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.

5 comments about Before & After, Revised Edition: Living and Eating Well After Weight-Loss Surgery.

1. When I first read the good and bad review I thought "I can't be that bad" but it is!.
   I am really disappointed with this book. It's like she is still in denial about why she needed the RNY in the first place not just the weight but the psychological reasons. She never goes into why she gained the weight. I am not interested in which celebrities got the WLS.
   
   I bought this book hoping to get some REAL insight of what it does to you physically and emotionally. I got sick of reading how she goes out and has a wonderful time shopping at Macy's, eating a special sugar free cheesecake especially prepared for her. After 30 pages I was really wondering if people where endorsing her to mention all the brand names, because I am sure it is important to put in your diary for which car manufacturer you brother works for and that not just any pair of jeans didn't fit but the ones from DNKY. God forbid she actually wrote that she was actually feeling, it's like super perky Barbie.
   This book is superficial and bland, lacking emotion it feels like a bad tv commercial IMO.
   
   Believe it or not you'll actually find better WLS experiences on youtube.



2. I've been contemplating GBS for a few years now and bought this book back then. I've read it now and find it very informative and the recipes that she has provided will be great for me post op. That's the time that I worry about the most - what to ingest, when to ingest it, and how to take care of myself without screwing this up. It's well written, logical and gives plenty of food options.



3. This book is the real deal - tells you the good and bad. I really enjoyed it - read the whole book in one day! I am convinced this is the right path for me - I am so glad I am in the program at in Rochester NY



4. This book was an easy read and has the experiences of a WLS patient goes through before and after surgery and an example of the 'dumping' episode one hears about pre-surgery. I have travelled internationally extensively in my career and I fully understand what the Author is saying about her great travels, eating, spending etc. and because she can do them now as before she felt prohibited to do so, she inturns shares her experiences. I didn't take this as a 'look at how great I am' book, rather a look at life and your eating life after surgery. Her receipes look easy and most ingrediants can be purchased at your store. It is not a surprise that the author has a website of product one can purchase. I do find them extremely high in price and the average income person would only be able to afford a few items.



5. I have to admit, I found this book disappointing. I am pre-surgery, in the qualifying stages, and have done a lot of research. I hear about dumping and emotional changes and mood swings and changes in relationships with people, as well as with food. So I expected this book would give me a realistic view of what to expect ahead.
   I know each person's experience is different, but I got tired of the diary of what gourmet food she was able to eat each day after surgery...plenty of ! points throughout the narrative, like a pre-teen's diary, but not a lot of useful information. I was also disappointed she went right on eating absolutely everything pre-surgery to say goodbye to food, and then found she can still enjoy gourmet delights, just in tiny portions. Most of us are not gourmets, and it is not a healthy approach to weight loss surgery to have your last supper three times a day every day before surgery. You need to get your head in the right place first, and for me, it is breaking the food addiction. Susan obviously is able to continue her love affair with food without skipping a beat, just tiny portions. There's very little about the emotional changes to expect, etc. - her life seems perfect, she can afford the plastic surgery afterward, etc. There was nothing about the psychological aspects involved, just the good times with friends and sharing delicious food and being loved. It just wasn't the kind of book I'd hoped for.
   On the positive side, though, I will say the recipes are good, and are broken down into WLS portions and normal portions.
   I guess I was expecting a "real" person with real issues, but instead this book is about someone who has her cake and eats it too.

5 comments about That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story.

1. I have devoured each of De Blasi's other books and I think about them often. She captivated me with her style of writing and her passion. This latest book just did not grab hold of me in the same way. It's written in lovely style but I just don't care about the ones written about as much as I have in the other offerings. I guess I like to hear about Marlena, her husband and their interactions with locals in each of the places they have lived.



2. Excellent story I had read it from the local library and purchased it for a friend's birthday. I also recommend author's other titles, A thousand Days in Venice and a Thousand Days in Tuscany. For anyone who loves Italy as much as I do, Both of my paternal grandparents were born there.



3. Marlena De Blasi has had the most amazing life, and is a wonderful writer. As an Italophile I loved every word that she ever wrote. And this is the latest one that I have read. My head is spinning and I am planning another trip to Italy. Perhaps to Sicily. It is truly a fairy tale. You must read it!!!!!



