5 comments about Love Can Build a Bridge.

1. This book was an inspiration in so many ways! I read the paperback, and now I want to own it in hardcover! It is uplifting and even if you are not a huge Judd fan, it is still a story that will touch your heart and encourage you as a woman to help you through adversity of many different kinds. There is FAITH, HOPE and LOVE in these pages!



2. After hearing that Naomi went to Eastern Kentucky University- where I graduated from with a degree in nursing, I wanted to buy her book. I was touched at all the obstacles that she had to overcome. Like being a non-traditional student. I was a Resident Assistant at a dorm for non-traditional students. I admire her courage to stand up to the plate and go for her dream. This courage and drive has been transmitted to Ashley and Wynonna too. They are all very powerful and inspirational women of faith!
   I have included her book in my listmania, "Books That Have A Bang!"



3. Drama Queens!!! Wow!!! A fascinating story, but maybe more "story" than "truth", eh? In any case, a good read. Fast, compelling, and lively. A plot twist on every page. The television mini-series didn't live up to the book. Would have been better as a Big Screen Movie. Two thumbs up!!



4. After reading this book twice, what I have to offer is this: EVERY AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS A WORK OF FICTION, AND EVERY WORK OF FICTION IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. Ditto for this book.



5. After reading this book twice, what I have to offer is this: EVERY AUTOBIOGRAPHY IS A WORK OF FICTION, AND EVERY WORK OF FICTION IS AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. Ditto for this book.

5 comments about Charles Chaplin: My Autobiography.

1. There is no doubt that Chaplin was a man of many talents, but he was also a human being. And like us all, was of contradictions, and many flaws. He tells of an absolute horrible childhood,with an alcoholic father, and a very emotional, unstable mother,that left him with a wary eye,towards practically everyone. It is true, that this autobiography left out those that he considered his equal. Such as Stan Laurel and Buster Keaton. He was probably deeply in love with a young girl named Hetty Kelly,that he knew in England-whom he never told how much he cared for her, and when she died, affected him profoundly. His pattern of marriages and their subsequent failures, told me that forever after, he continued to search for Hetty Kelly. Chaplin may have been famous, but this was one deeply sad story, that gave him a lifetime, to reflect on, and mourn.



2. Charlie Chaplin was always a sort of mystery to me. I never understood the political mystique, the teary-eyed love of all his fans, the emotional attachment. But I do now. He was a wonderful and courageous individual. He was human. He had weaknesses; he had loves. The story of his childhood in England and his mother was a Dickens novel in itself. I could hardly believe it. What a book. I thoroughly enjoyed it - from cover to cover.



3. CHARLES CHAPLIN: MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY tells the revealing life of one of the most beloved and iconic American silver screen legends of the twentieth century. In his well-known bowl hat, toothbrush mustache, floppy shoes, and bamboo cane, Chaplin had a long illustrious film career that spanned from 1914 to 1957 where he made about 88 films. Through his modest upbringing in Victorian era England by former stage performers, Charles and Hannah Chaplin, Charles picked up where his parents left off. He was an entertainer as he was an articulate man who lived a somewhat vagabond life, which included travels all over the world, but between directing and performing, he spent his time reading the classics from history to philosophy; he was observant of the world around him, but dealt with the subject of history as poetic and a breath of skepticism. Chaplin states, "After all, there are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in history books" (323).
   
   MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY does not cover controversial terrain. Chaplin is honest and respectful of the people he encountered throughout his career, and this is conveyed within his narrative. Charlie Chaplin lived and worked during the most serious periods in world history, the two World Wars and the controversy of looming accusations that he was tied to communist sentiment. Chaplin had the opportunity to become acquainted with the most towering dignitaries of the world, Sir Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, US presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, he offers little hints of particular encounters, such as with his meeting with Herbert Hoover, but does not elaborate on the details and leaves it up to the readers to come to their own conclusions. Indeed, he had a deep concern for humanity. He clearly was cognizant in translating his concerns through his creative endeavors, such as in his full-length films, "City Lights" and "The Great Dictator." One of the interesting aspects of Chaplin's discussion of "Dictator" is that he includes the transcript to the last lines to the film in this book.
   
   As a fixture of Hollywood, Chaplin shared the limelight with his peers. His most revered friendships were with Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, William Randolph Hearst, H.G. Wells, and mentor Upton Sinclair. He also experienced less than stellar relationships with different women that led to three failed marriages, but finally succeeded in finding happiness with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill, when she was only eighteen years old and shockingly, he was in his 50's.
   
