researching the book (well, she still did find plenty of people to open their trap), and the book opens with how everything on Nancy's birth certificate was manufactured other than her race and gender.
   
   Yes, you can tell by now, that Mrs. Reagan's dirty laundry is going to be exposed to the world. I particularly take interest on the chapter dealing with Nancy's years in Hollywood, where it is chronicled that she got parts in movies by ingratiating herself with the higher-ups; as if everybody else in Hollywood was not ambitious as well.
   
   In all, Nancy Reagan is portrayed as an ambitious woman who placed her career and place in society by sacrificing her relationship with her family and children; like men hasn't been doing that for years. It is again, a case where a woman who has sights for higher heights is put down for her ambitions (not to say that tact and diplomacy are not virtues, something Mrs. Reagan, according to the book, seems to lack).
   
   There is a Notes section at the rear of the book that detailed all the sources Kelley compiled from that make up each chapter, and almost every one included a little expose on Nancy that otherwise didn't quite fit in the book proper (yes when you thought there isn't more to read!).
   
   One more observation, the book also tell of Nancy's agressive pursuit of Ronald Reagan. Given his recent passing and Mrs. Reagan emotionally farewell to her husband, I can only say she really loved that man.



3. I think this is fair to say that Reagan was so far-gone most of his second term that I'm sympathetic for Mrs. Reagan! And probably grateful now.. better Mrs. Reagan telling the president what to say than Carl Rove and V Pres Cheney!
   
   When I read this when it first came out, it was a bit upsetting, but now as I look back those days were a lot more pleasant than now. Though I would never have voted for Reagan under any circumstance, I am a LOT more appreciative now!
   
   READ it.. but forgive their foibles.



4. I avoided reading Kitty Kelly's books for many years, not because I felt they might not be interesting but because I considered it unseemly to go rummaging around in the closets of other people's pasts. I finally broke down, however, and read this one. As a matter of fact I made it all the way through. I wonder if anyone else has ever been able to do that. Thank Heaven it was only 528 pages. Half that number would have been sufficient and surely would have buried Nancy Reagan at least up to her ears.
   
   The book, although probably correct in many particulars, perhaps most or even all, and quite interesting at times is simply too long and very much too one-sided. Early on, I grew weary of the constant piling on, but I soldiered on and actually finished it. Others don't have to make that choice. But, if you hold Nancy Reagan in low esteem and would like to know her every fault, this is the book for you. If you feel otherwise about Nancy, you would be well advised to confine yourself to page 358.



5. If you love gossip, you will love this book. Kitty Kelley does a great job of telling all the dirt she can dig up on Nancy Reagan and our former president, Ronald. Now, how much can you take to heart and accept as truth? That would be difficult to tell. Kelley gives great references, but the problem is that she has found people who have an axe to grind and she lets them grind away! I am certain that the former first family were not perfect. Some of the things we read about are likely true, but overall, they did a fantastic job. We really don't need to know all of their dirty laundry. When I read about the family struggles that were experienced between the Reagan's and their kids, I was disappointed. But, I never expected them to be perfect parents. I was very disappointed in the actions of the children as well. I read about Nancy's great desire for wealth, expensive clothes, etc. She and Ronald Reagan were criticized for gaining much wealth after the presidency by "using" their position. I could not help but laugh and think about how Kitty Kelley makes her wealth. Writing Gossip is real honorable. She certainly cashed in on Reagan's presidency, but she criticises Ronnie and Nancy for accepting speaking engagements, book offers, gifts, etc. Kelley was totally negative, taking most of her quotes from people who were angry with the Reagans. Why did she not spend more time interviewing the people who were close to the Reagans. She talked about, "the Girls," but failed to include what they thought of Nancy. Instead of digging up the gossip, she should try giving a balanced report of things in the future. There are many who loved this first family greatly and many of them were very close to the true situation. I guess Kitty is afraid that the truth would not sell. If all of this is really true about Nancy, I deeply piti her. Kitty has certainly only given us one side of the story.

5 comments about She Said Yes : The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall.

