5 comments about I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers.

1. If you are looking for hope and love in a world filled with chaos and fear this book is a must read. The author weaves his story and friendship with Fred Rogers into a very entertaining and heart wrenching treasure.
   
   Tim thank you for sharing with the world your precious moments with Mr. Rogers. You have given hope, love, and IPOY to more people than you will ever know!!! I am one of the many who very much needed the words and affirmations written in this lovely book!!
   
   God Bless you all of your days.



2. This is a touching story about how great Mr. Rogers was. I loved it & so has everyone I know that has read it. It is a must read!!!!!!!!



3. This is a sweet remembrance of the author's friendship with Fred Rogers. But it also gives an interesting insight into the spiritual side of the "Mr. Rogers" so many of us grew up with. Most of us know that Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, but this book shares correspondences and conversations that reveal just how deeply spiritual Fred Rogers was.



4. This book is about a relationship between two friends. I often give this book to friends who have lost a parent. In this world where so few people encourage and lift each other up, are able to have a heart-to-heart talk with a friend, this book is an excellent example of how to do just that! "I'm Proud of You" is one of my favorite books. I would highly recommend it and preferred it so much more than "Tuesdays with Morie"(spelling?)since the story seemed so much more heartfelt.



5. This book made both my wife and I cry at times as it covered the sensitive topic of a son's relationship with his father and a man's relationship with a mentor. This is a must read for all father's, son's, and mentors.

No comments about Searching for Schindler: A memoir.

5 comments about Nature Noir: A Park Ranger's Patrol in the Sierra.

1. Shatter the California Environmental Myth! Then kick it in, step on it and if there is still anything left, shoot if for good measure. In "Nature Noir," Jordan Fisher Smith tells it like it is. He's the ranger for a piece of state parkland in the high Sierras, a neglected piece of land slated to become a dam site and inundated reservoir capturing the floodwaters of the American River; this to prevent downstream flooding in Sacramento.
   
   Smith elects to work in this park instead of trying to compete for a much more coveted, high-status ranger role in the National Park Service. While he would love to work in one of California's great national parks, he's settled for rangering in this off-the-path piece of public parkland. For those not aware, it's a tough time for a white guy to get one of those high-profile National Park ranger roles. Since women and minorities have historically been under-represented among park rangers, there's a major push to diversify. As a white guy, Smith finds himself at the back of the line.
   
   His piece of California state parkland is on a shoe-string budget with an skeletal staff. Because the expectation is still for a dam and reservoir to be built, activities like dredging for gold are allowed. Intolerable and illegal elsewhere on public parkland, activities like this go on, spoiling the environment, making lots of noise, silting up streams, lowering water quality.
   
   This is a rough place and rough things happen here. Smith is able to convey a strong sense of place. He knows his land. Rough people seem to be drawn to this place. A lot of people openly carry guns. Few Sierra Clubbers, Friends-of-the-Earth, Audubon Society birdwatchers and people with a sense of environmental stewardship frequent this place. The spirit of John Muir is at best a foggy ghost in the vision field of most of the patrons of this place. Smith is not a law-enforcement oriented type of ranger. However, this part of his ranger role is often all-consuming.
   
   This is a tale told by a guy who knows well his piece of public land and the people who frequent it. His tale will strip down the high-minded environmental conscience of California ecology types and even ordinary folks, who want simply to go on a nature walk in the woods. This narrative will make you feel uncomfortable. You won't think about a piece of public land in the same way after reading this book. You won't think about the role of a ranger in the same way after reading this book.



2. This is the memoir of a ranger assigned to a dying state park whose lands were due to be flooded by a downstream dam. The park's fate helped make its visitors a relatively pathetic bunch, since California's park department clearly reduced spending on infrastructure and staff in anticipation of the park's coming demise. People who didn't need infrastructure, and who liked the low enforcement level, found it a congenial place to hang out - - mostly to drink, of course, but also to engage in other antisocial and/or illegal activities.
   
