5 comments about The Pursuit of Happyness.

1. I have to read this book for class, but it's sooo good I don't even mind it. Great story



2. This book was very motivational and taught me a great lesson in humility, perserverace, and hope. I would recommend to everyone!



3. I have read a few reviews that where readers preferred the Disneyfied movie to the strong and honest look at a real human life that Chris Gardner exposits in his book. That's a bit sad. I find his honesty refreshing and courageous in a world where many look askance on the rougher edges of our humanness while ignoring the courage it takes to reveal warts.
   
   This book inspired me and is about to change my life. It is the portrait of a man who never succumbed to self pity in spite of many odds stacked against him. He did not give in to bitterness either. He blamed no one for his plight, simply pushed forward and found solutions to each crisis he faced. He has set an example for the many people of all races recovering from abusive childhoods.
   
   It is not so easy to get the demons of low self worth and self pity out of your head when they have been placed there by parental figures and communities either convinced of their own moral superiority or simply exercising their own brand of ignorance over a childhood span of 18 years. It is a struggle, daily, until it is rebuilt and often times depends solely on the kindness of strangers who may or may not be from the polished set.
   
   The fact that he prevailed from sheer dogged determination and a refusal to accept the labels others applied to him is a wondrous and beautiful thing and should spark hope into the hearts of those who know his story all too well from personal experience.
   
   If you prefer the pristine bubble of a Disneyified existence, stick to the movie. If you are not afraid of the grit of human life and are not easily offended, read the book. It is far superior and much more satisfying.



4. If you're interested in reading the book because you saw and loved the movie, you should be forewarned that you will find the effect of the movie somewhat diluted here, and also that the movie's version of events matches in very few particulars the actual events of his life as recorded in his autobiography.
   
   That said, the book provides much more background about Chris Gardner's life, and it is a fascinating and ultimately triumphant story--and, in the latter part of the story, his commitment to his son does shine through.
   
   His idol-worshipping meeting with Nelson Mandela at the end is a bit much, but otherwise Gardner's story is told with admirable sincerity and intelligence. And best of all, he's completely unapologetic about pursuing material wealth and prosperity, and saying that these are part of his pursuit of happiness. People who've been dirt poor are typically more honest about things like that than the self-righteous idiots who've been comfortable all their lives and never really had to work and then tell us sanctimoniously that "money can't buy happiness"--true, it can't, but it sure helps.
   
   And Chris Gardner's story is well worth the money.



5. If Chris Gardner had any morals I'm sure they wouldn't have come out in this book as he goes to great lengths to tell you every sexual exploit he's made in his lost, disgusting, immoral life. I couldn't finish it. Talk about all his sexual escapades! ...and his inability to keep his d**k in his pants, and worse still, his inability to keep a wife because of it! He's a moral black hole taking thousands of susceptible people with him into the depths of crude, rude, disgusting, immoral, sex addiction-type behavior. There's nothing HAPPY about this book!
   
   I just threw mine away. If it would have fit in the toilet I would have flushed it. I'm sure it would have gotten stuck in the u-bend causing me even more misery to add to the misery I felt reading this life-sucking black hole of a book.

5 comments about Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years.

1. Michael Palin writes as he speaks, without pretension, and with a great deal of humor. These are his diaries, not initially meant for publication and thus full of honest, blunt observations regarding films, books, his own performances and the foibles of his fellow Pythons. Nobody escapes unscathed here, though I doubt anyone that Mr. Palin wrote about would dispute his conclusions.
   
   The years 1969-1979 are some of the most amazing in Python history; they begin as the Monty Python starts filming its first television series, and concludes as Life of Brian is released and there is backlash from the religious folks who don't understand the premise (and many of whom proudly state that they haven't even bothered to see the film they're condemning). Between these two seminal events are discussions of filming on other projects, the need and the attempt to write, and a man's deep and abiding love for his wife, children and parents. Reading the passages about Palin's father weakening was moving in the extreme, and his pain was palpable as the roles between father and son slowly reverse themselves.
   
   This is a hernia farm of a book at over 600 pages hardcover, exclusive of introductions and index, but you soon forget your aching arms as the pages fly. The life that Michael Palin has built for himself and his family is so layered, rich and interesting (while still being fairly "normal") that you only want the best for him and can't wait to read what happens next. I understand that the next segment of diaries will be released in September 2009, and I'm very excited to read about that next decade in my favorite Python's life.
   
   Despite copious footnotes explaining the backgrounds of the people mentioned, those who are not familiar with British comedy and culture may find the narrative a little hard to follow, at least initially. Because I've been living in London for a year or so, the people that Palin encounters (and then writes about) have become more familiar to me. Even more interesting were his mentions of favorite bookshops, restaurants and London haunts which he enjoyed with his children (and, in some cases, continues to enjoy to this day). In that respect, the Diaries became a bit of a travelogue for my future travels around my new hometown.



2. Like so many others, I was, am, and forever will be thrilled, inspired, and utterly in love with the wonderfully weird magic that is "Monty Pythons Flying Circus". The quirky and altogether strange world of the Pythons have provided me with many laugh induced bellyaches and watery eyes. It was, in a word, brilliant.
   
   And, although I'm not happy about 'taking sides', as it were, I guess Michael Palin has always been my favourite. So it was a great pleasure to find this book on the shelf at my local bookpusher.
   
