5 comments about Ball Four.

1. This was a provocative book when it was first published. Jim Bouton, who had been a star pitcher for the New York Yankees, was trying to mount a comeback by working on a knuckleball in the bullpen of the expansion team Seattle Pilots less than five years later. He was a world away from pitching in two World Series in two successive seasons with players like Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris as team mates.
   
   His fastball could no longer shatter a pane of glass, but his astute observations about professional sports broke many barriers that had existed between the owners, players and the fans. Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn publicly condemned the book.
   
   Bouton was traded to Houston before the season ended. The last place Seattle Pilots faded and died. The team was sold and transferred to Milwaukee after only one year. As such, it is something of a historic artifact of the failed Pilots team as well as a humorous look at the National Pastime.



2. Jim Bouton is a very bright man who probably could have been a scientist if he didn't go into baseball. In the 1960s when he played nobody wrote colorful exposes of the behind the scenes and road trip life of major league ball players. Bouton was the first with this book. It ended many friendships with teammates and probably broke up his marriage. The book might seem tame by todays standard. Alcohol was the players drug in those days and no one was shooting up steroids back then. But the book was racy, groundbreaking and controversial in its time much like Canseco's books are today.
   
   You will also see that it led to several other books by Jim Bouton and even one by his ex wife (another analogy to Canseco whose ex wife also wrote a book). Bouton was a great pitcher but alas for only the period from 1961-1964. 1963 was his best season but even though he pitched well in that world series the Yankees got steamrolled by the Dodger staff with Drysdale and Koufax leading the way. After retirementhe came back to pitch for the Seattle Pilots expansion team in their first year. He had developed a knuckle ball and that allowed him some limited success. Bulldog Jim wrote a book about that experience too. He had a trick when he pitched for the Yankees. He wouldd deliberately wear a very loose fitting cap that would usually fall off his head as he delivered the pitch. This was distracting for the hitters. But in his day Bouton had a good fastball and a deceptive changeup and he was part of a great pitching rotation in 1963 that included Ford, Downing and Terry.



3. even now, the contents of "ball four" are as equally as contrary to what you think about the order of things as say the first time you hear that hawaiians aren't happy about being american. what this book has to say about institutions make it as valuable an american document as "on the road".
   the only real debate i think that could be made over this assertion is who took more speed; kerouac or bouton?
   the answer is kerouac.
   leaving only one other question:
   who took more speed; kerouac or doc ellis?
   i can't answer that question but i can say that beaning batters successively until you get thrown out of a major league baseball game is much cooler than anything kerouac ever did.



4. Ball Four is a journal of Jim Bouton's days in baseball. It is light hearted and pokes fun at himself and tells it like it was in the 1960's. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the behind the scenes and what happens in the locker room.



5. Hubby had knee surgery and was laid up for 3 months.. did alot of reading when he wasn't in physical therapy.... GREAT BOOK

1 comments about Orange County: A Personal History.

1. OC Weekly's, Gustavo "Ask a Mexican" Arellano does it again! For those of us who live in the REAL OC, and even for those who don't - Gustavo flawlessly weaves a personal family history with the raw and interesting facts of this great county of ours. Amazing book, choc full of Arellano's brand of wit (as always). A must read!

5 comments about Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table.

1. The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know EverythingAs a positive psychologist who focuses on women and girls in my own books, my latest being The Truth, the diary of a 10-11 year old girl who is struggling to grow-up and yet stay true to herself, I have to say I love Ruth Reichl's books. I am not here to pick them apart. Rather I eat them up, from first course to last, as the most wonderfully delicious meals of a woman's life experiences, combined with the intimate reflections of her inner life. And Comfort Me with Apples is no exception. I enjoyed every page and wanted to know even more about her than she shared. For me, maybe the combination of being taken to places I have never been, both in terms of travel, and relationships, and also delighting in descriptions of cooking and eating foods, just is a perfect combination for me and I suspect many women. I wouldn't dare, even if these things happened to me, to put them into writing. I am glad that there are people like Ruth Reichl who are willing and daring enough to share of themselves with readers when they themselves are still in their prime and not just reflecting (although there is nothing wrong with that) about a life well lived toward the end of one's days. Carry on Ruth! May everyday for you be a treat. And don't forget to share some of it with me!