   The experience gave Smith a lot of good stories, and he tells them pretty well. As a storyteller in the ranger-warden-cop genre, I'd put him about in the middle of the pack. The underlying quality of the stories is better than average.
   
   The book stands out in its perspective, conveyed by the title. Some comparable memoirs present park rangers and game wardens as semi-heroic servants of the people, but this one has a more gritty feel of an urban cop assigned to a rural beat. If you're looking for Bambi stories about wildlife or wilderness, this is the wrong book for you - - the star animal eats a visitor, and a much more humble creature puts an end to our author's career. But if you're a true-crime fan looking for an unusual setting, this book might be just the ticket for you.



3. A boldly written book, by an author who is not afraid to take chances, Jordan Fisher Smith, a park ranger whose career led him by chance, or perhaps by destiny, to the canyons of the American River in California. The area under his jurisdiction was condemned in his time, facing a future of being annhilitated; damned up and buried under thousands of tons of water.
   
   "Nature Noir" is a fascinating peephole into the dark side of nature, the dark side of humanity, the dark side of the author himself. This gritty book holds nothing back. Not the carelessness of humankind, not the uncompromising thrust of the natural world, not even the relentless self-scrutiny of the author.
   
   This unique book gives a personal perspective from the viewpoint of the ranger who hands out permits to people like us. It also indicates Smith's deep connection with the lands that he had sworn to protect.
   
   Often terse, "Nature Noir" illustrates the author's ability to paint a highly evocative picture with a minimum of words. His spare descriptions illuminate the landscape in which he lived, and tell us everything we need to know to imagine the place, the people, and the era.
   
   I was so intrigued by Jordan Smith's succinct prose that I felt compelled to
   make a pilgrimage to the canyons of the American River myself. I found them as intriguing as the author's descriptions.
   
   Nature Noir is not for the faint of heart. It is not for readers who anticipate a light-hearted tale, or an ordinary one.
   
   Look for the ending, brutal in it's sudden simplicity.
   
   This book is a great read.



4. A park ranger talks about law enforcement, dams, miners, and death in California's Auburn State Recreation Area.



5. I don't really have much to say about Nature Noir. I read it on the plane out to Denver. It was recommended to me by a non-fiction writer and I heard part of an interview with the author on the radio. I confess that I have not read a great deal of non-fiction aside from personal essays. "Nature Noir" read much like a long personal essay, interspersed with the customary commentary on landscape necessary in all nature writing. Smith's narrative seeks to dispel the idyllic image of wilderness and the life of the Forest Ranger. And I imagine for many people, particularly people who do not spend much time in the Western backcountry, Smith's reports of meth-labs, poachers, suicides, and predator attacks contrast their image of wilderness. But it's something most people who spend time in the backcournty have know about for some time. Ultimately I found his tales and observations somewhat pedestrian. The reviewer on the inside cover compared the work to Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder, and Aldo Leopold. Such comparisons are far too generous for this particular work.

5 comments about Off the Deep End.

1. Hodding Carter offers plenty of dry wit along with an incessant immersion in wildly entertaining self-styled swimmming regimens in pursuit of a lofty 2008 Beijing Olympic qualifying spot on Team USA...at age 45. Fabulous zeal and uttely shameless creativity in finding ways to train himself in odd places while dealing with the mid life pressures of job, husband, parent of young children. For the novice, this was also an, at times, deliriously funny direct window into what it takes to go after a dream this big. Who straps on a little surival basket of goodies and a flag to a surfboard, ties it to his torso and swims from island to island with a former Olympic Gold medal swimmer in the Florida Keys?!! All in a day's work for Carter. Truely was pulling for him to make the Olympic 2008 team. Thanks Hodding for all the extra info readers are able to follow. (Indiana University swimming/kinesthetics department for example. How else would I have found out chocolate milk is the recommended recovery rehydration beverage of choice for swimmers of multiple events. Yep, IU actually published findings on research entitled: "Efficacy of Chocolate Milk as Recovery Fluid....".) What's not to love about this zany and yet true watery vision quest for the Gold! A great read for anyone who feels the magnetic pull of water world, at any level, mild to mesmerizing. Training tips are a pleasant surprise bonus.