   In it, Palin gives a very interesting, very candid, and (critically) not silly view of the lives and times of the Python group. We get a fine description of the other members of the group as well as Palins family, a subject not often explored. One of the marvelous aspects of this volume is, that while it describes the 'Python Years", it dosen't hang on the 'normal' points of interest that every other book and interview about the pythons, to this day, seems to find so absolutely necessary to repeat to death. It gives the reader so many apt and recherché descriptions of the small things behind the scene, that it truly ads a new and original dimension to Python legacy. Indeed not a small feat.
   
   Any python fan would appreciate this wonderful book. I'm absolutely sure of it. Highest possible recommendation.



3. Short, terse, but enjoyable odyssey through some of the most transformative years of the life of Michael Palin; who just happened to be one of the core members of a silly group of brits which changed the course of comedy.
   Silly is the word. Palin's the name.



4. I have been a fan of Python for years, so I was delighted to learn of this book. I truly enjoyed it. It was very entertaining to read of the beginnings of Python, and the stories of Palin's other projects were also well told. His entries about his family made him seem accessible. He definitely tried to balance his family life with his professional career that became more successful as the years went by.



5. What a fruitful and stimulating period for Michael Palin from 1969 through 1979! The trajectory runs from the young man and his colleagues trying to find their way as barely-known humorists and performers in England to huge worldwide stars with a portfolio that remains strong to this day.
   
   The diary shows a wonderful family man of wit, personality, sensitivity, talent and various other positive attributes. A book with only that would of course be rather dull eventually, and Palin freely admits his errors, worries, and somewhat edgy remarks about others. One can't help but wonder what was trimmed in the massive editing job, whether it was mostly day-to-day stuff or whether we lost some naughty bits and rougher comments. My guess is that we saw enough personality of the author that there was only modest need to excise nasty or regrettable words.
   
   One of the better aspects is, in fact, that Palin paints quite human portraits of the other Pythons, some warts and all. There's John Cleese, often stand-offish and wanting to move on. There's Eric Idle, moody and worried about money. There's Graham Chapman, struggling with booze, and Terry Jones, who is closest to Palin, trying to find his way. Naturally, there are many positive remarks about the boys, too, and I particularly liked the behind-the-scenes stories during the making of the films and their writing sessions. How little money they made! To the Pythons' good fortune, the BBC gave up the non-UK rights to video.
   
   Other highlights were Palin on Saturday Night Live, his first publicity tour to America and the subsequent rise of the Python shows on public TV, the decline and death of his father, and the general realization that he was becoming quite famous and the burden of celebrity was not always welcome. Quite a few famous people appear, with a fine example being George Harrison (a big "Lumberjack Song" fan). Palin is at first intimidated by Harrison, and eventually they became friends. It's a testament to Palin's charm, friendliness and interest in so many subjects (he reads constantly in the diary) that he has countless friends and contacts, and must be an excellent companion.
   
   If you want to dip into the book for a sample, try February, 1975. Palin says, "Good news from New York - Python is top of the PBS Channel 13 ratings" on Feb 4. He complains, "I am so sick of being Python odd-job man, and yet the alternative is to not know what's going on in your name - which is infinitely more dangerous." There are family news, socializing with others, and thoughts of a future project, and on Feb 22, "I suppose this could be said to be the day on which Python finally died."
   
   The author is clearly a pretty smart guy, and some predictions about the future and lamentations about the loss of scale in human development were spot on. I had to smile at one exception, when he thought Keith Richards wouldn't last long. But, hey, that's ok, you were far from alone!
   
   Don't read the book looking to laugh throughout. "Amusing" and "funny" are more appropriate, and I actually laughed rarely. I can't see much of an audience beyond people with a positive view of Python, as the best bits certainly work far better for people with an appreciation of the material and (ideally) a recollection of the 1970s.

5 comments about Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited.

1. Elyse Schein always knew she was adoptive, but it wasn't until she was thirty-four that she decided to contact her adoption agency and ask for identifying information about her birth-mother. What she found out was stunning - she had an identical twin sister. The adoption agency had deliberately separated them as infants to study the question of nature vs. nurture. Elyse contacted her sister, Paula, and the two of them began a strange journey together of understanding who they were, and how much of that came from the nine months they spent together in their birth-mother's womb. This is a fascinating, surprising, and deeply honest story about two strangers who became sisters.



2. Growing up Stacie (Elyse) Schein felt she was always missing something. When, in her mid 30s she finds she has an identical twin sister she wants to meet her more than anything.
   
   At first it would appear that the two women couldn't be more different. Stacie (who goes by her middle name, Elyse by this time) lives a bohemian existence in a cramped Paris apartment. Paula is married and has a young daughter. But on closer inspection they are both film critics, both have an older brother (also adopted). It isn't long after they find out about each other that the two meet - and are stunned.
   
   Although this book says it is a memoir, it is much more than that. The two women discover soon after they meet that the reason they were split up was for an experiment being performed on twins and triplets who were intentionally separated for the study. Told in alternating points of view by both Paula and Elyse, they go into different twin studies, give statistics on twins, and much more.
   
   As they find out more answers, they have more questions, the final one being who was their mother and why were they given up?
   
   I couldn't put this book done (read on my Kindle). As a mother of twins (even though they are fraternal - boy/girl) I probably had a higher interest in the story than someone who didn't have twins but this is recommended to all. The rather shocking reasons for the study coupled with the story of their birth mother had me clicking through the book at a feverish pace, wondering how it was all going to turn out.
   
