No comments about Tom Thomson: An Introduction to His Life and Art.

3 comments about Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie.

1. Simple, written with love, interesting, good pictures. It is amazing her life and dedication. READ IT!!!



2. The story of Janette Oke's life told through snatches of stories. This book is packed with little stories and references to events in Janette's life. It reads almost as a family history or a remembrance book. Illustrated with a few pictures in the middle, it gives a good overview. The book is simply told, as most of her fictional books are. I only wish there had been more information about her as a writer.



3. I was thoroughly inspired by reading this book. It seemed to me to be a little slow developing at the beginning, due to a fairly complex family history. Even this should be interesting to people who like history from the perspective of people who lived it. It is well organized, and provides a good description of the environment that nurtured this God-inspired writer. Janette Oke's life experiences are so easy to identify with, and her dependence on God so well portrayed that it is an inspiration to me. It is also fascinating to learn how one of my favorite writers arrived at her mission in life.

No comments about On the Trail of Robert Service (On the Trail of).

5 comments about The Black Devil Brigade: The True Story of the First Special Service Force in World War II.

1. My grandfather served with the Devils Brigade, and since knowing that I wanted to learn more about this extraordinary elite unit of WWII. What I found was perhaps one of the best oral recount's of one of the finest units to ever exist. Having grown up in East Helena (3 miles east of Helena, Montana) and working at one point out at Ft. William Henry Harrison, this book gave me a new found respect for my grandfather and the great men who served in the First Special Service Force. Having finished the book I passed it on to my grandfather and he couldn't let it go. Driving by Memorial Park in Helena and watching the American and Canadian Flags both flying next to the First Special Service Force memorial, day and night, 365 days a year, I can't help but utter a simple, "thank you" everytime I go past it to those that are still living and those that perished for the freedom they helped provide for both countries.
   
   I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a greater depth of knowledge of this elite unit, or for the military buffs who wish to learn about or learn more of this outstanding unit!



2. My grandpa happened to pass away about 6 years ago, and he happened to be a part of the Black Devil Brigade. His accounts are in this book, his name is Fred Hubbard, and throughout the book he moves from a 2nd LT to a Captain. The funny thing is, I married a man who just commissioned into the army as a 2nd LT. and will soon be deploying. It is amazing to hear the story of what my grandfather when through captured in a book. The things these men endured for our freedom will always amaze me. I will always wish that I spent more time picking my grandpas brain while he was alive, but I am thankful to have this book to remember these things. This book really captures the essence of what these men went through, and what began what is the special forces today.



3. Mr. Springer may have been initially motivated by the desire to honor his uncle (killed serving with the First Special Service Force) but his work honors all who served in that unit. One seldom sees an oral history which tells the story of a unit so well. All the contributions by unit members tell the story without the distractions often found in other compilations. Always engaging, you just don't want to put the book down. Not only does one learn about the unit and individuals who made up that unit but one also learns about the equipment used, how it was acquired, and the soldiers' opinions of its performance. An amazing amount of information presented in a way that also entertains and honors the men who served.



4. Hats off to Joe Springer....! He did the men of 5-2 and the FSSF an honor. My father was a Lieutenant in 5-2 FSSF and one of the main characters of the book, and Joe's Uncle was one of my father's NCO's who was KIA on Anzio. The personal accounts in the book may sound far fetched and exaggerated. However, this is far from the truth. The exploits of the men of the FSSF are a matter of record. Every man who served in the FSSF is a very unique individual. I got to know many of these gentlemen over the years by attending the annual FSSF reunions. And yes, what an honor and a privilege to just meet and speak with them about WWII and life in general. Every man in the FSSF willingly, and knowingly volunteered to join a unit where the odds of being accepted in the unit is less than 20%, and your chances for survival were even less. Thank You Joe for getting my father to open up regarding his experiences during WWII for your book. It also meant so much to him to honor the men in his command who were taken, that were not only soldiers/warriors, but true friends forever.