2. This is a wonderful read! It is well-written, intelligent, and funny. I agree that this is a great read for Masters swimmers but also think it is a great read for any middle-aged person who decides that life is not on that downhill slide but rather that we can still accomplish tremendous things. Its about the joy of setting goals and then experiencing the day-to-day effort of working towards those goals - having a direction that is exciting.
   
   I have been really inspired by Dara Torres making the Olympic Team at 41 - I know a lot of people have also been inspired by her performance. What is more interesting to me is that I am also inspired by Hodding Carter and his efforts to make the Olympics - he didn't make them but his journey and where he ended up are really something. Well done!



3. As a Masters swimmer, I really enjoyed this book! I finished it in a couple of days and handed it off to one of our coaches, who really enjoyed it as well. I told the rest of the team to go buy the book... We have all had Olympic dreams of one sort or another and looking at someones thought process was really interesting. Plus, there are some really very funny parts of the book if you know anything about swimming, as well as some good training insights for those of us over 40. Good Luck Hodding!



4. Terribly written, going no where book, no plot no nothing. Appears to me that he wrote this book because he was broke by foolishily following his dream to swim in the olympics.



5. When I ordered this book, I was expecting sort of a literary reflection on swimming, discussing the experience of endless laps in ponderous prose. Of course, I forgot my experience of champion swimmers (driven, sometimes eccentric, sometimes manic, but not usually introspective). Actually, the book is more like a series of short stories about some interesting events in the course of the author's life over the last few years.
   
   In the course of reading, you get some nice introductions to modern thinking about swimming training and technique and some introductions to personalities in masters swimming and Olympians. Like the author, my only image of Mark Spitz growing up was the golden boy. Quite an eye-opener here!
   
   If you've enjoyed competitive swimming in your own past but have not kept up with the swimming world, I can say with certainty that you will like this book. If you haven't been a swimmer before, you can still enjoy it, as you don't need a lot of technical understanding to follow the stories.
   
   The fact that the book is written for and was released at just the right time to make a financial windfall in case the author qualifies for the 2008 Beijing Olympic trials is a little off-putting, but it doesn't really detract from the quality or the inherent interest of the vignettes.
   
   BTW, my sense is that the reviewer Geezerjock below just skimmed the book and missed the more important stories about the author beating his previous best times set when he was decades younger. In the future, when they have made more anti-aging technological breakthroughs, I think this book will be able to seen as a chronicle of someone living on the cusp of human transformation. The book does not make you cringe at every turn.

No comments about A Pryor Commitment: The Autobiography of David Pryor.

5 comments about Right Turns: From Liberal Activist to Conservative Champion in 35 Unconventional Lessons.

1. I am a fan of Medved's radio show, and agree with most of his opinions, so it was interesting to see how he developed those views.



2. Right Turns: From Liberal Activist to Conservative Champion in 35 Unconventional Lessons
   
   What an amazing life story. What I found so profound, was my own life experiences, in going from a jewish democrat to jewish conservative republican.
   
   I found his life story quite compelling, and inspiring, to help me find my own jewish identity.
   
   Sadly, being a republican is highly discouraged as a jew. It's rather sad, there are no local places in Minnesota, where you can pray, and not have to worry about being silent, rather than being a part of a good community.
   
   Thank you, Michael Medved, for such an inspiring and heart-warming autobiography.



3. Michael's book is an example of what happens when adolescents mature. When one starts working and has a family to support they cannot remain liberal unless they are insane. Liberalism is a mental disorder but it can be healed with the right amount of encouragement and soul searching by the sick one.