   This book is well-written, interesting, and unputdownable - the perfect read.



3. I read maybe 1-2 books a year (excluding parenting books). A book has to grab me right away. This one did.



4. Unless you're adopted, you cannot possibly truly understand the feelings all the secrets and lies generated by the archaic adoption system have fostered in the adoptee. This book offers invaluable insight, is well written, and most compelling. Ten years older than the twins, and involved in adoption searches for NYC adoptees, the Louise Wise process is a familiar one to me; interesting that when they closed, Spence-Chapin (Spence baby here) took over their mess. Agencies may have changed their tune over the years and through changing times, but only when all parties realize that truth is the best partner in adoption will any adoptee have a chance. Elyse and Paula have done well to shine a light on a terrible system that has harmed a multitude of victims.



5. The bare outline of the story is captivating: twin girls are separated at birth, neither knows that the other exists, nor do the adoptive parents know, and then they not only find each other, they also find out that they were separated as part of a failed psychology study, and that mental illness is behind some of the experiments that were done.
   
   But despite the intrinsic interest in such a tale, the resulting book is less well-done than one might expect, especially since both twins are writers. Each event in their journey to discover the truth about themselves is told twice, in the voice of each woman, and there is a great deal more repetition than even this somewhat awkward device would entail. Again and again they discuss with each other and with us whether they're glad they found each other or not, how it feels to see one's own mannerisms in another person, and whether or not they really want to find their birth mother. Their soul-searching doesn't seem to go very deep, it just seems repetitive.
   
   And one of the oddly annoying things about their story is that in their photos on the back cover, they don't look like identical twins. In fact, they look more like mother and daughter. It's not quite clear how they even know that they *are* identical.
   
   I read this in a couple of days, and once I got straight who was who and which voice belonged to which sister, I enjoyed the suspense of what they would learn. But this does seem like it would have made a better magazine article than book.

5 comments about Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A..

1. I bought this book several years ago after reading in the newspaper that it had been banned from local school's reading lists. I love how fast-paced it is, giving just enough background info about his childhood without dragging on. I recently read "My Bloody Life", and I liked Always Running far better. Always Running feels more believable and less repetitive. Each situation seems to have more depth and meaning, rather than just increasing the violence and body count. The main subject is more likable, and accepts responsibility for actions instead of implying that almost all gangbanger's problems are a result of their family. This is an insightful look into the area, time period, and lifestyle that easily feels relevant to modern issues. It is fascinating to go through the transition with the Author from being a confused immigrant from Mexico to a hard core gang banger, and then to a Father trying to teach his son from his own mistakes. I feel this is an excellent book for teenagers who are attracted by this kind of lifestyle, especially those in areas that are susceptible to it, to live vicariously through the Author, and hopefully realize that the suffering outways the excitement.



2. As a teacher I used this book in a Continuation High School to get students to read and write and draw out their experiences. In a classroom where students wanted only to "kick it" until the bell rang vignettes from this book made for a powerful draw for learning. Originally I bought 20 hardback copies. At the end of teaching there I had lost count of how many copies I had purchased. It was one of my most stolen books. I always wanted to meet him at Martinez' Bookstore In Santa Ana, California, but I never knew he was coming until he'd left. Many of us are grateful to him .



3. It is a very interesting book. It makes me feel I don't want to stop reading it.



4. This book is a great book, very eye opening and wonderfully written.
   
   I have to wondering though, throughout the book, what is going through the author's mind...
   
   He complains that the police treated them poorly. They were CRIMINALS. If they weren't up to no good at that SPECIFIC point in time, they were ABOUT to do something terrible or definitely had already DONE something terrible.
   
   I don't understand how the author calls the police... "rioting police... in a murderous frenzy..." HELLO, you were doing illegal drugs in a public place, your friends stole something from a liquor store, then a mob started banging on the doors of the liquor store to let them in - am I missing something? Can you really blame the police for acting as they did? You just committed several crimes! The police were doing there job and acting defensively when KNOWN gang members committed crimes...
   
   Then the author complains that he was thrown into an adult jail cell, with murderers and rapists, despite being a juvenile and too young to be in that specific jail. OK, fine, but earlier in the book, he was talking about hanging OUT with FRIENDS of his while they were RAPING UNCONSCIOUS WOMEN. He had SHOT people before, held guns to innocent peoples' heads during robberies. WHY IS BEING SURROUNDED BY MURDERERS AND RAPISTS *SUDDENLY* SO offensive to him? He wasn't old enough to be in an adult facility, but he was old enough to do drugs, drive illegally, drink illegally, commit robberies at gun point. Who is the author kidding? He acts like the police somehow treated him so badly but he DESERVED it. He was a criminal! The worst kind of criminal.



5. i was intrigued by this book when i saw it in the store so i bought it. it was very educational for me as i never knew how bad things would really get in gang life. i grew up in the burbs and this was all very shocking to me. it was truthful, sad and awakening.

1 comments about Tales From the Dad Side CD.

1. I just finished a long ride from Tennessee to New Jersey and listened to Steve Doocy's book "Tales from the Dad side". As a son, father and husband Steve's book touched me in so many ways that when I finished it I felt satisfied. So many of his chapters were so spot on it felt like I had written this book. The chapters on sex made me laugh the most because my mom educated me the same way. I took my brother to give me the real information. You have to read or listen to know what I mean. I would recommend this to any father who could use a good laugh and to any wife looking to buy her man a book that he will really read and enjoy

5 comments about Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them.

