2 comments about Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, from World War I to Iraq.

1. This is a compilation of war diaries from young people, about 12-20 years old, in wars from WWI to present conflicts in Israel, Palestine and Iraq. The diarists are amazingly engaging.. One minute they are typical adolescents worrying about school or friendships, and then they are concerned for their lives, those of their families, and needs such as food, basic hygiene and human dignity. And often they are both typical and suffering at the same time, a fascinating interplay.
   
   If you know a young person who has met with serious losses in their life, this may be a difficult, but cathartic book for them to read. In our present time in the US, lives for many of our young people seem very simple and easy. Those who have experienced significant loss feel quite alone, as it seems that their peers have no worries beyond popularity, sports and grades. This book can help with that as they hear the voices of those who also, although very young, are dealing with difficult --- sometimes wayyyyy beyond difficult-- times. We hope and pray that this book help us all remember the horrors, not the glories of war, and renew our personal resolve to do what we can to work for peace and justice.
   Read it, and you'll find yourself thoroughly engaged in some other worlds. Yeah, it isn't a light or easy read... but you'll be glad you read it. Precious and painful.



2. This collection of war diaries presents conflicts from World War I to Iraq through a lens not usually viewed - the writings of young people who are experiencing them first hand. These intimate writings relate the diarists' fears for themselves and their families and the anguish of losses they suffer. Yet each one also talks about their hopes for the future in a life without war.
   
   The insights into history are also fascinating, as many of the diarists relate the political perspectives of the war they're living through. I find it so interesting to discover what the people in a country were thinking at the time of a war as opposed to what their leaders were saying about it publicly. And I was pleasantly surprised to find each diary very well written and the stories unfolding in a way that kept a narrative story line progressing. This must be the work of editors Zlata Filipovic and Melanie Challenger, who chose which entries of the diaries to include.
   
   I imagine this work was particularly poignant for Filipovic, whose diary of wartime Sarajevo is included. A line from one of her entries sums up the sentiment that was a common thread among many of the diarists, "I simply don't understand it. Of course, I'm 'young' and politics are conducted by 'grown-ups.' But I think we 'young' would do it better. We certainly wouldn't have chosen war...."

5 comments about My Life So Far.

1. In "My life so far" Jane Fonda opens her heart and her life to all of us and while doing so teaches us how to live and survive in these difficult times.



2. My Life So Far by Jane Fonda is a fascinating look into her family life and journey into womanhood. Very revealing look into her life as the child of Henry Fonda to "Hanoi Jane" and the criminal investigation waged against her by the government, to Jane the mother/wife, to the insightful woman she is today. She is her own woman. Never knowing much about her, I found this book intriguing, candid and educational.



3. Very Honest and inspiring. Just when she gets whiney she deflects you. A great read overall.



4. First of all, I would like to thank Jane Fonda for sharing so much of her spirit, self and life. Reading her book made me feel like I was a time traveler as she took me back in time to when she was a liitle girl and traversed along side her throughout her life and into her third act.
   
   I most definitely could relate to some of the same issues Jane Fonda dealt with in her life. For instance the lack of love, compassion and acceptance in the home while growing up.
   The uncertainty about her sexuality.
   Questions concerning the Vietnam War.
   Jane Fonda's relationship with her father or lack thereof. Unable to connect with her father on any level (no fault of her own). All these issues I to combatted in my life and just like Jane I am a fighter and a survivor.
   
   On another note, I have a favorite actress for each decade going back to the 30's. For instance Merle Oberon is my favorite actress of the 30's, Ginger Rogers the 40's, Kim Novak the 50's, and Jane Fonda of the 60's and 70's. I have not been able to choose one since Jane Fonda retired, but I am so happy to see that she is making a come back in movies. I so missed her presence on the big screen.
   
   In closing, I believe this book has something for everybody. I highly recommend "My Life So Far" to everyone.
   Thank you Jane Fonda for sharing so much of yourself with family, friends and fans.
   
   For a love story that is unlike anything you've ever read check out D. W. Gutridge's Captured by a Smile.Captured by a Smile "Imprisoned by Love": A Memoir of Young Love that Refused to Die.



5. Jane is a pretty misunderstood woman. People make judgements about her based on stories they see in the media, and based on the rhetoric of those who oppose her. I learned a lot about the real Jane Fonda in this book. Her childhood was not that pretty. Her relationship with her father was strained at best, and this book delves into that with the insight and sensitivity of a person who has learned to accept parents who are not perfect, and who has come to understand how those early years shaped her life and the decisions she made throughout.
   