1. The book annoyed me in the following ways:
   1. It's not true, from everything else I've heard and read. Another girl was asked if she believed in God. Not Cassie
   2. She could of made it more exciting, more intense. So we could feel her pain as Cassie's mother, but I felt nothing
   
   I did like it because I did learn about Columbine and how parents figured things out.



2. Because I'm in school to study some form of criminology, I started to research the Columbine shooting about 2 months ago. Having read roughly 500 pages of the Columbine Report (which is basically an 11,000 page report containing interviews and such from the teachers and students that were present at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999), I knew that Cassie Bernall was NOT asked the infamous "Do you believe in God?" question so when I saw the title of this book, I was a bit curious as to why Cassie's mother would sort of "cash in" on the rumors/myths surrounding the shooting death of her daughter. I bought the book in hopes that it would answer my question. And here is what I learned.
   
   The truth is (and believe me, I'm not trying to preach about my views on religion... I'm trying to express my views on this book by debunking the Columbine myths that make this book not credible), a girl named Valeen was asked the "Do you believe in God?" question. She at first said no, then said I don't know, then said yes. When asked by Eric Harris why she believed in God, her response was something along the lines of "Because that was how my parents taught me". She was shot but survived. The only thing that was said to Cassie was "peek-a-boo". It is highly disturbing in my opinion that the ignorant public (led on by the media) including, apparently, Cassie's mother (in the book she says "People say that nothing happens without a purpose--that perhaps Cassie was fulfilling a divine plan, or that in standing up for her beliefs, she was being used by God to further His kingdom. At a certain level, I take comfort in these thoughts. They give meaning to what others have called a "senseless" tragedy, and remind me that a life cut short need not to be a wasted life."), attempt to make Cassie's death more admirable than the other 12 innocent victims. If Valeen had not survived, I'm sure that people would disregard the fact that she said "no" at first. Because, apparently, being religious makes one's death more honorable than those who are not religious.
   
   Look, the book isn't written badly. However, the title of the book and the deep inferences that suggest Cassie died because of her religion honestly disgust me. Those who do not know the truth behind her death will be lead to believe that she WAS asked the question, said yes, and ultimately paid the price by losing her life. This book is NOT supposed to be fiction. So to write it the way it was written make parts of the book lies.
   
   That being said, had the book been mainly about the alleged question she was asked and her answer, I would have easily given this book 1 or 2 stars. But because Misty explains everything from the highlights AND the lowlights in Cassie's life (including Cassie's struggles with wanting to murder her parents) and she admits that Cassie would be upset that people are labeling her a martyr, I found myself able to get through the book rather quickly. Further, "She Said Yes" made me think about my own life and what I would want people to remember me for. For that, I chose to give this book 3 stars.
   
   I'd recommend this book if you want to learn more about the Columbine massacre. The average person must know, however, that although Cassie might've said yes if she was asked the question, the fact is that she wasn't.



3. I feel that even if it wasn't actually Cassie that said I believe this is still so important to show the humanity of the people that were killed. I definately would NOT say it's a Christian myth that the shootings were at least partly blamed on religion. The boys did ask the girl beside her if she believed in God. And what about Rachel Scott. She was shot after confessing her faith. This was not just about trying to kill jocks or popular kids. These boys hated religion and mocked God and basically were saying if you believe in God let him save you. By letting the other girl survive it's almost their sick game of playing God and deciding who lives and dies. It's a terrorist scare tactic. But Cassie did believe in God and right before she was shot she was praying to God out loud to just let her go home. Then one of the boys pounded on the table she was under said peek a boo and shot her. If you don't believe her killing was motivated by her beliefs read Rachel's Tears and be assured it played a big part in who they killed.



4. In this book, a girl named Cassie Bernall had got shot at her very own school. But she was only one of the many who were killed . Her mom ,Misty Bernall, wrote this book in memory of her loving daughter. In this book, it tells how Cassie grew up and what memories she has left of her daughter. Her mom also interviewed Cassie's friends and put what memories they had left of her, too. Cassie was always writing notes to her friends about how bad her life was and how she wanted to run away. In this book, she shows the notes she had writen them. But in the last note she ever wrote, she gave to her friend right before she died. It had said that she had belived in God. Right before she got shot, she said the same thing. I look up to Cassie Bernall because she is a strong person who sticks up for what she belives in. I know that if I were in her situation, and they had asked me if I belived in God, I probably would have said, "I don't know" and just cooperated with them. But then again, everything does happen for a reason. So maybe she was meant to go. If I had to rate this book out of 10, it would be a 10. I think this book should be required to read because it is a true life story, and it could happen to anybody. I would also love to see the movie.