2. A wonderful second course to her first book, Tender At the Bone. Just like you anticpate great meals through aromas wafting through the house, each page wafts anticipation of her growing career in the world of gourmet dining. And as happens on occasion, the meals that don't turn out just right, despite following every iota of the recipe, so too her marriage fails to sustains and nourish. A great read for the foodie who loves to read or the reader who loves good food! Bon Appetit!



3. Ruth Reichl has done it again -- completely mesmerized me with a book I found hard to put down.
   
   The current editor of Gourmet magazine goes from food critic a New West Magazine to the LA Times in this, the sequel to her first memoir, Tender at the Bone. How she reinvents herself from a hippie living in a commune in Berkeley cooking for her housemates to being one of the most respected food critics in the country is told with her usual candor, intelligence, humor, and poignancy. Her essay toward the end about her struggle with infertility left me weeping. An unbearable heartbreak for Ruth and Michael had me so emotional I had to put the book down at one point. But then an act of extraordinary kindness on the part of some of her dear friends several pages later made me sigh.
   
   Thank goodness I had already read her bio and knew that in the end things turn out well for her, but I was struck by how hard it must have been for her to write about some of these episodes and she addresses this in her acknowledgements at the end of the book.
   
   I enjoyed the stories she shares of how difficult it is for one to open a new restaurant and was particularly interested in the story of Wolfgang Puck's wife Barbara (who we met briefly at her now-defunct Seattle restaurant several years ago).
   
   Another excellent read from Ruth Reichl. Her third book, Garlic and Sapphires is next. I can hardly wait!



4. Ruth Reichl currently serves as editor of "Gourmet" magazine, an exalted position for any foodie. She also was once the restaurant critic for the "New York Times," but her journey as critic emerged from a much bumpier, more interesting path at a commune in Berkeley, California. "Comfort Me with Apples" follows on from Reichl's first book, her childhood exposure to the wonderful world of food, "Tender at the Bone." That book was so outstanding, I had a hard time imagining how Reichl's sequel could be as good, but it is.
   
   In "Comfort Me with Apples," Reichl's tales of fine dining, celebrity chefs, and the pursuit of a great meal are colored with stories of her own love life, marriage and divorce, travel, friendships, and her desire for motherhood. Her pursuit of adopting a child is perhaps the most life-changing and heart-breaking story of all. And all along the way, we are lured by the amazing, accompanying meals. This memoir will make your mouth water and your heart ache.
   
   Don't feel that you need to read "Tender at the Bone" first. This book stands up on its own, but all of Reichl's writing is so engaging, why would you miss any of it?



5. Although Ruth has encounted her share of life's obstacles and heartache, she continues to embrace life with a sense of humor and an open heart, which I think is the key to her success. Pork Chops and Applesauce: A Collection of Recipes and Reflections

5 comments about Life and Death in Shanghai.

1. Nien Cheng is quite the lady with some experience to tell. Growing up in China as part of the wealthy class, her life changed all of a sudden as the Great Cultural Revolution came down her street.... It's a chilling story of a mob mentality that pretends to "purify" society of evils of the day. It's a sobering story that unveils and condemns the horrors of communism. Required read.



2. Nein Cheng lived a comfortable middle class existance...in Shanghai during the height of the Cultural Revolution. Big mistake. Her comfortable lifestyle and connections to the West (via Shell Oil, her former employer) make her a target of the Red Brigade. Imagine if you will, waking up one morning to find a bunch of politically jacked up teenagers suddenly given the freedom to ransack your home, determine whether or not you are a danger to society, and beat you, arrest you, humiliate you and arrest you. Ms. Cheng is imprisoned and everything she has is taken away...rare works of art, priceless porcelains. This irreplacable beauty is, for the most part, destroyed by the loutish thugs -- the 14 and 15 year olds who ran amok, brandishing their political clout -- who made up the bulk of the Mao Cult that was the Red Brigade. Cheng is arrested and sent to a hellacious prison. Beaten, starved, subjected to brutal interrogation, Chen is indomitable. She does not confess, she does not kowtow, she sticks to her guns and even dares to lecture her captors and, in the process, drive them crazy. She lives this nightmare year after year, never budging from her declaration of innocence, never seeing or hearing from her beloved daughter. But no matter what they do to her, Cheng does not give in. Give in? She doesn't give an inch. We learn, though her, fascinating lessons in the political subtlties that fomented chaos and laws during this period. Through hints and reading between the lines of the official propoganda that the prisoners were forced to listen to, she pieces together much of the political climate and events. Her tenacity, stubborn contrariness and refusal to make any concessions to her captors is inspirational, astounding and, frankly, almost unbelievable. Even when the political climate changes and she is given her release, she insists that the prison "confess" its error. This is not a lady to trifle with. Upon her release, she immediately begins to search for her daughter, and for the restoration of whatever of her property has survived the Red Guard. The second half of the book -- Ms. Cheng's "rehabilitation" is as compelling as the first part. It's a book that is impossible to put down and certainly the best of a spate of first-hand accounts of this horrible "Through the Looking Glass" period of China's history. Nien Cheng is one hell of a tough lady, her book is moving, thought-provoking and compelling.