5. TAKE ABOUT FIFTY AMERICAN AND CANADIAN WORLD WAR TWO COMBAT VETERANS THAT WILLINGLY VOLUNTEER FOR A WINTER SUICIDE MISSION BEHIND GERMAN LINES. THEY ALL HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF EXPLOSIVES, THEY ARE SKIERS, PARATROOPERS, AND ARE EXPERT SHOOTERS. THEY BECOME THE BEST TRAINED AND HIGHLY MOTIVATED AND FIERCEST SOLDIERS THAT THERE GENERATION AND NATIONS PRODUCED. SEND THEM TO CENTRAL ITALY, ANZIOBEACH, AND SOUTHERN FRANCE WHERE THEY SLAUGHTER FIFTEEN TO TWENTY THOUSAND GERMANS. MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS PASS BY AND THEN THESE SAME FIFTY COMMANDOS INVITE YOU INTO THERE HOMES AND TELL YOU ABOUT THE FUNNY, SAD, AND ASTOUNDING THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THEM IN COMBAT. THAT IS WHAT THIS BOOK IS ALL ABOUT.

2 comments about The Dionnes.

1. The true story of the Dionne Quints, and how their life was not a story-book one as painted by the media and the Canadian government. What these women went through is tragic.

   A book to finally set the record straight!




2. Tescher's interest is not the happy-go-lucky little girls that adorned newspapers and goods in the 1930s but the adult Dionnes, ill-equipped to function in the real world. Until their recent financial settlement with the Ontario government they knew terrible poverty and have been marked their entire lives by their famous birth. An unusual angle to a fascinating subject.

1 comments about Wilderness Wife.

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. There was quite a bit of good advice concerning wilderness living and survival. Also included interesting tales concerning Brad and Vena Angiers experiences living in the British Columbia wilderness. I found the style of writing to be quite easy to read and the explanations to be easily understandable. Would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in living in the wilderness or just enjoys reading about people who have done it.

No comments about Random Excess.

4 comments about Outrageous Fortune: The Rise and Ruin of Conrad and Lady Black.

1. Conrad Black has written extensively in reply to his critics and eagerly awaits his day in court to reply to those have so grievously attacked him. He has sued Bower for libel and I would wait for the completion of that action before I leapt to the conclusion that Bower has told the truth in whole or in part.
   
   With regard to the shareholders of Hollinger, he increased their net wealth by about 2.3 billion dollars. If he would do that for me I certainly wouldn't begrudge him a party once in a while.



2. Conrad Black was originally a fairly decent man who lived fairly modestly by billionaire standards. Then, he was seduced by one Barbara Amiel who persuaded him to divorce his first wife and marry her in the bargain. Once married, the new Lady Black went about raising the couple's living standards to absurdly lavish heights.
   
   All this luxurious excess cost a ton of money. So, Black set about looting the publicly held company in which he held the controlling votes. He installed a compliant board of directors, slashed expenses and either fired or sued anyone who objected.
   
   However, all this corruption eventually attracted the attention of both investigative reporters and law enforcement. For all of Lord Black's power, he was ultimately unable to prevent his demise. He has been ousted from the ownership of his company and is on the verge of standing on criminal trial in his native Canada.
   
   This is an excellent book about how greed and avarice often leads to one's own demise.



3. Now that the levee has broken, you would have to go a long way to garner sympathy for a couple with the hubris of Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel, but in his splendidly vituperative "Outrageous Fortune", Tom Bower almost pulls it off. This is a real piece of work (though, as Bower might say, if the shoe fits...) and no effort has been made to present any sort of balance whatsoever: Even the title is snide: Not "Conrad and Barbara Black", nor "Lord and Lady Black", but "Conrad and *Lady* Black" - a snipe at her overweening delight at ennoblement, and perhaps a cute reference to Black's habit of referring to his wife (from well before his peerage) as "the Little Lady".
   
   Make no mistake, this is a rip-snorter of a read: I've been devouring pages, missing stops on the tube, walking into lamp-posts and zoning out of conference calls on its account: it is the Barbarians at the Gate of the new Millennium - tempered only by the fact that its characters seem transparently unleavened by the financial expertise, corporate understanding, commercial cunning, capitalist audacity and iron balls of the KKR crowd: these protagonists, as Bower paints them, are as self-absorbed, self-aggrandising and self-enriching as the best of them, whilst still being deluded and dim-witted schmucks.
   
