No comments about The Dream Begins: How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama.

5 comments about Secrets of a Hollywood Super Madam.

1. I wish I could get my money (and the time I managed to dedicate to reading, before I couldn't take it anymore) back for this book... At the very beginning of the acknowledgments, the author brags that she wrote the book by herself, with "no co-writer or ghost writer". I only had to read a few sentences further to realize that this would have become very clear without her having mentioned it. It was rare to read any sentence that wasn't a run-on, or in some other way grammatically incorrect... It was so distracting, I found myself wondering right away if I'd be able to get into the story, despite the bad writing skills. Unfortunately, I didn't even make it all the way the first chapter before I came across an embarrassing attempt at erotica (apparently the first of many, from what I read in another review), with the author's story of her first sexual experience. Already, the straw had fallen which would break the camel's back. So take this review with a grain of salt if you must, seeing as how I wasn't able to read much of the book before I had to stop the madness. I couldn't bring myself to waste any more time on something that seemed like it could just as easily have been written by a teenage boy in the throes of puberty. Sorry to be harsh; I'm just tellin' it like it is!



2. A very interesting read about the paid sex life of the stars in Hollywood.
   It is written with a light humor that is enjoyable.
   I enjoyed it.



3. I thought the book was very good. I have to say I'm appalled (though not shocked) at the names that floated across the pages. Why is it just the women are punished when it comes to prositution? If it's true Bruce Willis was a customer, why didn't Willis get jail time for paying for an illegal service? All the men should be held equally accountable by law. In Saudia Arabia if a woman is raped, she is held responsible and the men are set free. Or if a woman has sex out of marriage (actually; even if she's alone with man who is not who husband will suffice), she is the one who is accountable, not the man. The truth is, our legal system isn't a whole lot better then countries that penalize the woman for preceived sexual offenses and crimes. Prositution could not exist if men were not buying sexual favors. If you want to be fair in punishing individuals for participating in prositution, then the men need to be held accountable for their contribution. Every famous celebrity (and non-celebrity) should have faced the same jail time as the author. Only when all parties are made equally quilty will the rich, famous and over sexed stop purchasing sex for entertainment purposes.



4. really enjoyed reading about the life of a madame. told in detail what these men requested for their dates(and believe me... they were upfront with that!) the names of people involved were interesting also...yes names you will recognize. hope she writes super madame II. one of those guilty entertaining reads. couldnt put it down until i was finished.



5. The book contains plenty of juicy bits on the sexual habits of those famous Hollywood celebrities but it is poorly written, with plenty of grammatical and spelling errors. I was surprised that the author did not proof read or asked someone to edit the book for her first before publishing it. I just don't seem to understand why the author needed to add in the part on her love for the animals, especially in chapters which have no complete link to her love for her pets. Out of the blue, a short paragraph on her love for her animals just popped out of nowhere... and it can be quite "painful" (or rather irritating) to read at times.
   
   But I do marvel the courage of the author in writing this book. Salute!

No comments about Untouchables: My Family's Triumphant Escape from India's Caste System.

5 comments about Through The Flower: My Struggle as A Woman Artist.

1. "By excluding the work of women artists from history, men not only maintain control of women, but also of the world." Judy Chicago, original V-Warrior and PoMo high priestress, turned that tide. Dogmatic, didactic, hyperliteral and hypercritical, her influence (even before The Dinner Party) cannot be underestimated. This is 'back in the day' when art had a 'message,' but, all that, Chicago nevertheless ushered in today's chaos, and yesterday's identity politics, with her clever use of 'fem' (low) art elements and stubborn insistence on remembering all founding sisters. Duchamp met his match - and, bringing high icongraphy to 'women's lib,' the 1980s were born.



2. Judy Chicago is such an intimate person, very emotional in her work, and through this book, you will grow to understand why and how she produced work in her very own style of emotion. She is truely a Goddess of Art, and a very strong women of which I could only strive to be! This book is so empowering, read it if you have any doubts about your place as a women dealing with being an artist. BRAVO!!