3. Nien Chang's account of her encounter with the Cultural Revolution is the best book of this kind that I recall. Many others have written about their experiences, some in memoir form, others in fictionalized form. NC's is the most accessible to the Western reader, she can relate to our expectations better than some of the others, and she writes more specifically for a Western audience. Her personal background made that easier for her than for many others, she had this working history with a large foreign corporation (no product placements in my reviews!).
   The sad fact is that the subject interests non-Chinese or 'Overseas Chinese' substantially more than the population of the People's Republic. Books like NC's are often talked down because they are successfull in the West. That fact seems to be a negative mark. This applies also to Jun Chang's Wild Swans, while her later bio of the great helmsman is taboo.
   The desire to forget about the past is so overwhelming, that many shut their eyes and minds to the recent past. (Actually not that recent any more.) With this strong wish to close the chapter, and in a situation of overwhelming success and progress for the country as a whole, the ruling elites find it very easy to put the Cultural Revolution into a kind of frozen state of taboo: it is not denied, but it is not visited with the purpose of understanding and digesting it. The man who provoked it is sacrosanct, he can not be touched by criticism. The negative things are assigned to others, like the Gang of Four.
   (Who was it who wrote here recently that history does not change?)



4. This book is a good Focused Look at Detainment in Cultural Revolution. Most of the book is told while she is in a detainment camp (not prison, she never actually was sentenced to anything). Basically, all her problems were owing to the leftists in the communist party lead by Jiang Qin and the gang of four, who wanted to elicit a confession from her that she was a spy, which in turn would have to the downfall of several of their political opponents (zhou enlai if i am not mistaken). I most admire her persistence in never admitting fault even after 6 years and some mild torture. It reminds me a lot of Joseph Smith who persisted in claiming that he had spoken with God in person, even when many many people called him a liar or a false prophet. I have always admired those who are true to themselves and don't give into the social pressure to change just because they face persecution.



5. Nien Cheng's admirable book, with its lucid and objective account of her dreadful ordeal during the Cultural Revolution, deserves to be widely read. This brutal and destructive period of Chinese history began more than forty years ago, but many of its tormenters and their victims are still alive; people like the "militant female guard," who makes Cheng's life so miserable, must be senior citizens today, watching, or even participating in, the victory of the "capitalist-roaders." Other readers have already bestowed every form of praise on "Life and Death in Shanghai," so I'll merely offer this additional insight. To more fully understand the scope of the Cultural Revolution, I think it's useful to read other accounts of it as well. Cheng's account is from the perspective of a well-born, highly educated, affluent woman, one who chose, with her husband, to return to Shanghai in 1949 because they felt that the Communists had the capacity to reform and restructure Chinese society. In short, they were patriots. An interesting and very different perspective is presented in Anchee Min's "Red Azalea," as it is the account of a young woman whose family has little money and no connections. As a result, she is buffeted by forces she often cannot control, and she grasps at opportunities for release from the collective farm and for an education as if she were being swept down a powerful river, occasionally grasping at a branch that pulls her out of the current. Then there is Jung Chang's "Wild Swans," which is quite different. To my mind, the most interesting story in her memoir is that of her parents, true believers in the communist revolution. Their gradual fall and bitter disillusionment is the central story of "Wild Swans." Read "Life and Death in Shanghai," then read the others, and you'll gain a complex and complicated picture of life during the Cultural Revolution.

5 comments about Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity.

1. Most of this book was written with such unflinching honesty, that the poor ending and lack of self-examination or understanding was that much more of a disappointment and shock.
   
   While the author traces her history of longing for physical attention, I felt for the uncertain teenager who believed her worth came solely from males. I believe this is a trap that is easy for any young woman to fall into, but Cohen did so with a vengeance, sleeping her way through high school, college, and beyond.
   