   Which is rather suspect in itself. If you accept that view then it is truly remarkable that the Blacks lasted as long as they did at the top of the pile. Bower does not dispute that Conrad Black attracted - and retained for decades - some high-quality help: Lord Carrington proposed his ennoblement and Baroness Thatcher seconded it (despite Bower's assertion that she found Black "ordinary"); Henry Kissinger sat on Hollinger's board even until the endgame played out (as did Richard Perle and KKR founder Henry Kravis' wife). So either Conrad Black was an extraordinary con-artist, or Bower is not giving credit where it is due.
   
   Nor is much credence given to Conrad Black's intellect or Amiel's journalistic prowess: Bower would have you believe that Black simply has a large vocabulary, a photographic memory and a penchant for gormlessly reciting details of naval battles at dinner parties, and suddenly took a couple of months to dash off a rangy biography of Roosevelt, which did nothing but illustrate his own shoddy scholarship. Now I haven't read this book (and nor, at 1245 pages, am I planning to), but the critical reaction to it on this site - which I have a healthy respect for - has been almost unanimously positive. Again, you get the sense that credit might not have been given where due.
   
   Finally, the book is studded with of startling exchanges which are set out as direct quotations - in situations where it is difficult to believe that the remarks could have possibly been recorded nor word-for-word remembered: Amiel's off-the-cuff remarks during dinner parties and to household staff and Black's asides to his co-directors during meetings and on the telephone over a twenty five year period are faithfully reproduced as if from a stenographer's notebook. I can't help thinking Bower is talking a biographer's licence here - that's a polite way of saying he made these quotes up - perhaps on the basis of a vaguer recollection like "then Conrad said something rude" or some such thing.
   
   Tom Bower has certainly done some homework and tracks the financial shenanigans skilfully, and I doubt there will be much sympathy out there amongst the schadenfreude for the misfortune of an unpleasant couple who are in the process of getting what has been coming to them, but all the same this relentlessly brutal entry can't help but remind us that this celebrated president's biogrpaher isn't the one writing this part of the last century's history.
   
   Olly Buxton



4. Apparently only a miracle will stop Lord Black from missing his billionaire lifestyle from a prison cell. Tom Bower's account is gripping. The subjects of his attention, Lord and Lady Black, certainly are much more interesting that the average pair accused of siphoning millions from unsuspecting shareholders. Bower credibly builds the portrait of two people that feel that the law should not apply to the ostensibly rich. Notably, the intellectual pretenses of Lady Black are effectively drowned in the repeated demonstration that, as she said, her extravagance knew no bounds.
   
   Bower's examination of the various facets of Lord Black is solid. The multiple quotes from his subject denying at all times any wrongdoing, always in elegant terms, confirm the picture of a man that considered himself a mix of intellectual giant and paragon of rapacious capitalism at its best (or worst). Apparently those that were silly enough to entrust their money to him fully deserved the systematic pillage that Lord Black and his associates applied to the companies under their management. The record of how Lord Black used people with solid reputations to get seals of approval for his shenanigans should send shudders down the spines of those that think that seating at a Board of Directors is a good opportunity to get some money and a good lunch while, at most, giving a glimpse at the reports and requests from the company's management before signing their endorsement.
   
   The timing of Bower's work is superb considering that Lord Black will face trial soon. After finishing it, the reader is ready to follow the saga to what will most probably be a fitting conclusion.

1 comments about Convoys of World War II: Tales of Survival, Hope And Bravery (Amazing Stories) (Amazing Stories).

1. Reviewed by William E. Cooper for Reader Views (3/06)
   
   For most of my life I've loved history, often with an emphasis of great deeds performed by people in times of crisis. In the case of this book Ms. Pedersen presents us with a series of anecdotes from sailors who operated in and survived the trials of natural and man-made issues. We have often studied American servicemen and the great accomplishments they made. It has been a rare time when we reviewed what our good friends from Canada did. Ms. Pedersen gives us the opportunity to hear from nine sailors. These average men were often put in positions of great danger and performed commendably. It is always appropriate to hear from these good people.
   
   Ms. Pedersen's book is well written, presenting the thoughts and feelings of men in continual danger, and how they reacted under high stress to get the job done. Her writing puts the reader on board with these men who helped get innumerable ships containing precious cargo to the allies fighting World War II. She provides us with insight into their courage as they performed their duties while under fire with neighboring ships being destroyed, often with considerable loss of life.
   