   - C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail

5 comments about True North: A Memoir.

1. Jill Ker Conway leaves her native Australia for a doctoral program at Radcliffe College not only to further her career, but perhaps even more to break free from her co-dependent birth family's stifling ties. For the first time in her life, Jill lives among people who believe that it's not only acceptable - but mandatory - for a woman to develop her intellect to its full potential. People who find ideas exciting, and who encourage Jill to treat her own emotional well-being as an absolute priority; not as a luxury to be sacrificed for the "good" of her mentally ill mother. In this new and amazingingly nurturing environment, she thrives.
   
   When it's time for her to start instructing undergraduates, something she's already experienced in her Australian university, Jill falls under the supervision of Harvard professor John Conway. This Canadian war veteran is a generation older, witty, brilliant, and immensely attractive to a woman in love with intellect. Before Jill's stay at Harvard ends, they're married. The next year is spent in Europe, learning how to be a couple (not the easiest of lessons for either partner, since both are sufficiently mature to be set in their ways) and preparing for John's return to his native country. For he, too, is putting Harvard into the past.
   
   Jill's years as a Canadian professor of American history open up yet another new universe, as she takes leadership - by default, not choice, at first - in the 1970s rise of women's history as a topic for scholarly study. Her personal and professional growth through this period doesn't come easily, and it's fascinating reading.
   
   True North picks up where The Road from Coorain left off, and carries this remarkable woman through to her move from Canada back to the United States, to take up her duties as the newly appointed president of Smith College. For me this book is a memoir of an era I remember well because I, too, lived it. For readers younger than my generation and that of Jill Ker Conway (who is my oldest sister's contemporary), it should make a fascinating look at an era when working women still had to deal with limited expectations and blatantly limited compensation structures. A great read from first chapter to last!



2. AND I FELT REALLY CONNECTED TO THE AUTHOR

   I really can't explain my feelings in words. Look at the subject first then read on. They are all by Dr. Jill Ker Conway (shes a phd). The titles are The Road from Coorain (also a Exxon Mobil Masterpiece Theater movie as well), True North, and A Women's Education. Is she orginally from New South Wales, Australia. Came to the United States for graduate school, but stayed there after that, but was Canada as well for 6 years. Boys you will also love reading them as well. Thank you.




3. Since I did not read the first volume of Conway's now-three-part memoir, I have nothing to compare this to. But I liked her light and tasteful touch with personal details. Conway wasn't dealt the easiest hand in life, but here readers will find no self pity. This is not a book for the empty-headed. But as a former history student and current college instructor, I can identify with much of what Conway writes about; I'm nowhere near as intellectual as she is, however. But this is a great book if you want to explore a woman's coming of intellectual age.



4. This "sequel" to Road From Coorain was not a disappointment. It is beautifully written, sensitive and so clearly represents what it was (and still is) like for women in academia. As a young woman in higher education, I know that I will read this book again and again. It affirms the experiences of women who are climbing the tenure ladder in an old boys network that does not welcome women and provides the mentorship that we so desperately need.



5. Jill Conway's True North did little to answer the question as to how a talented, ambitious, learned female copes with a manic-depressive husband. Actually, I was disappointed in finding out very little about John who must have been an incredible intellect, bon vivant, and wifely challenge. Jill may want to fulfill a need of many spouses dealing with a bipolar mate by writing a sequel.

1 comments about Confessions of an Ex-Feminist.

1. I thank Lorraine for sharing her journey. I believe there are many other women that can experience healing through this testimony. So much has been lost over the last three decades.

5 comments about Hard Corps: From Gangster to Marine Hero.

1. I feel like I know Sgt. Martinez better than I know many of my family members and friends. This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's well-written and the story of his personal redemption is remarkable. I found the author to be very honest, which works best with someone insightful and thoughtful, so this isn't some self-indulgent story of how cool his combat experiences were. In fact, he comes across as humble, caring and grateful for the opportunity to serve his country with honor.
   
   I learned a lot from his description of boot camp about the tactics that the Marines use to achieve the culture they need to be effective. Publisher's Weekly didn't seem to grasp this, but you really get an insight into how they turn a wide variety of teenagers into men who would die for each other and for the rest of us, as well.
   