4. Heard Michael Medved read his autobiography, RIGHT TURNS:
   FROM LIBERAL ACTIVIST TO CONERVATIVE CHAMPION
   IN 35 UNCONVENTIONAL LESSONS and must say I was
   impressed--though I don't agree with all his political beliefs.
   
   Yet that's what makes the book so interesting; i.e., that
   Medved gets you to think . . . he has always done that
   for me, even since I started to watch him back when he reviewed
   movies on PBS . . . his opinions were often funny, but they
   were also much more honest than those of his colleague
   Jeffrey Lyons (who could find something admirable in almost any
   film). . . I also got a kick out of his "Golden Turkey Awards,"
   presented to the very worst efforts in filmmaking.
   
   When he described his early liberal leanings, I could
   relate to much of what he said--particularly when he talked
   about Allard Lowenstein, one of my political heroes . . . how
   he transformed to become conservative kept my attention,
   as did his becoming increasingly aligned with Orthodox
   Judaism . . . and when he followed-up an unsuccessful
   first marriage with a loving second one, I found myself
   feeling glad for Medved.
   
   Parts of RIGHT TURNS are funny; much of it is thought-provoking.



5. I'm a little puzzled by some of the negative comments from reviewers regarding the book and, broadly speaking, the character of the author. I've just about finished the book and have found little in the way of blanket invectives that some accuse him of casting on "Liberals". Yes, he relentlessly attacks those who he finds to be disingenuous, self-servers (Vietnam war protesters - driven by fear of the draft more than the geopolitical consequences of the US military engagement), angry and intolerant radical secularists, and smug self-righteous Hollywood sycophants. But Medved goes out of his way to point out the decency and good-nature of a young Hillary Clinton; the sincerity and seriousness of Barbra Streisand as a mother seeking spiritual enrichment for her teenage son; and the fact that a high-level Clinton associate, Lanny Davis, is still one of his most valued friends.
   
   He is, no doubt, a passionate advocate for the values he's cultivated and informed in a very interesting lifetime of enthusiastic immersion in anything he seemed to stumble into. He can sometimes seem a little overbearing in his confidence and grand assertions - but I think any fair reading of this values-focused autobiography will find his intellectual and emotional honesty compelling whether or not ultimately convincing.
   
   Relax a little. Don't get caught up in eye-rolling even while he occasionally waxes eloquent on some credulity-straining events in his apparently charmed life and you'll be rewarded with a series of amusing stories, thought-provoking observations and an overall engaging read.

5 comments about Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantanamo.

1. I am so shocked and moved after reading this book. This is a must read for everyone.. What happens in Guantanamo is inhumane. Not even animals are treated this way.



2. In this book, translated from German, Murat Kurnaz, a German Turk, tells his tragic story. When only nineteen and an apprentice shipbuilder, while taking time off in Pakistan for religious study, he was hauled off a bus and imprisoned for a short time before being `sold' to the US Administration for $3,000. This was a bargain - the Americans were offering $5,000 - $25,000 to locals for anyone suspected of being Taliban or Al Qaeda. With such tempting offerings, many innocent men - usually foreigners - were gladly exchanged for the money which converted into huge amounts in the local currency.
   
   Murat was sent first to a prison camp in Kandahar, Afghanistan and then later to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In both places he was repeatedly and relentlessly tortured. Among other things he was constantly beaten, often for no reason, he was water boarded, he was electrically shocked on the soles of his feet, he was hung from the ceiling by his arms tied behind him for hours on end, he was deprived of sleep for weeks at a time, he was forced to stand for days, he was starved, he was force fed, he was put in an air-tight metal container and subjected to extreme heat and cold and of course there were the months of solitary confinement. In Guantanamo he came across prisoners as young as 14 and a few even in their 80s and 90s.
   