   I have often remarked about the greatest generation. Ms. Pedersen gives us yet another reason to believe. Well done.

5 comments about Ticket To Ride: (with CD).

1. An interesting read, but oh, it could have been so much better had Kane's book been passed through the hands of a good editor, which I can only assume it wasn't.
   
   Gone would have been the repetitive passages and chapters - especially the strangely unecessary summary chapters stuck in between the 64 and 65 tours - all of which only mire down what could have been an even livelier, seat of the pants narrative.
   
   Also gone would be Kane's frustrating knack for pre-empting almost every story with its own punchline, leaving the reader with a somewhat anti-climatic let down each time.
   
   Clear all that out and readers could participate wholeheartedly in Kane's unique and exhilerating ride in the slipstream of the Beatles' American tours - a fascinating set of insider tales from a refreshingly earnest, thoughtful and perceptive storyteller.



2. Larry Kane's "Ticket to Ride" is simply a must-read for all Beatles fan. As the only American journalist to cover every single date of both the '64 & '65 North American tours, Kane was in the eye of the storm of the hysteria of Beatlemania. The journalist developed a rapport and friendly relationship with John, Paul, George & Ringo, and his insights are invaluable.
   It's fascinating to witness Kane's transformation from cynical journalist who was at first reluctanct to accept the assignment, to someone who developed an admiration and respect for the Beatles as musicians and as men.
   It's a light and breezy read, and the paper-back edition is light and easy to carry. Perfect summer reading for the beach or a plane ride.
   An added bonus is a CD featuring snippets of exclusive interviews Kane conducted w/ the Fab Four.



3. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the eyewitness recollections of each concert and city. I enjoyed Larry's anecdotes just like anyone who has asked him, "What was it like"? The stories on the plane were a delight, especially the revealing ones. I wonder who made that anti semetic remark anyway? I can't help thinking it was John because he was so outspoken, and I've heard he made other"jew" remarks. Who knows? Concidering Larry's catty, unfair, unwarranted, little asides about Paul McCartney, you'd almost think Paul was the one who made the remark, and maybe Larry knows this but isn't saying. There has to be some reason why Larry digs Paul throughout this book. Like other reviewers I found this book biased in Lennon's favor. I'm not begrudging his picking John as his favorite. He has excellent taste, but like his book Lennon Revealed this book puts Lennon on a pedestal and doesn't mention the others enough. Okay, for a book about John Lennon but not a book that's supposed to be about all four of them. Also people who love John the most seem to feel that this means that they need to show Paul in the worst possible light, and the Paul fans seem to always do this to John as well. Nothing is more boring and childish. We're not in 7th grade. Please grow up, Beatle writers. Jeez I love both of them equally. Why doesn't everybody else? Larry doesn't bash Paul McCartney in this book, but he never misses an opportunity to spin every event to make it look like everything Paul did had an ulterior motive. For instance, at the Capitol Records garden party the boys were expected to sit on little stools and greet over 500 guests, who shuffled past them one by one. Larry observes that while John, George and Ringo seem to be going through the motions, Paul greets each guest warmly and even finds something to say to almost all of them. (I'm not quoting from the text because I don't have the book in front of me) Then Larry somehow slants this observation to make it seem like Paul is phoney or superficial. Because my oppinion is not biased by dislike, I view this story as an example of professionalism. If Larry really knew the boys as well as he pretends to, he would have seen that all four of them were professional like this. They always went that extra mile and every obligation was carried out with enthusiasm, even if they weren't feeling that way deep down. Paul is more well known for this but all of them played the game. Another thing that Larry seems to have missed about Paul because he really does not know him very well, is that Paul is NICE. His father was NICE. His brother is NICE. The entire family has always been described by insiders as impeccably well behaved and well mannered. Paul was brought up to beleive in a work ethic and to be a team player. In fact he has said that if he didn't act this way, it would have been phoney. I'm sure if John or George were seen greeting the guests with enthusiasm Larry would have gushed about what troopers they were and how professional. In fact if Larry had portrayed George in this unfavorable light, all of the Harrison mommies and daddies would be slamming this book, and giving it one star. ( see Here There and Everywhere and Revolution in the Head) In another part of this book, where Paul is talking about his views on civil rights, Larry even has the nerve to insert words into the text that Paul never said, to try and show that he's really a racist in disguise (listen to the accompanying cd which has the actual, Paul and Larry civil rights interview to see that what he really says differs from the text.) After reading this book my feeling is that ALL FOUR of them were lovely men, with a strong sense of humanity and for twentysomething pop stars, they had an unusual amount of integrety. They were discreet in their personal lives, wonderful to their fans, and just really down to earth. This book does a fantastic job of conveying that.
   
