5 comments about Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder.

1. I find this book to be beneficial to anyone with BPD or a loved one who has BPD. I could relate to almost every page and would recommend it to anyone.



2. I'm the wife of a BPD spouse and after reading every book I can on the subject as well as belonging to support groups, trying therapy, this book, for me was the most helpful. It has enabled me to have a better understanding and to see more clearly what's really going on when an episode begins. I am much more aware of using S.E.T. I read this book in three days and I know I will read it again before I go back to S.W.O.E. again. I think this book should be a must read for any partner or relative of someone with BPD.



3. Cleverly written, this book draws the reader into her life. I was amazed at the honesty that the author uses in describing her fight with borderline personality disorder. I was attached to this story and was sorry to reach the end of this book. Using this book as part of my research for my thesis was insightful and thought provoking.



4. I just finished 'I Hate You - Don't Leave Me'... I thought this would be a good followup - from the consumer's view. I was right. The book was very emotional and graphic, even disturbing at times. The patience of the folks around the author during her recovery was astounding! Her description of her feelings during both episodes and treatment was extremely helpful in developing a sense of empathy for someone suffering from this disorder. All in all, a very useful book!
   
   One caveat... I am not sure this is the first or second book for someone who has just been diagnosed with bpd - at least not without running it by a health professional first.
   
   I definitely recommend this book.
   
   All the best,
   
   Jay



5. I've read many memoirs of mental illness in my life and I truly believe this one is the best. It's gripping, moving, well written, and a great source of hope and inspiration.
   
   It must have taken an incredible amount of courage to write a book like this. Rachel doesn't shy away from showing the uglier sides of borderline personality disorder, and many reviewers have dismissed her as a "spoiled brat". However, I was impressed by her strength and determination in overcoming her problems, and her guts in sharing her story to help others.
   
   One thing that struck me when I read the book was Rachel's financial situation. From previous reviews, and from the knowledge she had psychoanalysis three times a week, I had assumed she must be a very rich woman who could afford to see her therapist as often as she wanted. This turned out not to be the case at all. In order to pay for her therapy, Rachel had to accept handouts from family members who'd abused her, get into debt, and at one point make a deal with her psychiatrist where she cut back on sessions and he lowered his rates. I think it was this resolve to get the help she needed and pay for it however she could that allowed Rachel to recover, where many others would have given up.
   
   I have just discussed Get Me Out of Here with a friend who has BPD, and who read the book herself a few years ago. She told me it was Rachel's memoir that encouraged her to get back into work, so that she would be able to afford to choose her treatment. She is now seeing a private therapist and well on the way to recovery.
   
   I would recommend this book as a source of hope and insight to anyone who has BPD, and as a source of understanding to anyone who doesn't. Just be prepared to read it with an open mind.

5 comments about My Friend Leonard.

1. I think James Frey has incredible talent. And although I felt that "Bright Shiny Morning" showed more maturity, "My Friend Leonard" was an excellent read.
   
   James draws you into his characters and you find yourself sympathizing, hoping and feeling and although his books are thoroughly engrossing some of his style choices are a bit tiresome, but who says you have to read every word.
   
   Would I recommend this book, yes, but be prepared to spend a lazy afternoon on a cozy couch finishing it.



2. It took me 6 weeks to get through this and that's saying something seeing how thinly structured this book is. If you didn't read the fraudulent predecessor, you'd be lost--or maybe not since it's written on a third grade reading level. Frey pulled a fast one on me a few years ago. I dismissed the writing style then because I thought we were dealing with someone with a fragile state of mind. Here, there seems to be a lack of consistency. What happened to his love of reading from the first book? It changes to drawings and paintings in this book. I'm supposed to believe a struggling screenwriter turns down massive amount of money left to him from a friend that loved him like a father-and what about the strife between him and his parents? It just melts away? I just hated this book. I read it because I bought it before the scandal broke and it was the next book in my TBR pile. Trust me when I say Frey won't be getting another dime from me.



3. The book is very good written and read, and I also would have a friend like Leonard, he is very good.



4. I have strong feelings about memoirs. I believe that everyone remembers things their own way, and in Frey's case we cannot expect a drug addict to remember things the way it actually happened. This story is amazing and touching and surprising. I am glad I read it after A Million Little Pieces. I am also glad I grew up in Los Angeles, it helped me visualize the scenes better. Frey's writing style flows like thoughts and it helped me really get the things he was feeling, the way he just let it flow.