   Like all the books on Guantanamo, there is almost a shock a page. Besides the main tortures listed above, what I found almost as deplorable was how vindictive, sadistic and cruel the soldiers were to the detainees in little ways all the time and always there were endless lies. Also appalling were Murat's descriptions of female soldiers in one of the camps, watching while naked male prisoners defecated in a communal bucket in the open pen. And in Guantanamo, scantily dressed young women rubbed themselves against him and made sexual suggestions. One wonders if their male superiors ordered them to do this or if they thought up these little torments themselves. But it should also be said that a few guards treated the detainees with basic decency.
   
   At the end of the book we learn that the Administration knew 6 months into Murat's capture that he was innocent, but kept him on, continued the torture and even made wild accusations against him - presumably to save face. After 5 years when he was finally to be sent back to Germany, on the way out they made a last ditch effort to make him sign a statement saying he was either Taliban or Al Qaeda or he must stay in Cuba. He refused.
   
   How do we know all this is true? Having read so many similar accounts from so many prisoners of many different nationalities and languages, from different cell blocks, who could not have collaborated - talking between the detainees was almost always prohibited - I am convinced that what is described is essentially what happened. The Epilogue, written by his American attorney, Baher Azmy, a law professor in New Jersey, is excellent. Murat was robbed of part of his youth with no explanation or apology so it is hardly surprising he felt compelled to tell his story. He finishes with - "We have to tell the world how Abdul lost his legs and how the Moroccan captain lost his fingers. The world needs to know about the prisoners who died in Kandahar. We have to describe how the doctors came only to check whether we were dead or could stand to be tortured for a little longer."



3. After reading an FBI report about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo, the U.S. Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, compared it to the Nazis. He was later forced to apologize after the Anti-Defamation League, among otheres, objected to any comparison with the Holocaust. It's too bad Durbin apologized because after reading Murat Kurnaz's account of his experience at Guantanamo, Nazilike is the only adjective that comes to mind. We should keep in mind that the Holocaust--that is, genocide on an industrial scale--didn't spring full-blown in the Nazi's plans. Those plans were enabled by the failure of the international community to try to stop the Nazi persecution of the Jews. Kristallnacht was preliminary to the Holocaust but the fact that the Nazis got away with it, paved the way for the Holocaust. Other reviewers have commented on how upset they were reading this book and how difficult they found it to sleep afterwards. I had the same response, in part because you realize that we too are capable of bestiality, that we, too, are living in a period of incipient fascism in this country. If the true authors of the torture policies at Guantanamo--Dick Cheney, David Addington, John Yoo, Alberto Gonazales, Donald Rumsfeld, George Bush, etc.--are allowed to get away with their crimes and are not held accountable, we will have enabled our leaders to carry out even greater crimes.



4. The book highlights some of the darkest sides of the Bush administation's "War On Terror". Murat Kurnaz tells a breathtaking and horrifying story about the unlawful detention that took away his youth.
   
   He was exposed to some of the most humiliating, inhumane and painful treatments possible. He was hung up on a hook in the ceiling for five days, electified, nearly drowned, subjected to mock execution, put in solitary confinement for extreme stretches in unbearable heat or cold, put in a room with no air supply among many, many other things.
   
   This book is a wake-up call to the cruel world we live in, and is a MUST READ for anyone interested in what REALLY happens outside their backyard.



5. A first hand testimony of how things can go so wrong when we forget to treat people as human beings

5 comments about Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery & My Return to the NFL.

1. Never Give Up is the journey of Tedy Bruschi and how he went from Super Bowl Champion/Pro Bowl participant to hoping he could lead a normal life. Bruschi suffered a mild stroke that impaired his vision and ability to walk. He and his wife Heidi received a crash course in what it means to have a stroke and how it can impact your life.
   
   Bruschi details how this event caused turmoil in his personal and professional life and how he went from being completely striped of any hope of playing football again to becoming a leading spokesman for stroke awareness. The book is well written and a very fast read.
   
   This book is well beyond a book only for New England Patriots fans; it is a great inspiration for anyone who is facing adversity in their life. Highly recommended.