   Another wonderful thing are the recounting of stories by the fans who were lucky enough to either witness a concert first hand or at least were first generation fans and remember the magic first hand. I love Beatle books that do this. It's always nice to hear what other fans have to say.I gave this book five stars because I really loved everything about it. It was fun, facinating and exciting to read. I'm just not happy with Larry's snotty, catty remarks about Paul, especially since he doesn't seem to have anything to back them up. Paul doesn't deserve it. Larry is lucky to have been given the priviledge of traveling with, and getting to know The Beatles. And we are lucky that he finally wrote a memoir. Add this one to your collection.



4. I was 16 years old when I learned about the Beatles in February, 1974. I was totally blown away, and have yet to recover. I bought, Meet The Beatles, as quickly as I could scrape up $3.00, and get to Woolworths, where the records were in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It seemed like it was a matter of days, and the Beatles owned places 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, on the Billboard Top 100 Chart.
   
   Then I started working on Mama to buy me my first guitar, which I still have, with 5 others. It was a $50.00 Silvertone from Sears. I constantly play the songs I heard on the 3 Ed Sullivan Shows in Febtuary, 1974.
   
   I didn't really understand why the Beatles stopped touring when they did. Now I do since I read this book. I learned a whole lot of things that I didn't know after reading, Ticket To Ride. If you want to go from city to city with Larry Kane, Brian Epstein, the Beatles, other insiders, and the avid Beatle fans during the 1964 and 1965 tours, read this book.
   
   I am a Christian, a rock and roller, and a serious Beatle fan. This book is written in pretty good taste, yet it gets down to the nitty-gritty of Beatlemania. Get this book!
   
   Steve Hummel
   steve0094@aol.com



5. Larry Kane is familiar to most of us in Philadelphia as one of our most well-known and loved newscasters, but before coming to our city he experienced a news story of a lifetime: traveling with The Beatles on their 1964 and 1965 concert tours of America. Working for a Miami radio station at the time, Larry takes us city by city from his first meeting with the band to their hotel rooms on the road, their chartered plane zigziagging across the county, and to Shea Stadium to witness the frenzy of Beatlemania.
   
   The story makes for an easy, fun read, seeing the Beatles from a unique "insider-yet-outsider" perspective. Not one of the band's inner circle of managers or road crew, Larry still had an exposure to and a relationship with the band that few others enjoyed, and was entrusted to report on the band for his job while keeping some of the more scandalous sights he saw out of the public eye. Even here, he mostly leaves the sex and drugs out of the rock and roll equation, only suggesting and hinting at what may have happened (and probably did happen) behind closed doors. He obviously holds the Beatles in high respect and did not write this book to in any way diminish their reputation.
   
   You won't find deep insight into the band members here, either, nor a great deal about their creative process. Larry's opinions of each member of the band come through quite clearly, though, especially his strong admiration for John Lennon, who comes across as easily angered yet intelligent and passionate in his convictions. Paul McCartney is the only member of the band who comes across sometimes in a less than favorable light, as Kane suggests a polished, suave, yet perhaps superficial character to "The Cute Beatle". The descriptions of fan behavior and the lengths to which fans would go to meet the band are quite interesting and revealing, at least to those of us who never experienced Beatlemania firsthand.
   
   One weakness to the book is at times, Kane's newscaster profession takes over the writing style and the book can read like a transcript of "48 Hours" or "Dateline NBC". Most chapters end on a teaser or cliffhanger note that seems begging for someone to add, "That story after this commercial break!" The book is at times repetitive as well, as if he was stretching to fill out a page count by rehashing information. But overall, this is still a good read for any Beatles fan, or for those curious about the impact of Beatlemania on America in the 1960s.