4. This author can write! Her descriptions of people, environments, food and relationship are first class.
   
   Unlike the first three books that were memoirs of her travels and life with her husband, A Thousand Days in Venice, A Thousand Days in Tuscany, and The Lady in the Palazzo, this book is really Tosca Brazzi's story as told to Marlena.
   
   De Blasi descriptions of simple, everyday things are strong, such as: Unskilled, unshy hands pounded scales on the piano." I could hear the music and see that person working the keys.
   
   What an interesting story de Blasi tells because of her chance meeting with a woman, now in her mid 60s, while traveling with her husband, Italian born Fernando. Tosca, the nine-year-old daughter of a peasant under the last prince in Sicily, was given to the prince by her father in trade for a stallion. She was educated along with the prince's young children and as she grew, became their teacher. A priest who knew her in the beginning described her as having "splendid arrogance."
   
   At 18, Tosca became the mistress of Leo, the prince, now 36. When Leo disappeared mysteriously because his work for the people went against the local mafia, Tosco became an heiress. She carries on his work of modernizing some of culture. Sicily is like a major character in the book and we learn about many aspects of life there.
   
   The story today is of Tosca's role in helping women who are alone--many who come to the beautiful Villa Donnafugata (house of fleeing women) to live, and maybe to die.
   
   If you love good writing that is descriptive to the finest detail, read this book. In the first chapter she describes the ceiling of the dining room in the Villa: "Fragment of frescoed gods and goddesses--plump flanked and rolling eyes--hurtle across the high crumbling walls, giving chase up onto the great vault of the ceiling."
   
   The author has been a journalist, restaurant critic, and cookbook author. She took a trip to Italy, and there experienced a whirlwind love affair with a man and with Venice, inspiring her to write _A Thousand Days in Venice.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: Not a memoir of de Blasi's life, but of Tosca's, however this is a good read you'll enjoy.



5. That Summer in Sicily is the fourth Marlena de Blasi book I have read. When I picked up the first one, A Thousand Days in Venice, I didn't take to it right away. I am a Texan who writes exactly the way I speak, and I am irritated by flowery prose. However, I am also a sensualist, in love with taste, aroma, color, texture and sound. These elements--these things that define a particular place--come alive for me in these books.
   
   Unlike her previous three memoirs, this story is not really about American Marlena and her Venetian husband. It is an almost unbelievable love story, a story about what it means to be Sicilian. As with most other adventures in her life, this one began with a writing assignment. Marlena was asked by a scholarly magazine to write a seminal piece on the interior regions of Sicily. Several people had already turned the job down, and soon she discovered why. Despite a meticulously drawn route and prearranged interview appointments, she was met at every turn with "misanthropic silences, closed doors and epic heat." Eventually she gave up.
   
   Marlena's husband had come along for the ride, and before wending their way down from the mountains, they decided to take a day or two to recover. Finally, a policeman responded to their numerous inquiries for a place to stay. "There is a woman called Tosca. Her place is Villa Donnafugata (house of fleeing woman), although there's no sign to tell you so."
   
   When they entered the gates they found what looked like a castle with sweeping gardens. In fact, it was nothing more than a hunting lodge, once belonging to the last Anjou prince in Sicily. Everywhere, they passed groups of women in long black dresses, laughing and singing as they went about their daily chores. A beautiful woman dressed in jodphurs and boots approached them. "I'm Tosca Brozzi. We'll be sitting down at one. I'll let you know later if there's room for you to stay."
   
   From one of the other women there, Marlena learned that Tosca had inherited the villa from the prince, whose ward she once was. Bit by bit, she had restored the place. For more than thirty years she had lived there with an assortment of villagers who had found themselves alone, and in need of other people. This sort of communal life helped them to stay well, to stay young. Babies were born there, some people died there. "We are all related by affection," they said. "We are part of one another's history. We are Sicilian." They grew and prepared their own food, cared for the animals and for each other. Though there was much work to be done, it seemed to be merely a diversion to fill the hours between meals. "We eat often and well here, signora," Marlena was told. It was a society she never would have believed could exist.
   
