No comments about Larry King: The Best of the Larry King Show, Vol. 3: Champions Classic Moments With Sports Heroes Hank Aaron, Arthur Ashe, Julius Irving and More.

No comments about The Triumph of Narrative (Mossey Lecture Series).

1 comments about Making Magic in the World (New Dimensions Books).

1. This is a recording of a one hour radio interview of Maya Angelou by Michael Toms. For the most part, Toms asks predictable, softball questions. Fortunately, Angelou is a gifted speaker who loves to expand on topics and tell stories. Highlights of this interview are Angelou's description of her journey from muteness to speech, and her meeting with Malcolm X in Ghana just after his pilgrimage to Mecca. The tape doesn't have many surprises, nor does it go into any great detail about Angelou's accomplishments or philosophy. Nevertheless, listening to it may provide a pleasing past time to her fans. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the tape is the fact that it allows the listener to hear Angelou's voice and her unique blend of Southern African American accent over-layed with the classical sounds of educated American women of the 1940s, mixed with vocal souvenirs from far-away lands and peoples.

No comments about Biography - Nostradamus: Prophet of Doom (Audio tape).

5 comments about Right from the Beginning.

1. "Right from the Beginning" is the enjoyable autobiography of Pat Buchanan. His account of growing up in the middle decades of the twentieth century in Washington, D.C. is a page-turner, and he stresses how growing up in the pre-Sixties era was much different from doing so afterward. Some of the anecdotes that Buchanan relays in the book are laugh-out-loud funny.
   
   The book continues with Buchanan's path through college and graduate school to his days as an editorial writer in St. Louis. He tells the story of his hiring by Richard Nixon.
   
   The closing section of the book concerns the political situation as Buchanan saw it when the book was published in 1988. He believed that the moral climate of the country was far more important than the state of the economy, and was an unceasing advocate, not of détente, but of the defeat of the Soviet Union.
   
   Buchanan also has one of the best writing styles ever, and the fact that this book is still in print twenty years after it was published is indicative of how good it is.



2. This is #100 on the reader's choice non-fiction, of the Modern Library's Top 100 list. It's basically an autobiography of Pat Buchanan, who is as right wing conservative as they come. He grew up in a traditional, staunch Catholic home, and ended up becoming extremely influential in right-wing politics. I'm happy he never became president. Most of his political ideas stem from his religious up-bringing. He definitely would not be able to separate church and state, which would be dangerous.
   
   I don't agree with most of ideas politically, but I think it's important to understand all sides of politics and would therefore recommend this book as a great way into the mind of the religious conservative. It shows how dangerous religion is when mixed with politics. The fact that Buchanan proposes we hold a second constitutional ammendment, that would basically violate all kinds of individual rights is appaling. If it was up to Pat we would all be living under a government run by the Pope. It didn't work out very well for his twin Darth Sidious, and it would have an even worse outcome in real life for the Pope, or any other religious crazy man.
   
   So, that's why I found the book important in furthuring my understanding of the right-wing. I definitely learned more than I ever would have imagined.



3. Because I have thoroughly enjoyed Patrick Buchanan's columns criticizing President George W. Bush's war in Iraq, I decided to catch up my reading of Buchanan's books by reading _A Republic, Not an Empire_ (1999) and _Where the Right Went Wrong_ (2004). Having been favorably impressed with these two books, I turned my catch-up reading next to _Right from the Beginning_ (1988; 2nd ed. 1990). It is a remarkably well-written and remarkably honest autobiography. At times it is very funny.
   
   As a boy and a teenager, Patrick J. Buchanan (born November 2, 1938) was a fist-fight waiting to happen. Being expelled from Georgetown for a year (1960-1961) enabled Buchanan to overcome his earlier proclivities toward fisticuffs and turn his energies instead toward verbal combat.
   
   Buchanan does an excellent job of explaining his cultural conditioning in the 1940s and of explaining how this cultural conditioning posed great difficulties for him in the 1960s:
   
   "Americans who had grown up in the late 1920s and early 1930s had memories of a time when the United States was denounced at home and abroad as an unjust and failed society, a country that exploited the poor and sided with the exploiters. We [who were children in the 1940s] had no such memories. The 1960s were thus more of a shock to us than to them." (p. 30)
   
   This is a remarkable admission. Buchanan here acknowledges that he is the product of his narrow cultural conditioning in the 1940s. He also states that "[b]etween 1941 and 1945, that idea of America [as "a glorious and militarily invincible Republic"] was stamped upon us for life" (p. 30; also see pp. 139-140).
   