5. In my copy of this book, I couldn't find one notation at all as to where this book is fiction, a memoir or what. So, I read it thinking it was true (it's a little more fun to read that way), but ended suspecting as I did all along that much of this story was made up. But, I'm not sure...my copy just doesn't have any info and what I look up online seems to vary.
   
   Moving on....I really enjoyed this book! In fact, I liked it more than A Million Little Pieces. Probably in part because this was a much happier book, even though a lot of depressing things happen. Also, once you're already familiar with a set of characters, it seems the second time around you enjoy them even more, almost as if they are friends. Either way, I liked the book for the most part.
   
   As with AMLP, Frey's writing style can grate on your nerves. The fact that many of his sentences are run-ons and omitt proper punctuation, it's just annoying. The editor should have fixed this. I don't feel it added anything to this story. What I did like, was how some pages only contained one paragraph or two. This was done I believe to demonstrate a significant event or show a passage of time. Either way, I liked that aspect.
   
   What sealed the deal for me? The last few pages I was in tears. I'm a very avid reader, but this doesn't happen often. I was that attached to the characters and what was written was that moving.
   
   Overall I'd recommend this book to a friend. Although I still don't know if I'd recommend it as fiction or non.

5 comments about All You Need to Be Impossibly French: A Witty Investigation into the Lives, Lusts, and Little Secrets of French Women.

1. I was astonished when I read the reviews. In most cases I got the same question, why Americans want to emulate French women, don't u are American? don't u want to be an American woman? are u ashamed of being it? (why is that for? ... mmm, let me think: Irak, obesity, McDo, Wal-Mart...) For what I see, yes, and you want to embody the image you have of French women! French women are like any other women in the world. The gym thing is, yes, American, but it exists because here nobody walks and depends on car and malls, eat hamburgers for lunch with coke, feels guilty and run for hours in the gym feeling yet half guilty-half relieved. All pleasure is guilt in US. I don't know if "French women" but French in general have a different scope on pleasure. Yes, one key word is pleasure and that is to smell good, to feel good, to sleep good, to eat good, to treat yourself with nice clothes, to treat yourself with a nice dinner, in sum, with a nice life (and that's not a LV, a Burberry coat, a Hummer, a shopping spree and a Chanel for the mall). It's the lace of your underwear, the silk on your top and the parfum on your wrists that makes you feel beautiful, it's the (guilty-free) sex, the basic yet classic/original style, the orange juice with toasted bread and butter (no guilt) in the morning, the salad and vegetables (no punishment) with duck, foie gras and wine, final cheese, choc and coffee (no guilt) for dinner. It's shopping what you like because it's original and not because everyone wear it. It's about being the best yourself and not about being French. And what about your concern on competition? American women are not ($$$, jewels, LV, moral, religious, social) competitive? Yes, but they hide with a big fake smile and fake blessings. Women are competitive just as men are, humans are competitive, men with chests, women with nails, both with loud voice, unnecessary bling bling, and bad sarcasm. French society is just like any other society: there's tragedy and comedy. But if something changes is that there are more parties and get-togethers, less hypocrisy, more talking, more drinking, less punishing and less "little dirty secrets" as in US. It's funny how the reviewers (and the authors) want to be someone they're not, and how they need a guide to do it.



2. All You Need to Be Impossibly French is an entertaining and enlightening read. But after finishing the book, I was very glad to have been born elsewhere. French women do not sound like they have much joie de vivre. To the plus side, French women take pride in their appearance and can even make jeans and a t-shirt look smart; they are thinner than American or British women and do not drink to excess; they have a tremendous amount of family and government support so that they can raise their children, and use sex both for pleasure and exercise. To the negative, they are suspicious and spiteful where other women are concerned; do not seem to have much of a work ethic; have few real friendships outside their families; and have no problem going after other womens' husbands. Oh, and they smoke like crazy.
   
