3 comments about Final Rounds.

1. As James and his Dad take a final trip to Scotland, he and his wonderful Dad get to know each other and the love for each other, which had always been there becomes very personal. Golf is the game each loves and becomes the expression of their love for each other. They communicate and connect for long or short drives, it doesn't matter. The game of golf is there spoken and unspoken language. Opti, Jame's dad, has a few months to live, and his pain is numbed by playing and being near his son. They truely connect and James reads his dads words and remembers every detail of his life. The man is certainly teeing of with Bobby Jones, Julius Boros and Old Tom Morris. Waiting and watching are Love, Strange, Watson and a host of others who have shown the same respect for the game. Every golfer who was taught the game as a child by a parent (my Mother was my Opti) will relate and cry thru the last chapter, just as I did.



2. Truly an outstanding story wonderfully told. A love story about Dad's and son's that anyone with a heart will enjoy.

   I listened to the tapes on a long trip. Upon returning home, the last tape was not complete so I sat in the car for 30 minuites to hear the end




3. Even though I'd read the book, I recently bought the audio for a new long commute. James Dobson's reading of his own words is a poignant description of the journey he and his father make towards the end of their relationship. As with many aspects of life, golf and this journey reflect upon each other. The goals on the course mirror those in life; balance, harmony, relaxation while trying to achieve important goals. James Dobson narrates this journey, on and off the golf course, with compassion and humor. It has helped me in my thoughts about both golf and my father..

5 comments about The Simple Faith Of Mister Rogers: Spiritual insights from the world's most beloved neighbor.

1. I got this book after reading one of Mister Rogers quote books. It was such a feel good book, I ordered a few more and had them sent to friends.



2. This is an honest and well written book which includes good examples of how Fred Rogers was the real deal. This book substantiates that there is a way to be a good person in a bad world and that way is through living the Christian faith, leaning on God. Fred Rogers had that kind of faith and was that kind of person.



3. This book is nice, and a great way to remember Mr. Rogers, who evidently was as wonderful a person as could ever be. But it is written from a very personal point of view--so if you are looking for more of a biography or profile of Fred Rogers this is not the one. Some reviewers have complained about the overt Christianity in the book. Hello! He was a minister after all! And a Christian one! Anyhow, the author gives many examples of how Mr. Rogers was never too busy for her and her family, even though they were not close friends. Pretty cool.



4. I once wrote to Fred Rogers, asking him a few questions concerning technical aspects of the show. I did this because I have a job in recorded media, albeit a low-key one.
   
   Anyway, I expected a short reply - if anything - and, knowing how many people in media are, wouldn't have been surprised to receive no reply at all. What I got, instead, was a handwritten three-page letter, pre-printed inserts concerning my questions totalling about 15 pages, and a personally autographed photo.
   
   That's how Fred Rogers was. He cared deeply about the smallest things. He considered every request made of him as a blessing; an opportunity to enrich not only the life of the person asking, but also his own. And Amy Hollingsworth has captured that loving, giving spirit magnificently in this book.
   
   I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is quite possibly the most spiritually uplifting book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Please do yourself a favor and buy it. You will not be sorry you did.



5. The world lost a great man when Fred Rogers died. We are fortunate that his words of wisdom live on through his many videos and writings and the memories that others like Amy share with us. Thank you, Fred. Thank you, Amy.

1 comments about Jack: Straight from the Gut.

1. There is some good information in here, but it is far too long to be required reading for my management teams. The pertinent messages are too hard to pick out of the unabridged version.

5 comments about The Natural: The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton.

