5 comments about Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed.

1. ABSOLUTELY 5 Stars. No question about it.
   I picked up this book, in paperback, from my local library a couple days ago, just perusing the shelves for a quick book to read. The cover photo caught my eye, and with the title, gave an inkling of a tragic event these girls must have gone through. I did not pick it up because I knew it was about cult survivors, I picked it up because it made me think about my own sister and the bond of friendship we have together and how we have always helped each other through life's ups and downs and laughs and good and bad times. When I finished reading it a day later, I realized this recounting of abuse and terror beyond belief, hidden from the outside world, most likely will stay with me for the rest of my life. You don't forget atrocities like this, especially to young innocent precious children....children who look to adults for gentle and sure guidance, and well founded morality, and mostly, the LOVE of the parent for his/her CHILD, repeat: CHILD, not 21 year old, CHILD, THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE knowledge and/or actual actions of: intercourse, oral sex, strip teases and suggestive nude dances, nude photo sessions, sex ed at age 3, sex practices at age 3, belief that it's good to "LOVE" Jesus, etc....(AS IF you needed to have anymore to add to that list).
   As for the people who reviewed here saying this was a fabricated story, why would you sincerely doubt them? Why else would these women go on in their lives to start an organization to help children in life threatening abusive situations? [...]
   They could have been accountants, teachers, sports pros, scientists, etc., but they chose to be abused child advocates...a job ALL of us aspire to, don't we? Yep, sounds like they are full of hot air, uh huh, yup. Sigh.
   All you have to do is watch this video [...]
   by a young guy who was driven to suicide and murder by these sicko cult members, who was right in the middle of this cult, by his own parents, founders of the cult. Sick stuff...
   I am so very happy for these women that they were able to escape this so-called family to start their new lives outside; but all these horrible memories still are fresh and painful and they will have them forever. Can you imagine? Can you EVEN.....imagine?
   
   To Celeste, Juliana, and Kristina:
   know that your words will live beyond this book; many people will continue to come out for years, through your words if they are able to get this book, and there will be a collective voice larger than you ever imagined, if you are not already seeing it now. With this book, you have sent a beacon of hope out to many. Your online site has forums that are helpful to survivors and informational to those who are wanting to help. There are dangerous, damaging, very enticing, and on-the-surface charismatic cults existing everywhere in this world at this very second...and knowing this very fact, if we don't protect our children from their twisted visions, we can and should be held accountable for the damage done to our very own families.
   Bravo to you all for speaking out!!! You are believed.



2. It is never pleasant to read some disturbing experiences that these young lady's have gone through. I kept questioning myself on why I was reading what I was. My wife, Mother in Law & sister in law all read this book & found it disturbing. The only reason I could find as to why I wanted to read such a book, was in the hope that the 3 lady's were now back together & leading 'normal' lives.
   
   If you are planning to purchase this book, the details, I found, are very explicit. However, the truth has to be known & the truth definitely comes out in this book. Yes I feel extremely sorry for these young lady's knowing that while I was growing up, there were people suffering like they did. These young lady's are very brave. Brave to that fact of making it known the disgusting things these so-called 'adults' put them through & then these 'adults' trying to justify their crimes through the word of the lord.
   
   I can only wish Kristina, Celeste & Juliana well, & congratulate them on their brave fight & wish them well in their continued fight to expose organisations such as the 'Children of God'.
   
   This is a very good, well written, but painful book. The 3 lady's courage can be found to be inspirational & a lesson to us all.



3. What I liked about this book was that it gave three different perspectives from within the same family and time frame, and also that it didn't sensationalize the abuse, but did give it appropriate coverage. Ran a little long, but was an interesting and easy read.



4. I bought this book simply to support the effort to raise awareness of the inner workings of The Family. I didn't think I'd ever get around to reading it, as I have hundreds of books that I have not yet read.
   Upon seeing the size of it I felt confidant that I would never read it, however, after skimming through it and seeing all the familiar terminology and names, I decided to start from the beginning. I finished it in 5 days. That's fast for me.
   I could relate to almost every situation, and to all the feelings of frustration, boredom and anger that arose from being in those kind of situations. I will never go back.
   
   After spending the first 20 years of my life in "the family" I can say from first hand experience that the information presented in this book, is an accurate representation of life in "the family".
   