   "We never decide to stay but simply get caught up in the imperishable rituals and rhythms of the villa," wrote Marlena. One day Don Cosimo, a seventy-six year old priest, approached Marlena. He told her that he'd been the household's resident cleric and the prince's chauffeur when, fifty-six years previously, the prince had taken Tosca to live with him in the palace, a few hours drive from the lodge. "She was, even then, of that splendid arrogance. Leo claimed her when, I think, she was nine. Her beauty was already fearsome," he recalled. It was a common enough feudal custom, this sanctioned purloining of the children of one's peasants. Most people believed that the prince had requested Tosca. However, it was Tosca's father who'd offered her to the prince, in exchange for a stallion he coveted. And so Tosca was schooled by a French governess with the prince's daughters, tamed, formed, refined.
   
   Later, it was Tosca who approached Marlena. "I'd like to tell you a story, Chou," she said. "Oh, I don't mean right now, of course. But soon. It's a long story, you see... It might take a few days. A week... I want to try out my story on someone from another place. I want to tell it to you, leave it with you, I guess, knowing that you'll go away." And so it began, the unfolding of a saga that spanned decades. It is a story that explores the ravages of war, poverty, the origins of the Cosa Nostra, the responsibilities of wealth and privilege, the cost of defying rigid traditions, the meaning of love, and finding one's true place in the world. It is also a story of miracles.
   
   by Becky Lane
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women

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

1. I really enjoyed reading this book and purchased it for one of my closest friends. The sisters of perpetual disorder had me cracking up laughing. And there were tender moments when I had to put the book down to stop from crying. I would recommend this book to just about anyone who wants an honest read and a look into a writer's life.



2. I found this book when perusing thru the library and I wanted to read it because the author had lost her adult daughter. A very good friend of mine lost her daughter just a few months ago and I wanted to try and understand the grief process she was going thru and hoped that this book would give me some insight. For the most part, I did like this story and it was interesting, but for some reason the author thought we all needed to have the liberal agenda spewed out to us over and over again throughout the book. I won't get into all of it here, but most disturbing was on page 239 where she talks about how Christians oppose abortion, but do not mobilize against war or the death penalty. She apparently wrote this with a straight face, oblivous to the irony that the liberals oppose the death penalty and war, but actively promote abortion. Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I'm getting weary of the fact that so many authors and other celebrities think we are interested in their political views. I was very much looking forward to this book, but the fact that she took the opportunity to get up on her soapbox ruined it for me.
   Needless to say, I'm glad this was a library book and not one I paid for.



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



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



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

5 comments about The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef.

1. Marco Pierre White is both an award-winning chef and the product of a council block in Leeds. The Devil in the Kitchen demonstrates the relationship between those two facts, as Marco is driven to succeed, leveraging his blue collar work ethic and personal pride. His drive is all-consuming, with 17 and 18 hour days at the stove a common pattern. He is animated by a love of food--nature's great gift--and he operates on adrenalin, nicotine, an obsession with quality control and, for a time, the need for public recognition of his efforts.
   
   Marco is often thought of in America as Gordon Ramsay's mentor. If so, he put the hell in hell's kitchen, though the book is less about him as a devil than about the demons that make him a great chef. The book is a tour of British gastronomy in that Marco works--in the course of his life--at many of England's great restaurants and for England's great (often non-English) chefs.
   
   The book includes recipes of some signature dishes and sidebar tips on Marco's methods and techniques. The narrative (written with James Steen) is brisk, interesting and engaging. It is a story of obsession and accomplishment but not really about sex, pain, and madness, as the subtitle suggests. There is a little sex and a bit of pain but no madness in the clinical sense. There are also tantrums, anecdotes of the glitterati and tales of the rich, the powerful, the hungry and the rude. The world of Marco's kitchens will not be unfamiliar to readers of Tony Bourdain or fans of Gordon Ramsay's many shows. In some narratives cookery is all sweetness, light, conviviality, love and family. Here it is war, but war that is very tasty and washed down with first growth red bordeaux.
   
   Both confirmed foodies and fans of memoir and autobiography will enjoy this book.



2. THis book is great. Read it in two sittings and laughed alot. Also very thought provoking and an interesting point of view from such an acclaimed chef.