   Overall, Charlie Chaplin shares with readers his most creative and colorful life. The only weakness to the book is that Chaplin seldom mentions any particular date to an event, thus readers are assumed to have knowledge of history and the individuals in which he speaks about in order to parallel these events to his own life. Nevertheless, MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY will enlighten the Chaplin aficionado or curious reader.



4. Once grown up, sort of, I never lingered long at the video shop over Chaplin's oeurve, passing his famous movies by for another day and then renting the Mambo Kings or True Grit, whatever. Finding his autobiography on a sale rack at Gecko Books in Chiang Mai stopped me though, and a few perused pages were enough to intrigue me as the man wrote affectionately and well. How the world has changed! Chaplin will acquaint you with turn-of-the-century London with its vibrant theatrical entertainment juxtaposed with 'work houses' and 'loony bins'. His initial tours as a stage actor in America are wonderfully rendered, filled with anecdotes worthy of Dos Passos, then followed by his swift ascent to fame and fortune working in and transforming the nascent movie industry in Los Angeles. After that sweet ride Chaplin confronted the 'talkies', a somewhat diminished energy and, eventually, the crude machinations of a voracious media and paranoid government. These latter periods are peppered throughout with overly long renditions of the rich and famous who sought him out or he them; mostly they ate and drank together. The look into celebrityhood is, at the very least, quite entertaining as a test of trivia. My Autobiography is a fine book and very well written, by one of the most engaging men of the twentieth century - I've got to rent those videos.



5. Chaplin is Chaplin. This is enough to make his autobiography interesting. It is his honesty and sensitivity and attempts to be in touch with himself at various points of his life that makes this book remarkable. And it is through sharing his inadequacies and traumas that the comic tramp makes me cry.
   
   This book is invaluable in getting an insight into early days of Hollywood. It also provides a great account of Charlie's life and struggles. So the learning is tremendous.
   
   However, the best part of the book is its humanness - fallible, confused, hesitant, and shy and yet successful, rich, adored, and mobbed by fans.
   
   What struck my heart is the loneliness in the midst of a celebrity status and Charlie's ability to get in touch with it and share it.
   
   What is also moving is his trauma during the McCarthy era and his eventual 'reverse migration' to Europe.
   
   Even JFK could not get him back.

5 comments about Me: Stories of My Life.

1. I first became curious about the life of Katherine Hepburn after seeing how she was portrayed in the wonderful film, The Aviator, starring Leonardo DeCaprio. So, when I found her autobiography, ME, available on CD read by Katherine, herself, I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. Anyone who has respect and admiration for Katherine Hepburn should treasure this recording. Particularly endearing were the chuckles in her sweet voice as she read; her childhood memories of tree climbing; her memories Howard Hughes landing a plane on a golf course and finishing out a round of golf wth her; and her undying love for Spencer Tracy. The CD ended beautifully with one of the most touching descriptions of love this 52 year old man has ever heard. Her admiration for "Spence" has provoked me to explore his movies. Boom Town starring Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, and Heddy Lamar came on TV the other night and I would have never thought to care for it had it not been for this CD. The movie was a delight! I am now a Spencer Tracy fan thanks to Ms. Hepburn.
   
   I highly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys reflecting on the fascinating people who made their mark in society and helped to make our lives more enjoyable. In my opinion, Katherine Hepburn should be regarded as a national treasure.



2. Wow, how disappointing. The opening of this book leads you to believe you'll learn the true Katharine Hepburn, but it's all about how great, how loved she is, from her point of view. "oh they loved me", "Oh they thought I was beautiful", everything "was such fun" It's painful, very painful to listen to her chatter like a teenager who's so full of themself.
   Her brother commits suicide and even that was unemotional... pretend it didn't happen, that's Hollywood. She never exposes who she is, she acts throughout this book.



3. Listening to Ms. Hepburn's audiobiography now, what a witty and charming lady she was! We always knew she was so talented, and now we get to hear from her, herself, in her own words. She's a true star -- in every sense of the word!