   Anyone who has a problem with my review can write me at outofwords@hotmail.com



5. Not Without My Sister: The True Story of Three Girls Violated and Betrayed Paperback book The book was damaged when I received it. It is a very good bookespecially if you like true stories.

5 comments about There's a Boy in Here.

1. This book is remarkable on several accounts. It was amazing to read about the experience of someone who was autistic and who has been able to come out of that prison. Also, the honesty and openness of both Sean and Judy Barron added to the books intensity and revelation. I plan to share this book with friends and colleagues who work with or have people in their families who are autisitc.



2. Fortunately, I never had a child with Autism, but this book speaks to all parents everywhere no matter what issues they might have with they own children. Two things jumped right out at me. One was Sean's total "disconnect" problem from everything and everyone around him. It was as if he functioned in an emotional vacuum and even those closest to him had no value. And secondly, Judy's gut-whenching honesty. Every parent will be able to relate. I found myself in tears much of the time wishing I could have been there to offer her understanding and a shoulder to cry on.
   
   The format of this book is also key. Sean's very significant contribution to the whole cannot be denied. Judy tells of a particularly bizarre behavior and immediately following it is Sean's answer to what he was thinking at that time and why he behaved as he did. It boggles the mind when you consider how much character and sheer guts it took for Sean to pull himself out of the quicksand of Autism and go forward to help others. I say bravo to them both. A truly beautiful love story.



3. I found this book very helpful. I could really relate to Judy's situation and saw many facets of my son's behavior in that of Sean's. It helped me to see that I am not the only one facing this same situation. Maybe my son will mature out of a lot of this too.



4. I read this book when my son was diagnosed with autism. The concept looked interesting and what I read opened up the world of autism to me. Sean gave me the idea that I had to get into my son's world and not make him come to mine! And 4 years later, my son is a very high functioning autistic child - it wouldn't have been possible without what I learned from this book!



5. This book is a must read for parents or relatives of Autistic children. I now understand why my 5 year old son does some of the things he does - it makes him feel good, and he does not understand why mom & dad say no. Sean tells you what went through his mind. Read this book, it will help you understand. Pray for a cure......

5 comments about It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive.

1. My daughter sent me Evan's book and it opened my eyes. Everyone can relate to his anger, joy and depression as he fights for life, success and happiness. There were times during the read that I wanted to shake him but in the end, I rejoiced for him.



2. Evan's brutal honesty helped me understand other survivors that I know including my daughter. I cried and laughed and was angry and even talked back to him as I read his story. Evan's story is a must read.



3. After reading Time On Fire - one of the most compelling books I've ever read - simply couldn't wait for a sequel. Evan's accounts of his life are so openly honest & human, without succumbing to piousness.
   It's Only Temporary follows along in the same vein, updating Evan's incredible journey to present day. He's glimpsed the fires of hell & come back to the "everyday" - neither simple or easy.
   Can't wait for next book.
   Read Time On Fire first.



4. I almost never write book reviews, but this book was so bad I felt the need to tell everyone not to waste their time reading it. The only thing I got out of this is that Evan Handler is an arrogant, self-centered person, who seems to want to share details of his boring sex life. Worse yet, he can't write.



5. I only knew Evan Handler from Sex and the City. I heard him interviewed and he was talking about his book, he was so funny and entertaining that I ordered his book. Loved it and know my Sister-in-law is loving it too! I would read any of his books!

5 comments about American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in theNew China.

1. I couldn't put this book down. It's amazingly honest, incredibly funny, and makes one want to have lived the experience. If you don't like it you've got an iron heart.



2. I really enjoyed this book. Not only
   did I learn about the culture of China
   and Shaolin, but it was a gripping
   funny book. Truly a gifted author.
   I wish he would write more.



3. I just loved this book. It's such a useful glimpse into Chinese life of the period, and a really entertaining story of an ordinary American kid who just one day up and says, "I'm going to China and study at the Shaolin Temple"....and does it! Every boy's Walter Mitty fantasy come to life.
   
   The one major regret I have with it, and why I only gave it four stars instead of five, is that it comes to a stop rather abruptly. He comes home, goes to school, and years later comes back to visit the Shaolin Temple and remark on the changes that have taken place.
   
   But not a word on how his experiences may have affected his later life in any meaningful way. Maybe they didn't, but that would have been a shame since he put so much effort into the journey. Just a word on how he might have used his amazing powers for good back home would have been nice, or how it might have changed his attitudes and perceptions as he grew older.
   