3. What a wonderful book this is; so inspired, so inspiring. Judy Chicago is simply brilliant. She has challenged patriarchal tyranny so courageously and insightfully that you can read this book again and again with acute pleasure.



4. This is a terrific book that demonstrates that women are able to persevere with their art even though males are trying to stop us. It seems that the white male patriarchal art world will continue to try to silence us, BUT WE WILL BE HEARD! I salute all my sisters in their struggle to produce art that, while disturbing white males, will prove that it is women who are making the most significant art in the world today. Judy Chicago has won again!



5. This book was like a loyal companion as I experienced my own struggles as a woman artist. I commend Judy Chicago for sharing her experiences, personal decisions, and insights. Reading this particular book helped me to finish my most recent exhibition of work. Thank you, Judy!

1 comments about Concertina: An Erotic Memoir of Extravagant Tastes and Extreme Desires.

1. Susan Winemaker describes herself as a "nice Jewish girl from Toronto". She majored in philosophy and the culinary arts, and presumably because the former would not pay, went to study the latter in London. But as everyone knows, learning to be a chef and being a chef-for-hire is not as lucrative as being a dominatrix, and this is where she turned her talents. In _Concertina: The Life and Loves of a Dominatrix_ (St. Martin's Press), Winemaker gives an account of her work in a trade of administering discipline and pain to men who think it worth, say, 150 pounds an hour to be treated in such a way. It's an odd career, although it is one long associated with sexuality, especially in England. It has plenty of peculiar moments and fun which Winemaker enjoys and writes about with amusement; the first sentence of the book is, "It's 11:25 a.m. and I'm sitting on and suffocating Bernie". The work is delivering a service for a fee, and is full of day-to-day, practical tasks just to get the job done, as in "At 2:13 I was on my hands and knees, wiping semen off the dungeon floor. At 2:17 I was eating a hummus sandwich in the garden, and answering the telephone to a man who was interested in catheters and other medical procedures. At 2:30 I answered the door to a stranger named Robert ..." She was good at her trade, and had plenty of repeat clients handled with just the right degree of pain and remove. When she "blurred the boundaries" between mistress and client and took one on as a lover, the results are more disturbing than anything that happened in her dungeon.
   
   There is plenty of food in the book, and many comparisons made between serving up a meal and serving up domination. Serving up something delicious for the client is part of both of her trades, and she writes that "pain, violence, discipline and a good grasp of the trade's tools could produce something succulent and beautiful". She does like the game she plays as Mistress Anna and she likes the men. She had a session with "Enema Larry" who liked her to be in rubber nurse uniform, and afterwards he went to kiss her goodbye on the cheek. "I backed away just in time," she writes. "'I don't want you to catch my cold, Larry.'" The response: "'Oh, but, Anna, I _want_ your cold,' he instantly volleyed. It was the kindest thing anyone had said to me in the cottage. A beautiful thing to say. I loved my job for moments like that, for unexpected intimacies born of strange circumstances." It is illuminating that when she was preparing for her career, she not only read fetish magazines and rope-tying manuals, but also Stanislavski's _Building a Character_ and _An Actor Prepares_. She writes of the accord between her and clients, "There will be no 'sex' as it's understood. It will be my job to administer pain erotically and expertly... a symphony in the background, a range of sensations assailing me, the brief connection, the spice of anonymous intimacy, the distilled concentrated moment. I respond to detail and subtlety, rules, roles, and melody. This is theater, finitude, and utterly otherly experience."
   
   Though she is objective in describing her work, the most open and candid part of Concertina is the troubling account of her relationship with a client with whom she fell in love. In many ways, her job was no different from any other; it was demanding work with a good paycheck, but she realized that she was lonely: "I'm giving and I'm going home to no one." But Adam was gorgeous and responsive, liking especially the genital application of two score clothespins. Outside the dungeon, they developed an intense, sadomasochistic give and take. There is even (gasp) romantic and passionate _normal_ sex. They aren't able to abandon domination / submission, however, and the convolutions mount. "The thought of ordering my lover to pleasure me was vulgar. I want him to pleasure me because he wants to, not because he has to, and not because it's the role he's playing." The last straw is that Adam, who says he loves her cooking, admits he accidentally ate a raw chicken cutlet and didn't notice. Winemaker eventually sees the humor in such a denouement, but the resolution of their relationship is sad and cruel. Never mind; she wants to start up a luxury porridge bar in London, and that is not a euphemism for anything erotic but rather a culinary niche that she thinks is unexplored. It would be a simpler life, and I would trust her to write about it colorfully, recipes included, but I suspect it would not result in a memoir as strange or funny as this one.