4. Her life and her stories are so interesting and the way she tells them makes you almost hear her voice while reading the words. Her phrasing is almost like stream of consciousness (not like Virginia Woolf-stream of consciousness, just very fragment-y, incorrect grammar, etc.) I got the feeling that what she allows the reader to learn about is only a small fraction of what she really knows and has experienced in her life, not to mention that the stories are more than likely a little one-sided at times, as if the other person in the story, if you could talk to them, would have a completely different version of the same event. But that's part of the attraction of the book for me.
   Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot on Spencer Tracy, and leaves a bunch to the reader's imagination in that department (Spencer was married to someone else the entire time they were a "couple" and she alludes to the fact that they spent time living together; how did this work?). But you definitely pick up on her absolute reverence for the man and their relationship, which is why she doesn't reveal much.
   Overall it's a fascinating glimpse inside the workings of one of America's most famous, most talented, most enigmatic actresses with SO many quirks and interesting ideas and beliefs about life.



5. Katharine Hepburn was an amazing American actress and icon. Although you wouldn't think so reading this book, Kate doesn't think of what she does as anything to be ashamed of or boast about. I could still see her in the documentary after this book came out. She said Oscars are nice but they won't garden for you or something like that. She was a remarkable human being. I just have one criticism. She left out the Golden Pond but she also left a very nice page to her devoted platonic secretary, personal assistant and companion, Phyllis. I thought it was so touching that she wrote something so nice about her. It can kind of gives you goosebumps to the amazing person that she was. Sadly, she discovered her brother's dead body from a suicide. Her struggles as an actress and her relationship with the love of her life, Spencer Tracy, is also there for the audience. She clearly loved him so much and yet, they could teach today's celebrities a thing or two about being discreet but they were truly movie stars and gifted actors beyond my comprehension. Katharine, we miss you and this book provides us some of your voice.

5 comments about Speaking Truth to Power.

1. One thing that we all wondered was: "Why did Hill wait until Thomas was being evaluated for a position on the Supreme Court to make these allegations?" And it turns out that she did not and only brought these issues to thefore when found by an investigation into Thomas' background.
   
   There were also a lot of details that were not apparent about the nature of the trial: 1. The congressional hearings were NOT conducted by attorneys, and so the usual rules of courtroom conduct and gathering evidence were not adhered to; 2. Some of the detailed nature of the ugliness toward people that are caught in the middle of congressional hearings (the documentary on Susan McDougal was another example of how the sheer hostility that politicians can display toward anyone that gets in the way); 3. Details of the statements that Thomas made to her. It was also more clear that the environment in which she was working (a person-- among MANY others-- trying to get thhe letters of recommendation and make the ties that would get her a job somewhere) might have made her a lot more timid in telling Thomas where to go with his remarks.
   
   On the bad side, I can say that Hill's tone was the faintest bit melodramatic-- and this makes me wonder just how serious the comment made to her were-- noting that she offered information about the content of his statements but not direct quotes.
   
   All in all, the book is very balanced and level-headed-- if a bit more wordy than necessary. (It could have been shortened by about 50 pages without missing anything-- although it was not nearly the verbose disaster of, say something written by Ayn Rand. On account of this, I'm taking off one star.)



2. At the beginning of the book Hill writes, "I did not choose the issue of sexual harassment, it chose me." And that is undoubtedly true. Anita Hill is a household name and her name immediately brings to mind the issue of sexual harassment. Hill describes how the issue chose her in this book.
   You can tell just how truthful this book is by the way in which it was written. This is not the best written book. But, Anita Hill puts on no airs, she just tells the truth and the way she saw it in a simple, understandable voice.
   And the truth is, she was put through the ringer by people in power who did not want to a) acknowledge that sexual harassment is a problem, and b) change the current widespread problem of sexual harassment and thus change our current power structure.
   It is interesting to note how Hill relates the problem of sexual harassment to other crimes committed against women which are also motivated by power and control. These comparisons ring a bell of truth.
   Hill also writes about how at times, when one is a ethnic minority and a woman, one has to choose between honoring their gender and honoring their race. Her analysis of this is enough to read the book.
   I recommend this book to those who are interested in getting to know the real Anita Hill, those who are interested in insider politics especially when it concerns problems unique to women, and those who are interested in the way that different minority groups bisect each other.
   The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating is because, as I mentioned, it's not the most well written book. I feel that at times the writing was circular and repetitive. The words don't leap off the page. However, also, at times the writing is very direct and potent and say the truth in a manner that is clear and concise. At those times, ideas leap off the page.