   Well, it's still a great read and very rewarding. Maybe there's a supplement somewhere that fills in the gaps. If anyone knows of one, please let me know. Thanks.



4. I read American Shaolin over the past two days while visiting my brother in Austin and found the book to be incredibly inspiring. At no point while reading the book did I want to put it down. The anecdotes describing the Chinese mindset and language idiosyncracies were both amusing and educational. I would recommend the book to many Chinese language instructors to improve students' cultural understanding. The phrase "eat bitter" has become my personal mantra whether exercising or reviewing mathematics/statistics. I look forward to more books from this exciting author.



5. What a great, unique book. Matthew Polly is a gifted storyteller. In American Shaolin, he shares the true story of his decision (with just one year remaining until his graduation from Princeton) to take off to China, locate and train with the Shaolin monks until he can cross off "coward" from his "Things that are wrong with Matt" list. This list figures prominently in the book and proves a wonderfully entertaining and useful literary device.
   
   What Polly gives us is a very good, well-written personal memoir. If that's all this book were, it would be enough. You find yourself fully engaged in the journey of self-discovery and personal development and you find yourself constantly laughing at Polly's stories. What's great though, is that you get a lot more from this book while you are being entertained.
   
   At a time when China is emerging onto the world scene in a huge way, Polly provides a completely accessible glimpse for the average American into the Chinese mindset. You come away from the book with a much greater understanding of and appreciation for the way the Chinese live, the goals they share, how their culture is like ours, how it is different and how they think. It's a truly valuable education, but without the trouble of slogging through a dry social sciences book.
   
   Congratulations to Mr. Polly, who was clearly aware of the opportunity to educate while entertaining. He accomplished his goal in spades. Highly recommended for anyone who likes a great story and/or wants to know more about China.

5 comments about Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond.

1. I read a few of the reviews of this book and knew there would be some whining but come on! Every other paragraph was the author crying about religion in basketball and how he can not relate to any basketball players and this and that. I seriously thought about putting the book down halfway through it (when he was on the Bulls) but i decided to finish it. Bad move by my part. A word of advice, if you want to read 315 pages about a tall, i guess semi-talented (18 games- 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, 6.7 minutes)crybaby then pick this book up. I strongly recommend not getting this book



2. If you want to get a well-written book about playing basketball overseas, pick up "Paddy on the Hardwood" by Rus Bradburd. Paul Shirley "coulda been a contender" for author of a really good inside the sport book. But he lets his cynicism and narcissism get in the way at almost every turn. His journeys could have provided grist for some really interesting stories about parts of professional basketball that outsiders rarely get to glimpse. Instead, he uses them as an opportunity to cry and whine about how unjust life has been to him; a young, healthy and apparently intelligent young man. Too bad.



3. Disclaimer -- Paul is my cousin, so of course I am going to tell you to go buy this book, right now!! In fact, buy three copies. Keep one in plastic to sell on eBay in 20 years, give one to a friend, and read the third. :)
   
   That being said, this book gave me an unequaled insider's view of life in the NBA. Paul pulls few punches, tells it like it is, and doesn't worry about making friends with his assessment of players, coaches, and fans.
   
   I enjoyed his wry observations on life, though I did at times wonder why he keeps up with this lifestyle when it seems he isn't getting too much joy out of it (he does "sardonic" better than "enthusiastic").
   
   Overall, though, I was entertained and captured by this rare view inside the locker room. And I was relieved that he didn't skewer his extended family on the pages. :)



4. For all those people who didn't like this book because of the so-called "whining" and complaining - this book isn't really for them. I suggest they go to the self-help section of the bookstore and grab something there . . . or perhaps join the Oprah Book Club. For the people who've enjoyed Paul Shirley's blog over the years, you'd expect this book to be full of negative comments and complaints . . . as Paul himself said in the book, he writes better when the chips are down (p.54 - Jan. 12 entry) so y'all have been warned early on . . . However, as a pessimist and a cynic myself - I really didn't see his whining and complaining as such . . . it really is just an honest observation and being a basketball player that travels halfway around the globe - those observations are truly interesting and his witty remarks makes the book entertaining as well. It's well-written and would recommend the book to almost anybody (except Oprah and Dr. Phil).