   After reading this book, and the even better-written "Almost French," I've concluded that it's best to pluck the admirable things about France and Frenchwomen -- the interest in good food, appearance, decor and the family -- and forget those that would only be damaging to our self-esteem. Some of our puritanical American and buttoned up British traits aren't so bad, by comparison.



3. I was afraid it was going to be too frilly, but it is great. Love that she talks about real & famous french women. Funny at times. Very entertaining!



4. This was such a cute book to read. It's always interesting to see that the author interviewed other ladies and men to get their opinions of France and the chic cultures of the people who live there. It made the book more real for me. I really enjoyed it.



5. I really liked the book, I found it to be an easy read, funny, informative and quite inspirational. Actually, I liked the book more and more as I kept reading it (except the chapter on lingeree - the author went on too long about the importance of wearing matching lingeree, etc - I did not think this topick deserved so much attention, but oh well, perhaps it does - afterwards I did go and buy myself a nice lingeree set! And new creams, and make up. ;)). I read this book on the bus on my way to and from work and looked forward to my bus ride every day - not a normal thing for me. I also purchased the other "more famous" book ("French Women Don't Get Fat"), but I thought it was a bit boring (I still finished it and can't say it was bad, just not as consuming). The latter talks mostly about diet while this book is much more entertaining and covers all aspects of French women lives. I am lending the book to everyone I know now, what a gem!

5 comments about Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez.

1. As a Bilingual teacher, I believe immigrant children should learn the basics of schooling in their home language; that way, they will be able to communicate with their parents, and they will earn self confidence. This book shows the lack of communication and self-esteem immigrant children are suffering from, in the United States.



2. Richard Rodriguez reflects on his journey from the barrios of California to a seat in the library of the British Museum. He recognizes that the distance has moved him closer to a world of privilege and freedom. At the same time, he acknowledges that he is removed from his family and his background.
   
   Rodriguez bristles at attempts to mainstream Hispanic students through bilingual education. He is not calling for an official language. Its not quite like that. He just feels that students need to have an ability to master the language that, for better or worse, is spoken in the pathways that lead to power in this country.
   
   Rodriguez is very aware of the lessons that others would draw from his story. He points out that a group of people are attracted to having him as a speaker, because it confirms their own politics. Oddly, he doesn't feel that aligned with their perspective, because while they draw some similar conclusions about education, they have nothing else in common.
   
   Rodriguez laments that his book is catalogued and shelved in the wrong category. It is not a book about Hispanics, or within Latino studies. It is a book about class and privilege. That mistake is not likely to change, though, because class is a taboo topic and not something that is given its own space in our book stores.
   
   At one point, Rodriguez mentions that his editor would prefer less reflection and more stories. The editor wanted more anecdotes from Rodriguez' life -- more about his grandmother, for example. Rodriguez doesn't want to do that.
   
   I would argue that this is one privilege that he is not entitled to, even as a person holding a doctorate. He still has to show the reader, not just tell. If he thinks that he cannot tell the personal stories of his life without compromising his message, then he needs to write a few more drafts!



3. Looking beyond the criticisms of other reviewers, one can find in this little book many fundamental truths about education -- what it means to be an educated person, even how education might alienate people or divide families. Intensely intellectual and at the same time profoundly personal, Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory eloquently charts the process of education in his own life, uncovering its magic, measuring its costs along the way, but in the end testifying to its great benefits. Students and teachers alike could gain greater understanding of the process of education and what it can mean through reading this book.



4. This book was a difficult read. I admit openly that it is a strain for me to understand the feeling of minority. I am a middle-middle class white person, privileged by virtue of the fact that my parents stayed together for 53 years until my father passed away, blessed by being an "Air Force brat", which entitled me to meet people of all different races, socioeconomic groups, and nationalities to the extent that I don't see those things anymore. It is hard for me to relate. Rodriguez begins the book by mocking upper-class people for being arrogant, and middle-class people for attempting "cheap imitations of lower-class life". Are there really people in America who divide individuals into classes like that? And if class is so important, to what class would he assign himself? My father taught me to respect all people and that every man's work is good if it is honest work, so I would not presume to judge a person's character by his socioeconomic class.
   