5. In this book, a girl named Cassie Bernall had got shot at her very own school. But she was only one of the many who were killed . Her mom ,Misty Bernall, wrote this book in memory of her loving daughter. In this book, it tells how Cassie grew up and what memories she has left of her daughter. Her mom also interviewed Cassie's friends and put what memories they had left of her, too. Cassie was always writing notes to her friends about how bad her life was and how she wanted to run away. In this book, she shows the notes she had writen them. But in the last note she ever wrote, she gave to her friend right before she died. It had said that she had belived in God. Right before she got shot, she said the same thing. I look up to Cassie Bernall because she is a strong person who sticks up for what she belives in. I know that if I were in her situation, and they had asked me if I belived in God, I probably would have said, "I don't know" and just cooperated with them. But then again, everything does happen for a reason. So maybe she was meant to go. If I had to rate this book out of 10, it would be a 10. I think this book should be required to read because it is a true life story, and it could happen to anybody. I would also love to see the movie.

1 comments about James Herriot's World of Animals: A Collection of Stories from the World's Most Beloved Veterinarian.

1. This audio collection is a repackaging of Herriot's Cat Stories, Dog Stories, and Animal Stories. I've never listened to any of Herriot's work (or read any for that matter!)--these stories are terrific. They remind me of Miss Read. This is another great addition to your "car trip" audio book collection!

5 comments about Growing Up.

1. Note: Some immature Mormon has been slamming my reviews because I wrote some negative reviews of books attempting to defend the Book of Mormon.
   
   So your "helpful" votes are greatly appreciated. A shorter review is not necessarily a bad review if it leads you to a great book. I've just noted the general theme. Thanks
   
   Inside my paperback copy of Russell Baker's book, I wrote "Great Book!"
   This was in 1985, and I would rank this memoir as one of the best I have ever read.
   
   From his youth in rural Virginia through the Depression in Baltimore, the very best of America shines though in this charming autobiography. I laughed till I cried at Baker's description of living above his uncle's funeral parlor. Whenever families gathered, he provided shrimp, and so whenever the young Russell smelled shrimp, he knew there was a funeral.
   
   Mrs. Baker's determination to raise a good family after her husband's death was inspiring. My own father died when I was fifteen, so I could see my mother in her--even though my story was set in the 1960s, not the 1930s.
   
   Highly recommended. I would also highly recommend the "Autobiography of Malcolm X." A very powerful account of Malcolm X's life. I do not agree with his religion, but I was inspired at how he turned away from a life of crime and made a better man of himself. In the last few years of his life, he turned away from the racism against whites that he had earlier believed.
   
   The Autobiography of Malcolm X : As Told to Alex Haley
   The Autobiography of Malcom X



2. Wanting to have a little more insight into the life of someone living through the Great Depression (besides my father) I found this book "filled the bill". The book isn't exciting and doesn't really have a plot, but is more like a "day in the life" of a young man living in hard circumstances and being too young to understand the depth of the hardships. The author has an engaging writing style that kept me from putting the book down. I found I felt like I knew him and could feel his fears, embarassments,and his insecurities.



3. WHen I first encountered "Growing Up" in 1983, I thought it was dull. Once I allowed myself to be patient, I realized how wrong I had been. When I allowed myself the time to read, "Growing Up" became a pleasure and a classic I have since read several times. Baker spent his early years in Virginia, in a time before modern communication. People in that time and place took their time telling a story, but good storytellers always get to a point. Those of us born after WWII have to learn not to expect instant gratification. A book like "Growing Up" teaches you that if you will let the storyteller tell his story, you will be caught up in his magic. Take the time to read "Growing Up" and I bet you will be sorry when you get to the end, hungering for more about Russell Baker and his family. Like all families, there is pain and anger, conflict and crisis, but at the core, in "Growing Up" and in the Baker family, there is deep love.