1. Joe Klein takes a detailed, dispassionate look at the Clinton Presidency. He takes great pains to put it in perspective, both generational (Baby Boomers take over from the WWII Generation) and international (pre-9/11). He acknowledges that it took Clinton a while to get a handle on being President, and bemoans how much was opportunity was squandered because of the President's own failings. Yes, Klein opines (and I agree) that Bill Clinton is one of the most staggeringly bright and naturally gifted men to ever hold the White House. But he also nails Clinton on character issues, even beyond Monica Lewinsky (once referring to the President as "a bimbo when he comes to flattery"). When you're done with the book, you appreciate all the nuanced things Clinton accomplished, but you're heartbroken over what he could have done, if not for the inexcusable distractions.



2. This short, fast-moving book on Bill Clinton forsakes a historian's detailed and measured treatment to get at the essence of this man's presidency. Because it's more like a magazine article than a doorstop, you're likely to actually read it, maybe in one sitting.
   
   The book has become timely again, in light of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid. The "Hillaryland" liberal faction split the White House of her husband, elected as a "Third Way" moderate. Her premature insistence on addressing health care was the most grievous policy error of her husband's presidency. And Hillary's unbelievably complicated proposal, concocted in secret, showed no political sense. Aides described how Hillary could drive Bill, with a phone call, from a good mood to a staff-chastising tantrum, and how they distinguish those tantrums by the tone of his shouting.
   
   She comes across as the more conspiratorial and paranoid of the two, an uncompromising liberal true-believer pursuing a scorched-earth policy against enemies. Sort of like, uh, that president she helped impeach, Richard Nixon. You wonder how she, and this country, would fare with her in the Oval Office.
   
   Klein does not see this as a sham marriage, though. While ever aware they might be playing him, he sees them as devoted to each other.
   
   One of his best chapters describes how Washington's culture of political warfare began with Watergate, intensified through the endless Iran-Contra investigations and the attack-ad era and culminated in the Gingrich speakership and the relentless Whitewater, Paula Jones and Lewinsky investigations.
   
   Clinton failed his potential for several reasons. The placid Nineties were too tame for a truly great presidency. After the healthcare miscalculation, he never seized another opportunity to remake major domestic policy. And the impeachment scandal fatally distracted him in 1998 when he had the budget surplus and standing with Congress to make a real mark by fixing Social Security.
   
   Like a charcoal sketcher, Klein has a fine eye for quick but telling detail. He sees Clinton as needy of praise and human contact. He'd keep dazed listeners awake into the wee hours, talking more and more intensely, unwilling to let the moment go.
   
   Klein describes bowling with him one midnight just before the New Hampshire primary, after the candidate enters but finds the emptied-out joint devoid of hands to shake. Klein, awaiting his turn in the lane, would find Clinton standing so close he pressed up against him, seeming to crave human contact. Clinton's intense but flawed humanity is what makes him interesting, and endlessly so.



3. The book shows that a journalist wrote it. That wasn't meant to be as backhanded as it seems. The stories about Clinton et al are those we can recall, this isn't a back room exposé full of conspiracy theory.
   A good journalist (at least) writes as if he has something to tell you. Only in the last chapter does Klein really subject the reader to an opinion piece.
   If you were alive at all for the eight years of Clinton's presidency then...no, none of this is really "new" or "insightful" but I, for one, found it none the less interesting.



4. I have to admit that Klein's book about the Clinton presidency is one of the most objective accounts of Clinton I have ever seen. Although friendly with the ex-prez, Klein pulls no punches and presents Clinton's presidency warts and all. In the end we all know what Clinton did, but Klein gives us more insight as to the "whys" of his actions. Is Clinton the greatest president of all time? No. Is he the worst? Not even close. If all books on presidents were written as objectively as this one, we would all have a better understanding of what makes these men tick.
   Is Clinton a better president than W? You tell me: peace and prosperity vs. war, a declining stock market, and skyrocketing gas prices.



5. I got the impression that Mr. Klein just threw together a bunch of odds & ends he had left over from another book and notes -- the way they made the movie "Midway" out of edit-outs from "Tora, Tora, Tora!"

No comments about Bob Dylan: Chronicles.

No comments about The Marys in the New Testament (Kandour Biographies).

