5 comments about Running with the Bulls: My Years with the Hemingways.

1. A balanced and sympathetic description of events from someone who was really there but whose ego does not lead to embellishment of the facts.



2. Valeries serious and lovingly book about her life as married to one of Hem's sons is also very well written. For all of us still reading about the astonishing life of Hem (there are several 100 around)this one is a must. Don't miss her sound opinions from a life within the family.



3. A very disturbing book and a strange story but I could not stop reading till I finished. Yet, finally, very disappointing because there is so much left out -- as if too much has not been said. Valerie Hemingway -- whose own story and autobiography seems so very interesting -- never fills in those spaces that explain how she really came to be where she was in the years she describes (both before meeting Hemingway, with Hemingway and her life with his family after his death). It's a great outline for a great book. Hope she writes it someday.



4. When a non-literary or semi-literary character gets caught up in the wake of a great writer, an historical event or disaster or what have you, you have to take their memoir as it is. Valerie Hemingway, a teen when she met Hemingway, seems to have been an aspiring journalist and to have done some editing since, though obviously she makes no great claim as a writer. The question is what she has to say, and frankly this writer not only has some new revelations about Hemingway and his family which are more than mere gossip, but posesses a degree of wisdom and balance, all in all something to say about life.
   
   The first half of the book deals with Valerie's relationship with Ernest and Mary Hemingway, in Spain and Cuba, 1959-1961. The author is eerily present in each line Valerie writes, well recognizable from other known accounts, but she adds her own valuable and to some degree deeper take. She was a perceptive girl who Hemingway (who always enjoyed tough young "Summer People" as he once memorably termed them) obviously had good reason to like. But just as obviously it has taken her years to meditate on this material and get it right.
   
   Hemingway's funeral and her meeting with Gregory are then told, including her touchy relationship with Mary Hemingway. Here one perhaps wishes for a little more, but the fact is no one yet has been able to properly get an angle on Hemingway's fox terrier of a fourth wife who stuck it out for hell on earth and was thereby seriously damaged afterwords.
   
   An interlude then concerns the Irish playwright Brendan Behan, by whom Valerie had a son. And finally the rest -- which comes to feel like the majority of the book -- concerns the third "bull" in her life, Ernest's third and tragic son Gregory, whom Valerie married. This seemingly private and sensational story, on the charming Dr.Gregory and his finally all-encompassing transvestism disorder, is nonetheles as relevant to Hemingway studies as the first half of the book. Gregory was the model for one of Thomas Hudson's sons in Islands in the Stream, and the subject behind the meditation in a little known late short story, "I Guess Everything Reminds You of Something." Gregory also wrote his own justly acclaimed take on Ernest which pulled no punches. The product of Ernest's stormy second marriage, there were scars from the beginning which are duly reflected in his realist father's letters and fiction.
   
   Even more relevantly, the whole issue of family illnesses and psychoses, which emerges in the Gregory material, throws light back on Hemingway's fictionalized relationship with his own father in the Nick Adams stories, plus the whole issue of hidden psychic wounds in most major Hemingway characters first explored by the early and pioneering Hemingway critic Phillip Young. The fact is psycho-sexual issues permeate Hemingway biography because they lay under his body of his fiction like an iceberg. Those taking Valerie to task for the revelations herein, and arbitrarily labeling her a goldbrick and the 2nd half of the book as worthless, are simply uninformed. Gregory was apparently the saddest victim of something haunting his family for the three generations that have been documented. Valerie therefore has nothing to be ashamed of. Nor does she ask for your applause, either.
   
   Moreover, her frank story of Gregory Hemingway's obsessive downfall is rather courageous. The very private sort of sexual psychosis Gregory had may well be more common than generally known, and will always likely cause shame and scorn to both the victim and his family to become known. Valerie could therefore only risk exposing herself to ridicule to publish this, and most people would have buckled to that threat. In that case a very important chronicle of a family's struggle with this sort of downfall would not be available. The telling is neither sensational, bitter, nor confused -- it is straight up realism professionally told. It is loving and quite starkly human. It will certainly help families burdened by the same affliction in their midst.



5. This is yet another "I knew Hemingway when" story. As my title states, I have mixed feelings and opinions about this one. The first portion of the book, where the author is actually with Hemingway and his wife at the time, Mary, is interesting and somewhat informative. It is always interesting (for me anyway) to pick up tidbits of the life of this author, i.e. E. Hemingway. After the death of Hemingway the book sort of goes into a bit of a decline. Some of the interactions with Mary Hemingway were interesting and indeed the horrible, sad story of her marrage (the author's) to Greg Hemingway was, while not facsinating, at least interesting, in a voyeuristic sort of way. I do have several problems with this work though. First, the author is by far one of the most profilfic name droppers I have ever read. This is okay I suppose, but in this work she really goes over the top. In addition (probably, no doubt, due to my complete lack of sophistication), I had no clue who 90 pecent of these people were and, in all truth, could care less. Secondly, the author is simply not consistent, even in matters concerning her own life. She goes from being a simple little Irish girl, to an ultra sophisticated world traveler who is wise in the way of literater, back to being a simple little Irish Girl, over and over and over again. Third, the author seems to hesitate to speak of anything remotely personal and intimate in dealing with E. and Mary Hemingway as if she does not want to break a trust. Hey, they are dead - most of the family is either dead or insane! The writing of this book alone broke a trust, per author's own admission, so why not be a bit more detailed? The book is an obvious effort to make a buck (no hard feelings there, I would have done the same, only earlier), so why not go into a bit more depth? That being said, I am glad I read this work and glad it was written. I just feel it could have been so much more and so much more informative. It did give me more information concerning the life of a great author. For that I am grateful.