1. I couldn't put this book down. I was especially moved by Jean's account of the events. As a mother myself, I understand the inherent need to keep your kids safe. What an adventure this family took and it almost took everything from them. John and Jean were well prepared and had researched everything from route logistics to safety on the island--who knew you couldn't trust a taxi driver in Panama? If you are into sailing there's plenty of technical stuff to keep you on your toes, even if you're not, you still get the gist of the full power of the sea. Their story of survival is incredible. The bravery of Amelia and Ben especially stand out. The experiences they shared as a family will forever change them and bond them together too. They were able to work through so many obstacles--boat repairs, alcoholism, pirates, sea sickness, family drama, broken arm. Just an amazing read. Highly recommended.



2. Extremely interesting to anyone who has ever gone down to the sea in ships. An authentic and chilling review of what can go wrong and things that probably will go wrong. The modern equipment may not save your ship
   but it may save your life (and limb?.) Would a regular single hull have
   reacted differently?



3. A page turner! An amazing story of a seemingly grounded family who ran aground (& then some!), finding their footing in spite of it. A story of risk-taking, persevering & resiliency. "Black Wave" not only represents the literal wave that hides what lurks beneath the surface, but also reflects the dynamics that lurk beneath a family's polished exterior.
   
   Honest, compelling account -- interweaving 2 years aboard while returning to the scene of their ultimate crisis, where their journey challenges their very lives.
   
   Don't let the esoteric jargon dissuade you from reading what is a much bigger story. There are incredible, articulate descriptions of people, landscapes, seascapes, and the beauty of sailing, which makes you feel like you're along for the ride. The photos add to the visual descriptions. It is a growing lesson, finding balance, maintaining sanity in close quarters. Jean Silverwood's honest assessment of their joys & struggles is refreshing and very real. Not glossing over the speed bumps that make us human -- and not even providing (or having) all the answers. Some really great humor adds levity to some tense situations.
   
   This is a story of a family that grew stronger through each crisis (there were several) even when it seemed darkest. It gives you a healthy respect for the sea, and yet yearn to sail on it. Their conviction in each other & their faith is inspiring. So is Jean & John's palpable pride in their children.
   
   [4 Star Rating as the 2nd half of the book got bogged down in John's need to parallel a historical shipwreck to this family's plight. Altho' educational, it became overlong and avoided the emotional experience that we're so privy to by Jean's account in the first half of the book. But it's quick enough to skim through.]



4. An amazing story of survival and all the people who were there in the nick of time to help this family. Not the best writer in the world, but he did a good job telling his story and bringing it to life with pictures.



5. I loved this book, even though there were parts that seemed a little repetitive. There were really two different stories going on, the physical one about the boat trip and what happened off Tahiti, and the parallel story of an American suburban family, a family that had a lot going for them, but real problems as well. The family tensions seemed very appropriate and understandable, and being a mom I appreciated Jean's concerns and the stress she was feeling. I've been on a 40 ft boat for 10 days with 4 people, and couldn't wait to get off at the end. I also understood John's adventurous spirit, and loved the boating descriptions, having owned a 25 ft sailboat for many years. There is nothing like the free feeling of sailing on the open ocean. I found the Julia Ann story interesting, but the best part was the first part that Jean wrote. It was extremely compelling, with the narrative about the trip weaving back and forth through the details of the accident. The kids were both real, and real heroes. What an amazing story, and it was all true!

5 comments about Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic.

1. I picked up "Expecting Adam" thinking it would be a quick and mildly enjoyable read, something I might enjoy for the subject matter but not much else.
   
   I was very pleasantly surprised, then, when I started reading and became quite emotionally involved in the story. Maybe it's just because I'm four months pregnant, but I found Martha and John's semi-mystical attachment to their son and their decision to keep him deeply affecting.
   
   Without becoming a diatribe on one side or the other of the culture wars, "Expecting Adam" delves humanly and personally into the way our society views and treats those it views as imperfect or "damaged."
   
   Although I read many other reviews questioning Beck's sanity and veracity in recounting events, and some even lambasting the novel's sentiment as fake in light of Martha and John's subsequent divorce, I think these criticisms miss the mark.
   
   Spiritual and religious experiences are not as rare and explicitly supernatural as some would think, but even if Beck were crazy, the book is still lovely. As to its accuracy, again -- I think it's value, for me, was not in the accuracy of its facts but in its emotional truth. And as for John and Martha's divorce, all I can say is that these are real people -- their lives don't even with the book, and their lives won't be as neat or predictable or apparently cohesive as characters in a work of fiction.
   
   All in all, you should probably read this book not for an accurate portrayal of the Harvard community in the late '80s, or a perfectly objective recount of events, or even for what it's like to raise a child with Down's. Read the book for Beck's story and the heartrending -- I mean that positively! -- way her life changes during her pregnancy with Adam.



2. This book is beautiful, funny and absolutely moving. Martha Beck's writing really touches me. I found myself drawn to the unfolding events in the book. What a gift! What a journey!



3. Expecting Adam is Martha Beck's engrossing memoir of her pregnancy with her second child, who has Down syndrome. She and her husband, John, both Ph.D. students at Harvard, decide to keep the baby, for reasons they can't at first articulate, and even though doing so goes against most of the values of their Ivy League community.
   