   Overlooking this obstacle, I see that Rodriguez, like all good writers, writes from his own experience of life. He was intensely impacted by the transition from Spanish to English in his life. His mother insisted on English being spoken in the home, according to the recommendations of well-meaning nuns, but as a result, the author lost an integral part of his home experience, the music of his native tongue. Additionally, he lost connection with his mother and father, because while his mother attained a rudimentary grasp of the English language, his father never quite caught on, so his relationship with his wife and children was radically changed. According to the author, his father lived voiceless in his own home, which was a sad state of affairs for the former head of the household.
   
   Rodriguez states that he is against affirmative action as it is legislated, where the only requirement to qualify is to belong to a minority group, such as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans. When he realized that he had received an exceptional level of early schooling during his years in private Catholic school, it became clear that he was not really socially disadvantaged at all. At that point in time, it was evident that there were many other students out there who were far more needful of the benefits of the affirmative action program. Furthermore, Rodriguez equated the meaning of the word "minority" with "alienated from the public (majority) society", and found that by becoming a student, he did not consider the term "minority" to describe him. Neverthless, for reasons that are somewhat blurry, he accepted the benefits of the program, went on to denigrate the program publicly, only to have it thrown back in his face by minority leaders who did not appreciate him rocking the proverbial boat. Eventually he apologizes for taking the benefits that someone else was more deserving of receiving; however, he acknowledges that it is unlikely they will ever read his apology.
   
   The author's apparent love of his parents, his obedience to them and respect for their struggle in a strange country, was wonderful to see in the beginning of this book. Rodriguez's recognition of his parents is well deserved, for his father and mother made considerable sacrifices to give their children a better chance in the world than they had personally experienced. They left their Mexican town filled with memories, family, and friends, to take their children to a land of increased opportunity. They worked hard and managed to send their three children to private Catholic school. They attended an Irish-American church instead of the Mexican church they preferred in their homeland. He says that his parents coped well in America, with his father keeping steady work, and his mother managing the home, which was situated in what Rodriguez describes as "among gringos, and only a block from the biggest, whitest houses". Although they knew none of their neighbors and routinely struggled to manage daily concerns in a strange language, they had huge families of relatives visiting them from time to time, and a family life immersed in laughter and joy. This is evidence of the consistent efforts of loving parents to provide a lasting heritage that eclipses ethnic or socioeconomic constraints. Unfortunately, halfway through the book, Rodriguez tells us that as he became more and more proficient in English and enlarged his circle of English-speaking friends, he became ashamed of his parents and hated their foreign ways. In the final chapter of the book, we find his mother begging him not to air his disloyalty to and disappointment in his family openly in his writing, but he does not honor her request. This book is all about him, to the very end.
   
   The author continually reminds us of his socially disadvantaged upbringing, the fact that he is the son of "working-class parents". Forgive me if I don't buy into this thinking. He attended private school, for Pete's sake. That costs money. I grew up listening to my parents' stories of the depression, when people were lucky to even have a job, and of life in post-war Germany , where children rifled through garbage cans for food. To this day, my mother keeps her pantry filled with extra cans of food, extra bags of staples such as flour and sugar, all sorts of extra non-perishables, against that kind of want. I went to Florida 's horrendous public schools and my parents couldn't afford to send me to college, so I got Pell grants and Perkins loans and Stanford loans for which I am still paying. So I should feel sorry for him, because he was on scholarship based upon his ethnicity? It is appalling and demeaning the way he calls himself "the scholarship boy" throughout this text. If accepting the funds was so detestable to him, he should have passed the opportunity on to somebody who would appreciate it. In the interest of clearing his conscience, I think from now on, he ought to thank the taxpayers, pay his taxes and pass the help on to the next generation of needy students. Or if he feels that guilty about the financial aid he received, set up a scholarship fund for financially-strapped single parents who are women (the group I fell into as a student) with all the profits he's getting from this book.
   
   Rodriguez also states that he was "victim to a disabling confusion". He hasn't suffered a traumatic brain injury or been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease. He is referring to his inability to speak Spanish easily once he became fluent in English. As a speech-language pathologist, I can definitively state that linguistic learning differences don't make a person a victim. To me, Rodriguez's alleged issues with language and intimacy seem disconnected with the issues of bilingual education or affirmative action. In fact, he is such a gifted speaker and writer, that he makes his living using these skills, and is evidently very successful, or I wouldn't be reading this book.