No comments about Mysteries of the Unknown: Dreams and Dreaming (Audio Adaptations of the Time Life Book Series).

5 comments about Theodore Roosevelt (The American Presidents).

1. Want to know more about American presidents? The American Presidents series is one approach. This volume in the series focuses on the old Rough Rider himself, Theodore Roosevelt. First, a confession. I have read 2 of the 3 volume set by Edmund Morris. Obviously, I have an interest in depth (the second volume alone features 555 pages of text). But most people would welcome a shorter--but still good--view of TR. And this volume will meet the needs of such people.
   
   Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. has a standard Introduction to each volume. With respect to TR, some of his observations are apposite. On page xv, he says: "Great presidents possess, or are possessed by, a vision of an ideal America." Surely, that describes Roosevelt. At another point, Schlesinger says that (Page xv): "To succeed, presidents must not only have a port to seek but they must convince Congress and the electorate that it is a port worth seeking." Both observations seem to fit TR, where they did not fit Warren Harding or Chester Arthur or Rutherford Hayes or Benjamin Harrison or. . . .
   
   The book begins by describing TR's rather well off childhood. Some problems. His beloved father dies prematurely. He had physical ailments. To address the latter, he exercised and even spent time in the Wild West, building himself up physically.
   
   His public life began in rather exotic positions, such as president of New York City's Board of Police Commissioners. He was named as Assistant Secretary of the Navy after William McKinley's victory in the presidential campaign of 1896. After the Maine's destruction and the road to war with Spain, he resigned and, as we all know, became head of a group of troops named "The Rough Riders." After estimable service in Cuba, he returned as a war hero. The governorship of New York and then nomination as vice president to William McKinley (perhaps to get him out of New York?).
   
   He became an accidental president after McKinley's assassination. The book chronicles his views and actions as president, when he was known as a "trust buster" and as the advocate of a "Square Deal." He was known for many accomplishments (some of which might raise eyebrows), such as the construction of the Panama Canal (as some Senator said years later, "We stole it fair and square!"). He left the presidency, followed by his handpicked successor, William Howard Taft. Then, the tale of his disillusionment with Taft, his Bull Moose campaign, his disgust with Woodrow Wilson is depicted.
   
   Auchincloss is a fine writer, and this book reads well. For those who want a "quick and dirty" introduction to TR, this will fill the bill.



2. The short biographies that form the American Presidents series do an admirable job in capturing the heart of the accomplishments and characters of our country's leaders. Some of the volumes succeed further in offering, in addition to an introduction, challenging reassessments of their subject's place in history. Bunting's book on Grant and Diggins's study of John Adams are in this latter category. With a leader as complex and energetic as Theodore Roosevelt, (1858 - 1919), the task of a brief portrayal is daunting indeed. Louis Auchincloss has generally succeeded in offering a portrait of TR and his presidency that will serve for basic information. For a more complex and detailed view, the book should encourage the reader to explore further.
   
   The American composer Scott Joplin wrote a delightful ragtime called "The Strenuous Life" in honor of TR but with a hint of satire as well. The phrase aptly describes TR and his era. A sickly child born to great wealth, the twelve-year old TR took seriously his father's injunction to "make your body!" as well as his mind. TR became a dynamo, moving out west to become the owner of a cattle ranch in Dakota in the 1880s and leading the fabled charge of the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. In the midst of a busy life, TR found time to write about 40 books, including his autobiography and innumerable letters.
   
   In his politics, TR developed a unique position as a Republican party regular and as a progressive. He served in the 1880s' as a New York State assemblyman and as Governor of New York, among other accomplishments, before being called to the vice-presidency. He became the 26th president upon the death of McKinley in 1901, and then was elected to a term of his own. TR famously declined to run for a second elected term, a decision he lived to regret.
   