   During the pregnancy, Martha and John experience deep transformations of their worldviews, values, and ambitions. Each also has numerous spiritual and paranormal experiences which they understand to be connected to their unborn child. Most of these experiences are so strange that for many months Martha and John don't even confide in each other.
   
   The Harvard community Martha paints is bleak. Intellectual prestige and appearance are the supreme values. "Knowing a great deal is the norm and knowing everything is the goal, [but] appearing to know everything is considered an acceptable substitute." In order to survive in this culture, Martha consciously calls up a sort of alter ego, named Fang, before every visit to campus. Fang is fearless, aggressive, disdainful, and competitive.
   
   Martha also paints a less than sympathetic view of the passionate feminists who apparently exist in large numbers at Harvard. After one public bout of morning sickness, Martha is approached by one such feminist, a stranger, who says, "I think it's time you stop kissing up to the enemy... This crap about -- what do they call it? -- morning sickness. You know it isn't real... All of those myths were made up to justify denying women access to decent jobs and positions in society... I don't care if you think you can help it or not... It makes us all look bad... Just stop it."
   
   With the exception of a few amazingly supportive friends, this is the context and community in which Martha and John learn that the baby they are expecting has Down syndrome. Their community is often intolerant of healthy pregnancies, not to mention unhealthy ones. The Beck's are pressured on every side to abort -- by fellow grad students, professors, advisors, colleagues and medical professionals. Not to do so is considered both foolish and irresponsible.
   
   These pressures are intensified by Martha's nearly constant "morning sickness" (actually an autoimmune disease not diagnosed until many years later), John's frequent absences due to consulting assignments in Asia, and the anxieties they both have about raising a mentally impaired child.
   
   Martha and John find reassurance and strength in strange places. This is where the spiritual and paranormal experiences come in. They have visions, sometimes even "seeing" each other across continents. And they frequently sense the presence of spiritual beings who they believe speak to them, give them peace, orchestrate events in their favor, and in at least two instances save Martha from grave physical danger.
   
   The ending of the story is never in doubt. Throughout her memoir Martha intersperses chapters about Adam after he is born. He is a beautiful child.
   
   This book was an easy and engrossing read. I particularly enjoyed Martha's and John's transformation from a thin existence characterized by mindless striving, excessive individualism, emotional hunger, and disbelief in all things spiritual, to a thicker existence that was more human and allowed for (in fact, could not deny) a spiritual dimension to life.
   
   I also appreciated Martha's instinctive sense of the vulnerability and humanity of her unborn child. At one point she describes an exchange between herself and her obstetrician, who pressures her to terminate her pregnancy:
   
   "'I would not make the choice that you have made,' he went on steadily. 'I have never known anyone who would.' ...
   
   'I don't know,' I mumbled. 'I guess I just... can't reject him.' It was a miserably inadequate statement. My real feeling, the one I couldn't articulate yet, was that my entire life hinged on knowing that there were people who would continue to love me unconditionally, even if I were damaged, even if I were sick. Such love was the only thing that had sustained me during the turmoil of the past months. If I eliminated my child because of his disability, if I put him out of my life, I would be violating the only thing that was keeping me alive. I'd be ripping the rug out from under my own feet."
   
   In addition, I was touched by Martha's descriptions of life with Adam and the insights she gained because of him. For example: "I was afraid Adam would slow me down, and he has. Not because he has required more care and time than a 'normal' boy (he is the most helpful and least demanding of my children) but because the immediacy and joy with which he lives his life make rapacious achievement, Harvard-style, look a lot like quiet desperation." Another example: "[Adam] has taught me to look at things in themselves, not at the value a brutal and often senseless world assigns to them. As Adam's mother I have been able to see quite clearly that he is no less beautiful for being called ugly, no less wise for appearing dull, no less precious for being seen as worthless. And neither am I. Neither are you. Neither is any of us."
   
   I had a few disappointments with the book. First, I grew tired of reading about Martha's sickness and her seeming neglect of her own medical needs. I began to wonder how, if she was so sick, she kept up with her doctoral studies, mothered her two-year-old daughter, and kept the voluminous journal that she said she relied on to write her memoir more than 10 years after the fact.
   
   I was also disappointed by Martha's misunderstanding of, and opposition to, the pro-life movement, notwithstanding her own profound experiences. She expresses puzzlement that religious people who possess "a devout belief in the life of the spirit" and a "belief that life exists outside of mortal bounds" are the same people who are "so obsessed with a fetus's 'right to life' on this messy little planet." What she doesn't understand is that such people (I include myself) are not devoted to some belief about the nature of spiritual life, but to God himself, the Author of life, who creates humans in his own image. Because he is the Author, that life is sacred and created for his purposes, not our own.
   
   I also found myself wanting to better understand Martha's and John's spiritual experiences. I hoped that these obviously significant experiences would lead somewhere coherent. But Martha and John seemed content not to question, categorize, or define their experiences. Martha simply called the visions the "Seeing Thing" and the spiritual beings the "Bunraku puppeteers" (after a Japanese puppet show). Perhaps their attitude is understandable in view of the highly structured Mormon faith in which they each were raised and each abandoned. Nevertheless, their spirituality seems to turn into a free floating, New Age-ish, therapeutic sort of thing. When they conceived Adam, it was as if a door cracked open providing a way out of a harsh philosophic reductionism, but the door never leads anywhere coherent.
   