3. MARCO PIERRE WHITE IN THE TRADITION OF ENGLISH ECCENTRICS TAKES OR RATHER BAKES THE CAKE !
   
   HIS ANTI ESTABLISHMENT ATTITUDES AND APPEARANCE MAKE THIS HALLOWED ENGLISH CULLINERY
   GENIUS EVEN MORE REMARKABLE - HIS BRILLIANCE WAS TO DESTROY THE HACKNEYED PRESUMPTIONS
   THAT GREAT BRITAIN WAS AND IS A WASTE LAND OF BAD FOOD - HIS COURAGE IN THIS EXCELLENT BOOK
   WAS TO RELAY HIS RAGS TO RICHES RISE TO STARDOM WARTS AND ALL YET EXPLAINING THAT IT'S ALL ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS AND IF YOU CAN CAPTURE THE NATURAL ELEMENTS OF THOSE INGREDIENTS
   WITH INTEGRITY YOU CAN UNLOCK THOSE FLAVORS WHICH IS WHAT FINE COOKING IS ALL ABOUT - SOMETHING THAT IS LOST ON MANY OF TODAYS RISING CELEBRITY CHEFS.- SIMPLICITY NOT COMPLEXITY !
   
   THIS BOOK IS AN EXCELLANT READ - I WISHED THERE HAD BEEN MORE - PERHAPS A FEW NEW CHAPTERS WILL
   SURFACE IN 2008 WITH HOPEFULLY MORE RECIPES AND BRILLIANT M P W TECHNIQUES.
   
   OH YES MARCO - WHY IS YOUR BOOK OR SHOULD I SAY KITCHEN BIBLE "WHITE HEAT" OUT OF PRINT ??
   
   NOT EVEN AMAZON CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON THIS - IT'S A CRYING SHAME THAT A BOOK OF THIS MAGNITUDE BE RELEGATED TO THE OUT OF PRINT DEPARTMENT OF CULLINERY IMPORTANCE.
   
   THE DEVIL IN THE KITCHEN IS ONE HELL OF A READ - FIVE STARS - PETER CHRISTIAN - LA.



4. Marco Pierre White is the original rock and roll chef and the first person I'm aware of to consistently go into the dining room and tell people to shove off.
   
   When I was on an ACF Jr. Culinary Olympic Team in the late 90s, this was not a fact we overlooked, and for it White was instantly a hero of ours. I grabbed up all his cookbooks; the best of which was the tough to find White Heat. Through it, we discovered strange foods like caul fat, that we, as young cooks, had never seen, had, or even heard of.
   
   Needless to say, when I saw he was writing a biography, my interest was peaked.
   
   There's a funny story in the book that sums it up for me. A Michelin 3 star chef dined at White's restaurant, and afterwards, came into the kitchen to say everything was great except the fish -- which was salty. White told the cook who prepared it to tell the chef to "F off".
   
   White seems to tell everyone to "F" Off, and as interesting as this book was to me, a fan, I'm sad to say, overall, it is pretty poor. White has a tremendous ego, and comes off sounding like a real jerk that ruins every meaningful relationship he's ever been apart of both personally and in business.



5. I have been in kitchens where chefs have yelled at me, threatend to kill me and everything else that they can throw without hitting anyone. This book helped me understand all those crazy chefs I had worked for and what their passion was all about. Most of everything (except throwing customers out) in this book I have seen through other chefs and experienced. I thought that the book was very funny in certain areas as well. I highly recommend this book as well as Gordon Ramseys book, which they both talk about each other because Gordon was one of Marco's proteges.

5 comments about Il Divo: Our Music, Our Journey, Our Words.

1. This is the best Il Divo album they have released so far, in my opinion. All the songs are full of emotion and love and it'a pleasure to listen it over and over again.



2. I purchased this book as these 4 guys are the best. I have all there CD'S and Videos and this book was very interesting. I hope to be able to go see them in person when in the USA. I have to say that this is the best idea Simon Cowell ever came up with. I would recommend the book and vidoe's to everyone.
   
   Phyllis Rutkowski
   Westland Mi



3. i thinks.. This Book Is very Incredible book, Have Ever i Read Before.
   this Book Tall About, Many stories About Il Divo, And Them Personal Carier And Life,,
   And I Thinks... We Can Learn Many More.. From They..
   " Before His Succes...
   They Faight.. They Wise Word.. And They.. Life Experience..
   anyone Never, Succes.. Before.. Fail Happen To Theirs Life.. Firts..
   Thanks



4. The four hunks,known as Il Divo, are to be commended for the honesty in which their book is written. So many artists today will not release info on their private lives but Carlos, Seb, David & Urs spoke from their hearts. The thousands of fans know these guys are entitled to a private life off stage and hearing about their wives, girlfriends and their lives growing up make them all the more human. No wonder they are so popular. I highly recommend this book for reading and the pictures aren't bad either. Great book guys, you did a fantastic job.