4. My three favorite books about growing up, "My Dog Skip", "The Old Man and the Boy", and this book, "Growing Up" by Russell Baker, were all written by newspaper and magazine journalists with Southern roots. There must be some southern storytelling tradition that turns out writers of great memoirs. This is a charming book, full of love of family, humor, and growing up during the difficult history of the depression. I have read and re-read this book, and always find something to laugh about or something that touches me deeply. I expected the reviews of this book to be all five-star accolades, and I am shocked and alarmed by the several reviewers who found the book "boring" and "repetitive". I can't help but wonder what comprises excitement in such readers' lives.



5. This is the first book by Russell Baker I've ever read. (I didn't even know who he was until I read the book Growing Up!) I love the way Russell Baker writes. I will definitely read more of his work very soon! What a fine man (and boy) Russell Baker is. Enjoyed his life story very much!

5 comments about Marcel Proust (Penguin Lives).

1. Although there is no shortage of books on Proust in English, and no shortage of enormously long biographies, there is a surprising lack of short biographies. Luckily, this excellent little volume by Edmund White fills a major need. While we have major long biographies like those of Painter, Tadie, and Carter, these may not be appropriate for someone wanting a brief overview. The trick with any biography of Proust is striking a balance between writing about Proust's life and Proust's art, not an easy task given the degree with which Proust based his work on events in his own life. It is virtually impossible to disentangle the two.

   This is a short book (around 150 pages), but in that brief span, White is able to touch on all the major events of Proust's life, the key relationships of his life, the major themes of his work as an author, and the ways in which Proust's life became the basis for his work. If one is unfamiliar with Proust before picking up this book, one will gain a first rate overview of him before setting it down. One thing that tremendously enhances the value of the book is an excellent annotated biography that gives a great overview of work on Proust both in English and French.

   White, who is a well known gay author, does a superb job writing about the myriad of contradictions in Proust's own work as a lightly closeted gay author. Although Proust's being gay is the worst kept secret of the century, Proust fought many duels over accusations that he was homosexual (or, an invert, as Proust would have put it). Proust was the first writer to write extensively about homosexuality, both male and female, but maintained a façade of heterosexuality to those who did not know him well.

   All in all, this is an excellent brief biography of the man many regard as the great novelist of the 20th century. I heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about Proust.




2. This is another in the series of Penguin Lives which attempts to give a biography of a famous figure in a short but well written book. This one on Proust is written by the well-known author of such books as Forgetting Elena and other acclaimed works of his own. In a lot of the Penguin Lives, the editors tried to commission another writer who had a lot in common with their subject. White is also a homosexual writer whose works have been vastly acclaimed and this gives him a "supposed" insight into Proust that other biographers have purposefully ignored.

   The entire life of Proust is hit on very efficently from his earliest years to his death. I liked the shortness of the book. I mean, I was interested in his life but not THAT interested to read a 500 page book about it. This short work was just right for the average interested reader. It was also written very well and enlightened me about many things about his life. For example, I always knew that he had become a recluse at the end of his life but never knew it was because of asthma.

   Something negative about the book was that time and again White seems to believe that there was no seperation from Proust's real life and that of his characters. He uses quotes from his novel to comment on his private life which in all authors never quite works. A novel is really not a true relation of a person's life. What really is? Everything is illusion or perception. Another thing that White does is try to put forth the proposition that Proust's homosexuality defined the whole inner cosm of his soul. I mean is Paul Auster or Chuck Pahlaniuk's soul simply filled with being heterosexual.
   White seems to belittle Proust's life and his work by trying to accent his sexual preference at the expense of offering new insights into his personal character or novel. I feel that White had a secret agenda, or rather an UNsecret agenda alongside this book. Still, it is entertaining and worth a look if you just want a short look at the life of one of the greatest novelists of all time.