5. I was sick and looking for something to take my mind off it when I picked up Can I keep My Jersey. It's the story of Paul Shirley, a basketball player who's really, really good. He's never gonna be a NBA star but he keeps trying and between NBA stints and his experiences with the CBA, the ABA and the European leagues this is a funny book. It has a few flaws of course, Shirley is a horrible snob and there were times when I found myself wishing that somebody when give him a good smack in the mouth but then all would be forgiven when he'd tell another story about the ridiculous aspects of life on the edge of the NBA.
   
   The chapter on his nightmare trip to Russia--horrible place--- is worth the price of the book alone. It's not the greatest sports memoir ever written but it's amusing and I found myself hoping that eventually Shirley gives up chasing the impossible dream and either starts a writing career or falls back on that engineering degree of his.

5 comments about Autobiography of a Yogi (Reprint of the Philosophical library 1946 First Edition).

1. This is the first edition with more material and more photographs than the current edition.
   It is in original and unedited form. If you have enjoyed the current edition of Autobiography of a Yogi, then treat yourself to this even more comprehensive version.
   A truly magical book which will inspire and awe even the most cynical person.



2. It was a gift sent to someone else. They received it, and that's all I know. Thank you!



3. I bought this book to share. I already have a ragged copy, and wanted one in good condition for my library. Paramahansa's life story provides an intimate look into India's culture, and spiritual and mystical roots. An historic read, it contains an enormous amount of information and inspiration.



4. If you have a problem with some of what Yogananda describes in the book, like mind reading, talking to animals, etc., don't blame it on the book. Blame it on your paradigm. (See, I told you "Mission Impossible".) So, before you pick up the book, be sure and drop your baggage.
   
   Originally I borrowed it from a friend to read (thank you Judi), but bought a copy so I would be able to read it again.
   
   Being able to experience what living in this physical world is like through the eyes of a yogi is a once in a lifetime opportunity. He did so much and kept a low profile. My kind of guy.
   
   And, as if that weren't enough, how many Spiritual teachers, not to mention yogis, have a surf break named after them? (Swami's just below Encinatas, CA is named for Yogananda's gold domed temple on the cliffs above.)



5. This book was highly recommended by a friend as something that would change my life. I expected something else. The author lost me in the first chapters with his descriptions of people seeing and talking to gods, reading minds, predicting the future, levitating, teletransporting, appearing in two places at the same time, fighting tigers with their bare hands, amongst other fantastic stories. Just a little bit too much for me, a long time atheist.
   
   Other people might have a kick out of it, not me.

5 comments about One Ranger Returns (Bridwell Texas History Series).

1. Sometimes there is not enough material for a second book, and this sequel is proof of that fact. Mr. Jackson has interesting tales to tell; his wife and sons do not. I highly recommend One Ranger; the "Return" should have stayed away.



2. Couldn't put the book down. Great sequel to his first. A great sense of history in plain spoken words. Hope he writes another.



3. Seemed a reach to have enough material for a second book--not as interesting as the first book.



4. Nice to hear the other side of the story. Joaquin Jackson's books are a good read.



5. If you found "One Ranger" by H. Joaquin Jackson interesting, yea, inspirational, then you are going to treasure "One Ranger Returns."
   
   This is life in Texas, "hair down" face-to-face, how it really is. The chapter by his wife, Shirley, is straight from the heart of a beautiful, highly talented, and courageous woman, sharing the details of her personal life.
   
   One Ranger Returns has chapters by their sons, and I'll leave it to those who can truly read human hearts to decide what the first son has learned. Second son, Lance, is as near a clone as a man like Joaquin can ever have hoped for. Lance is very much his own man.
   
   I recently heard an experienced forensic officer describe how, while she didn't have all the latest technology, she did know the fundamentals and they still worked as evidenced by cases won. "One Ranger Returns" is about fundamentals that worked and still works if the officer is man enough to learn them and employ them with integrity and courage.
   
   A review of "One Ranger" is perfect for "One Ranger Returns:" "The book is awesome.... Joaquin Jackson is John Wayne with a real badge."

5 comments about Ava's Man.

1. Rick Bragg is the man. Why is it that when I read his books, I feel like I must have roots in the South, too? Simply put, he captures Southern, hard scrabble, depression-era life from the perspective of his lovable and flawed grandfather so poignantly that readers from anywhere will identify. Truly a gifted writer who captures family history in all of its beauties and pains. A model memoir.