   Lastly, as I hinted above, I had some doubts about the author's credibility. I wondered how a memoir like this, chock-full of details and verbatim dialogues, could be written so many years after the fact, even with the aid of a journal. I also began to wonder if Martha was prone to exaggeration and caricature. And I questioned the sheer number of strange voices, visions, presences, and events that she describes. After reading the book, I found some biographical information about Martha that, unfortunately, only added to my doubts about her credibility.
   
   Nevertheless, this story was engrossing, moving, and enjoyable.



4. This book was recommended by a writer-friend saying it was well written and an interesting read. I was sucked in by the writer for a few pages, but then decided to start listing all the inconsistencies and reality-defying events. By page 95, where I am now, I have 10 major ones listed. Then I remembered the lately discussion about Fake Memoirs and thought, hey lets see what the reviewers on Amazon say. I'm surprised at the large number of reviewers who believe this stuff actually happened as written. She might have gone to Harvard and might have a Down's syndrome kid, but after that, it pure fiction. Try imagine writing about what you had in the refrigerator on day 26 of vomiting 10 years later. But you have to give Ms. Beck credit for a vivid imagination; similar to a paranoid-compulsive nephew I know who can make up the most compelling fictitious event scenarios; way better than I can.



5. I was primed for this book. Our third grandson, Adam, had just been born (August 5), when I visited a bookstore just down the street from the hospital. So the title, Expecting Adam, quite naturally practically leapt off the shelf into my hands. I originally thought, what a great gift for my daughter (the new mother), but when I read it was a story about having a child with Down Syndrome, I reconsidered. Our particular Adam, although a few weeks premature, seemed pretty much perfect, and I didn't want to needlessly upset the new mom. I needn't have worried. This is an absolutely wonderful book, told with humor, compassion, wit, wisdom and a nearly other-worldy sense of wonder. And did I mention humor? Because this woman is a very funny writer. The numerous references to invisible beings, whether she calls them angels or Bunraku puppeteers, and intercontinental telepathy are the kind of thing that would normally put me off, as I am a natural skeptic. But somehow Beck pulls it off. Probably because she believes it, she makes me believe it too - all of it. My wife wants to read it now. (She'd seen Martha Beck on Oprah some time ago, she tells me.) We will then pass the book along to our daughter to read. We know she will relate, and probably cry a little, when she reads Beck's perfect descriptions of a tiny foot the size of a man's thumb and a head the size of an orange. Babies. Ain't they just the grandest things?! I'll say it again. This is a wonderful book. - Tim Bazzett, author of the ReedCityBoy trilogy

5 comments about Journals.

1. It's fun to flip these pages. You'll see a lot of writing, less of art. There is no story telling or even coherence in this published work. Really cool to own, sometimes you'll get a glimpse of what was going on in his mind.



2. If you are a fan of Kurt Cobain and or Nirvana, then this book is a MUST read. I've not finished the book just yet, I got it this morning and I am already on page 205, I just can't seem to put it down, and I rarely like to sit and read anything.



3. I can definitely see both sides of the issue of the moral quandary concerning this book. However, I think it's really pathetic that people on both sides are trying to assume what Kurt would or wouldn't want. I don't think that by reading these journals you somehow aren't a true fan of Nirvana just as not reading them somehow makes you a true fan. That's absurd. I will say, though, that in my personal opinion this book is a blatant and disgusting invasion of privacy. I think that it's rather obvious that Courtney Love is lacking scruples with her obviously cavalier attitude about releasing things that probably should have stayed private. I'm sure she will suffer some sort of karmic retribution (if she hasn't already) for doing so.
   
   Regardless, I personally have never read these journals, nor will I ever do so. I'm not trying to be elitist by pretending to have any kind of moral high ground. It's a personal choice. I'm genuinely not interested to see what is in them. I think that the music kind of speaks for itself. That is, after all, why I personally am a fan of Nirvana and of Kurt. I don't think that reading some personal journal entries is going to suddenly give me or anyone insight into his genius or what led to his death. The story surrounding his death is tragic enough without crap like this being commercialized and his overall image being exploited and sold, which is really why he despised being famous to begin with. I think stuff like this is further evidence that far too much attention is being paid to the personal lives of celebrities as opposed to their work. This is precisely why people like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are famous.
   
   I don't think that by reading these journals anyone is going to be less of a fan or suffer any karmic retribution. I think that will be reserved for the person who allowed it to be released to the public in the first place. Regardless, I can also definitely understand the curiosity that people have and I don't think they should be judged for having a thirst for more information about a very important and brilliant musician.



4. This book is simply great. I'm very impressed with its quality and have learned a lot about this iconic figure by reading Kurt's entries. I hope everyone picks up a copy! = )



5. great product, fast shipping. Shipping package ripped when received. Slight scratches and bending. shipper may want to consider better packing method for shipping but, all in all a good experience!

5 comments about Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home.

1. Having read Piers Paul Read's book, "Alive", a riveting account of the 1972 plane crash in the Andes mountains in which sixteen of the forty-five aboard survived a harrowing ordeal on the mountain for nearly two and a half months, I was sufficiently intrigued to read a first person account by one of the pivotal survivors of that ordeal. I was not disappointed.
   
   Nando Parrado, reflecting back over a span of thirty plus years, shares his experiences with the reader. At twenty-three, as a young Uruguayan high on life and flying to an exhibition rugby game in Chile, he was master of his universe, when the unthinkable happened. The plane carrying his family, friends, and teammates, suddenly crashed onto a glacier deep in the Andes Mountains. The crash killed many of those he had known and loved, including his beloved mother and sister. Life as he knew it was over, and from its ashes a new Nando Parrado was born.
   