5. The book is well written and the individual stories of each Il Divo singer brings the reader closer to a better appreciation of their music.

5 comments about The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier.

1. There just was not enough plot to carry my interest through this book. The continuous exploration of the history, construction and care of pianos was of some interest, but not enough to carry an entire book for me.



2. with so many rave reviews, but I found the book a little slow moving and light on substance. I liked it well enough and don't want to be too critical -- it's the author's first book -- but it would have been a lot better at half the length.
   
   There's not much to the story, and almost nothing to let you know it takes place in Paris if the author didn't keep reminding you. Some unforgettable characters could have easily offset these weaknesses, but in 300 pages you'll meet very few Parisians, none of them all that interesting or particularly French. (Carhart admits having trouble getting to know the French.) And even for an American ex-pat, he's unnaturally fond of the bygone, of the quaint and picturesque.
   
   There's also plenty of veneration of great names, of both piano makers and composers, and readers with a taste for that, or those who like to poke around inside old pianos, should probably add another star.
   
   If your piano interests are farther ranging, however, you're going to be disappointed. There's little in the book to indicate anything has happened since the 19th Century or that France of the 1990s could have Carrefour "hypermarkets," TV, McDonalds, and Disneyland -- as well as be-bop, blues and jazz.
   
   For further history of the piano, its mechanics, innovations and cultural impact, I can highly recommend James Parakilas' "Piano Roles."



3. I came across an excerpt from this book in a magazine some time ago and decided I needed to read the whole story! I just love this book. From the time I was a very small girl, I have loved pianos, especially grand pianos. My dad taught in a small college when I was a teenager, and in their chapel was a magnificent old Steinway that must have been built in the late 1800's. How I loved to slip into the chapel when no one was around, and "commune" with that piano.
   
   And today my very own precious antique baby grand, an anniversary gift from my husband, stands in my living room...........
   
   Thad Carhart's story struck a very "strong chord" for me. His stories of the various pianos that he met while visiting Luc in the piano shop revealed how each was almost like a living breathing individual to him. I learned so much about these gracious, tuneful instruments from his book: how they are constructed, and the fact that different pianos lend themselves to different types of music, etc. His descriptions of Paris draw me to that city! The way he wove his family life into the story and his dips into his past piano experiences when he was a boy make for a joyous reading experience.
   
   From one piano lover to another, thank you, Mr. Carhart, for writing this book!



4. Don't try to read this book unless you have a passion for the piano, for pianos, and for the wonderful sound they provide. But if that is the case you will love this book loaded with serendipidy finds and beautiful sound. The setting is Paris, the once in a time center for high art and music. The book will inform about pianos and about listening to perfect pitches.



5. I've had this book for ages but didn't get around to reading it until recently -- and was able to read it straight through in a single sitting. Wonderful story, very educational -- I enjoyed learning about the different makes of pianos, particularly the Faziolis and the French Pleyels and Erards, enjoyed reading about the author's experience at a master class, enjoyed meeting the quirky characters he encounters -- the tuner who drinks too much (Jos) and the other piano lovers. Although I enjoyed Perri Kinze's Grand Obsession (which I would also recommend), I liked this a bit better; both books are educational as well as entertaining. At one point, the author was describing an occasion when he overheard someone playing Beethoven's Diabelli variations -- which he compared to Bach's Goldberg variations. I was not familiar with the Diabelli variations, so I turned to the back inside cover of the book to make a note to myself -- I was delighted to see that a previous owner of the book (I purchased it used) had already made that note there -- obviously, the book spoke to both of us in a similar way. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about pianos, Paris, or music in general.

5 comments about The Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood.

1. Imagine your mother waking you in the middle of the night with the news that everyone in your family, including yourself, would perish the very next day? That's exactly what happened to Alex Kurzem. But rather than sit idly by, helpless to the inevitable, Kurzem escaped that night, setting off on a lifelong journey of deception as a Jewish boy pretending to be a German, new name and all, of Latvian descent. After foraging in the woods for months, Kurzem was finally taken in by a group of soldiers. The tradeoff for being kept alive? Kurzem would be used as a propaganda tool, or mascot, for the Nazi Party. Only 60 years later would he ever reveal the secret to his family. Watch as Kurzem's son, Mark, pieces together his father's life. A page-turner that might be one of the best Holocaust stories ever written, if you only read one book this year, make it "The Mascot" by Mark Kurzem.