3. Anita Hill proves that she was telling the truth with this book and I always knew that she was.
   
   It's so sad that so many were able to demonize and scandalize this woman and her intentions, but in the end, the TRUTH always wins.
   
   This powerful autobiography is a MUST READ, a book that you won't be able to put down or to forget. I'm so glad I read it.
   
   
   
   



4. When this book first came out, I was drawn to the cover, because I knew that there were many messages for me in this book. Yet, I hesitated to read this, because I had not voiced what I felt about those hearings.

   I actually looked over my shoulders, when I glanced through this book, before buying it, because I had decided that so many people around me demanded my opinion of this tragedy.

   When I watched the hearing, while I sat next to others, for whatever reason I waited to say whether or not I believed Dr. Hill. I wanted to process it all, in the privacy of my own space.

   Watching her, on many levels I related to her. Yet, I had some unanswered questions that reading this book, along with other books that reference this tragedy helped me to make my own decisions about what happened.

   Dr. Hill put a voice to many of the challenges that I had, as professional African-American woman, who wanted to speak about many issues that too high a number of African-Americans refused to communicate. Before reading this book, I wanted to be free to speak against some socialized rules that I grew up with, that are common in African-American families. But, I wanted to communicate that I am proud of being African-American.

   And as a result of reading this book, I gained tremendous courage to fully live my life's mission, which is to guide women and girls to earn trust in themselves.

   To this day, as a journalist, if an editor argues against Anita Hill, I refuse to write for that paper.

   Thank you, Dr. Hill.




5. I am so glad I read this book - it gave me insight into what a wonderful woman Anita Hill is in explaining the ordeal she went through in testifying at "the hearings." I must admit that at the time, I didn't believe Hill's testaments; she appeared nervous and uncertain whereas Thomas appeared very sure of himself, was outraged, and even went so far as to cry before the Senate Committee and television cameras. Of course, I now realize that was just an act.

   Anyhow, I thought that after the hearings were over, Anita Hill went back home to Oklahoma and went on with her life, the ordeal forgotten. After reading this book, I had no idea that Hill endured further harassment from students at the university where she taught, faculty, the media, and people who never knew her nor she them. It was downright outrageous and disgusting.

   Hill writes eloquently about her roots, her upbringing in Oklahoma, her years at Yale Univ. Law School, and her job at the EEOC where she worked under Clarence Thomas and the harassment she endured from him, her subsequent career change all the way up until the hearings. It's all interesting and worth reading.

   Anita Hill is the catalyst for which the laws of sexual harassment have changed and claims for which are now taken very seriously. It is very unfortunate that she had to take such torment and emotional brutality as a result of it, as if harassment from Thomas wasn't enough in and of itself.

   That Thomas is now sitting on the highest court in the land for life, knowing the content of his character and demeanor, is indeed disturbing. But I hope that deep inside he is sorry and feels the utmost remorse and guilt for his mistreatment of Anita Hill and all his other victims.

   The truth always come out - maybe not today or tomorrow - but eventually it does. Thomas knows what he did, and the world knows what he did despite his "categorical" denials.

   It is my hope that Anita Hill finds the peace and happiness she deserves. Her life will never be the same, as she herself admits, but unfortunately almost all movers and shakers's lives were and are forever changed.

   An insightful and honest book, I recommend it highly.

5 comments about Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill Alone 1932-1940.

1. A frightening story with a redoubtable yet all too human hero who prevails. There are even evil and bumbling villains along the way during this shameful period. The Last Lion should be required reading for politicans and world history students. William Manchester does a masterful, well researched [and entertaining] job of describing the inspirational leader of the Free World.



2. There are two volumn of "The Last Lion" and both are them are an excellent history of not only one of Great Britain's finest statesman of the 20th century, but one of the World greatest statesman, historian, and many have said "the man of the 20th Century" And after reading these two volumns one might have to agreee with the historians.
   Congtributed by Hurdrey Angus Jordan



3. This book was given to me by my father, who is a huge fan of Winston. I was absolutely shocked and amazed by the information that this book brought to light. I was taught, so little about WWII! I was amazed. I savored this book. I would recommend and have recommended this book to anyone, who would listen. Prepare to be amazed by the man and confronted with the real realities of Britain before and during the first declarations of war.