5 comments about A Rifleman Went To War.

1. Mr. McBride has written a book that nearly perfectly talks about what can be expected from a modern infantry man. He talks about sniping, putting in a properly sighted machine gun, raids, and patrols. Honestly, this book is so good that most Army ROTC and Marine Infantry instruction may want to have their future officers and NCO candidates read this book.
   
   I will give you a story that really stuck me as being ahead of its time. Now, this book was written in the mid-1930s. However, Mr. McBride knows the problems of lugging ammunition. A soldier with .303 British (about equal to modern NATO 7.62 ammo) could only carry about 200 to 300 rounds. So, Mr. McBride thinks the armies should carry ammunition of about .27 caliber. That is almost exactly 6.8 mm. This is exactly the same solution the US Army discovered after 5 years in Iraq.
   
   I liked this book. Mr. McBride thinks both the British and Canadian Armies did much better with their training time than the US military. Indeed, he thinks the US Army and military is overly tied up with paperwork. And that observation was made in 1918.
   
   This is a five star book by a soldier who knows his field craft. Pay attention to his anti-sniper traps. They are still useful today. Also, the book is great for telling about how the Germans would leave abandoned grenades after an attack. Some were rigged to go off if picked up.
   
   As written before, this book is five star. Mr. McBride writes a book about the birth of the modern infantry man. Indeed, their is little difference between a Tommy of WWI with a Lewis gun and a Grunt in Vietnam carrying an M-60 machinegun. In 50 years little had changed.
   
   The modern professional soldier can learn a lot from this book. Some university military history departments may want this book for an individual study of a hard infantry man.



2. A thoughroughly enjoyable, mesmerizing, collection of a soldier's WWI remembrances. Somehow manages to be more than the sum of its plainly told, shy, politically incorrect, wars is hell but you get used to it parts. It ends up assembling and describing bit by bit the remarkable character of the author.
   
   Also notable to me for how it reaches across 70 years to contrast how we've changed as a people. For example, I don't think this book would be published as written today. The editor would have probably added more polish, removed some of the namecalling and stereotyping and would have thus diminished the book.



3. Having read a lot of WWI books and books on sniping this one takes the cake. It's written in the autobiographical tradition of Teddy Roosevelt and will impress the old and young alike with its vivid imagery and colorful prose. Great read.



4. As a rifle shooter with a historical interest i bought this book. If your looking for an overly dramatic or gruesome account of life in the first world war trenches dont by this book. From what i can tell it is a written collection of memories by the author. These memories are written in a matter of fact, straight talking way which does not hide the authors zealous approach to his task of being a soldier.
   
   Although at times slightly rambling i found this an interesting read and at times amuzing. A good reference if you are interested in rifle shooting or battle history.



5. It might not be written in perfect English, and it's not always politically correct, but it's definitely always enjoyable.
   
   You get the whole WWI experience from the author's point of view, including enough "war stories" to satisfy any reader.
   
   McBride includes technical details, anecdotes, and just good old story telling, in this tale of a machine gunner / rifleman in the Great War.

No comments about Flowing Streams: Journeys of a Life Well Lived.

5 comments about I, Goldstein: My Screwed Life.

1. I been a big fan of scew magazine. I use to subsribe to it as well. Love the way big Al use to put people down. I've been waiting for years for his book, of his life. I have to say Al Goldstein is a very brave, smart, and telented person. Would make a great president. Hopfully more people would buy his book, give him the respect he deserve. Thank you Al for fighting for our freedom.