   Before the crash, Nando had lived a comfortable, privileged life and was more of a follower than a leader. Yet, as their situation on the mountain became more desperate and death seemed a certainty for all of them were extraordinary measures not taken, Nando rose to the challenge, emerging as a leader in the unlikeliest of circumstances. In a desperate bid to save his life and that of the other survivors, an emaciated and ill-clad Nando, together with his friend, Roberto Canessa, climbed an unknown peak in the Andes, and trekked over forty-five miles across frozen terrain to seek help for the remaining survivors. How he and Roberto did this is the stuff from which legends are made. It is simply an extraordinary and riveting story.
   
   In his reflections and reminiscences, Nando explains the impact this singular event had on his life and how it shaped him into the man he became. It is a story well-told and one worth reading. Those who love memoirs and true life adventure stories will find themselves riveted to the pages of this book. It is little wonder that this book has become a New York Times bestseller.



2. I couldn't put it down after the first 50 pages. This is an amazing true story of a life changing experience. Tragedy, brutal conditions and the best and worst of raw emotions. If you've seen the movie and read Alive, this book is still worth a read. I'm sure every one of the survivors has a different perspective and take on the experience of some aspects of the events.



3. If you think you have it tough, pick up Miracles in the Andes. It is simply one of the most inspiring books you will ever read. It moves along very quickly. And as good as Alive is, Miracle in the Andes is even more enjoyable and enlightening because it reaches into one man's mind and heart in exploring those hard-to-define characteristics that some people have in survival situations. That said, you don't have to be a fan of the survivor-story genre to enjoy this book -- just a fan of life itself.



4. If you like survivor stories, this is one of the best ever written. Even though I read "Alive" many years ago, this book brought new and detailed descriptions from, in my opinion, the person who practically single-handedly saved the rest of the team who hadn't perished after two-plus months on the mountain. Parrado's writing is superb. Since the plane crash happened over 30 years ago, he brings great insight and introspection and detailed updates on his fellow teammates and their accomplishments in the intervening years.



5. I just finished reading Piers Paul Read's Alive (1974) a few days ago, and so fresh with names, maps and time lines, I had high hopes `Miracles in the Andes` would add a new dimension to this amazing story. Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed, all the more so given the generally good reviews `Miracle` has been getting. It is perhaps inevitable in the shadow of Read's classic masterpiece that anything else will pale in comparison. The re-telling of events from Parrado's perspective is interesting but misses a lot - for example he was in a coma the first three days of the accident - and he doesn't seem to add much that is new to Read's version - which almost without exception is better told.
   
   Beyond a retelling of the events, I had hoped Parrado would reveal something new about himself and the other survivors, but instead if often read like hagiography, glossing over the differences among the group to show them as united friends, discounting and minimizing character defects. It reminds me of how the Catholic Church writes history of saints, and it is probably no coincidence that the survivors were from Catholic backgrounds, and saints in the minds of true believers who saw the hand of God at work in this "Miracle in the Andres". I was hoping for a more in depth psychological examination of the survivors, a sort of personality x-ray to bring them to life, to intimately know them as friend or brother. Instead there is a polite respectful distance, which is frustrating, given the intimate nature of the experience.
   
   Despite these sentiments I still recommend the book to anyone who has read `Alive`. Parrado's inner struggle with life and death - while not exactly original or new - is profound and worth the reminder of what is important. There are also new pictures, and an Epilogue with brief bio's of what happened to the survivors after the rescue to the present day. Whatever the faults, as the men age, and the myth grows, more books and films will appear to hopefully peel back more layers behind the "Miracle" in the Andres.

5 comments about My Lobotomy.

1. This was an interesting book. I would not say it was my favorite but it certainly kept my attention until the end.



2. I received a free copy of this book and wondered if I would be interested. As I rode the subway home from work that day I opened the cover and read all the way until I nearly smacked into my own front door. I could not put the book down. With the aid of Charles Fleming, Howard Dully tells a riveting story of parental neglect and abuse and the terrible outcomes, but he does it with nary a sense of self pity. This book is beautifully written in simple language and puts a human face on a tragic procedure most of us today know little of. This book appealed to my love of memoirs and my interest in medical history. It is heartwrenching and yet leaves one with hope. I applaud Mr. Dully for letting the world know his story, and I encourage anyone who finds this page to get the book--I doubt you will be disappointed.



3. howard dully lost a loving mom when he was a little kid. and life was never the same. dad remarried, and the new stepmom clearly had significant issues. one way this played out was in a deep hatred for howard, which she externalized and placed all the blame for at howard's feet.
   
   by the time howard was 12, his stepmom had so convinced herself that he had uncontrollable rage, was dangerous to the family, and a host of others issues (none of which seemed to be substantiated from any other perspective), and convinced her husband (howard's birth father), and a doctor, that howard needed a lobotomy. this was the 1960s, and the doctor was walter freeman, creator of the "ice pick lobotomy" (which he performed on 3500 patients).
   
   as you might expect, howard's non-existent problems were not solved. but the life of a 12 year-old took a decided turn from bad to worse.
   