4. For some inexplicable reason, the second (and unfortunately final) volume of William Manchester's biography sat on my shelf unread for some time. I think because the book spans the years 1932 to 1940 -- and does not cover most of World War II -- I skipped the book over, figuring that Winston's best and most important years were his war years. After reading "Alone", I realized immediately how wrong I was: if anything, Manchester's incredible book demonstrates that Churchill's so-called "wilderness years" out of power were his finest hour. Unquestionably, Churchill provided resolute leadership to Great Britain -- as well as the rest of the Allied world -- during the War. But he perhaps demonstrated even greater leadership while out of power, when he was quite literally the only European statesman who was repeatedly warning the world of the dangers of Nazi Germany and calling for rearmament to stand up to Hitler. Thus, "Alone" is not just about Churchill and his greatness, but also a powerful historical record of the dangers of appeasement in the face of tyrants.
   
   This book goes beyond being a simple historical biography. Manchester's writing is delightful and seamless, literally depositing you into Churchill's time and Churchill's life. It maintains and builds a tenseness throughout the book as the world moves closer and closer to war despite Churchill's warnings, which if heeded, could have averted the conflict many times over. The work is meticulously researched and crafted, and flows perfectly. Perhaps most of all, reflective of the title, Manchester captures how completely and totally alone Churchill was during the 1930s. Aside from a very small coterie of loyal friends, Churchill alone rose in opposition to appeasement in the House of Commons and elsewhere hundreds of times as Hitler consolidated his power, practically begging his nation's leadership to stand up to the Fuhrer.
   
   I suppose that one sign of a great work is that it moves you in some way, and evokes great emotion as you read it. The most striking asset of this book is how angry, shocked, and prideful I was as I read it. I shook my head in disgust at least 100 times as I read Manchester's descriptions of the putrid, almost treasonous behavior by Prime Ministers John MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin, and of course Neville Chamberlain as they repeatedly ignored Churchill's warnings and countless pieces of evidence showing that Hitler would not be appeased. Manchester's sections on the Munich Crisis and Britain and France's literal sacrifice of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis is particularly noteworthy; the Chamberlain government literally served the nearly defenseless nation on a platter to the German war machine despite a pledge from the British to defend them if invaded. Much of the book in fact summarizes the folly of His Majesty's Government's appeasement policy, and Churchill's many warnings against the policy. Fascinatingly, appeasement was heartily endorsed by nearly the entire British media establishment, which repeatedly refused to air Churchill's views and other dissenting voices. Indeed, as Manchester well demonstrates, the government and media literally crafted its policies and made important appointments, with pleasing Hitler being the sole objective. While hindsight is of course 20-20, reading these sections was completely maddening to me, and made me want to scream many times over.
   
   I hesitated writing a review of this book because I know it is impossible to do full justice to Manchester and this fantastic book. I just wanted to express how much I enjoyed the book; it completely lives up to its reputation as perhaps the finest Churchill biography and easily the most accessible. I, like millions of other readers, am greatly saddened that illness and other tragedies kept Manchester from completing the final volume of his intended trilogy. Treat yourself to this book: it will give you greater appreciation of Winston Churchill's greatness, courage, and foresight, and probably an even greater hatred of appeasement and diplomatic cowardice.
   
   Five big stars.



5. This was the first William Manchester book that I ever read. I found it inspiring. After reading it, I promised myself that I would read everything that Manchester has written. To date I've read several but I still have a few to go. Mr. Manchester is another one of those historians that makes studying and learning History easy. I had no idea what a character Winston Churchill really was. Manchester recreates a real true to life human being, with faults, idiocincracies, humor, courage, and some great phrasing. After reading both volumes of Manchester's on Churchill, I then wanted to read Churchill himself. From a writing perspective Churchill was great - but Manchester was better. Today I am a fan of both men. They were both heroic in their lives and fascinating in their prose.

2 comments about Black Mutiny (Nova Audio Books).

1. Black Mutiny is a well-written, highly interesting account of the events surrounding the Amistad. It is an excellent companion piece to Spielburg's movie, AMISTAD (this is the book on which the movie was based). The reader should be cautioned, however, that this book is a work of historical fiction. It is not a scholarly account of events, albeit an interesting and -- most probably -- factual one. For me personally this did not detract from the book. But then I am only an amateur historian and enjoy historical fiction if it is done well and does not embellish extensively, and Owens did not. Nevertheless, if the reader is expecting a footnoted text, then this is not the book for you. William Ownes, the late folklorist and English professor, wrote "Black Mutiny" in 1953. To make the book more appealing to today's market, two brief essays by black activists/historians have been added. I recommend not reading either essay until after reading the text, or possibly not reading them at all. They add nothing to Owens' story of Cinque and the Amistad and both essays are bigoted, racially charged and are of interest to only a select audience.