5. Esteemed a classic, this work has the merit, upon first reading, of making the reader feel he has been initiated into the long lost tribe of truth tellers, something akin to the book readers of Fahrenheit 451. We meet somebody for whom education is a real thing, something that is life changing, enlightening, and it estranges him from his family, and of course from all people, because the sophistication he gains from his education makes him an enemy to the ignorant. Much is lost, but what is gained far outweighs that loss. He knows it, and we get the message. Bravo, Richard Rodriguez.

5 comments about Magical Thinking: True Stories.

1. I bought this book for my boyfriend and he LOVED the book, of course his sense of humor is close to the authors, but if you like the author you'll love the book!



2. I was standing in the bookstore aisle plucking books from the shelves and flipping pages when I came across 'Magical Thinking' and this line, "The year I snuck an interracial lesbian couple into the background of an American Airlines ad..." I read some more. I could have read the entire book while standing there. But, my whooping laughter would have disturbed my fellow readers. Burroughs puts on paper what most folks block from conscious thought. He presents such a can't-make-this-stuff-up life that one moment you don't believe it, then you wish you had been there to see it. Ever been intimidated by a cleaning lady-cum-personal assistant? Meet Debby. Ever fought a rodent or a roach in a NYC apartment? Meet the Mouse. Reading the stories will make you late for work, burn your dinner and ignore the kids fighting at your elbow. The writer has a rich talent for self-conflagration, as well as burning others with his wit. If there is a downside to this work, it's that all the boyfriends (except Dennis) seem to be the same beautiful-bodied man with slight variations. Warning: If the "f" word or descriptions of the male anatomy offend you, don't even pick up this book. After reading his caustic commentaries on his failed dates, I enjoyed the tender turn he takes in vignettes of his domestic relationship with Dennis. Dennis is the normal, stable part of the partnership. Burroughs remains dramatic and, well, crazy.



3. Augusten Burroughs does not come across as what you'd call a "nice person," but he's so very honest, funny, and sometimes self-deprecating that the reader can't help being on his side, as he battles a crazy cleaning lady, kills a mouse in his tub, and moves in and out of quasi-relationships with gorgeous, but unsuitable men. And frankly, he appeals to that deep, dark, mean corner we all have suppressed inside, that place where we want to make a snide comment about someone's fatt butt or stupid hairdo. I adore how he hated sickeningly perfect Raoul on their first date, and his description of his schoolteacher in the opening chapter was a delight.
   
   When Dennis enters the picture, we see Augusten's tender side, his appreciation for another's vulnerability, and we start to think perhaps Augusten has been holding out on us, letting us see only his vanity/insecurity polarity, his delayed-reaction remorse for mouse-killing and child-frightening, keeping this kinder Augusten hidden until the time is right.
   
   While reading this book, I couldn't help thinking that I'd love to have him over for dinner, but I wouldn't let him babysit my child.
   
   Augusten Burroughs is a great writer and enigmatic presence on the literary scene.



4. If you enjoy his writing, you will enjoy this one. It made me laugh out loud and giggle after wards.



5. I enjoyed "Dry" and "Running" very much, but I laughed more reading this one. I read "Beating Raoul" out loud to friends and we all cracked up. Funny chapters throughout.

5 comments about Saddam's Secrets.

1. Have only read a small amount so far, but already would rate it very good and something all americans should read.



2. It's a shame that the public has to dig for the truth rather than rely on the press to be honest, but that's the situation. If you really want to know what was going on rather than buy into the juvenile theory that this was somehow all about W's oil buddies, this is a great start.



3. This is an important book that every American should read. Gen Sada is an amazing man, an eye-witness in Saddam's regime who lived to tell about it and claims to have actually seen WMD with his own eyes. Fascinating!



4. Finally, the inside scoop! Questions of WMD answered! Why isn't this information made more readily available to the American People? This is a story of one man's faith and honesty in the worst of situations! You want to know the truth? Read this book!!



5. I enjoyed the information in the book. Poorly written but never the less informative

5 comments about The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir.