5 comments about On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie.

1. I knew of the Delany sisters from a 60 minutes segment after the first book. In 1998, while starting through the divorce process that seemed so daunting after a quarter century of marriage, I found Sadie's book. I read and reread this book and was always helped with the grief and feelings of being overwhelmed by having to create a life on my own. I figured if Sadie could do it at 107, I could do it at 50. The thought of her having to learn to fix her own hair by herself at that age was such a specific challenge that helped me put my own challenges in perspective. As I read her progress through the grieving process, I made my own progress as well. As I look back on those times 10 yrs. later, I can see this book was one of the most valuable tools I used to not only survive, but to thrive and grow in so many ways.On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie



2. Sadie and Bessie Delany lived together for over 100 years before Bessie died at the age of 104 in the home that the two sisters shared. They were well-educated African-American women in an era when few blacks or women attended college. Sadie was a teacher and Bessie worked as a dentist. The sisters were devoted to each other and Bessie's death was a severe blow to her older sister.
   
   The original story about the sisters is told in "Having Our Say". This book by Sadie chronicles her experiences in learning to live without her sister in the difficult first year after Bessie's death. Sadie's faith, common sense, love, and wisdom come shining through in this little book.



3. Grief is pictured beautifully here as "Sadie" describes her first year after the death of her beloved sister with reference to the beautiful flowers Bessie always raised. The fall and winter of dormancy and renewal in her grief gradually gives way to the vibrancy of spring blooms and summer sun.
   
   When Sadie sees the first spring flowers peeking through the snow, she realizes for the first time that she will grow through her grief. This is a stirring portryal of the experience we all face.



4. I read the first two books about these two remarkable sisters ("Having Our Say," and "The Delaney Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom") and they also deserve five stars each, absolutely. In fact, the best book, in terms of literary merit, is the first one, and I loved looking at the photos in the book of the whole family, going back a few generations.
   
   But this book here really helped me in the first year of my husband's death. I read it at least once a week, usually more. I found strength in the fact that if Sadie could make it on her own after being practically attached at the hip for over 100 years to Bessie, and loving each other so much and so well, then I would somehow find the strength to go on too.
   
   Sometimes I was so cried out, but I was still so sad and wanted to cry more, but the tears wouldn't come. The way the "as-told-to" author Hearth expressed Sadie's feelings always helped bring back those cathartic tears.
   
   I read many books of comfort for the grieving widow, but for some reason, this little book near saved my life.



5. "On My Own at 107: Reflections on Life without Bessie" is by Sarah L. Delany with Amy Hill Hearth. Their text is accompanied by illustrations by Brian M. Kotzky. This book contains the reflections of 107-year old Sarah "Sadie" Delany after the death of her sister and lifetime companion Bessie at the age of 104.

   A foreword by coauthor Hearth discusses the lives of these two extraordinary African-American women and the success of their book "Having Our Say," published in 1993 and adapted as a Broadway play. Bessie was a pioneering dentist, and Sadie a teacher; remaining unmarried, the two enjoyed a lifetime partnership that lasted over a century.

   The main body of the text is divided into four parts, each with an introductory section by a 3rd person narrator. But the bulk of the text consists of Sadie's first-person reflections. Interspersed throughout the text are Kotzky's beautiful full color illustrations of the many flowers that longtime gardener Bessie loved: crocuses, tulips, rhododendrons, coral bells, etc.

   This is a wonderful book about family, faith, growing old with grace, and surviving the death of one's life partner. Sadie's voice is wonderfully moving and sometimes funny. Ultimately the book celebrates the cycles of life.

   This book is a touching tribute to Bessie Delany and a celebration of the enduring partnership she shared with her sister. Early in the book Sadie declares, "Why, I have been so blessed in my life!" Likewise are we readers blessed with this beautiful book. Recommended especially for those with an interest in women's studies, African-American studies, flower gardening, and issues related to the elderly.

No comments about Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters - The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire.

1 comments about Eisenhower in His Own Voice.

1. Too choppy. Lots of short excerpts. I would have preferred less excerpts, but each of them running longer. Doesn't give you a "feel" for Eisenhower. Kind of expensive for what you get.

5 comments about Surviving Galeras.

1. A friend loaned me this book, as he had shared a long hospital experience in Phoenix with Stanley Williams; both of them had grievous head wounds.
   