   TR's presidency had many accomplishments, striking out in as many directions as the man himself. He was a trust-buster who believed in American capitalism, individualism and business. He was also a famous conservationist. In foreign policy, he was a mixture of calmness and bellicosity, acquiring the Panama Canal, expanding the Navy, and receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for settling a dispute between Russia and Japan.
   
   Following his term, TR took a lengthy safari as a big-game hunter in Africa and upon his return became disillusioned with the presidency of his chosen successor, William H. Taft. TR bolted the Republican party and, alas, took the progressives with him. The split in the GOP between its progressives and its conservatives has lasted to this day. The immediate result was the election of Woodrow Wilson to the presidency.
   
   Auchincloss tells the story of TR simply and well. But I came away from this book curious to know more. In particular, I would have liked to learn more about TR's writings, some of which are available in a two-volume set published by the Library of America. Auchincloss evidences a certain skepticism about TR, pointing out ways in which TR's America, as well as TR's values, differ from contemporary America and from the choices of many contemporary Americans. As explained by Auchincloss, these values, which seem closely interrelated, center upon TR's elevation of the worth of toughness -- "machismo", -- his sexual restraint and even prudery, and his views on the relationship between men and women, which today would commonly be regarded as sexist. I remain fascinated with TR's strength, vigor, and sense of purpose, combined with his high powers of intellect. His forcefulness and belief in our country, tempered as it usually was with prudence, still has much to teach us.
   
   Robin Friedman



3. A nice concise summary of the life of Teddy Roosevelt. Auchincloss does a good job of detailing the essentials of his life. Roosevelt was a Republican with a progressive bent. The author showed how his policies were often at odds with the pro business Republican party. However, TR managed to compromise and get a program through Congress that was progressive. He also used power overtly as in the Panama Crisis, even though it was for the good of the country and world.
   
   The American Presidents series are all nice reads. Although some presidents do not merit the full book, TR certainly deserves more space and attention. He was truly one of the better presidents as the author points out.



4. This book serves as a good introduction to Theodore Roosevelt to either satisfy or stimulate one's curiosity before indulging in a lengthier biography. This is a "short" bio, and not meant to be a treatise on T.R. The author was better with his Penguin Lives book on Woodrow Wilson, but he seemed to have more fun with Roosevelt.
   As a subject T.R. is especially enjoyable, but more for his forceful character than for any of his objective accomplishments (for which the author notes several, e.g., negotiating the peace between Japan and Russia, and his national conservationist orders, etc.).
   The author addresses Roosevelt's sense that his presidency was relatively unspectacular, and since war time presidents receive the most historical attention (e.g., leading to positive evaluations for Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, but negative for Wilson due to his post war failures), Roosevelt felt himself cheated from his place of greatness due to being a peacetime president.
   As this author notes, many of T.R.'s beliefs had long lasting value (especially, I feel, his beliefs on the limitations of capitalism as spoken by a pro-business chief executive). Those who followed him, though, soon abandoned these attitudes. The reason for this seems to rest with T.R. He accomplished much emphasizing the forcefulness of his personality and took credit for improvements as being uniquely his. Since he can be the only T.R., his philosophy could not be transmitted to others. When out of office, he was no longer "T.R." and his so-called system collapsed as with a deck of cards. He was ultimately left a shell of his former self.
   What if Roosevelt had toned down some of his tendencies? Might he have extended his influence over the next administrations and the country? If so, might this have led to a different result in how America influenced the developing European disputes that resulted in the First World War? These are some of the questions that remained with me from reading this book.



5. This is the second volume in the new American Presidents series edited by Arthur M. Schlessinger, and like the first on James Madison, provides excellent, although brief insight into one of America's most fascinating characters. The prime focus of this book is on TR's presidential and post-presidential years. Limited space does not allow for anything more than a brief summary of Roosevelt's early life, which may actually be his most interesting period. Still there is enough to give the reader a basis for understanding Roosevelt's revolutionary power-expanding actions as President. Auchincloss does a wonderful job of filling this short volume with all of the important events of Roosevelt's life while keeping to a very enjoyable and readable style. It is a good introduction to Roosevelt and will leave you wanting to learn more.