2. Well, this book was pretty much what I expected. Al Goldstein had it all and lost it all and he is brutally honest about it all. Instead of putting a gun to his head and ending it all he chooses to go on with whatever he has left which is not much compared to what he had. I applaud him for keeping one foot ahead of the other when he could probably just watch his TV all day (which is his favorite pastime). Goldstein is very funny and very ethnic (Jewish). He reminds me of the old school jews who sat around South Beach before it became chic and Coney Island and Kibitzed all day long.I enjoyed the stories he tells about growing up around the Dodgers in Brooklyn. He sounds like a few of my great uncles who constantly still talk of the day the Dodgers left Brooklyn. He really is just an ordinary guy who had a vision and became a symbol in pornography with screw magazine. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to read about the evolution of Screw. Al, your a pioneer and a rouge keep up your blog on booble.com. We still need to hear your voice out there since there is no one with any balls to tell it like it is anymore.



3. Among the most outrageous of our contemporary American outlaws, and among the funniest, is Al Goldstein, the co-founder and lightning rod for the infamous, gleefully tasteless semi-underground sex tabloid _Screw_, which he describes as "the most notorious, uproarious, and influential pornographic newspaper in the world". Through his publication (and through his cable television show "Midnight Blue") Goldstein chronicled any sort of sexual story, and maintained a forum for his famous editorials which were the prose equivalent of a raised middle finger to politicians, religious leaders, feminists, and to any lawyer, restaurateur, movie producer, or airline who happened to irritate him. ("Irritate him"? That's not the phrase Goldstein would use.) He became a multimillionaire, and a celebrity, and it was a wild ride through the 34 years of publishing his magazine. He descended, however, back to rags from riches as the lawsuits and divorces took their toll. He has now written (with Josh Alan Friedman) the autobiography _I, Goldstein: My Screwed Life_ (Thunder's Mouth Press), a foul-mouthed, absurd, ribald, and thoroughly entertaining account of an influential life that may truly be called unique.
   
   Goldstein had trouble with girls when he was growing up: "My façade of amorality and detached sex has always been a cover for being afraid of being hurt. So what else is new. _Screw_ was such an antiromantic publication as compensation for that." He became a photojournalist like his father, and was working on a free press paper in New York when he met the straitlaced Catholic who would co-found _Screw_. The first issue came out in 1968, and by the time of Goldstein's first arrest, it was outselling _Time_ and _Playboy_ on Manhattan newsstands. He enjoyed the thrill of being arrested and disturbing the status quo of the state. "Acceptance of _Screw_ would be the kiss of death." He had a good time, and there are plenty of funny stories here. When the Polish Pope visited New York, _Screw_ reported that he was making a tour of public bathrooms. The Polish pressmen who printed the magazine walked out, but "I'm prepared for printer walkouts at all times, and the plant brings in an alternate crew of Puerto Ricans. Or Italians or Slavs or whichever ethnic group is not too offended to handle that week's subject matter."
   
   Goldstein's fall was precipitous, landing him in homeless shelters and at the prison at Riker's Island, which sounds straight out of the third world. "I've burned bridges. I have regrets," he says, and chief among these is losing contact with his son, who having been put through Harvard Law School with the aid of the pornographer's millions, has nothing now to do with his father. Goldstein mentions, with little trace of bitterness, one celebrity or pal after another that severed all connection with him once the money was gone. He also mentions with gratitude the friends who gave him money, or the restaurateurs who gave him free meals ("But I had to go early to make the homeless shelter by eight to sign for my bed"), or magician Penn Jillette who pays the rent for his Staten Island apartment. He is unrepentant, but he is disgusted by porn films of today, which he says are meaningless, with no tension, surprise, or human characterization. "Is this to be my legacy?" he asks, "I never dreamed I'd ever say such a thing, but is there no taste?" He had, however, previously written, "Each weekly issue of _Screw_ is one more strike against the world. If I ever lose it all, I'll merely shrug, amazed to have even gotten so far." He might think of his book as yet another such strike. Crude, buoyant, angry, and funny, it is possibly as authentic as any autobiography can be.



4. Regardless of what you think about Goldstein as a person, he was nothing if not a freedom fighter and this wonderfully-written work expertly captures the essence of what it is to be Goldstein.
   