2. I set upon to read this book to read a real account of what happened on the Amistad before I saw the movie which I heard was historically flawed. I don't know if that is the case because I have not seen the movie, but this book enriched me in ways I never could have foreseen. This book made me question the "inherent morality" and goodness of America envisioned in the "City on a Hill" analogy invoked by so many people. This book described in vivid detail the plight of Africans that were captured by the Spanish along the Slave Coast and their transport to Cuba. In addition, the book speaks of the complicity of the United States in allowing and, in fact, looking away as the slave trade continued in Havana long after Spain and England had signed a treaty declaring the trade illegal. How ironic that the nation that the United States broke from because of tyranny was the nation almost soley responsible for rescuing captured Africans from their Spanish captors. Owens also tells in the book of how horribly blacks were treated IN THE NORTH being driven out of towns and neighborhoods by people claiming to be Christian. This book makes one take a look at the hipocrisy that fills the history of the United States and how the case of the Amistad underscored the American paradox of "all men are created equal" and the institution of slavery. This book taught me that America has much to be sorry for though HER PROMISE is inspiring. It also taught me why many black people wish to be called African-American...it is the only way to acknowledge a heritage that was lost when upon arrival in Cuba they were given Spanish names denoting a European heritage that is not theirs.

5 comments about Pryor Convictions.

1. The mystery of how Richard Franklin Lenox Thomas Pryor III survived and became wildly successful after growing up in a family that made its living by running a prostitution business, in which all of the adult members were participants; being molested by a Catholic Priest at a school that eventually expelled him; becoming a school drop out at the age of fourteen, running through six wives, and a cocaine habit big enough to purchase a hospital in Peru, set himself on fire while free-basing cocaine, having a heart attack, multiple sclerosis, and then bilked out of millions by a dishonest agent, is truly a story worth reading.
   
   This book is Richard Pryor's autobiography told with some of his best jokes serving as punctuation marks. And as was true of his life, this book is as much pathos as it is comedy, and clearly intended to be both.
   
   But here, perhaps for the first time, in its subtext, Pryor reveals the true strength of his character and his humanity: it is in his uncompromising ability not to accept the racist reality that he found himself engulfed in, at face value. To Pryor not only was the racist reality "not real" and thus not to be trusted, it also was not universal, not legitimate, nor the last word about the humanity of his own private life and environment, or by extension, of this nation.
   
   Even though the racist reality of Peoria, Illinois, tried to set limits for Pryor, he kept finding ways to jump over its hurdles. Until his death, with every fiber of his body, Pryor fought everyday of his life against allowing it to define who he was. In doing so, like his hero, Muhammad Ali, he transcended it and America's brutally racist system, and in the process, became larger than life, and larger than his own tragic circumstances. As this book demonstrates, he fought a valiant fight, but in the end, it took its expected toll: The battle destroyed him from the inside out.
   
   This book, like the movie of his life produced by him, "Jo Jo Dancer," traces the evolution of Pryor's character development across his life journey. It is sobering only in its uncompromising honesty.
   
   Five Stars



2. The book is immediately interesting and arresting. However, Mr. Pryor goes through lulls of semi-coherent, discractive writing. Pryor is very open with the reader in this book, describing everything he went through in fascinating candor. That alone makes this a must buy. Rich talks about selling out to mainstream Hollywood throughout his career. He did most pictures, regardless of the often atrocious scripts, admittedly, just for the money. There are also many fascinating stories about his habitual drug use and addiction(s). But this fact and the obligatory stories and excuses that follow allow the reader to realize he was a wild, carefree human being. Who was, admittedly, lucky to live as long as he did, considering the aforementioned drug abbuse.
   The book is 247 pages and 30-plus chapters which makes for a quick read. You won't be emphatically pleased that you purchased this book, but you won't be upset either.



3. I tried to give Pryor a chance and see what makes him do what he did. I'd read his daughter's book first and he sounded like a pretty violent and mentally challenged man. I figure there are three sides of the story, so I'll read the second side. This dude blew me. He joked about beating up women like it was justifiable, had no idea it was wrong, and continuously excused his own faults. When children do it, I can blow it off as just having to grow up and understand responsibility. But how can I respect a comedian who does so many things that aren't funny? I wasn't a fan of Pryor before I read his book and now I'm definitely sticking to that opinion. I did, however, enjoy his alter ego's anecdotes.