1. Isabel Allende's memoir "The Sum of Our Days" is the much awaited sequel to "My Invented Country" and "Paula." Together they provide insight into this brilliant writer's very real life which crosses three continents. Numerous challenges, a sometimes dysfunctional blended "family," incredible coping skills and heartfelt family connections reveal a truly complex human being imbued with soul. Having read all of Isabel's novels, it is inspiring to know the genuine person within. Thank you Isabel!



2. I loved this memoir and could hardly put it down. Allende is honest, open, and emotional. She touches your heart and makes you laugh at the same time. I love getting to "know" her family. I wouldn't recommend this as first Allende book, however.



3. Isabel Allende's book "The Sum Of Our Days" bring both extraordinary insight and what I consider thoughtful availability to her memoir that touched me deeply. I got to "be" a part of her story, her family...it was truly intimate.
   
   Her conversations and storytelling throughout the book, with her deceased daughter Paula, are both beautiful and haunting. Watching through Isabel's eyes, her family life unfolding around her, and dealing with their grief was amazing. It aided me personally in my own grief over the loss of my daughter Martha to breast cancer in Febuary of 2007.
   
   Isabel gives hope in sharing her memoir. We can move forward through all of life's changes, both joyful and sorrowful. After all, we are the sum of our days...



4. Isabelle Allende writes in a very simple way her memories about her life. While reading the book the reader is concentrated on her life and can enter in it without being conscious..I recommend this book to all people in search of emotion...



5. Like most reviewers, I've enjoyed Allende's previous works, and I spent most of a Sunday afternoon wrapping up this latest offering. I can feel my furrowed brow as I type, because I don't know what to make of it. I enjoyed reading about the various members of Allende's "tribe" and at times wished I could join them. At other times I felt like the book was an infomercial. Clearly Allende is justifiably proud of her friends and family's accomplishments--her friend Tabra's jewelry business (I'll probably make a purchase shortly), her former daughter-in-law's Marin County mountain bike tour company, her husband's novels.
   
   Allende also discusses her frequent travels around the globe with family members--annual trips to Chile to her mother, an African safari with her grandchildren, a trip to India with her husband and Tabra. I suspect the average reader can only dream of such adventures; am I envious? Allende and her husband can afford to be financially generous to their large family, and they obviously enjoy sharing their good fortune, but for a reason I still can't put my finger on, broadcasting that fact to devoted readers just smacked of Oprah to me.
   
   Other reviewers had mentioned that they felt the book was written in haste, and poorly edited. Passages like this one simply didn't ring true for me: "I had shrunk an inch [she's 5 feet tall] and the body lolling in the water was that of a mature woman who had never been a beauty." I'm sure anyone who has seen photos of Ms. Allende would agree that she's stunning and quite beautiful. Had she been unattractive, I suspect her career might not have been as successful as it is.
   
   I'm sure I'll be editing my review once I've given it more thought. For now, I agree with other reviewers that The Sum of Our Lives is not the best introduction to Allende's wonderful body of work. Start with House of the Spirits and work your way up through her earlier works to the current offering.

5 comments about ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table.

1. Enjoyably insightful. More indepth than a lot of texts yet easy reading. Must reading for parents,teachers and disciplinarians of students with AHDH.



2. I recommend this book to anyone who has a child with ADHD or even PDD syndrome. Like many others who have placed their comments on this site, I wasn't looking for the medical version of what happens to kids with ADHD, I wanted to find out how a child was feels.
   
   I felt very connected, while reading this and it has given me such an insight, that I finally feel like I can actually help my son. The stories were relatable, the solutions that Blake recommends are practical and age appropriate. The best part, it is written by someone who's been there, and came out the other side a success.



3. I provide therapy to children with ADHD and their families. This book is extremely helpful in allowing parents to understand why their children sometimes act the ways they do. It is also something that parents can read with their children so they communicate with one another about the symptoms of ADHD. This allows other children with ADHD to see that they are not alone in their experience and to understand that there is a reason why they feel they way they do.



4. This book is amazing, so much wisdom from someone so young and with a disability such as ADHD. Blake has become an inspiration to both me and my son who has ADHD and is struggling with social skills in school. I would highly recommend this book to all children, adults, teachers, parents who has someone with ADHD. For we already know what remarkable and speacial people we have.