   While I appreciate her bare-bones honesty, I found the book lacking in any sort of self-analysis. I never got the sense that Cohen understood why she felt so undeserving of love, nor why she stayed in unfulfilling, dysfunctional relationships.
   
   Suddenly, she seems "recovered," though I wonder if she truly has made her way out of the abyss. Instead, I think she just replaced one relationship with another. The book ends on a high note, but I think it will be just a matter of time before her insecurities suck her back into her black hole.



2. I was fortunate enough to read a review copy. A MUST READ. Not to be missed. compelling, frightening, heart wrenching, fast paced, horrifying, the sorrowful mysteries. The hollowness of her life makes me vomit. Sadly she can't give, but only take. In the last few pages there is redemption.
   
   I would be curious if young women think this is a typical experience for girls of the writer's age. Her escapades seem to begin in the very early teen years and end perhaps in her mid-twenties. What surprised me also was the unwillingness of some of the young men to jump into bed quickly with her.



3. Not about sex but a girl's journey into understanding the double standard game that is out there between girls and guys. It's heartfelt writing and I really felt compassion for the charachter.



4. For a memoir about promiscuity, there is surprisingly very little about sex. Loose Girl is so much more than a tale about a promiscuous girl. It is a gripping and courageous account of one woman's prolonged struggle with shame and insatiable need.
   
   There is a certain element of seduction buried in the way that author Kerry Cohen frames her poignant story. Only a few pages in, I found myself hopelessly seduced by her impressive ability to captivate the attention of her readers. She is undoubtedly an extremely talented writer and a woman who has clearly mastered a tremendous amount of emotional and psychological growth. Luckily for her audience, she was brave enough to share the painful lessons of her own evolution so that others might learn from her mistakes. It's no surprise that this book has its fair share of critics, but hopefully readers will be wise enough to judge for themselves.
   
   In my opinion, Loose Girl is worth well more than its entertainment value alone. It exposes not only the author's painful past but also the fundamental cracks within the human condition, by which we are all afflicted in some way. It acknowledges the realities of our frailties and dissects the incessant agony of our need, not necessarily in a sexual manner but in a human way. Anyone who has ever felt unworthy, unloved or unsatisfied in any way should definitely pick up a copy of this book.



5. I was disappointed by this book. It read like a catalog of sexual experiences with little insight or flair in the telling. The ending was abrupt and contrived.

1 comments about Jungle Jack: My Wild Life.

1. This is a great book. The first part is so funny, I had tears from laughing. The rest of the book is so informative and relates the passion and love Jack Hanna and his family has for animals.

5 comments about The Film Club: A Memoir.

1. At age 16, Jesse isn't handling school well. So Jesse's dad, David Gilmour, makes a radical decision. Let the kid stay home but they'll watch 3 movies a week together.
   
   When reviewing memoir, separating our judgment of the protagonist from the quality of the book can be challenging. I don't have kids and I haven't studied child psychology. But I don't see why so many readers criticize David. Kids grow up when they're ready. Perhaps David could have imposed other conditions, such as insisting Jesse get a job. Perhaps he could have consulted a child psychologist.
   
   But he didn't do any of those things and so we have the Film Club. Not being knowledgeable about film, I was intrigued by the discussion of the different films and the scenes to watch for. I was less intrigued by the ups and downs of Jesse's love life: boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets depressed. David tries to walk the fine line between supporting his son and losing the father role. "Hey, I've been there too" can come across like trying too hard to be a buddy.
   
   In the end, Jesse survives and we see him starting to thrive as a songwriter. Judging by the outcome, the Film Club was a success.
   
   Other reviewers have dismissed the Film Club -- the 3 movies a week ritual -- as irrelevant. Most kids do a lot of growing up between ages 16 and 19.
   
   But I'm reminded of Robert Parker's book, Early Autumn. It's in the murder mystery genre but in my opinion it's the best book on child-rearing this non-parent has ever read. At one point the hero, Spenser the one-named detective, says something more or less like, "I need to teach him something. If I knew differential equations, I would. But I don't. I have to teach him what I know." So Spenser teaches a troubled young teen how to build a house and how to get physically fit.
   
   In my experience, Spenser is right. Mastering a skill can be empowering for kids (and adults too). We don't usually think of film criticism as a skill and Jesse didn't seem that interested. But teens are like sponges. He actually learned a lot sitting on that couch with his dad.
   