   None reading this review, it can be assumed, have ever faced as many horrible twists of fate as Goldstein--Divorced five times, constant medical problems and the squander of his fortune--all the while being relentlessly pursued by the law enforcement machine. Yet the book comes across not as a tragedy, but as more of a dark comedy (although "dark" may be an understatement.)
   
   Readers will also be thankful for the enlistment of co-writer Josh Alan Friedman, a veteran writer of the New York smut industry, who masterfully weaves Goldstein's stories, quips and one-liners into a genuinely readable and fascinating story.
   
   Love him or hate him, this book will probably not change your mind about Goldstein himself--it offers little in the area of redemption or remorse. All it offers is a look inside the life of one of the most colorful and controversial characters in American history, and in that it succeeds admirably.
   
   When future scholars study American freedom-fighters like George Washington, Paul Revere and Martin Luther King, "I, Goldstein: My Screwed Life" will be the reference they will use for this generation's one true revolutionary. God help us.



5. What a disappointment this book was, and what a mess. After finally making it through this book, it became apparent that I had wasted my time. What should have and could have been a dozen-page magazine article has been made into a lengthy book made up mostly of filler. The result was an unreadable mish-mash of old, made-up, unbelievable stories. If Al Goldstein is a legend, it's in his own mind only. This text makes him sound pathetic, and it's his own autobiography! I wonder if he even wrote any of it. After buying this book, I was the one who felt screwed, and not in a good way.

5 comments about Goodbye, I Love You.

1. Pearson's memoir drew me in from the first page, as she relates her initial encounter with her future husband. "Gerald shone. That's the best way I can describe him. He shone."
   Can't we all relate to that Kismet moment, the first meeting with "the one." When our pheromones come alive and propel us to pursue the OBJECT, the prize, our destiny.
   The author's Mormon religion has instilled in her, early on, a desire for an "eternal marriage" much like her parents own union, which only ended at her mother's death.
   Gerald, also a Mormon, and Carol Lynn, joked about Brigham Young's statement that "any young man over the age of twenty-one who is not married is a menace to the community."
   After Gerald proposes, he decides to share a deep truth with Carol Lynn. Which is that he has had homsexual experiences, but has repented of his sins. He then promises her that she will be enough for him sexually after they are married.
   She accepts Gerald's promise, as she'd always been taught that when tempted, boy's were weaker than girls. Their ensuing marriage brings challenges beyond the norm, as Gerald loses his battle against his homosexual cravings. Yet Carol Lynn's love for her husband never dies.
   As an author and a human being, she shines. Her personal integrity, compassion, and capacity for unconditional love, awed me as a reader. I devoured this book in two sittings, fascinated by the true love shared between this husband and wife. She supported Gerald, even when he contracted AIDS, and brought him home to die with she and their children by his side till the end.
   They both rose to bear witness to their highest selves, in spite of their horrific circumstances. This memoir is full of rare insights into the complexities of a romantic relationship, and to the human condition. It educates, entertains, and inspires. Kudos to Pearson's courage in sharing this extremely personal story. An awesome book by an outstanding writer.



2. I had heard of Carol Lynn Pearson's story, and I expected the story to be interesting, but I had no idea how much I would feel, and how many things I would have to think about (a lot, not just the reality of homosexuality, not just the many types and forms of love, but many many things.) I was completely unprepared to laugh, but I did, and I must say, the Pearson's were amazing people. Such strength, such energy, such a desire to be like Christ and do what is right. This story is incredible and incredibly written.