   But hold on! In his epigraph to chapter 7, Buchanan quotes St. Paul as saying, "When I was a child, I thought as a child, I spake as a child, and I acted as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put off childish things" (quoted p. 175).
   
   So when is Buchanan going to recognize that his cultural conditioning as a child in the 1940s is something that he now as a man needs to put off, rather than cling to it?
   
   From the evidence that Buchanan himself presents in this book, it is possible to argue that his cultural conditioning in the 1940s skewed his consciousness too strongly toward brashness -- that is, toward an over-developed tendency to get angry and want to fight. When he returned to Georgetown after having been expelled, one of his teachers asked him, "Why are you so angry?" (p. 229). I would argue that at least in part he was angry because of his cultural conditoning as a child in the 1940s.
   
   --Thomas J. Farrell, author of Walter Ong's Contributions to Cultural Studies: The Phenomenology of the Word and I-Thou Communication (Media Ecology)



4. The man is brilliant and an extremely talented writer and TV commentator. Another great asset this author has is a sense of humor. He does not take himself seriously. He is loyal to his friends in good times and bad. He does not apologize for his ethnic heritage,his deep love of his native land, his deep religious faith, his Jesuit education. He is a well rounded person. I am always impressed with his TV appearances in that he never raises his voice or tries to speak over another guest. His manners are genuine. We need more Pat Buchanans!



5. A very insightful and readable biography
   of American perpetual Presidential Candi-
   date Pat Buchanan, who used to be very
   good on the McLaughlin Group. Buchanan
   got my vote in 2000 when he ran on the
   Reform Party tix and I was 4th District
   Delegate in Ches., VA. Buchanan's troops
   marched off with the matching funds, Buch-
   anan started a silly Newsletter and a new
   Third political party of hacks and started
   using that stupid 'judeo-Christian' moniker
   again. I threw in the towel on him after
   trying to talk sense into his brainwashed
   followers. His sorry Newsletter was always
   late and I ordered a bumper sticker from
   his website store and got his Amer. 1st
   Party Newsletter instead. What a bunch of
   idiots he has working for him! Poor old
   guy. His follow-up books are not very good.
   They all leave out the United Nations /N.W.O
   connection to everything. How the mighty have
   fallen. I can't beleive a man this intelligent
   is involved in the Knights of Malta and his
   heroes are Reagan [one of the worst Presidents
   of all time] and Nixon [one of the worst men
   ever in the Whitehouse. Can you believe that
   Nixon had Joe Namath on his enemies list? JOE
   NAMATH?!] What could have been...Sigh.

No comments about Testament.

5 comments about Reporting Live.

1. although overall it's a fine book about covering Washington politics. If I had more of a sense of Lesley as a person, it could have been a classic.



2. I am sure she is preaching to the choir about her self-important life, but take it all with a grain of salt from the woman who still cannot undertand us 'normal' folk. "I predict historians are going to be totally baffled by how the American people fell in love with [Ronald Reagan] and followed him the way we did." - CBS News reporter Lesley Stahl, Jan. 11, 1989



3. What an interesting read! While most bios take you from birth through an unremarkable (and lengthy) adolescence, Stahl starts the book (and her life, by her own declaration) at age 30. Then - boom! - we're immediately thrust into Watergate (she was dating Bob Woodward at the time), where Stahl was the only TV newsperson covering the initial - and seemingly un-newsworthy - burglary.

   From there, we're taken into each subsequent presidency - from Nixon to Bush Sr. - and shown how personnel, presidents, their staffs, and technology shaped TV news coverage of historical events.

   The product of CBS news' affirmative action plan (along with Bernie Shaw and Connie Chung that year), Stahl was promoted in the early '70s to the Washington bureau. We are treated to an indepth account of her professional and personal triumphs. Of course, she occasionally goofed, which she comically relays, as well.

   With each chapter titled for a president and first lady - Reagan gets two! - Stahl gives us the stories-behind-the-stories: correspondents outwitting each other for the scoop; Barbara Bush's surprisingly icy remarks and actions; Stahl's assessment of unsuccessful presidents; one White House staff that was hell-bent on getting rid of Dan Rather; the point when CNN emerged as the true news leader. That we get all this juicy, inside stuff is a testimony to the author. Only someone as busy as Stahl could supply it - she and her teased and hairsprayed "helmet" of a hairdo wore many hats: Chief White House Correspondent, Face the Nation host and America Tonight co-host during the Gulf War - at one point, all three at the same time!