5. Blake.E.S.Taylor is such a sophisticated young man, isn't he? I wasn't smart enough to tell you my ADHD logically based on my experiences when I was his age, and I am still not! And most of the symptoms written in his book are quite similar to my childhood. I could have clearly shown you the strategies not only on ADHD but also developmental disabilities like him if I had been diagnosed with ADHD and PDD(=Pervasive Developmental Disorder) earlier. I didn't know anything about developmental disabilities when I was younger. Besides, even in my college days, I couldn't eliminate my impulsiveness and hyperactivity, which often stood out in my English classes given by English-speaking teachers. One day I mumbled,"Jesus."during my class so nobody noticed it, because I was very cranky and stressed. However, the teacher recognized and blew up,"If you swear, please leave! I have to be strict on that and I'm pretty serious." I got so stunned that I had no choice but to apologize to him. How embarrassed! He implicitly told me how to learn from such a big mistake, though...
   Anyway, Blake couldn't have written ADHD & Me: What I Learned from Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table, if he was less mature. Even though his ADHD still remains, I'm sure his experiences will reinforce the strategies to tackle ADHD!

5 comments about Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy.

1. I have not yet been fortunate to physically travel to Italy but I can say with certainty that while reading Mr. Tucker's book, I made an intellectual journey to Italy. What a read! I felt as if I was seeing, smelling, touching, tasting every bit that Italy has to offer through the words of Mr. Tucker. Thank you, Mr. Tucker, for taking me along with you. I hope that in the near future my family and I will have the privilege of experiencing this wonderful country.



2. This is a fun escape into a new venture. The author takes the reader along to the new life he and his wife are experiencing as they share the beauty and excitement of living among the Italian olive groves and fig trees with a few sips of wine and great pasta! Learning the language as they live it is as delightful as it is challenging.



3. Michael Tucker is a great story teller and this story will make you want to pack your bag. As with most TV actors you feel you know Tucker and his wife Jill Eikenberry (LA Law). The story of finding and remodeling an italian farm house is every traveler's dream. Tucker's description of the house, the village, and becoming part of the community is engaging. The only problem is the story ends too soon!



4. Basically this book is a diary of Michael Tucker's time in Umbria and the things they ate while they were there. While it is midly entertaining - it's definately not the best travelogue I've ever read. Also I thought author came off as condesending which was a real turn off to read.



5. If you are at all a sensualist, particularly with regard to food, this is a must read. There are other enjoyable aspects to the book - the relationship between Mr. Tucker and his wife, reflections on friendship and celebrity, with a nod to learning to become "unfamous".
   
   But the core of the book is an epicurean approach to life. The story serves, really, as illustration of a way of seeing food, wine and even love.
   
   Nice work. I can't wait for the next book.

5 comments about Sage-ing While Age-ing.

1. As usual Shirley involves her efforts into the mysterious universe and its exciting ramifications, whether in the body or the heavens. She has done an exhausting and in depth job of researching matters that concern all of us as to outer space alien co-existence. The first part of the book explores the universe of the body and its needs. The second part of the book explores the possibility of the presence of beings from other solar systems that have been visiting us for many years or maybe milleniums. Her research into government cover ups on this issue makes for fascinating reading.



2. The book's subject matter has been pretty well covered by others. You either choose to believe Shirley or not (about the spiritual/ET, etc.)
   
   I think she holds back a lot of what she has either experienced or is aware of. I've heard it expressed that she is very well connected in who she knows. I hope she has more books forthcoming as I am waiting for her to really rip loose.
   
   She's a good writer and knows how to do page turners. I confess that while her movie/TV career may be of prime interest to some, it's the other aspects of her life and what she knows in that arena is why I read her books.
   
   She has an interesting website for those who haven't noticed it yet.



3. Do not remember who was known for this comment, but "Being Happy is a woman's best cosmetic". Take a look at Shirley! Hope this has finally, at long last- made her critics take a step toward realizing she is not "out to lunch". A brave look at the place we live. Bravo Shirley



4. shirley mclaine writes another book about her life, interesting first half, second half full of aliens, if thats your cup of tea, by all means, buy it.



5. This is yet another wonderful book from an inspiration to us all. I also loved the video Out on a Limb and hope that they put it on a DVD soon.