2. Truly insperational. I love Tedy Bruschi and this shows the heart of a true sportsman and a great person. This book is easy to read and a must read if you are a PATS fan at all!



3. I haven't finished the book, but what i have read is excellent. It was well written, and I felt it explained in the details of his life.



4. I am a HUGE Patriots fan and i could not put this book down. I am 14 years old and i have to read every single night and i was excited when i started to read this book. This book makes you think about what you have and the things that you take for granted. Even though the patriots lost the super bowl i got over it quicker than i would of since i had just finished the book. I liked the insight on what goes on and what goes through the NFL players head. You have got to read this inspirational book!



5. I bought this book for my husband for Christmas. He has hardly put it down since he got it. I can't wait for him to finish so I can read it!

1 comments about What You Must Think of Me: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative).

1. XXXXX
   
   "As a child, Emily was incomparable, unusual, even precocious. At age four she was writing little poems and stories, enjoying music, art, and a myriad of creative pastimes. The breadth of her imagination along with her joie de vivre was a charming combination. Then in her teens, Emily became increasingly self-conscious. Immediate post-college days marked the beginning of her deep depression...During this time she frequently slept by day and was up all night...Emily withdrew socially; personal reactions became rare. Anxiety plagued her to the point of refusing to talk on the phone...Her eating habits became bizarre..."
   
   The above is part of a letter written by the mother of the main author of this fascinating book, Emily Ford (with professor of clinical psychology, Dr. Michael Liebowitz and freelance health & psychology writer Linda Andrews).
   
   This book in a nutshell has Ford sharing her personal struggle with the serious yet treatable disorder called social anxiety disorder (SAD), also called social phobia. She takes the reader along on her incredible and courageous journey of successfully coping with this disorder, while providing useful information, help, and hope to others also suffering from it (about 15 million Americans suffer from SAD), as well as to family members and friends who want to help. It is also an excellent book for those like me (one of my degrees is a psychology degree) who want to understand this disorder from the perspective of a person who has been challenged by it.
   
   What is social anxiety disorder (SAD)? It is an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is a vague, unpleasant, emotional state with qualities of apprehension, dread, distress, and uneasiness. An anxiety disorder is a cover term for a variety of maladaptive syndromes which have severe anxiety as the dominant disturbance. SAD is "an anxiety disorder characterized by marked fear in social situations that involve being around unfamiliar people or the possibility of scrutiny by others." (Note that SAD is "substantially different" from shyness.)
   
   Ford's chronicling of coping with SAD is in a word: superb. She tells her story with insight and warmth.
   
   A major highlight of this book is that key points from the main narrative are isolated (in handwritten script), thus allowing the reader to have important information at his/her fingertips. To give the reader a "feel" for the book, I will give one example of these key points from each section (preface and chapters) of the book:
   
   Preface: "The bravest thing I've ever done was to reach out and actively seek the assistance I desperately wanted and knew I needed."
   (1) "I believed everyone around me was exchanging subtle signs and singles, conveying to one another that for any of a number of reasons, I was out of place."
   (2) "Unless I knew I was going to be very good at something, I didn't do it at all."
   (3) "Allowed to grow freely, untested by real-world experiences, my fears quickly mushroomed out of control."
   (4) "Some new outfits and a change of scenery didn't magically transform me into the confident, outgoing person I wanted to be."
   (5) "Medication may work faster than [therapy], but therapy may have more durable effects after treatment is stopped."
   (6) "It takes great courage to force yourself to face your fears."
   (7) "The confidence I gained by facing smaller challenges strengthened my belief that I could succeed."
   (8) "Social anxiety disorder is just one of the many characteristics that make me the unique person I am."
   
   After the main narrative is completed, there is helpful material at the end of the book. First, there is a section called "Frequently Asked Questions." It is composed of 14 important questions regarding social anxiety disorder with complete answers given. Second, there is a glossary of terms that are defined for the reader. The definition of social anxiety disorder given above was taken from this glossary. Finally, there is a resource list provided not only for social anxiety disorder but for other disorders as well.
   