   If you wonder why George Bush's presidency is the last chapter of the book - how could she resist Clinton's escapades? - it is because her memoir is meant only to tell the story of her most well-known beat: the White House. Believe me, you get a lot! And after years of hard work at CBS in Washington, Stahl at long last - after years of waiting and, I think, unfairly having to audition - earned the 60 Minutes gig and relocated to New York.

   If you enjoy books of a political nature, but told in an easy-to-understand manner, you'll find Stahl's respect and humility toward world news - and life - a pleasure to read. I highly recommend it.




4. Lesley Stahl does a very good job of combining her remembrances of the men who occupied the White House and her own career as a CBS News correspondent.

   Her descriptions of all the presidents, and those nearest and dearest to them (both personally and publicly) are exactly right - from the paranoia of Richard Nixon on down. She stops with George Bush, probably because she wasn't in the Washington press corps anymore when Bill Clinton moved into the White House.

   Combined with Ms Stahl's description of Washington's inner circles over the years is a somewhat detached description of her years with CBS News and with her family. Her personal story is not badly written, but I didn't really get a sense of her feelings toward her parents or her daughter, although her love for her husband comes shining through. On the other hand, her various friendships, battles, and other interactions with Dan Rather, Bill Plante, and others in front of and behind the camera at CBS News are very well done; I got a good sense of what these people are actually like - more than what I see of them when I watch the news.

   It's truly a shame that Ms Stahl's description of her family life isn't as natural as the rest of her book. I had the pleasure of meeting her a few times when I was working behind the counter of the now-defunct Crown Books store a block away from the White House. I found her to be a warm, friendly person who spoke very naturally and lovingly about her daughter and other personal (but not TOO personal) topics - quite at odds with the impression I got reading her descriptions of them in her book.

   Even with all that I've mentioned here, I would still recommend it.




5. When the name Leslie Stahl is mentioned, thr first thing that comes to mind is that serious, tough interrogator from CBS News, who has hosted various news formatted shows over the years. I always thought she was harder edged than say, Diane Sawyer.

   In "Reporting Live" we discover, quite to our surprise, that Ms. Stahl carried around the same insecurities and problems as many of her viewers, that she did not have it "So together" as one might be tempted to assume. That in effect, she is as human as the rest of us, only she has a more visible job.

   No one would have believed that a woman of this news caliber would allow herself to be so dominated by a controlling mother who obviously believed it was more about how one looked than what you knew. For the remainer of tidbits like this, I suggest you read the book. It is a really good read.

No comments about Hannah Hauxwell Collection (Random House Audiobox).

5 comments about Kate Remembered.

1. I wanted to like this book because it was supposed to be the personal rememberances of a close friend of the great Katharine Hepburn in her final days.
   
   But this memoir disturbed me. Scott Berg mentioned briefly that he felt like the guy taking care of Norma Desmond and that's when it clicked. In these memoirs, Berg was recreating Sunset Boulevard and the sad, lonely, delusional decline of a fading film star who desperately misses her public in his retelling of the final years of Katharine Hepburn.
   
   The way he described he took care of her made him look more important and big and it made Katharine Hepburn look more insignficant and small. She really looked like a sad, faded, deluded film star who misses her public by the end of the book and this wasn't a pleasant image. I'm not even sure whether it was an accurate one. Kate seemed to have more independence even in her final days.
   
   He does seem to emphasize how he defends his 'Miss Hepburn' mostly against the editors of Esquire and then the smarmy Warren Beatty who wanted to use her for one of his films but to be honest, almost everyone in the book other than himself and Katharine Hepburn come out looking a little sleazy and that doesn't make for pleasant reading. (It also makes you question his accuracy.)
   
   The result of the Norma Desmond comparisons and the lack of any really sympathetic character other than the author and Katharine Hepburn herself made for a slightly sleazy aftertaste and ultimately a supremely disappointing read.



2. Wonderful insights into the life of this fascinating woman! Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the "Golden Age" of Hollywood.



3. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book.
   
   As several people have already stated, the book is often more about Berg and his reaction to Hepburn, rather than a biography of Hepburn herself. It is often very touching and humorous in certain places, and is well-written enough to sustain interest.
   
   However -- something just didn't feel right about the book. Berg was hardly the first or only person to interview her, so how exactly how did this relationship develop? I couldn't help feeling that Berg was exaggerating the extent of their friendship.
   