3. You might not think an account of a couple who divorces due to homosexuality could be a memorable love story, but this one really is. I read this book many years ago, and was so moved by it. Carol Lynn Pearson is a remarkable woman. She writes this book with such transparency of her emotions. The love she had for Gerald Pearson before, during, and after their marriage is so rare. They truly were soulmates, but couldn't be married and both be happy. I started out by reading other books by her, especially about women in traditional church. She is Mormon and I was, at the time, too. I grew up Catholic, and that church and the Mormon church both put limits on what women can do. In in the Catholic church women can't be priests, and in the Mormon church, they can't hold the priesthood. She writes about the bewilderment of that inequity, the same way she wrote about her bewilderment of her husband deciding to live as a gay man, and the struggles he had with that decision. I have felt similar struggles trying to find a place as a woman in traditional Christian churches. When I tried to talk with others about my feelings about feeling less as a woman in the church, I was told I shouldn't feel that way. The way she writes about people who feel disenfranchised by policies and religious tenets made me feel like FINALLY someone gets it. I actually called her on the phone many years ago to tell her to tell her how thankful I was that someone else understood about being a woman in a tradtionally male dominated church, and she was so generous and gracious on the phone to talk with me for a few minutes, so I could tell her thank you. The compassion she has for people who feel like outsiders, and how she treats those people, is what I think of as true Christ-like love. I highly recommmend this book for anyone who ever felt like they don't belong. She went through a very difficult time and showed unfailing love, just like Christ would do.



4. Carol Pearson is a wonderful writer. I felt like I was right there with her she relly pulls you into her life and feelings. I only hope that Carol has found love and happiness with a strong, straight loving man, which she deserves. She treated her husband Gerald with compassion and sympathy, something not a lot of other women would do. The only thing that bothered me was Gerald's insistance that his children call him "gerald" and not "Dad" since he was the children's biological father. I sincerely hope Carol and her children have found closure, peace happiness and love: they deserve it! A wonderful book!



5. This is the first book I came across that truly captured what it is like to be gay and married and it was written by the straight spouse. Of course, that was years ago and now I have come out of the closet and have found my voice and know what is in my heart. But back then I was deep in the closet and this book was a godsend. Thank you, Carol Lynn, from the bottom of my heart. It was wonderful to see in words what before I had only felt and not understood. However, I wished I had read your thoughts and feelings about being a straight spouse more carefully. It would have given me so much insight into what was going on with my wife. It took me years to gain that insight on my own. But back then it was all I could do to handle my own pain.

5 comments about Burden of the Badge: A Year in the Life of a Street Cop.

1. This book is a vivid portrayal of how some of the old industrial towns and cities are descending into decay. While Mr. East does list the events that occur while he's on his patrols, I detect more often than not the sadness he feels on a day to day basis due to people's general disdain for police officers in Saginaw. He mentions kids barely old enough to go to school being disrespectful in horrible ways to police officers. I don't blame the kids...its obvious this behavior is encouraged by the parents, which is really disgusting. These are the same people who will be screaming at a 911 operator that they need help, why aren't the police here yet, etc. I haven't finished the book yet, but its mainly page after page of what I'd call a deep depression. Its sad that these police officers who have sworn to protect and serve these people are hated and disrespected by these same people. Mr. East, if you haven't done so yet, I'd suggest you find employment in another town, perhaps one that doesn't hate cops so much. Let the people of Saginaw find their own way in their downward spiral of lawlessness. As I read the book, I can almost physically feel the sorrow that Mr. East experiences every time he hits the streets.



2. Mr. East has written a journal describing a frustrating year spent attempting to police the town of Saginaw,Michigan. A dying town that once was a hub of the automobile industry. It would seem that most of the residents were not worth trying to save. Hats off to the dedicated police officers for trying.



3. Mike East did a tremendous job here. I am a police officer in a neighboring jurisdiction to his, live in Saginaw, and see first hand what these brave officers deal with. Now their numbers are shrinking due to a corrupt city hall and apathetic citizens, violent crime is flourishing, yet they still retain their sense of humor on nearly every call they go to. I am always Proud and Honored to back these brave men and women up whenever I have the chance. The Police Officers of the City of Saginaw are true heros who fight for a lost cause. I salute every one of you.



4. Since I am interested in being a police officer this is one of the books my uncle recommended me to read. The BS cops have to put up with expressed in this autobiography makes me think twice about trying out for police work--don't know if I could keep my sanity! Hats off to those who put up with it, you all are deserving of greater recognition for all that you do for our cities. Recommended for those thinking about police careers.



5. Anyone that has a desire to be a police officer should read this book. It shows how the constant tedious BS calls everyday wear on the officers. I would not want that job. A definite must read for any law enforcement bound person.