   Finally, I only had one problem with this book. Although the author does a good job on informing the reader of the variety of medications (that is, prescribed drugs) available to aid therapy, I feel she does not convey the many problems associated with them. For example, there is a chart given that lists the prescribed drugs for social anxiety disorder. No where on this chart are the dangerous side effects given.
   
   The fact is prescribed drugs are not candies. They have to be treated with caution. Thus, if prescribed drugs must be given, they ideally should be carefully monitored by the therapist prescribing them and given only for the short term (3 to 6 months).
   
   In conclusion, this is a rare book written by a person trying to cope with social anxiety disorder. I leave you with the conclusion of the mother's letter that I began above:
   
   "Remarkably, Emily has abandoned her dark despair and re-emerged into the radiance of self-delight and that of the world around her...Through...therapy and medication Emily has become a `new' person, ironically by becoming her `old' self. Once again, Emily has embraced the validity of her emotions, her uniqueness, and her interest in the lives of others."
   
   (first published 2007; forward; preface; 8 chapters; main narrative 120 pages; frequently asked questions; glossary; resources; bibliography; index)
   
   <>
   
   XXXXX

5 comments about Fowl Weather.

1. Bob Tarte's second book about his life with ducks, ( cats, parrots, bunnies and more) was just as compelling as the first. I enjoyed learning more about his wife Linda and his best friend Bob. This book was a little more about finding his way in in the world while in the throes of depression after losing his father and more members of his animal kingdom.
   
   He appears more vulnerable and unsure, but never fails to have his life brightened and gilded by Linda and his pet family.
   
   Those of us who have grappled with depression can find many ways to connect with his feelings, and the occasional feeling that his life was whirling out of control. He is more fortunate than some, with a good support system of family and friends.
   
   Both of these books will make you laugh out loud, and shed a tear. I know that they did that for me. I hope there is more about this wonderful family to come.



2. Clearly Bob Tarte strikes a chord with readers of all stripes. The way he gives his life over to his animals, and the rewards he receives, are quite spectacular. There is really no writer like him. This book made me laugh out loud several times. Knowing that the author is prone to depression, and that his wife has chronic back problems, this could easily have become a whinefest. But they both see the humor in everyday situations, and the demands of their menagerie are what keeps them both going. The sad parts are quite touching but never maudlin. I loved living their life vicariously. Thank you, Bob Tarte, and please keep on sharing!



3. Laugh out loud funny.I am currently reading the sequel"Fowl Weather"and it is just as good.Bob,put pen to paper and give us more.



4. I'm not normally a nonfiction reader, but Bob Tarte's Fowl Weather is a great book to break away from the fiction habit. This book will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will restore your faith in the human race to know there are people out there (besides yourself) that truly care about, and nourish, God's creatures. Bob Tarte and his wife, Linda, go above and beyond in their nurturing of wild, and not so wild, animals. Bob relates his adventures with them in a funny, honest and totally involving manner. From Moobie, the white, picky cat, (who I loved) to Stanley Sue, the endearing parrot, to Bertie, the bunny, Bob writes about all of his pets with intelligence, humor and obvious affection. - Lisa, the Librarian



5. I will be one of the few dissenting opinions here. While the author certainly lets us into his life with honestly and humor, the fact that nearly of his pets treat him and his wife with what appears to be contempt makes this entire book seem like 3 hours of looking at a car wreck. And while a normal, well-adjusted life wouldnt make an interesting book, I lost sympathy for the author and his wife when some of their pets deaths were due to lack of proper maintenance of their housing. In addition they seem to have some sort of weird co-dependency with the most abusive animals such as the older parrots, enduring much pain for little return and yet insisting on always replacing them so the level of abuse stays the same, while treating the few animals that actually return love on a regular basis as somehow less important.
   
   If you want to spend three or more hours looking at car wreck then buy this book.