   I am thankful that Sgt. Martinez took the opportunity given him to turn his life around. I couldn't stop thinking how proud his parents must have been of him, and I was so glad to learn that he was awarded the Navy Cross before his father's premature death.
   
   Thank you for your service and for recounting some of your experiences for us, Sgt. Martinez!



2. I have recommended this book to read to all my friends, I
   read it in one full day, just could not put it down.
   It's written with honesty, to the point, words written
   directly from Marco Martinez's heart and mind.
   My husband (a retired Marine) read it and was flooded
   with memories of Camp Pendleton.
   
   this book is not only for military personnel and their
   families, everyone from all walks of life should read this
   book. All teens should read this, it will give them an
   insight of what it takes to keep America Free.
   
   To all those who says, "Support our Troops", read this
   and you will truly appreciate our military serving this
   free country, USA. Freedom is not free.
   
   
   Marine Sgt. Marco Martinez is truly a great American,
   may success follow you always, God bless you.



3. This book is a smooth read taking you from the author's life as a gangster to becoming a marine to fighting in Iraq. I wish it was longer I really enjoyed it. I'd also recommend the book Lone Survivor for anyone who enjoyed this book.



4. I am proud to say that Marco Martinez was a student of mine. It was an honor being the teacher of such an outstanding American hero. His book is an extraordinary account of personal responsibility, devotion to duty and love of country.
   
   He is also an excellent scholar with unlimited academic potential.
   
   I wish Marco the best of everything. He represents the best America has to offer.
   
   Michael Fremont Redfield



5. This is an awsome book i hope whoever is reading this review decides to get the book. I havent actually read the book but i can tell it will be a good one just by looking at the cover.

1 comments about Stanley and Sophie.

1. If you like sharp, insightful, unsentimental writing, then you'll like this book. Yes, the dogs are charming...but don't let that trick you into thinking this is a predictable "my-dog-is-so-cute-let-me-tell-you-exactly-how" memoir. Rather, it paints a broad picture of life as actually lived using a carefully controlled brush, taking you inside the life and mind of the writer. Frankly, I'm baffled by the PW reviewer's comment that Jennings doesn't make it clear why she gives up the dogs -- it's the central point of the book. It's a story of successful transitions and, in its own unique, unpredictable way, is inspirational...with a few laughs along the way. Highly recommend!

No comments about Amarcord: Marcella Remembers.

5 comments about The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life.

1. I didn't read The Joy Luck Club; I wasn't interested, it sounded like a chick book, and I don't play Mah Jong. This book is more like taking a peek inside Amy Tan. It was great.
   
   I hated literature in high school and college, because all the professors always talked about all the "hidden meaning" and symbolism in persons, objects and events happening in the book. I thought this was a bunch of BS. So thank you Amy for proving me right!
   
   It is a well written compilation of stories, observations and even commencement addresses. My favorite was her thoughts on waiting to be introduced for a talk and seeing the Cliff Notes of her book on display. Nice touch. I would probably appreciate Joy Luck Club after reading this book.



2. The book is wonderful, so interesting. It is rather like Eat,Pray,Love with a chinese twist.
   
   The AUDIO version of the book is a revelation: Amy Tan has a lively and lovely voice, she is a gifted mimic, and she does a fabulous job of reading this great book.
   
   There are some very sad parts, you will definitely be moved to think and consider wider concepts, but it is completely delightful and thick with insight.



3. I've always enjoyed her novels, and The Opposite of Fate gave me an even deeper understanding of the origins of her work. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear, in her own words, the true history of her family, her thoughts on her childhood, young adulthood, and even current day. She's a fun, funky, formidable, & fascinating woman & someone you'd love to know & introduce to all your friends. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to get to know her better!



4. This book is a personal favorite, as it gives so much insight into Tan's writing and her views, but also because the essays are simply so enjoyable to read. The book is a collection of essays that spans her literary career and is filled with her own special brand of humor. Within the pages we find writing on her authorial intentions, her perspective on critics and scholars who interpret her writing and her intentions, and biographical essays. I can imagine using one or two of these essays as material for teaching a writing class. These essays are overall lovely, clever, and engaging. This book is not just for "fans only." If you weren't a fan before, you may become one after reading this collection.



5. I had no idea. I had no idea what a great writer she is, what an amazing person she is, how difficult her life has been. Now that I've read this book, I know. And I am inspired.
   
   I highly recommend this book to any daughter, any Asian, any writer, and any person with an open mind/heart who wants to know a little bit more about an intriguing, challenging life.