   I write as a geologist, though not a volcanologist. The relevant geologic facts about our planet are beautifully interpreted for the layperson, who is introduced to the small cadre of scientists who work with active volcanoes. I've known two volcanologists with the USGS, both of whom have suffered severe burns in the course of their work; it's a tremendously dangerous field working alongside a superheated, unknowably complex, hidden, overpressured, shuddering, wildly branching plumbing system.
   
   Dr. Williams ego AND his suffering over the loss of so many are both fully on display. Anyone who has experienced severe trauma, especially to the head, knows that their memory is horribly impaired, along with judgment. In my experience people who deliberately place themselves in terribly dangerous places MUST have a strong ego [I've known a lot of carrier pilots; they're often a cocky lot!] with self-confidence in spades. They are adrenaline junkies.
   
   I don't second-guess the author; there are probably less than half-a-dozen people in the world who have the educational background and experience to look BACK at the data pre-eruption and evaluate if the author should have stayed home that day.
   
   I do think this is an enormously interesting book, impossible to put down, and a terrific introduction to those few who try, at great risk, to save our lives if we live close to one of these fire-breathing monsters. I close with a quote from the philosopher, Will Durant: "Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to revocation at any moment."



2. I couldn't put this down. It is a great adventure story and and excellent look at a breed of the most adventure-seeking people in the world -- field vulcanologists.



3. Unfortunately, most of this book is built on nothing but Stanley Williams' ego. After parading around the media for years bragging about how he had been the only survivor of a scientific expedition on Galeras, Williams continues the lie by writing a book about the explosion but conveniently forgets about the other 5 scientists who got out alive. A more compelling and truthful account about Galeras is the book by Victoria Bruce called "No Apparent Danger". Bruce took the time to interview the dozens of people involved with the Galeras tragedy and so her book is much more broad-based than the single-handed novel written by Williams.



4. In his quest for knowledge that could save thousands of lives, Williams entered where most would fear to tread, the crater of an active volcano. Like others before him, he was caught by whimsical nature of this most awesome phenomenon. It erupted, taking the lives of six of his colleagues; Williams was perched just over the rim of the crater. Williams, to his own amazement, survived, but remains of some of his friends and co-workers were never found. This book is a testament to the few courageous scientists around the world who climb and investigate these capricious mountains. Williams captivates the reader with the subject of volcanology and descriptions of those who brave the risks to study the goddess Pele's offspring.

   In telling his own story of risk, injury and survival, Williams recounts his life and his colleagues' around the world. They come from many lands - Russia, Italy, Columbia and other regions beset by earth's upheavals. Williams, almost an anomaly as a native of Illinois - far from any volcanic activity [except, perhaps, politically], is intensely dedicated to the science. He describes the various volcanic processes and the impact volcanoes have had down the ages. The aim of the studies is to learn how to forecast eruptions. A major success in that endeavour was the saving of thousands of lives when the Philippine mountain Pinatubo erupted in 1991. Galeras, the Columbian volcano that nearly took Williams life, is neighbour to a town of three hundred thousand, Pasto. Attempts to instill evacuation programmes there was met with derision and resentment - it would hurt business.

   Williams' accounts of volcano disasters make enthralling reading. From Pliny the Younger's attempt to rescue his uncle during Pompeii's famous outburst to modern eruptions, the failure of human populations to accommodate the threat are vivid examples of short-sighted views. Williams stresses the obvious threats, lava flows, "pyroclastic" flows of mud, ash and rocks mixed with toxic gases. He also recounts poorly recognized after effects the debris can evoke - chemical poisonings and crop and herd losses. Famine is a regular result of volcanic activity. Volcanoes are capable of global climate impact, the most famous being the 1815 Tambora explosion resulting in New England's "Year Without A Summer" which devastated crops and herds over wide areas. Williams attributes the wave of Western expansion to the impact of an eruption "a world away."

   As a combined personal account and scientific study, there are few faults in this book. One can only hope someone derives a synonym for "pyroclastic flows" someday. Williams feelings about the event and the subsequent lives of the survivors are told with intense feeling. One can only sympathise with his distress at losing friends and co-workers and how the families bore up under the stress. His historical accounts cover both fact and mythology. Strangely, although Williams describes many of the gods associated with vulcanism, he omits the only American deity - Pele. As capricious as the Hawaiian goddess is, Williams reminds us that the island volcanoes don't threaten explosive eruptions. While that might offer some mild comfort to that State, Mammoth Mountain in California remains an unheralded threat to thousands in the Golden State.




5. Galeras is a Colombian volcano within hiking distance of the Colombian town of Pasto. When it showed increased activity, several scientists were killed in a minor eruption that made headlines, and provoked controversy: mainly about whether or not the scientists' deaths could have been prevented.
   Williams book is a well written personal account of the disaster and of William's life afterward, including his struggle with his injuries and his guilt over whether he could have better predicted and prevented the deaths.
   For those interested in vulcanology, it would be a good introduction on what scientists do to monitor dangerous volcanos, and the very real risk that many of them take with little publicity to protect hundreds of thousands of lives of those people living within the shadow of these dangers.