2. I just read this book in a one-day blue streak. I could not put it down. It will move you, amaze you, sadden you, and humble you.



3. This is an exceptionally well-written book that tells an amazing story. Since other reviewers have given the details of the story, I will not rehash them. Suffice to say that Alex Kurzem's story is a good example of the terrible suffering innocent individuals have had to endure (a suffering that may even be worse than death itself) as a result of Nazi cruelty.
   
   Some reviewers have said this book is unfair to the Latvian people and tarnishes the entire nation with the same brush. I beg to differ. I believe the author went out of his way to distinguish between those Latvians (police and troops) who committed war crimes and those Latvians who did not (such as the family that took in his father). Even with regard to Commander Lobe, whose soldiers did commit atrocities, the author is careful to indicate he can not say for certain that the commander participated in those war crimes although he may have.
   
   It would have helped to set the stage for his story if the author had included a brief introductory chapter on the history of Latvia during World War II. Nazi Germany and the USSR divided Poland between themselves in 1939. Then, in the spring of 1940, with no pretext or justification, Stalin swallowed up the three Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Naturally, the Latvians were outraged at this groundless conquest of their country and communization of their economy. Most Latvian Jews, however, were more willing to accommodate themselves to life under Soviet rule, even if it meant giving up personal property, because they felt they were now safe from the Nazis. In June 1941, however, Hitler broke his alliance with Stalin and turned on Russia. When the Nazis conquered Latvia, most Latvians saw them as liberators from the hated Russians, especially since they restored the Latvians' private property (that is, other than the Latvian Jews' property). One thing the Nazis did not restore, however, was Latvia's independence. The more thoughtful Latvians realized this. To them the Nazis may have been the lesser of the two evils, but they were still evil. Other Latvians, however, saw the Nazis as their friends, protectors and allies. This was unfortunate, and both the Latvians and the Latvian Jews ended up paying a terrible price. Close to 90 percent of all Latvian Jews were killed by the Nazis and those Latvians who made common cause with them. In addition, some Latvians even went into other countries (including Alex Kurzen's village in what is now Belarus) to help the Nazis commit their evil atrocities. Toward the end of the war, the USSR took over Latvia and annexed it. For the next 45 years the Latvians knew no freedom and the Soviets settled many Russians in their country, who live there to this day.
   
   The Latvians should have at least tried to follow the example of the nearby Finns. The Russians also wanted to conquer Finland and as a result Finland allied itself with Nazi Germany. But the Finns fought only to regain the land Russia had taken from them and refused to participate in the Nazi invasion of Russia itself nor did they send troops to help the Nazis anywhere else. The Finns refused to harm their country's Jewish citizens nor would they turn them over to the Nazis, though Germany requested they do so many times.
   
   As a result, the Russians grudgingly respected the Finns and did not see them as Nazi puppets or stooges. Finland therefore managed to maintain its freedom and democracy in the aftermath of World War II, though they had to remain neutral in the Cold War, so as not to offend their Russian neighbor.
   
   The moral of the story: If a nation puts its trust in another nation to the extent that it willingly relinquishes its independence and willingly ceases to take responsibility for its actions, there will be a price to pay.



4. Without reciting all of the details, this is a must read for people interested in understanding the Holocaust.



5. This book is very interesting. I rate it a must read; however, it is very slow at the beginning.
   
   I couldn't help but think while reading of what Alex witnessed and then the ensuing childhood being raised by Nazis, the story of Moses, a Hebrew who falls into the hands of the Pharoah's daughter. He too was raised by people who slaughtered and enslaved his people. Too bad Alex has not yet connected with his Old Testament roots. Moses became a great leader and great man by God leading the Jews out of Eqypt.
   
   There are parallels than can be drawn.

5 comments about Pihkal: A Chemical Love Story.

1. This book has the story and the science, the fantasy and the dry reality. I love there is a love story here as well. This is inspiration for couples to dive deeper into each other.



2. I thought this book very infomative and educational.
   It gives great insight to DR.Shulgin & his wifes life work.
   A must read for any aspiring chemist.
   This book cuts away all the propaganda surrounding many of these recreational compounds and chemicals. The facts and nothing else.
   Educate yourself, knowledge is always your friend.