5 comments about Strangers in the House: Coming of Age in Occupied Palestine.

1. This is an excellent look into occupation and the way it affects those under occupation. The Palestinian voice is one seldom heard by the West which is why this work is so very important. To often it seems as if the Israeli/Palestinian narrative is simply scripted for us by those outside of the conflict so that we form conclusions without actually knowing the story from those who are living it.
   
   One of the things I really liked about this book is that it is not a one sided harangue about the horrible Israelis and how bad the occupation is and how the Palestinians are simply victims, but is instead a telling indictment of both sides. The author sees the plethora of missed opportunities that have plagued the Palestinians since the creation of the state of Israel. The Palestinians so often seemed content to simply play the role of victims rather than actually take responsibility for their own lives and move forward to build a functioning society. Many times they waited to be saved by neighboring states, the UN and others without realizing that they are the only ones who can save themselves. They have allowed themselves, under terrible circumstances granted, to stagnate instead pushing forward.
   
   The Israeli occupation and government shoulders a heavy burden of blame for the situation also. They have made Palestinian life so difficult that it was almost impossible for a positive, healthy society to erect itself in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel had a choice between taking more land and helping to create a stable neighbor or expanding their territory. They chose the latter and so chose perpetual strife. The animosity runs so deep now that even if a solution could be found it will be generations before the hate and anger can be healed.
   
   Neither side is innocent in this conflict, and both sides are guilty for the current situation. This book shows how even a moderate can be pushed into becoming radical. I think one of the most poignant aspects of this book is that from the beginning there is always this hope. Hope that one day the land will be restored to the Palestinians. Hope that there will be peace. Hope that a decent life will be able to be lived. There is always this hope until the end of the book when the author finally backs the intifada. I felt as though the author had lost hope in moderate, peaceful solution. The whole book seemed to be a moderate man attempting to find a compromise solution to the problem. He fought both sides for the middle and end the end recognized the futility. Both sides have done so much to create futility out of hope.



2. As an American, I have grown up to believe that Israel is a close friend to us. I would imagine that an ally of the United States would be a country that follows human rights guidelines. However, I was mistaken. "Strangers in the House" is a brilliantly written piece which provides personal experiences in an occupied Palestine. With all of the conflict in the Middle East currently, it is a must-read, to understand the viewpoint from all angles. Raja Shehadeh thinks way past his time, as his father had. He has written this book for the world to know what daily life is like under occupation and that it is a constant struggle. Mr. Shehadeh is admirable in his open-mindedness. If you would like to see the viewpoint from the other side, this book is perfect. It will help you open your mind and see the truth.



3. I was at first taken aback by the way Palestinian lawyer and writer Raja Shehadeh chose to begin this book, his memoir. Knowing that he is a very important figure in Palestine, I expected (even half-dreaded) a right-on plunge in the middle of Israeli/Middle-Eastern politics. I was wrong.
   
   Although he begins by mentioning the 1948 war as a fact that explains his having been born in Ramallah and not Jaffa, where his family was very important, that's just about it.....in the beginning. We are treated then to a delicately rendered description of the writer's childhood: to a vision of the almost sad figure of a fragile child whose life seems always measured against the looming and powerful figure of his father (a very important Palestinian lawyer), and the impossible to reach lights and colours of neverland-Jaffa, the way of life that the family had lost forever.
   
   It is the relationship with the father, however, what soon becomes the focus of this memoir. And here we must admire one of the most important aspects of the book: an honest-to-God account of how this boy, then young man, then adult, managed his growing, changing relationship with a strong and powerful father. I was swept from my feet at having such a first hand description of a never-easy son/father relationship. I must confess I was astounded that this incredibly sincere testimony was rendered by an Arab man since, as the same author acknowledges, his is a culture where the son/father bond tends to be quite distant, formal and formidable.
   
   We, readers, see how having such an important father proves to be a load, but also a challenge for the author. And as he begins to be more sure about what his place in the world is, and what his mission is, the world of politics (which had never quite disappeared from the background) returns with force, but in such a way that provokes a fatal crisis in this already difficult son/father relationship. And just as the situation appears to be unbearable, just as the breach seems impossible to mend......Raja's father is murdered.
   