   Additionally, I found his description of Kate's final years both depressing and exploitative. Berg seems to believe that he's describing her with respect and dignity, but I just found myself thinking - oh, sure, Hepburn would be THRILLED that all this would be in print. I certainly hope my "friend" would not write about my death that way.
   
   All in all, this book contains interesting tidbits, but you can't help feeling that Berg is either a bit phony or opportunistic.



4. I had previously read The Making of the African Queen and Me, but Kate Remembered seemed to tie it all together. Actually, I picked up the book at Wal-Mart, on a table sale. Always having been a long-time fan, I grabbed the book and read it in 2 days. I think what comes through a lot, is not just Katharine Hepburn's life, but the relationshipt Scott Berg had with her, perhaps her only real confidante except for Spencer Tracy, and even then, perhaps not him, because she was there for him, not him for her. At any rate, it's a damn good read, and rather poignant at the end. I did shed a tear. Well worth the read.



5. No person in their right mind could write a biography of Kate and not be personally affected to this degree. The impact she had on Mr. Berg's life and vice versa showed through in even the most intimate of moments between them.
   
   Anyone can find facts and anecdotes just about everywhere these days, but how often can such a personal glimpse offer the reader so much?
   
   Kate came to life in this book. I saw her talking and felt her strong presense throughout. I was once again reminded of why I was such a fan. You can't help but fall a little bit in love with this woman and it shouldn't be a great surprise that even Mr. Berg was taken away by her presense, caring and passion. It shined in every passage.

5 comments about Map of the World.

1. This novel is set in and around the last remaining dairy farm in a rapidly suburbanizing Wisconsin county. Being a diary farmer is the fulfillment of the dream for Howard Goodheart, a dream wholeheartedly shared by his wife Alice. They enjoy a lifestyle that harkens back to a simpler time, as well as the bond of friendship with one of the nearby families who live in a new suburb that abuts their farm acreage. The two women are best friends, the kind who can breeze into each other's kitchen with a yoo-hoo instead of a knock. Their ordered and pleasant lives are abruptly changed when an accidental drowning occurs in the Goodheart's farm pond. The repercussions are immediate and devastating for both families and for the community. At the same time, one of the main characters is falsely accused of a crime unrelated to the drowning, and from this false accusation, their lives further unravel.
   
   This novel (as has become somewhat a formula in contemporary fiction) is told alternately from the viewpoints of several of the protagonists. The reader must readjust to the various vantage points. Thankfully, Hamilton limits the narrative shifts to large sections of the book, rather than an every other chapter (a frequently disconcerting style popularized by other authors and book editors). It is fair to observe Hamilton's voice is more effective when writing from the female point of view than from the male.
   
   One of the most ominous characters, albeit in a small supporting role, is the gossip, Mrs. Glevitch. "What Mrs. Glevitch thought she knew was as potent as truth, and pretty soon would become truth... she would take the bits of information and dress them up with her distinctive brand of poetry." (page 62). We all know people like her, the deceitful, manipulative, rude, and malicious people whose unchecked behavior we must occasionally interact with, for whom passing on a daily dose of malevolent falsehood is like mother' s milk. Any novelist who sheds the spotlight of truth on such spitefulness gets a big thumbs up from me.



2. Couldn't hardly put this one down. It isn't a happy story, but the writing was fantastic and the story really makes you think how quickly your life can change and how hard it is to recover when bad things happen to good people.



3. This was a beautifully written novel about how our minds can often trip us up. A tragic accident has caused a young woman to blame herself for the death of a little girl; and a domino effect is triggered. Shortly, the entire community is blaming her not only for the child's death but for atrocities far worse than her supposed negligence.



4. I'm not 100% sure "enjoyed" is the right word for how I experienced this book. It was hard to put down, and I was emotionally involved with the characters, but along with enjoying the story and the character development I found it frightening. It's so easy to find yourself out in the cold, accused of something you didn't do, or at least finding that your life is completely altered by an event that only took seconds to happen. A bit haunting. I liked seeing the story from both Alice's and Howard's viewpoints.



5. This books appears to have quite a bit going on, but the reading is a little slow going.
   
   "A Map of the World" is a novel about a city family who now lives on a farm in a small town. The "heroine" of the novel, the mother, is present when an accidental death occurs for which few forgive her. She is then falsely accused by the small-town folks for unspeakable crimes and jailed.
   
   The plot is interesting, but as I said, the reading is slow going. The characters either develop very slowly, or their depth is so shallow that I didn't realize they were already developed. With so much going on and so much plot, it is hard to imagine not caring about how it turns out.
   
   I enjoyed "Book of Ruth" much, much more.