5 comments about Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond.

1. This is a brilliant autobiography from one of the most talented business figures in last century. This book is unique for two reasons: (1) seldom had an author who had had experienced so much and accomplished so much; (2) his keen observation of human natures - expressed in a self-deprecating and humorous manner.
   
   In the end, you could tell Watson Jr. afterall was very self-assured of himself - at least toward the last phase of his life. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how he would be willing to be vulnerable and reveal so much - about his own psyche, his family feud and IBM in general.
   
   This is a highly readable autobiography - highly recommended.



2. Indeed a truly heart-warming, rivetting story. One of the best - possibly the best - bios that I have ever read. This is a story about IBM, the big blue corporate monolith. Yet in its core, this is really the story of a Son, a father and the relationship between them. Once into the pages of the book, you will soon realise that IBM is just a necessary but incidental backdrop to a father-son relationship..It's a book that talks of a strict yet loving father, and a son working his way up to gain his father's approval and affection. A very humane tale, devoid of any overt management jargon or mantra that seems to be the norm in most bios by business leaders, it is a surprise that nobody has thought of making a movie out of this story.
   
   Touching. Warmly recommend to everyone.



3. This is not a story that I had really expected to enjoy; I found this book in a hostel in Europe, and with nothing in English to read I gladly snapped it up. Father, Son & Co wound up being a very interesting and enjoyable book, and even though it is more than 15 years old now, it still gives tremendous insights into the rise of IBM and the evolution of the computer. Within two generations of the Watson family, business advanced from the Robber Barons of the 19th century to the big corporations of the 20th, and during this same period the computer advanced from punch-card machines into the electronic machines we use today. It is hard to look at a PC and see a direct connection to horse-and-buggy days, but that is the story Thomas Watson and Peter Petre tell.
   
   A huge swath of American history is encompassed within this book; major events are witnessed and lived out by Watson and his family. But Watson also shows how family relationships have changed over the last hundred years by comparing his relationship with his father and siblings to those of his own children. Those older among us empathize with Watson completely-we took for granted, even thrived, within familial relationships that probably would not be tolerated today. But Watson also shows how primogeniture aids the affluent whether the offspring are gifted or not. To his credit, Watson admits this and does not set himself up as any more special than anyone else. He (and curiously his father as well) is rare in American business: he is a liberal and believes he owes something to his country. Would that this sentiment was felt more widely in the higher levels of business, government, and society.



4. It is always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.
   
   Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it is remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.
   
   I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it is hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. If you do have that special interest in IBM history, however, it is an interesting book and well executed.



5. Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

   The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

5 comments about Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth.

1. TO ME THIS BOOK MAY BE LITTLE BUT IT HAS A LOT OF WISDOM IN IT . THESE BOOKS MAKE YOU STOP AND THINK WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT IS NOT I LIKE BOOKS THAT GET TO THE POINT INSTEAD OF DRAGGING THINGS OUT TILL YOU GET BORED AND FORGET WHAT YOU ARE READING ABOUT. THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD BUY IT, IT IS WELL WORTH YOUR TIME AND MONEY (DON'T WANT TO TELL TO MUCH BUY IT)



2. Well written book! A 12 week program to take self-improvement to a higher level! Well worth it if you want to grow my Spiritualy!!



3. Worth buying and seeing his movie -- a great self-help book for any one of any age.



4. I needed this book like a nearly dead,confused,thirsty traveller wandering aimlessly through the parched desert needs water.
   Over the past 2 1/2 years I have read, referenced, and reread this book countless times. I also bought the book on tape and often listen (sometimes just a chapter) for an easy self-centering. Thing is- I'm the sort that rarely watches a movie twice and if I love a book I might read it again- in a couple years. I can't get enough of this timeless wisdom- truly a map to concious living.
   
   All I can say is this is the only "spiritual read" and "self help" book that I gravitate back to time and time again. It truly covers every pittfall and challenge to the human condition.
   
   Thank you Dan Millman- I'm so very gratefull for you!



5. This book takes you up the summit of our selves, step by step through well yet openly defined pathways that lead to some consciousness which is all you'll need to keep coming back to-awakening through reading is the ideal experience and why we should do so. Each chapter or gateway has several short to mid size sections that makes it great for commuting and chewing on nuggets of wisdom. This too I found through the library web catalog quite gratefully while this book includes the Peaceful Warrior workout that also makes it worth buying so we can learn and pratice enlightenment through all our day to day actions.

5 comments about Stephen Lives! My Son Stephen His Life Suicide and Afterlife.

1. In my work - I research and write about how we plan our lives before we're born - I am often asked by people to comment on suicide. Now I will simply refer them to this magnificent book. This book has the power to heal the hearts of those whose lives have been touched by suicide - and it may very well prevent some people from taking their own lives. Thank you Anne Puryear for having the courage to write this book!
   -Robert Schwartz, author of Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?



2. What a great book. Not what I expected at all!
   
   A must read in line with Conversations with God.
   
   Highly recommended!