4. Using excerpts from his "Mudbone" monologues to accentuate the events of his life, Pryor puts together a collection of memories that make PC a must-read. I can only think of a few other autobiographies that even come close.



5. In chapter 20 of this book Richard Pryor offhandedly calls his comedy style "profane and profound" and inadvertently sums up his life and this book perfectly. This is at various times the most dirtyminded, hilarious, shocking, or downright disturbing autobiography you may ever read, but always with his great dark humor. With a bizarre and damaging childhood in Peoria, Richard Pryor was raised in his grandmother's place of business - which happened to be a whorehouse with all of its shady and unwholesome characters. A violent and painful childhood full of profanity and prejudice came out in Richard's comedy, which was truly groundbreaking in its shocking honesty. He lived a wild life in the spotlight, with addictions and a constant parade of rough women, including five wives that he divorced six times. The wives are hard to keep track of, but Richard is always brutally honest about his attitudes toward women even if it's rarely pretty. He also has a very refreshing outlook on racial matters, as the prejudice that was so damaging failed to ruin his respect for all people of any color. Most of the tail end of the book concerns his nearly born again soul searching about his infamous addictions and latest losing battle with multiple sclerosis. In addition to Richard's straightforward and unforgiving narratives, there are very frequent asides from one of his stage characters, Mudbone, who here is acting as his even more brutally honest alter ego. This gives the book an often jarring schizophrenic character, and surely reflects the true workings of Pryor's dark genius.

5 comments about The Diary of Samuel Pepys.

1. Very entertaining and enlightening. Pepys gives us a glimpse of what life was like in that period before the "Glorious Revolution" in England which was so important in the developement of democracy in England and the United States. Pepys was on the wrong side of that revolution - a loyalist to King Charles II, although he was never convicted of treason. Good thing, since there seemed to be a lot of beheadings, etc. in that era. Occasionally, it is not absolutely clear what Pepys is talking about, and sometimes the vocabulary is not easily understood,as language and customs have changed, but that is to be expected.



2. When I started reading the diary, I expected it to be extremely boring and very old fashioned (seeing how it was written in the 1600's) - how wrong I was!!!
   Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') is a human, funny, moody man who has his ups and downs like the rest of us. His narrative during the plague records his concern about neighbors, and his real sorrow when people he knows succumb to it. He also records his experiences during the great fire of London in 1666 and his first mention of it strikes me as entirely human - he says that his maids wake him as they have heard of the fire and as it is not near his doorstep he simply goes back to bed as he's tired. He has arguments with his wife, and has cast a lusty eye upon the kings mistress for years! He also has, what I call 'mini affairs' where he kisses and fondles women quite regularly, (including his own maids) and seems to have no guilt about this whatsoever. Most mornings he 'drinks' his breakfast and at one point is outraged that his new wig is teeming with nits! An historical and very human read. Makes me realise that after 450 years we are all no different at all........



3. It is kind of hard to match up these reviews of the Pepys' Diary with specific volumes, probably due to the nature of ISBN numbers. However, this review is about Volume 10, the Companion to the 10 vol. set of paperbacks (complete edition) by the University of California Press. IT IS a valuable book indeed, being 1700 entries, alphabetically arranged, on the details about the people and places mentioned in the Diary. It has 626 numbered pages and genealogical tables and maps.



4. There are on the Amazon site two excellent, informative reviews of the Pepys' diaries. They say far more than my own contribution.
   I have read in and out of the Pepys' diary more than once. I did this in part because I have read many times that they are the ' best diaries' ever written. Without contending with that I found that they were not for me the most interesting. This probably shows more about my own shortcomings than it does about the work of Pepys.
   Pepys' work is filled with description of the life of the time. It is rich in perception of the great city of London in Restoration times. It is filled with personal anecdote, gossip including that relating to his prodigious sexual appetite and activity. It is a busy, businesslike work. And it tells more about a world outside than a world in.
   In the diaries I most love there is the quest of the soul to deeply understand itself and its relation to other people, and God. I find that the flurry of activity in the life of Pepys does not lead to this kind of reflectiveness. And thus for me the 'diary' is not a highly significant work personally.