   "my lobotomy" is howard's first-person, autobiographical account of his life story. it's a seriously painful story to read, especially for youth workers who care about teenagers, and can see the stories of so many teenagers we know (even if they haven't had lobotomies!) in howard's story. it's a story of the paths one ends up walking when love, stability, encouragement, and direction aren't present.
   
   written in a simple voice that was initially a bit annoying to me, but grew so authentic, i came to deeply appreciate that it wasn't overly polished by the co-author, my lobotomy has all kinds of implications for youth workers and parents and anyone else who cares about teenagers.
   
   thankfully, it's also a story of redemption. howard, in the later years of his life, has beautifully come to terms with his story, and shows a level of grace (even toward his now-deceased father and stepmother) that is breathtaking.
   
   this is not a book of answers. but it's a real life story of hurt and healing.



4. The incredibly moving story of Howard Duffy and the ways in which his life was changed (much for the worse) at the hands of an inexplicably horrible stepmother, his mostly absent father and Dr. Walter Freeman, the American psychiatrist who championed the use of "ice pick" lobotomies to "cure" psychiatric problems.
   
   Seeking to rid her home of Howard (whom she viewed as the "problem child") his stepmother shopped around for a psychiatrist who would support her opinions and "fix" the 12 year old Howard. Sadly for Howard, she found Walter Freeman. The mechanization that then went on to keep Howard out of the family's home are simply mind boggling -- he was eventually sent to an psychiatric facility for a year because, although he did not have serious psychiatric issues, there was "no place left to put him."
   
   A very sad book that speaks to the necessity of the oversight of psychiatric treatment and serves as a warning to us all about the dangers of The system."My one issue with the book is that it states that the 1920's were an "exciting time in neurology" because of the large number of servicemen who returned from WWI with Traumatic Brain Injuries. Which is no doubt true. However Duffy then states that this was due to the use of penicillin ("In earlier wars, because there was no penicillin, soldiers like that would have died from their wounds. Now many of them came home alive, but brain damaged." pg.62). Since Alexander Fleming didn't discover the famed penicillin in the bread mold until 1928, that's just not possible. The survival of said soldiers may have been due to other factors (improved surgical techniques, more hygienic surgeries, better armor, etc.) but is for sure wasn't due to penicillin, which only went into widespread use in WW2.



5. This is not a whodunit. We know whodunit. It was Lou Dully, Howard Dully's stepmother. She engineered a lobotomy for twelve-year-old Howard in 1960 because she hated him and found him irritating.
   
   Howard's mother died of cancer when he was five. This death may well have contributed to Howard's less than stellar behavior as a child. Also likely impacting Howard's behavior was his father, Rod, who was a cold, sometimes cruel, man.
   
   In the years before his lobotomy, Howard seems to have been rather slovenly and a bit insensitive. The child probably just needed the love and affection that his parents wouldn't give him; instead, he got an ice pick in the brain. If Howard "needed" a lobotomy, so did the majority of the country.
   
   Actually performing the surgery was Walter Freeman. He performed some 2,500 (one source says 3,500) lobotomies from 1936-1967. It is a shameful reflection on the medical community/the government/society that Freeman could slice brains for so long.
   
   Many of Freeman's patients (the book indicates fifteen percent) died as a result of the operation. Many survived as "vegetables." Others lived out their lives in a passive state, not "vegetables," but unable to survive independently. Many showed no long-range change in the behavior that had led to the lobotomy. Enough showed improvement in their (usually depressed or aggressive) behavior to lend credibility to the procedure.
   
   The lobotomy severs the connection between the frontal lobe and the rest of the brain. This seems to block the development of strong emotions that can lead to depression, defiance, and aggression.
   
   After the operation, Howard drifted about for decades. During his teen years, Lou did not want him in the family home, so he went from institution to institution. The experts who examined him agreed that he was "normal." But there seemed to be no other place for him. He later moved from job to job, and lived for long stretches on small welfare checks. He shacked up with various women. He drank heavily and used drugs. He wrote bad checks for flop-around money. Once after he was busted for bad checks the police gave him a choice: get admitted to an institution for the insane or go to jail.
   
   Friends and family (never Lou) helped him from time to time. His father maintained contact and occasionally helped.
   
   Howard finally pulled himself together in his forties. He got an associate degree and started driving buses. He got married and settled down. In the final chapter, Howard described an MRI examination of his brain in 2007 which showed the serious damage that Freeman had caused, but indicated that he was "lucky" to have been victimized at age twelve because his brain was still growing and the new growth helped to compensate for the lobotomy's damage. This likely is why Howard kept his personality and intellect intact.
   
   Howard attracted national attention in 2005 when he appeared on an NPR broadcast during which he interviewed other lobotomy victims, Freeman's sons, and, touchingly, his own father. Rod Dully refused to accept blame for his son's lobotomy, claiming that he was "manipulated" and tricked by Lou. But, in the end, Rod had approved the operation, although he had stated just days before that Howard was "normal."
   
   I think it was all summed up beautifully on page 270 of the paperback edition: "We are all the victims of what is done to us. We can either use that as an excuse for failure, knowing that if we fail it isn't really our fault, or we can say, 'I want something better than that, and I'm going to try to make myself a life worth living.'" Perhaps these are mostly the words of Charles Fleming, the former Newsweek correspondent who cowrote the book. If they are the words of Howard Duffy, it's a miracle.
   
   I highly recommend this book as an account of the lobotomy insanity. It also is an interesting memoir of a man with little ambition and virtually no direction living in semi-poverty at the mercy of come-what-may in the late twentieth century.