3. I found this book helpful. I had a family member (an aunt) commit suicide. I did not find that it made suicide an attractive out of life. To the contrary, I think it honestly showed the emotional upheaval Stephen's suicide left in the family.
   
   I recommend this book to those mature enough spiritually to read it.



4. If you are wondering whether or not you will love or hate this book after reading many of the very disparate opions written here, I hope to clear it up a bit...
   
   Firstly, if you are an admamant atheist, forget it.
   If you are a fundamentalist Christian, not for you.
   However, if you are an openminded skeptic, much like myself, who is interested in the existence of near death experiences and other kinds of strange and unexplainable paranormal occurances, you might like the book, or at least be interested.
   
   If you have just suffered a loss of a loved one very recently (say, within 6 - 12 months) perhaps this book might be a little much to take all in one gulp, if you don't agree with the beliefs. I myself do agree with many of the beliefs and that's why I gave this book such a high rating. Some of the beliefs in the book are: 1. Life after death exists. Communication with souls who have crossed over is possible. 2. Suicide is not an option for young people because it causes so much pain for those left behind. (However, for older people with chronic fatal illnesses it is different)
   
   I think that a lot of the reason that people did not like this book is because they may have focused more on the suicide notes that Stephen left behind, and not the tormented words of his mother. These notes are sad, yes, but in Stephen's twisted way, he tried to make light of the situation and made lots of jokes and thought everything would be better once he died. The notes are truly sad and I think we should try to remember how naive he was at 15 years of age. I lost one of my best friends to suicide, and I am sure that she thought she would be better off "over there" because she was in so much mental anguish. Stephen's notes do not belie the immense pain he must have felt, probably because even in his death he was trying to uplift the people around him and help them get over grieving for him. He had a personality that seeked to please others, and the jokes and pronouncements about how he'll be so much better off dead and on the other side are a sad lie to himself. Or maybe he really did not know how much his family would suffer. I myself did not forsee how horrifying suicide could be. I thought that if anyone around me ever did that, it would be like griveing a normal death. How wrong I was.
   
   I can understand why people would react so strongly to this book. Most of the people, from what I can tell from their posting, have lost someone to suicide. This type of death causes so much pain in those left behind that many people actually suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some people are looking for someone to blame for Stephen's death, as much as they are looking to blame someone for the death of their own loved one. In this case, it is the author, Anne, who gets blamed. Many grievers also feel unmitigated anger, towards everything and anything. This is a normal part of grief. These people need to express their anger in a healthy way. That's why I wouldn't reccomend this book for someone who is in the "raw" part of their grief. If they don't agree with the ideas in the book it will just piss them off more than they already are.
   
   I thank Anne for being brave enough to publish such a controversial book. It has helped me, as much as it has inflammed others. (from the ratings of the postings, the ratio seems to be about half and half) I personally do not believe a suicidal teenager would take their life after reading this book. The aftermath of suicide is clearly stated (perhaps many of the negative reviewers did not read the book through to the end, which is unfortunate, as they may have come away with a different perspective. The consequences of suicide on the other side is to see the incredible pain that the person who killed themselves has caused. And to experience that there is no way for them to take away this gigantic and final and terrible mistake. Stephen many times says that he wishes he could change what happened, that what he believed before he did it (see above, his suicide notes) was absolutely completely crazy. The book very explicitly states that suicide is not an option. It would be interesting to hear from a teenager who has read the book, and whether or not it helped them see this.
   
   It is true however, that some people will want to do it and find cause to end their lives no matter what. They will try to find "answers" and reasons, as if looking for someone else to guide their own hand. With that said, any kind of material, be it a book, a song, or the words of a loved one, that can be twisted into some sick kind of urging to end their lives. That is their own fault, not the fault of someone like Anne, someone who wrote the sad lyrics to a song, or even your fault, if you feel that you may have pushed your loved one to suicide. You didn't. It was their desicion, alone.



5. I bought this book because one of best friends committed suicide and I wanted some answers. I have read all the reviews and was prepared to either believe or dismiss it as the delusions of a mourning mother. I never actually believed that Anne lied, but I was prepared to believe that Stephen's narration was just an illusion in her head, born out of a desperate need to believe that he is ok.
   
   I just finished this book and even though on one hand some of Stephen's narration speaks to my heart, to a certain degree, in my opinion readers should be prepared to feel rather empty after reading this book. This book will not bring your loved one back. This book will not reassure you that your dead loved one is ok. Perhaps it will give you an idea of what afterlife is like, if you have a little faith, but the truth is, until you die and you meet your loved one and hear the truth personally, you will not rest.
   
   I was surprised at Anne's honesty. It takes courage to admit to all the mistakes that she did. She was a bad mother. But she did try to do the best that she could under the circumstances. Her mistakes do not justify Stephen's death. You are either strong enough to handle what life throws at you or you are not. Stephen was not.
   
   I do not believe that this book encourages suicide. I mean, Stephen's account of what happened to him after he died is not that great. It is only with time that the soul is able to find its way. But until that happens, it's not pretty.
   