5. I've long been a student and a collector of information on the personalities of Restoration England, growing out of a desire to know more about the background in literature classes. The Restoration crowd loved life, and in this volume (and presumably the next) you see how tenuous their lives were -- 5000 a week in the City of London dying of plague, two fleets of 100 ships each at war in a narrow sea, everyone so intent on feathering their nest and getting their next place, and an honest man rarest commodity of all. I love all these diaries. I've learned to ignore a lot of the textural (not text) notes that tell you if there was a blot on the page, or the symbol was not quite clear, but the footnotes are amazing and so is the information. Love Sam; he could have done pretty much as he pleased with me, I fear. But in his daily strolls of 5 miles and more I fear I could never have kept up as he went up and down the town, up and down the river. I've been to London and took the boat tour on the Thames from the houses of Parliament down to Greenwich to see the naval museum and Queen's house -- and he would walk, day or night, from London to Depworth, to Woolwich, to Greenwich (though he'd borrow the boat if he could) and pay attention to all he passed. What a companion!

   Unfortunately for my budget's sake I started buying these in 3s and am now having trouble filling up 1666-1669. I will persevere, though, and anticipate a re-read of all or part probably every summer (while TV takes a dive and there's good light to read by until long into the evening). The only thing I have wished for is more portraits of the people he is speaking of--and the portraits by Huysmans and Lely that he reports having seen fresh painted. However, financially that may not have been doable. Will have to keep searching for a companion Restoration Portraits volume to keep me happy.

   Great reading - do start from the beginning to get into the swing of things. A random paragraph doesn't put you "in the life" like the unrolling panorama does. A better map of London at your elbow (though there is one in the back of each volume) will also increase your pleasure.

5 comments about Shooter.

1. The author/sniper seems to enjoy shooting Iraqis a little too much. Of course, shooting enemies is one of his duties, and he has a right to feel good about doing it well. But the book overflows with cocky statements like "I considered the ill-trained, poorly led soldiers of Iraq to be hamburger in my scope, practically begging me to kill them, and I was more than ready to grant that wish." Still, if you can tolerate the author's apparent machisimo and arrogance, and his constant whining every time his superiors order him to do any job that does not involve shooting, you will get a little piece of action-packed history from the perspective of a person who lived it.



2. Overall a good and well written book. It surprised me how flowing the narrative was in this book, seeing as it was a biography,and autobiography at that. Shooter has none of the long drawn out side paths to the story, nor setting up one part of the characters life, then another. There is a bit of set-up in the form of the first chapter, and some side paths to the story, non longer then a page and most a single paragraph. The bulk of the story focuses on Gunnery Sgt. Coughlin's envelopment in the training and invasion of Iraq.
   
   There is the occasional cliche' and the book is as gung-ho as would be excepted from a Marine, but the smoothness of the storytelling and the Coughlin's clarity in retelling events far surprised those rather minor complaints.
   
   A quality book all around.



3. This is a great story. Jack Coughlin is a great Marine and a great sniper. The book is written with a real cocky, type-a personality kind of tone. It doesn't come off all that bad, but you have to get used to it. It's written as if Jack Coughlin were standing in front of you, and talking at you. This is a good buy if you like military books. I got it for free from a co-worker, so the price was right and I wasn't out anything even if it sucked...which it didn't.



4. Read this if you want to put out the welcome matt "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."
   Calculated killing in war can sharpen wisdom and appreciation for life.
   Coughlin's words are the gemstones of a genuine sage and his insights are as sharp as his shots.
   He reveals his marriage problems with way more class and grace than "a human being should be allowed to have."
   A platoon of Jeff Foxworthys or Jerry Seinfelds could not have conjured, in their finest hour, the real-life and hilarious laser war chaos created by Jack the Sniper.
   The man is a legend and a genius.



5. I THINK THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT BOOK. IT HELD MY ATTENTION THROUGH OUT THE STORY.I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR EVERYONE TO READ BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT A TRUE HERO.

2 comments about Papa, My Father.

1. In the famous Buscaglia style, Leo writes about his childhood with humor, love, and PASSION! Its about a time gone by that perhaps we all wish we could have had. A Fathers Day tribute!



2. a fablous book wirtten with the outmost love and feeling. Leo captures the image of the Italin father perfectly. Amazing, heartwarming, perfect. A must buy!!!!!