3. I purchased PIHKAL from Amazon and read it in it's entirety.
   
   The most poignant aspect of this book reveals that as we are organic machines, our consciousness is just another chemically induced perception and therefore only one valid reality predisposed by evolution for survival.
   
   Shulgin's Genius is honed with such objectivity, innocence, dedication and clarity that he is able to both successfuly and interestingly document the human-mind altering effects produced by the synthesised compounds entirely dedicated to the second-half of this book.
   
   Furthermore, I have read all of the Amazon reviews regarding PIHKAL and feel that some just do not get the extreme depth of this work. Reading this incredibly open account of Human reality means that there will always be dull bits and parts that make one cringe because that's how real life is for one and all.
   
   The potential reader needs to approach this work with an open mindset and absorb the content without pretence, preconception or professional envy affecting clarity because this book is about the other side of the coin.
   
   Finally, to dedicate ones life to recording Human perception so openly in hardcopy is a tremendous quantum leap ahead of the absurd revisionist realities that people in our "Soap World" prefer to pretend that they live via TV and use to deal with personal issues through the application of anger, violence and greed which are wrongly accepted as legitimate relief mechanisms.
   
   In summary, PIHKAL is an extremely important piece in the Jigsaw of the "age of reason" and awareness. Don't be threatened, it definitely deserves at least "5 Stars". Read it, do it and get to the next level...... the evolution of mind.



4. For the person looking for both hard information regarding the world of psychoactive substances (and The Drug War), and an enjoyable honest and heartfelt love story, this is for you. A real masterpiece!



5. Very interesting. Very well explained, and the chemistry is flawless. 6 Stars to be truthful.. A must have for any chemist.

5 comments about Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison.

1. In the book Fish, by T.J.Parsell's, we relive the memories of his life while serving time in the Michigan Prison System from the age of 17 to 21. Woven into those memories are insights from his life while growing up with a dysfunctional family that embraced a humorous outlook towards their experiences with crime and mischief. So much in fact, that T.J. performs a robbery with a toy gun and believes his "prank" will have him sentenced in a Juvenile Facility. The reality comes after being sentenced and is far from humorous while he learns to survive his experiences while incarcerated in the Adult Correction System.
   The inadequacies of the justice system are also poignantly reflected through T.J.Parsell's story due to the legal system deficits he encounters. Housing prisoners with no differentiation to age or crimes, is not only dangerous for young or first time inmates, but also reflects a legal and social system that does not seem to care what happens after the cell doors are shut.
   Our society's ability to have an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude comes to fruition when prisoners don't have programs to rehabilitate while incarcerated and upon release. Hence, broken when they went in and still broken when they come out. Instead of rehabilitation they become institutionalized to the prison system, returning again and again, because the real world continues to be unmanageable. T.J. Parsell's ability to get out and make a new life for himself is admirable but not as surprising. Shortly before he left, a prisoner told him "he didn't belong here, never did" reflects that even inmates recognize that there is a difference in their approach to life. T.J. Parsell's speaks to your heart and your conscious in his book...I applaud him for finding his voice.



2. This book is wonderful and, unfortunately, quite accurate for a lot of young men and women in prison. I applaud Mr. Parsell for having the courage to tell his story - it is not an easy thing to do. I would definitely recommend this book to others.



3. I was slow to relate to how he ended up in prison. But once there, I could not put it down! Ultimately, the crime was not the highlight but rather the experience...which is graphic and powerful. It still haunts me but makes me want to learn more about the system.



4. Sorry, this is more of an emotional release than a fully fledged review.
   
   What a twisted prison system in a seemingly civilized society!
   What a brave young man that has succeeded in beating the odds and coming back from it!
   What a beautiful first love story that has an inevitable sad ending like it always does!
   
   I'm not a native english speaker, but I believe the power of any good book is beyond languages.



5. While the story is bizzare, disgusting and pathetic; the apparent fact that this person did not have the "Heart" to fight off his aggressors, does not rationalize the nightmarish environments he had to endure. Talk about a meat grinder: white trailer park trash becomes white sex slave and then finally becomes an apparent healthy male with wounds. I think for me there is this feeling , however slight it may be, that this could happen to anyone of us and the subject therefore should not be so easily dismissed as it has and will be. If you have the stomach for it , this book is a glaring indictment of our less then perfect culture.