   I would recommend this book to people who want to reassure themselves that their loved one is ok, and I believe that there is a degree of truth in this book, but be prepared to remain feeling restless afterwards. Because whatever you read, whatever reassurance you get from any book, your son, daughter, relative or friend will never tell you face to face what really goes on. Unless you achieve the state of consciousness that Anne describes which allows her to talk to her son, which, if it is true, I hope that some day we can do that too.
   
   If you are still looking for answers, I would recommend the "Conversations with God" trilogy by Neale MacDonald Walsh.

2 comments about Mark Twain's Own Autobiography.

1. I checked this book out of the library two months ago (woops!)and although it did not compel me to voraciously read it through beginning to end, it does quietly beckon to finish his story. I love Samuel Clemens and the way he looked at life. He made outrageous statements concerning people and God, and often irreverent. I'm a Christian and probably should be offended, but I'm not. The reader can see in his books, the quieter search for truth and spirituality. This autobiography is one of them. In his own words.."this autobiography of mine does not select from my life its showy episodes, but deals mainly in the common experiences which go to make up the life of the average human being." His softer side is exposed when discussing his children and thier questions. His young daughters were not jaded and cynical in thier approach to the meaning of life and God, so it often threw him off guard when trying to answer them. He is considered to be the great writers/satirists of American history, and yet he exposes his weaknesses and insecurities readily. He makes the ordinary, unknown man feel comfortable in his "presence". Mr. Clemens had a keen sense of the human ego..he knew that when most people recollect their past, famous and non, they tend to glorify and embellish thier success and justify what wasn't. Often when he is recalling stories, he will finish them with "events which...I have imagined have happened to me" or "Now, then, that is the tale. Some of it is true." Love that!

   I also appreciate the fact that Michael Kiskis did not interject his commentary throughout the autobiography (like many commentators do.) He made the distinction between his writing and Twain's clear. His was a simple introduction and follow-up of notes.

   It's probably a slow-read, but I recommend it to anyone that wanted to become better aquainted with Samuel Clemens and his life story!




2. Here is Twain in his own voice; humorous, cantankerous, opinionated, sometimes historically unreliable, but always engaging, and, unlike almost all of his contemporaries, fun to read.
   He went everywhere and seems to have met everyone of consequence in his day, and he reports all with his reporter's eye (and imaginative gifts!). He was also a dedicated family man who, sadly, outlived most of his loved ones, and this work may be seen in part as a memorial to them. The sadness, suffused with joyful recollections, does not detract from the overall entertainment and enlightenment value of the work, which is highly recommended for anyone interested in Twain or the literary world of the nineteenth century.
   (The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon"s format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

5 comments about Zlata's Diary.

1. Zlata's diary is a an autobiographical representation of a young teenage girl, called Zlata Filipovi, and the daily living conditions that she experienced preceding and during military conflict in Eastern Europe - Sarajevo. In the course of her writing, Zlata described the conversion of her community from a moderate and relatively normal environment into an environment of chaos and devastation. Throughout her diary, Zlata navigated from one experience to another and along the way friends, family, foreign aid workers, and the local news helped to provide the backdrop for what life meant for those directly affected by the military conflict in Eastern Europe. Zlata's diary provided for an autobiographical translation of understanding what affects a person's life when the surrounding environment suddenly becomes unstable from conflict and the ruin of a social fabric.
   
   Written in the perspective of a child, Zlata's diary provided for a human understanding of the tangible differences that occur when important social structures of a community become broken. Here, the negative consequences that resulted from such collapse provided for the graphic portrait of the fragility of an otherwise stable economy and the real affect on individual behavior. Taken in context, Sarajevo does not stand alone as an island apart from the economic reality of a surrounding environment within Eastern Europe. Instead, as witnessed with the experience of Zlata Filipovi, the economic reality of Sarajevo and the occurrences that transpired during its crisis, one is provided with an example for the future examination of potentially destabilizing events and a better comprehension of how such events influence the opportunities for real persons who are directly affected. Lastly, personal reflections on the above mentioned issues are necessary to develop a personal connection with the meaning of economic development, prudent implementation, and the use of intervention for future events that take place around the world.
   
   Preceding the siege of Sarajevo in the spring of 1992, Sarajevo was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and a previous host to the Winter Olympic Games in 1984. Yet, with the collapse of the `iron curtain' in Western Europe, an increase in democratic influence gave rise to increasing political instability within a non-democratic Eastern European region. As the most identifiable symbols of communism began to crumble with the Berlin wall in 1989 and the Soviet Union 1991, Eastern European countries struggled to manage a cohesive national identity and political framework. Thereafter, social pressures erupted into military conflict carrying significant consequences for the diverse ethnic populations of the region all of whom wanted greater control. Ultimately, repercussions from the conflict redrew the political boundaries dissolving the Republic of Yugoslavia into several separate nations beginning in the late 1990's until 2006. (Wikipedia)
   
   A striking example of the direct affect instability has on a person's life was identified in Zlata's diary by a young teenage girl who recorded her daily experience(s) preceding and during a drawn out military conflict in Eastern Europe-Sarajevo. Before conflict arose, Zlata described herself as a normal teenage girl from a "comfortably well-off" family who regularly attended school to receive a liberal arts education. By any reasonable measure, Zlata compared to a majority of American teenage girls in her cultural and social experiences. Like many children her age Zlata reminisced upon past experiential enjoyments and eagerly awaited her upcoming challenges; writing, "Behind me - a long, hot summer and the happy days of summer holidays...[and]...ahead of me - new school year", (1). Moreover, Zlata's candid writing about her affinity towards the family vacation home in the countryside and the relationships that she had with friends and family invite the reader of her diary to share in her experiences in the first-person. By reflecting on the experiences first hand, Zlata's diary passages also served to provoke a consideration of the effect of instability on a personal level as well.
   