   So sure, David could have sent Jesse to expensive military schools. They live in Canada. where mental health options vary from province to province and "hating school" might not qualify for treatment covered by the health plan. But David could have paid for mental health professionals who might label the boy with a diagnosis he'd carry for life. Both David and Jesse, and Jesse's Mom who's a friendly ex-wife, would have experienced stress, anguish and financial pain. To what end?
   
   It would be fun to discuss this book with parents and child psych experts. As a mere reader, I enjoyed the book and found much to think about.



2. Short book = short review
   1. Gilmour turns some excellent phrases.
   2.Film insights are helpful and debateable e.g. being dismissive of Singing in the Rain
   3.Attitudes toward smoking and drinking, if univeralized, would lead to a godawful society.
   4.High level of egocentricity is displayed in his minor considerations of his wives and his daughter as well as the random woman who bore her.
   5. Watch a few Preston Sturges movies instead esp. Sullivan's Travels



3. My friend said this book would fail or be bad if the author didn't clue you in on some films, which made perfect sense to me (and I watch film). Unfortunately, that's about the only thing the book does well; makes you want to see or rewatch some films. The other parts, the father-son relationship, the presumed failure of the educational system, the son having an epiphany about his life through watching film, (because the father tries to make connections but the son usually just shrugs), or even how films can produce such epiphanies or connections, are all, well, missing or barely addressed. Maybe that is because there isn't much substance a teenager (at least this one) can make yet; he's concerned about girls. But still, moments that could have used more depth like when Dad tells son "you could be a film critic now" are just dropped, nothing happens. So in the end what's the point? You spend three years watching films with your kid, you bond, (which I'm sorry, anyone who has that kind of time would bond) the kid grows up anyway. It's like one of those college frat party movies. If you go to the frat movie wanting to be entertained, that's great, but since it's no Lawrence of Arabia, you won't remember it. If you expect more then some skin and gross humor from the frat film, forget it. And that's the problem with this book; it had potential to be so much more, to have insight and epiphanies, but in the end all you have is a befuddled Dad, an angst-ridden son (over school, over girls), who are both slightly more grown up in the end, yeah, but what either of them (and by extension the reader) learned, well, that's a mystery. There are better father-son memoirs and novels to read out there.



4. ...Not meant to be. But it is an honest diary like look into the mind of a parent with a troubled son during a troubled time in said parent's career.
   
   There are tender moments and it's a good thing it was a quick read or I wouldn't have finished. The writer's own life and voice and complaints and self-pity about career bothered me more than a relatively common adolescent's life.
   
   I'm shocked he was a known film critic in Canada because his film insights and antedotes (about 70s hollywood) were basic if not lifted from Easy Riders and Raging Bulls.
   
   Not sure if I would recommend but there were some very moving moments between father and son and dialogue caught that made it almost hard to be the voyuer allowed into this world.



5. I liked the premise of this book so I recommended it to my book club. Now I am not sure it was the best decision. The idea of allowing one's teenage son to drop out of high school and watch movies together sounded so far fetched I wanted to read the book to see how it happened. Though the plot moves along and the reader learns how the father and son get along and communicate, I always felt like there were unanswered questions.
   
   For example, we know the mother agreed to the idea, but we don't ever get a sense of how she feels about the decision. Nor does the father's wife weigh in on the plan. The father freely allows his son to smoke cigarettes as well as encourage him to drink wine with him at restaurants. Perhaps rules are more lenient in Canada than the United States. The end of the book is somewhat rushed as well.
   
   Good points - learned many new elements about movies and their background stories. Saw how a father can influence a child in good and not so good ways. The writing style is easy to read and offers some good prose as well. It is not a bad read at all; just not completely what I expected.

5 comments about Enslaved by Ducks.

1. In this humorous book, Bob Tarte plumbs the depths of the abyss into which my wife periodically threatens to tip us. The delightfully self defeating efforts to control animal acquisition in the face of pets, each possessing more personality than a classroom full of teenagers, resonated with the strong bonding to our pets. The self effacing humor holds a kindly mirror to the extra-rational world of pet ownership. Definately a good read.



2. This was an entertaining read. Enslaved by Ducks is the first of two books telling the story of Bob Tarte, His wife and family of pets. The author tells of being a young man who was completely disinterested in the animal kingdom to someone who has learned the joys of life with pets after being dragged kicking and screaming into this knowledge by his wife Linda. Linda is a unique individual whose empathy with animals is legendary.
   