3. This is not a deep study on the great French writer's work, nor is it meant to be. However, it is a slim, fascinating and surprisingly penetrating insight into the life and writing of Proust. This tale is consciously told from White's perspective touching on issues and aspects about Proust's life he is interested in. This includes the way the world perceives Proust & interprets his work, how his homosexual status effected his work and public persona, the interaction between his writing & life and citing the most interesting work that has been done preceding Proust's life. It follows the basic time line of Proust's life and is related in a gossipy though highly intelligent fashion. The most interesting aspect of the book is the way it examines the way he is able to historically place the opinion of homosexuality at the time with other writers and the politics of the time and explain how it effected Proust's life. It relates how his life was really guided by a need for love and approval and how this was reflected in his relationships with his mother & lovers and filtered into his writing. The border between fictionalization and wishful thinking is finely tread in Proust's work because of this. White also gives an interesting insight into the way Proust worked as a craftsman playing with and mixing the genres of novel and the essay. Though this book touches on many interesting academic issues such as this, it is a very entertaining read and can be read easily by anyone who is a large fan of Proust's work or a complete novice. It is admirable White is able to touch on aspects of the writer's life that have not be ever deeply explored before.



4. Too many biographers try to explain the life of the author by the content of their works. If you have not read them all, you are lost. Mr. White, fortunately, takes the opposite route. He gives us a clear and thorough history of Proust's life and then connects it to his writings. He fashions a monument of Proust the human being and helps us to much better understand his books. It is a fascinating biography and can be enjoyed even if one never read "Remembrance of Things Past". But this biography will make you want to read it.



5. When the dust settled after the Millennium lists of Best Books of the 20th Century, there was Marcel Proust's magnum opus Recherche le temps perdu at the head of the line. Though many of us struggled through all the volumes as a college assignment, fewer of us returned to the masterpiece, much less explored the ambiguitites of the author's life and times that afforded such a work. Well, here in easily digestible prose is a succinct history of a phenomenal writer (written by an equally phenomenal writer) that opens the door to more ventursome readers to explore the "Best of the 20th Century" writing. Edmund White distills all the facets of Proust's persona and what results is a fastidiously correct picture of a fertile imagination and man. How better to understand the turn of the century in all its multifaceted changes than to simply read this fine biography? Another work of seeming staggering proportions reduced to a gentle and absorbing read by one of our better authers writing today. Hats off!

5 comments about Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln.

1. Honor's Voice is terrific in two respects: both for its insights into Lincoln and for its insights into effective communication. I recommend it to anyone who uses words for a living, and for anyone who wants a fascinating, insightful look into how Lincoln crafted some of the most important speeches in our nation's history.



2. This book staggered me. Its careful research is combined with acute observations by author Wilson, on topics ranging from a fateful wrestling match that made Lincoln's reputation in a frontier village to Lincoln's bewilderment when courting Mary Todd. Wilson here produced one of the finest volumes ever to appear in the crowded field of Lincoln books. For anyone interested in how Lincoln's pre-presidential years shaped his conduct in the White House, Honor's Voice will be rewarding. It is one of the most significant Lincoln biographies I have ever read.



3. This is one of the most astonishing books I have ever read. I love history and yet this portrait of Abraham Lincoln is so much more. Had he been a Blacksmith, he would have been a hero. This was a man, a real man - no the greatest of men...who could not dissemble, lie, cheat, even when it came to marrying a woman that he knew (after they became engaged) would risk ruining his very life. He entered into a promise...and he would not go back on it. Of course, in those times, Breach of Promise (please read Anne Perry's book on this), was a serious offense against a woman's honor. But Lincoln carried this same integrity into everything he did no matter how difficult or huge - like the Civil War. I would hope that any student of American history would not miss out on this very important Masterpiece. As the cliche goes, if we do not learn from our own history, we are doomed (you know the rest....).



4. The reason this shouldn't be the first Lincoln book you read is that the author presupposes that the reader already has a basic command of Lincoln's life story. This book really speaks to those who are familiar with the various bits of Lincoln lore that permeate our culture: his wrestling match with Jack Armstrong, his courtship of Ann Rutledge, his off-and-on-again relationship with Mary Todd, and various accounts of his bookishness, his depression, and his early flirtations with agonisticism, among others.
   