   Even with such similarities of a common childhood experience, the most stark determination from the effect of war on Zlata was that the military conflict not only invaded her community but had also invaded her life; later, Zlata characterized herself as having a "wartime childhood" and writing that "war is now my life" (64). The military conflict in Sarajevo began in 1992, the effects of which occupied every page in Zlata's diary. From a peaceful, organized, and hope filled beginning, through the proactive response of her family to rearrange life and survive, to a drawn out existence in desperate disarray. First, as Zlata was introduced to military conflict in a neighboring area - Dubrovnik - her innocence is exhibited with a sense of juvenile remoteness. As Zlata's father is activated for intermittent, non-combat reserve duty, the preliminary fractures in social services were evident by long lines and hours spent waiting for gasoline (10). As pressure spread across the region, Zlata disclosed more self-awareness of her surrounding environment and focused on reporting life's daily proceedings that were removed from the evolving political events and daily crisis.
   
   As conflict neared and began to engulf her community, Zlata reported more on the closing of school(s) and the loss in her life that was caused by the chaos in her community, rather than focus on the path her life would lead. From an initial erection of barricades in her town of Sarajevo, to the witnessed patrol(s) of armed civilians, Zlata's perceived innocence and universal childhood experiences are quickly transformed into a foreign abstraction. In place, scenes of mass migration and refugees escaping from sniper fire and artillery shells paint a different portrayal masking previous impressions of a community that once harbored a teenage girl who, like a majority of American children enjoyed extracurricular activities and summer engagements-Zlata Filipovi studied fashion, played piano, attended school, and could vacation with her family in the countryside. In consequence to the effects of war the society, Zlata focused more on the loss of electricity, the lack of phones, a loss of water, and the experienced familial struggle(s). In this manner, Zlata's diary demonstrated the all too real impact of attacks on the economic and social constitution that served as an underpinning to her psychological wellbeing and human development.
   
   Tragically, the transformation of one's perception of Zlata is not just a turn, by the reader, from one abstraction to another, but rather, a recognition that the familiarity of life as Zlata had known was destroyed by the conflict of her community. Zlata's frame of reference for so much in her life was absolutely demolished from conflict; with a post office "devoured by flames" ...and... "shop windows, cars, apartments, the fronts and roofs of buildings" all destroyed from the fighting (40,41). The most explicit evidence of Zlata's tragic experience was her only salvation to take shelter in a cellar. Still, here, with each emergence, a landmark or previous reference of experience would cease to exist and a demolition of previous childhood memories were reported. Regardless of one's own outlook, the evidence is overwhelmingly clear that the military conflict not only invaded her community but had also invaded her life.
   
   With the human account of Zlata Filipovi, the understanding that social structures contribute a significant influence towards an individual's life can become better defined through the experiences reported in Zlata's daily passages. Accordingly, an impression can be determined to the extent that social structures provide for the underpinning of economic development and that these social structures are fundamental for human progress. This conclusion was most evident in the review of a deterioration of an already existent social system within Zlata's community. With basic infrastructure in roads, buildings, and schools, Eastern Euriope's erosion in social cohesion resulted in a downward spiral in the quality of life which came to the doorsteps of Zalata Filipovi in Sarajevo. Accordingly, an economic perspective can identify itself with traditional social development and the pre-conditions for take-off, as described in a classical model of economic development presented by Walt W. Rostow, (Todaro, 104). While it may not necessarily be the case that all countries must follow a linear path of development - as described by Rostow, Zlata's diary provided evidence that certain social structures certainly seem necessary for the `take-off' and sustainability of economic development.
   
   Herewith, the most surprising element in Zlata's diary was the fragile nature of the social structures that underpin a national economy. The alternative perspective of a teenage girl who resided in a moderately developed country - as opposed to a well-developed economy or developing economy - gave the impression that social structures are dependent on the security, safety, and ability for social interaction. Notwithstanding the immediate flight of persons out of her community resulting in an inadequacy of resources, Zlata reported that those who stayed behind had come to band together and function as a community, saying, "the neighborhood is our life now, everything happens within that circle..." (71).
   