2. Ava's man was Bragg's maternal grandfather who passed away before Rick was born into poverty.
   
   Like William Faulkner, Bragg writes of the poor American South with such vivid descriptions that you feel as though you are walking along a hot, dusty path in a depression era back woods, spiting tobacco and drinking moon shine as your caloused hands and achy back trudge along yet one more soul depleting day.
   
   Like Pat Conroy, Bragg captures the essence of an abusive father who simply won't let go of the booze and the demons.
   
   Life was hard, mean and nasty and wore Bragg's family down to a pulp. Bragg's admiration for his grandfather shone through.
   
   This is the second book of his that I've read and I'll continue to learn of Bragg's saga. It is wonderful to read such clear, crisp images. This guy can write!



3. With his improbable personal background and deft story-telling, Rick Bragg has earned an avid readership. In All Over But the Shoutin' (1997) he introduced his family of origin, and especially his heroic mother, who epitomized the poorest of poor white trash. His newly released The Prince of Frogtown (2008) makes peace with his violently alcoholic father who repeatedly abandoned his family. Bragg spent one semester in college, then started writing, first high school sports, local stories, anything. In 1993 he won a prestigious Nieman fellowship to spend a year at Harvard, and in 1996 he won a Pulitzer for feature writing at the New York Times. Today he teaches writing at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
   
   In Ava's Man Bragg re-creates the story of his maternal grandfather, Charlie Bundrum (1901-1958), a man of mythic proportions and colorful character who died the year before Bragg was born. Like his other two memoirs, Bragg's narrative works well at several levels. He illustrates the power of place, honors the traditions of a time and place that have been lost to cultural snobbery, exemplifies the ambiguous shadow that one's extended family casts over successive generations, and is just a remarkable wordsmith with the dialect of rural Alabama and Georgia.
   
   Charlie Bundrum was a roofer who could neither read nor write. His people picked the banjo. At the slightest insult to their "honor" they brawled with pocket knives, ax handles, and shot guns. They worked in the mills and picked other people's cotton. "Chollie" fished his beloved Coosa River on a "boat" made from two car hoods that he welded together, he could make a harmonica scream, and he ruined his liver from too many mason jars of moonshine. He eloped with his beloved Ava when she was sixteen and he was seventeen. Ava dipped snuff, her dresses were made from feed and flour sacks, she knew the meaning of welfare cheese handouts, and somehow nourished her eight children through the Depression and two world wars. Charlie moved his family twenty-one times in a decade between the backwoods of Georgia and Alabama, sometimes looking for work, sometimes outrunning the law, and never more than a hundred miles either way.
   
   When Bragg's own alcoholic father deserted his family for the last time, Ava took in Bragg's mother and three sons and became their stalwart caregiver. Bragg owns the horrific domestic violence, superstitions, cockfights, and alcoholism that characterized so much of those times, places, and people. But he dignifies their hard work, the dirt under their fingernails, music, foods, traditions, poetic dialect, and resilience. When Charlie Bundrum died at the age of fifty-one, a line of cars snaked a mile or more to his funeral at Tredegar Congregational Holiness Church. How many of us today can hope for a similar legacy that is so honored by your community?



4. If chronological order is important to you, Ava's Man should be read as the first in the series of Rick Bragg's three biographical novels. Charlie Bundrum's story is the first of what we will learn is two family's lives in the rural south during turbulent times. Then, as now, when life is hard people find many different ways to survive. Generations later, we have the luxury of looking back with a critical eye. That's easy. When you're cold and hungry, the view is different.
   
   In this book, Bragg shares with us the life to Charlie Bundrum who, along with Ava manages to rear a house full of children who survive with him and sometimes without him. One of those children is Margaret, Bragg's mother. Hard working and hard living, Charlie did all he knew to do to get by.
   
   More than in either of the other two books in Bragg's trilogy of his family, Ava's Man tells us more about the history of region, industry, and the impact of war, all of which contribute to the making of the man, Charlie Bundrum.
   
   While Bragg writes, he always manages to let the characters tell the story...in their own words. That language, and the crafting of the true tale he tells, leaves this "their story." On the other hand, Bragg's own turn of a phrase is "my language," that upon which I was reared. And is that which makes me feel like going home.



5. I have read all of Rick Braggs books and thia was the best. I felt like I just wanted to keep on reading. He is such a powerful writer. I just wish he had more books out there, but the ones he has written are the best. You will not be disappointed reading any of his books. There is no wondering why he is a Pulitzer Prize winner.

5 comments about Out of Africa (Modern Library).