   Their story is told by Bob himself in such a humorous and entertaining way that fifty pages into this book I had purchased the next one, Fowl Weather. I recommend them both.



3. This is the story of how a man and his wife add a number of parrots, rabbits, ducks, geese, wild turkeys and starlings to their family. Fortunately the author is a freelance writer so apparently had enough time to care for all the animals. Many of the anecdotes are heart-warming, and will bring a smile to animal lovers. Other parts of the book are kind of depressing though, particularly those dealing with the author rather than focusing on the animals. He describes his experiences as his shrink tries to get his Zoloft dosage right, and I got the feeling that he and his wife should focus less on animals and more on each other. Still, this book is worth a read if you are interested in unusual pets.



4. A really fun book about maintaining and negotiating a houseful of varied pets. Author Bob Tarte is humorous and self-deprecating in his account of being an innocent bystander in a home that acquires pets the way a dog acquires fleas.
   
   Tarte's writing style is smart and funny, and the reader can't help but love the hapless author and his description of a life far beyond his control. As is often the case with people who suddenly find themselves attracting multiple pets, Tarte finds a peace and purpose with his animal companions.
   
   - C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail



5. I found this book way too wordy! I am an avid reader but mostly I just want to hear the story. I dont consider it a contest on how many words you can use to say something. I was bored about 1/2 way through it & didnt finish.

5 comments about The Tracker.

1. This book reads like a young boy's fantasy of living free, unencumbered by parental supervision, in a dense forest wilderness. In this case, that wilderness is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. This is an incredible tale of a boy, his friend and the old Apache wiseman who teaches the two boys how to survive in the wild without modern conveniences, how to interpret the patterns of nature, and how to read the tracks, signs and traces that animals and men leave as they move within nature.
   
   I don't doubt that Tom Brown is a wilderness survival expert (they are not that rare) or that he has extraordinary tracking skills. These achievements only require time and dedication. The level of skill Tom Brown displays as an adult could certainly be achieved by adulthood by any young boy with the intensity of obsession with wilderness survival and tracking and with the opportunities and freedom it appears Brown may have had as a child.
   
   Stalking Wolf (the old Apache), if he existed, gave Brown a pre-scientific, mystical point of view towards nature, and Brown never misses an opportunity to show himself superior to those who don't share his viewpoint. A tone of arrogance and contempt for those outside his religion pervades the book, and he has fashioned his biography in a way to suggest his life has transcendent meaning that the more mundane lives of others cannot have. There are so many things wrong with this as a biographical memoir, a full discussion would extend this review beyond the length amazon accepts.
   
   Brown has had 30 years to answer skeptical objections to the details of the narrative (first published in 1978), and I don't know that he hasn't already done so. It wouldn't be difficult for him to satisfy some of the doubts. The boyhood friend, Rick, certainly has a full name and attended schools in the same district as Brown. If he has died, he is buried somewhere. Stalking Wolf is Rick's grandfather (p. 5) so he is traceable in conjunction with Rick. And so on and so forth.
   
   I would have loved this book as a boy. As an adult I distrust the simplicty and tone of it.



2. Tom Brown, Jr. is the greatest nature writer, outdoorsman, environmentalist of all time, bar none!
   
   Move over Henry David and Ralph Waldo, Brown's insights into the Earth and our connection to it are destined to become classics of American literature (presuming, of course, that human society lasts long enough, a highly dubious proposition). What Emerson and Thoreau only dreamed of, Brown accomplished, and lucky for us all, Brown is willing to teach. Welcome to the incredible world of Tom Brown, Jr. where every day is an exicting journey of adventure, discovery and insight.
   
   By now, Brown's story is familiar: at the age of seven he met an Apache Elder named Stalking Wolf (a psuedonym used by Brown for legal and personal reasons), who spent sixty years wandering the entire Western Hemisphere. Along the way, Grandfather, as Brown affectionately refers to Stalking Wolf, gathered an incredible fount of physical and spiritual knowledge that remains unequaled in either Western, or Eastern writings (Yes, move over Yoga and Buddhism, for which I have great respect, but Grandfather blows them all away). To Brown, Stalking Wolf imparted this incredible knowledge.
   