   Despite a report of a black-market that functioned to substitute the city's bombed central market, such a report can hardly suffice as evidence that a free-market response is working towards providing a long-term solution, and if left to its own devices, will provide for the appropriate allocation of scarce resources. On the contrary, reports that a black-market operated is evidence of a market not able to respond to, and trade with customers, that, as reported, lacked and sought basic life sustaining needs, including water, electricity, gasoline, wood, phone, etc. In such conditions with an availability of labor the inability to allocate, produce, and deliver goods and services prove the failure of the market. Instead, the fundamental confidence from psychological factors that compose the social structures of a community, enable one to seek opportunities for growth, or trade, outside their own community, and, therein, must serve to underpin the progress of economic development and normal-proper function of a free market. Moreover, if social structures do in fact provide the impetus for long-term sustainable economic development, then, the uses of traditional measurements of economic productivity, such as GDP, fail to account for such elements. Instead focus should, also, be directed towards the establishment and measurement of durable and dynamic social structures in a community.
   
   In the case of Eastern Europe and Zlata, a response to address the erosion in social capital could be addressed by a promotion of religious and cultural tolerance, greater governmental transparency, more equitable representation of diverse ethnic populations, and the promotion of basic human-civil rights (see UN declaration) for all persons without discrimination to gender, race, education, health, or age. Here recent experiments in economic development have provided for a micro-response to support women's rights to attend schools, participate in sports, contribute towards the productivity of the labor force. For example, micro-finance lending/access to credit has empowered women and small businesses to actively initiate the empowerment of women to realize and create opportunity. Hence, the establishment of durable and dynamic social structures will not only require an improvement in the quality of life and standards of living of a community, but also require improvements in the volunteer nature of social contracts, including: adherence to legal obligations, respect for social norms, and a willingness to serve the needs of others for the betterment of the larger community, meanwhile, supporting individual pursuits.
   
   From the personal reflection of one child's life in war torn Sarajevo, the importance of social structures to a community are without question. The essential confidence in social structures, as examined with Zlata's diary, provided for one to experience a firsthand account of the effects of erosion in social structures that underpin an already functioning economic system. Given the personal narrative and familiar childhood experiences that one shared with the diary of Zlata Filipovi, the fragility of an economic system that constituted a community was all too real for the personal reflection of the diary's reported events and an understanding of the tangible differences that occurred from the collapse of social structures. Still, only through Zlata's experience can one be provided with an example for the future examination of destabilizing events and better comprehend how such events influence the life for real persons who are directly affected.



2. Thank you for your quick shipment. Book is in great shape, as you stated.



3. Zlata probably never imagined that her diary would be read by millions or that it would be published. Much like Anne Frank, I don't think Zlata ever intended the diary to be made worldwide. Unlike Anne, Zlata survived but not without internal scars and loss of friends and relatives and neighbors. In the beginning, Zlata writes about mundane, ordinary things about being 11 years old. Please keep that in mind when reading her diary is that she was only 11 years old at the time of writing in the beginning. She begins writing about her life as a child in Sarajevo before the war broke out. She writes about her father going to serve the national army reserves. She writes about her life before the war and how the war changed her life and others forever. One day, she writes about people leaving Sarajevo and heading into safe territory. She writes about the daily bombings, senseless deaths, and life under war. She is a child of course and she tries to cope with difficult circumstances like not having electricity for the first time in her life for long periods of time or the constant state of fear that she lives in for herself and for her loved ones. Zlata's diary is now widely read by students about her age. Her main objective was never to get published but to keep and maintain a diary that was quite personal at times. Children of war probably suffer a lot more than they should. Zlata grows up fast and not be choice. She struggles to survive for herself and for her family without losing sanity.



4. Filipovic, Z. and Pribichevich-Zoric, C. (1995). Zlata's Diary. New York: Penguin Group
   Zlata's Diary is about a young eleven year old girl who wrote in her diary during the Yugoslavian Civil War. The beginning of the book discusses each day and her exciting things that she did with friends as well as her family memebrs; however, as the dumb war began to affect more and more individuals she began to take note of the food and water shortage. She also began to notice the loss of family and friends. Was the world coming to an end? Would she be okay? Would she survive?
   This book can be known as the modern day The Diary of Anne Frank due to it's similarities as both girls discuss the harsh conditions and losses they encountered due to ignorant individuals. The book truly hit home for me since I lost family in this war and to read Zlata's story and compare to the ones my family memebers were telling is mind blowing. Zlata's words truly embrace the horrific results of this war.
   
   Completed by Z on 5/12/08



5. Sheesh...this is the product of a child, not the work of a Pulitzer prize winning journalist. It is an excellent diary, an excellent primary source and an excellent text for a better understanding of the Yugoslav wars. Yes...it does only tell one point of view - hers - it is her diary! Some readers are offended because of the comparison to Anne Frank; a comparison that Filipovic and others make in the book. The comparison is totally fair. Both are intelligent children caught up in situations they have no control over during wars of ethnic cleansing and extermination. It is a testament to Zlata that she can make the connection to Anne Frank...obviously the rest of the world couldn't. They (We) abandoned the Jews sixty years ago and abandoned hundreds of thousands of Croats/Bosniaks/Serbs to genocide forty years later. Zlata remembered Anne Frank's words...the world didn't.