   Here the book takes an abrupt turn. Raja decides to help as much as he can to find the murderer, whom he believes to be someone involved in a land dispute his father was working on. He is good. The pace and tempo of the narrative change so that we begin to feel the urge to know who this murderer is, for we are much pretty sure of why the murder took place......and I won't spoil the ending for you. I'll just say that it is important. Very important. For Raja and for all of us.
   
   Just as this seemingly humble book is terribly important: as the personal memoir of a man who has always been politically moderate, a fighter for human rights, one of the few Palestinians who has ever dared to criticise the politics of the Palestinian leaders and of the Arab leaders; one of the few who was always convinced that Arabs had to negotiate with Israeli, that Israel was there to stay; as a honest, moving homage to a father who was a powerful force in the author's life (and who taught him to see politics and the Middle-East the way he saw it);..... as a way to know more about that rarely-found-in-the-news-and-media specimen: the Arab, Palestinian moderate, and the way he fares.



4. Shehadeh's book is perhaps the only one to lay out the multi-faceted nature of the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab conflict. Or, as Shehadeh, puts it so eloquently a conflict between Palestinians, Israelis, the "inside" and the "outside".

   For me, the most touching moment of the book came when the young Shehadeh heard the PLO radio denounce his father for daring to work for a two-state solution. "A.S.," it declared, "you are a traitor, a despicable collaborator. You want to surrender and sell your birthright. We know how to deal with the likes of you. A. S. you shall pay for your treason. We shall eliminate you. Silence you forever. Traitor. Collaborator. Quisling."

   The PLO quite simply could not afford to lose the funding it received from the surrounding Arab states to create a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians and also to ensure that Israel would no longer "be the subject of fiery speeches in which the people's rage could be articulated and released-they would be distracted from dealing with all that was wrong at home."

   The PLO simply could not afford peace because it wasn't being paid to bring about either peace or an independent Palestinian State; it was being paid to keep the Palestinians miserable and angry. To ensure that the Palestinian plight remained a distraction for the Arabs earning for democracy.

   Shehadeh's father dared to stand up to the PLO and its backers. He was murdered.

   And now, his son is carrying on his father's work.

   It is our job to make sure that Raja's life lasts longer than his father's.




5. This book should be considered required reading for anyone seeking to understand the current Palestinian - Israeli conflict. Shehadeh provides a very personal view of the reality of growing up in the occupied West Bank. Best of all, he pulls no punches - against Israel or his fellow Palestinians.

5 comments about Not Even My Name: A True Story.

1. Extremely well written and oh so true! Many of us heard these stories from your yiayias (grandmothers) and/or mothers who experienced the exile of Greeks from Turkey. Women, desparate for a better life, would willingly marry whoever to get out of the turmoil and economic depression of their countries. Well worth the read.



2. This poignant memoir written in such astonishing detail is an unforgettable story that will capture the reader from the start. Sano is like a small but sturdy flower growing in the most unlikely and least advantageous of garden spots. In her we see goodness and love survive heart rending loss and the cruel displacement of senseless war. I could not put the book down once I began to read it.



3. This is not a book to read if you want to be cheered up, yet I will never forget the story. I wept off and on reading of the author's mother's experience on the death march. I have traveled to Greece and Turkey twice yet had no knowledge of the genocide of the Pontic Greeks. I thank the author for the courage to live through her mother's amazing journey as she told her unforgettable story.



4. I am also of Pontic Greek and Assyrian origin. Even though our lands were taken away, our people still exist, we still maintain our language, and the gospel is still spreading which is a blessing. I am glad to see someone wrote a book on the Greek/Assyrian/Armenian Genocide. The Turks tortured and massacred millions of Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians. I am happy to see you raise more public awareness about this. I pray for the Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians still living in Asia Minor that deal with constant persecution for their Christian faith. Great Book Thea!



5. I am John Halo the brother of Thea Halo. I am very proud of my sister for writing such a wonderful book, NOT EVEN MY NAME, that depicts such an accurate account of my mothers life, that discribeds the pain that my wonderful mother endured in her childhood and throughout her life. Thea Halo is a champion and a woman with a beautiful hart and a loving sole that deserves the recognition of a grate author, and I hope someone will relize the value of this true story and make a movie and documentary so to educate our generation and future generation from repeating this horror. I would also like to let everyone know that my mother was so grateful and proud that Thea wrote this book and is also grateful to all of the wonderful people that came to see her speak. And last I would like to say how proud and thankful I am of my sister Thea Halo for being my sister.
   Sincerely
   John Halo