1 comments about Mrs. Pollifax Pursued, By Dorothy Gilman, Unabridged 4 Audio Cassettes, Narrated By Barbara Rosenblat.

1. MRS. POLLIFAX PURSUED
   BY DOROTHY GILMAN
   NARRATED BY BARBARA ROSENBLAT
   Copyright 1995 by Dorothy Gilman Butters
   Performance Copyright 1995 by Recorded Books, Inc.
   Cover art by Dan Sweetman; C 1995 by Recorded Books, Inc.
   Recorded by arrangement with the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency
   
   Produced in the studios of Recorded Books Productions, Inc., New York.
   Unabridged 4 audio cassettes, 6 hours.
   
   "Ms. Gilman has a nice, relaxed style and an easygoing way of telling a story...should delight whether
   YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SMILES OR THRILLS."
   ---New York Times
   
   "It's a tale well told in print and, with the narration of Barbara Rosenblat, even better on tape."
   ---Indianapolis Star
   
   [from the back of case cover]

4 comments about Howard Stern: King of All Media.

1. America has been known the bastion where you have a right to be different if you have the confidence to stay with your beliefs in the face of societal ridicule. Pioneers end up two ways, some find prosperity by starting new paths, and some end up with arrows in their backs. After reading this book, Howard Stern is a Pioneer that prospers due to his will to be different and confident at work and in life.

   It was a joy reading an unbiased book on Howard Stern. I enjoyed his radio show once in awhile but admit I have had to tune it out and off now and then too. The book gave interesting information on the salaries of his staff and inner workings of Radio and TV Stations and how programs acquire airtime.

   I agree with author who never trashes Howard Stern but actually gives a good picture of him and his struggles to being a Top Radio personality. I admire Howard's sheer determination to work hard at job, support his family and talk about anything.

   I really enjoyed learning how the Stations Sponsors who advertised on his show were impressed with his professionalism and interest in knowing and learning everything about their products and services they were selling. This is a true mark of an honest man living up to his job as a professional.

   I was surprised to learn that Infinity did pay off his FCC fines to avoid problems with a merger later. I feel Howard has been a pioneer with the airwaves and first amendment issues to the public benefit not to anyone's detriment.

   Since losing his marriage and wife as well as Jackie the Joke Man it is not the same show. But is still entertaining. I now use it as one of three stations I use walking in the morning. I find National Public Radio more enlightening, Jim Quinn for more thoughtful and Howard and crew interesting and delightful on entertainment issues of our day.

   In the end, Howard learn to be confident in his own ideas, own behavior and always paid attention to his sponsors, people who helped him and mutual friends and professionals. I believe having supreme confidence in you like Howard Stern demonstrates every day. Those seeking to banish him just need to tune him out or off, but not remove him in anyway




2. It pretty much is a factual account of Howard Stern's life from his childhood days to his days in Detroit and WNBC radio. Nothing risque is really discussed. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a viewpoint of Howard's life other than Howard. The author neither supports or chastises Stern, but presents the facts without any bias one way or the other, and that's nice to see in journalism. It's definitely worth checking out.



3. I found this book to be informative to Stern's rise to fame and fortune. Nothing really groundbreaking or unbelieveable, just the facts. A very quick, but honest look at Howard's personal life. How he keeps everyone at bay and tries to isolate himself from the world at this house, which is understandable. Private Parts offers more humor, but a lot of the same stuff, of course.



4. I found Paul Colford's book interesting, well-written, and entertaining. I have all of Howard Stern's books, videos, CDs, and a large collections of magazine articles and such. King of All Media is a nice addition to my collection. But don't take my word for it. Go to the nearest bookstore and check it out for yourself. Then get online and order it for less $$ from amazon.com.