   This book takes us through the years Tom spent learning from Grandfather. Tom illustrates and explains Grandfather's teaching method known as "Coyote Teaching" - something akin to the Socratic Method, but worse! He shows us how Grandfather used Coyote Teaching to inspire and prod Tom and his friend Rick, into seeking deeper and deeper insights into life, and also to impart the physical skills of tracking, stalking and survival for which the Apaches were unequaled. Concepts introduced include the "concentric rings", i.e. being able to read the actions and reactions people and animals generate as they travel through the forest, stalking, the ability to travel silently and unseen through the landscape, and a hint of the spirituality to come (no, there is no religion here, or anywhere else for that matter in Brown's books. Just practical techniques for going further in your beliefs whatever they may be). This book is chock full of stories of adventure, discovery and learning.
   
   The Tracker is mainly autobiographical and only forms an introduction to Brown and Grandtather's teachings. This is not my personal favorite, but don't get me wrong, it is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to everyone. However, it's only the beginning. To obtain a true sense of Grandfather's teachings one must go further and read Brown's other books. I hope The Tracker inspires you to do so.
   
   One final word: for lovers of mystery and detective novels this is the book for you! Brown introduces you to the arts that enable one to become a real life Sherlock Holmes, something even Conan Doyle couldn't do. Welcome to a lifetime of learning, discovery, and insight!



3. Wildernes survival tales... super exciting. It does read like a movie but maybe it's all true. I've heard some people say Tom Brown is a tall tale teller, but his tales sure are fun and he has a school in NJ so....



4. I liked this book. It's about being invisible in nature--like the rest of nature, people can blend in to the point of being invisible enough to be able to reach out and touch a wild animal. It's also about special relationships with a grandfather. It would be a great book to read to kids.



5. This is a "don't miss" book for anyone who wants to observe anything in nature. Tom Brown is a legend in the worlds of search and rescue, tracking, and survival. Brown is one with nature and he brings you along on his exhilerating journey from boy to man of nature. In this, his first of many outstanding books, you accompany him as he learns his skills from his Indian grandfather.
   FYI. Brown continues to share his skills with new through advanced students at workshops. A friend who has attended his classes, swears Brown is everthing you will see here and much more. It is a fascinating story.

5 comments about Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter.

1. Billed as a front of the house "kitchen confidential" but sadly it was not at all. Mildy interesting but without any of the juice that was promised. Not recommended by me.



2. ok i got this book becauce of the place the author worked and the chef she worked for. What I got was a book more about here personal love life which in the brief time she worked there was sev diff coworkers including a secret relationship with a managerial level employee. SO the amount of the book devoted to the chef and the restaurant itself was less than I desired. Her employer Per Se also is one of the first places in the States to charge a service charge on all purchases which the author's tale ends just before its implemented which is also something I wanted to see details on in the book. Sadly the author quits to avoid the loss of income this would entail. It was interesting to learn the chef did this to equalize the kitchen pay to the servers wages. Personally I assumed a place of such caliber would pay well above the standard wages but mind you the servers were probably clearing low 5 figures when they were being tipped.



3. I couldn't even make it as far as the romantic part. I suspect the problem lay with the nature of her restaurant; rich people overpaying "to be seen" doesn't do it for me.



4. I really wanted to like this book--and this author. But what started out promisingly ultimately fell flat into a heap of 'who cares about your personal relationship with the sommelier?'. The insight gleaned didn't feel revealing (as the book was so hyped to do) and I ended up actually _disliking_ the author by the end, who, in turns, came across as smug, condescending and even small. I wanted this to be a book I was glad to have in hardcover. Instead I'm just left regretting I dropped the cash and didn't read the Amazon reviews beforehand (instead of just the critics'). At the risk of being cast out of some community, I FAR preferred Amanda Hesser's book about her latte-loving boyfriend to this one, which ended up being, in my mind, a book about Phoebe Damrosch's wine-loving one.



5. What i really want to say is that someone who is brave enough (not afraid of being blacked-balled in the restaraunt world), needs to write what restaraunt workers are really like.
   
   You get a glimpse of the truth in Bourdain's writings....but the place for the misfits, the addicts, the alcoholics, the nearly homeless: your favorite restaraunt. Doesn't matter what or where it is. That waiter who looks so dapper and well-schooled at 9pm.....will be a buzzed and boozed wreck at 3am.
   
   I know this. Family members are the real eavesdroppers.