   Having said that, I like this book more than any of the standard Lincoln biographies I own (I have the Thomas, Donald, and Sandburg bios.) The very best thing to read, of course, is Lincoln himself (his collected speeches and writings), but of the biographies written by others, this may be my favorite.
   
   The author dissects several of Lincoln's often-told formative experiences. In one example, he will explore the story of the wrestling match with Jack Armstrong, and ask:
   
   -- When is the earliest surviving account of the story, and what is the source?
   -- How has the story evolved over the years?
   -- How true is it? What does the evidence show?
   -- What is the significance of the story?
   
   For those who don't know the Jack Armstrong story, it is basically as follows: Lincoln was getting harassed by a gang of toughs in his town, and to deal with it, he challenged their leader, Jack Armstrong, to a wrestling match. The match was widely anticipated and witnessed, and Lincoln had the better of Armstrong. Afterwards, Armstrong restrained his allies, saying that Lincoln had won fair and square, and afterwards, he was a loyal friend to Lincoln, as were his associates.
   
   Like so many stories in the Lincoln canon, it's become a parable. It is a lesson about courage and forthrightness and insisting on fair play. In Lincoln's case, it also fills out the legend about his own physical strength, and how he became popular in his home town.
   
   Wilson's book analyzes many such stories. The anecdotes have varying degrees of truth, though on balance, most of the standard Lincoln tales do appear to be based in fact, even if they have become embellished over the years.
   
   You will like this book if you already enjoy the history of Lincoln, and if you like a little skeptical scientific inquiry thrown into your reading material. The reader is asked to travel along with the author as he gets to the bottom of the various issues surrounding Lincoln, and it's an enjoyable journey.
   
   I personally feel that this book is much more pleasant than as a mere exercise in critical history. I found that the dissection of these stories brought Lincoln much more fully to life for me. You get a much more multi-faceted view of the man because you aren't really relying on one author's perspective, as tends to be the case in other Lincoln biographies.
   
   It's an unusual work of history, and not the first Lincoln book to read, but it truly is outstanding. Highly recommended.



5. Teachers in criminal justice classes, I am told, often stage mock crimes in their classrooms. In the middle of a lecture, for example, a bandit will barge in, threaten the students, and make off with the professor's wallet. The students, at first shocked but then relieved when told that it was a staged event, are then asked to describe the event. What did the suspect look like? How tall was he? What color hair did he have? What was he wearing? What did he say? Invariably, there are multiple answers to those questions. People saw different things. No one version of what occurred is totally accurate.

   Wilson's book confronts that perennial problem of human perception. Though his 'transformation of Lincoln' plows familiar ground - how one solitary, unschooled backwoods man transformed himself into a national, albeit polarizing figure, through willpower, endurance, ambition, guts, and brains - his careful forensic method, as judge and jury of a multitude of competing facts and interpretations, makes this book a compelling tale, as much about how history is written as it is about how Lincoln evolved.

   And this is why I disagree with the reviews that describe this book as long-winded, tough-sledding and over-detailed. In Honor's Voice, Wilson provides a valuable glimpse into the historian's bag of tricks. Wilson takes each of the iconic moments of Lincoln's life - his storied wresting match with Jack Armstrong, his self-education, his disastrous romance with Ann Rutledge - and peels apart the layers, examining the historical record as closely as possible, evaluating the claims of eyewitnesses and second-hand sources, and holding each up to scrutiny before making any assertions; and even then, he is admirably cautious. Wilson presents a lot of quotes, exactly as written, from contemporaries who witnessed, or claimed to have witnessed, crucial events in Lincoln's life, and asks: Is this the truth? Who could have benefit from enhancing the truth? Who was really there? What about the quote lends it authenticity, or falsity? Yes, the narrative covers the same event numerous times, but this is the price one pays of exactness. Like the criminal justice students who have competing recollections of a recent event, not one of Lincoln's contemporaries knows the whole truth. But taken together, one gets a more clear picture of what might have happened.

   The risk, of course, is boredom and the frustration of dealing with multiple sources of the same event; but the reward is a new appreciation of Lincoln the man, as well as the historian's challenge of teasing out the facts in an era long since vanished.