1. My favorite movie of all time. The book is not as good as the movie.



2. Out of Africa is Karen Blixen's memoir about her years in Africa, writing as Isak Dinesen. She recounts the world of Africa, specifically Kenya. It is, like the England of her friend Denys Finch-Hatton, "a world that no longer existed" even then and certainly as she left it. The memoir is a slow read, yet a book with prose in which you can luxuriate, or languish perhaps as it seems to mirror the mammoth African landscape. Reading like a pastoral novel, the narrator interested me with her myriad experiences. It presents people, cultures, landscape, and wildlife through her eyes, sometimes noble, sometimes paternal. The culture of the various tribes and religions with whom she had contact on her coffee farm became almost real, so that as I read certain moments became funny or sad or wistful. The reader comes to view animals differently, the fecundity of life struck me particularly. The different forces at work are both natural and foreign; the paradoxical nature of the presence of two churches (Roman Catholic and Church of Scotland) is sometimes presented as working for good yet other times it is in conflict. Blixen's memoir is truly literate and the importance of books and writing is evident throughout. Early in the memoir she tries to explain her wirting a book to a native. Near the end of her stay as she is selling off the furniture and other estate provisions their is a poignant moment when, as she sits on her remaining books, she comments:
   "Books in a colony play a different part in your existence from what they do in Europe; there is a whole side of your life which they alone take charge of ... you feel more grateful to them, or more indignant with them, than you will ever do in civilized countries." (p.373)
   Blixen's memoir of this "uncivilised" land is both memorable and effective in sweeping the reader away into a very different world. Definitely a worthwhile read.



3. The two-cassette abridgment was way too limiting for such a magnificent book. Also disappointing was the fact that the product was a rejected one from a public library, and the second tape was stretched and half of the second tape was not able to be heard. This product should never have been sold in this condition.



4. This was the first of many books I've read about Africa. At the time, I had a romanticized view of The Dark Continent, a naieve view.
   After doing some more research, I realize Karen Blixen's view was VERY romanticized....to the extent that many of her contemporaries thought her somewhat odd and out of touch with reality.
   If you want a lyrically told story colored with emotion...this is for you.
   If you're interested in Africa as it really was, read the many accounts extant by settlers who spent far more time, and ranged over a wider area.



5. The book, "Out of Africa," is a memoir of the Danish Baroness Karen Blixen's habitation near Nairobi in Kenya from 1914 to 1931 on a fertile 6000-acre coffee plantation, "at the foot of the Ngong Hills" (1992: 3). Blixen writes under the pen-name Isak Dinesen. Karen Blixen went to British East Africa (in a location in present-day, Kenya) to join her German husband (Baron Bror Blixen), and upon separation she stayed in Kenya to manage the farm by herself. The extent of her adventures in Africa, and to what extent she is a feminist is borne out by the book, as well as the film "Out of Africa," that is based on the book. This piece will examine such, as well as comparisons between the book and the film.
   
   Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) presents geographical detail, oftentimes comparisons and contrasts within this fertile land of the Kikuyu people that would several decades later be the crux of the Mau-Mau rebellion over whites' displacement and dispossession of natives from their land. Dinesen also compares features with those of her native Europe. Dinesen writes of the equatorial habitat, "Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequaled nobility...Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart: Here I am where I ought to be" (1992: 4). Dinesen writes of "heavy-scented lilies," of "long-rains," "ever-changing clouds," of "hills from the farm [that} changed their character many times in the course of the day, and sometimes looked quite close and at times very far away" (1992: 4). Dinesen, in precise and elegant language displays love and fascination for the geography, the clean air, the animals, the beauty of this African environment; she becomes possessed by the place.The movie captures the large, picturesque, mysterious, and varied eastern equatorial Africa where the eland, the buffalo, and the rhino are quite common sights; the movie impressively and unanimously earned, Oscar, "Best Picture of the Year."
   
   In the end Dinesen is forced to give up her plantation, this scenario elicits a heartache and sadness. Dinesen's memoirs, years after she had left Africa could be a reflection of her nostalgic dealing with her loss of the farm as well as overall experiences in Africa. Dinesen stands out as a courageous and strong woman, one who is in the feminist direction. She lost her philandering husband, but stayed on bravely, for nearly 20 years in a foreign harsh environment, one with languages and cultures far-fetched from her own. Dinesen worked well at being appreciative of an environment that was new to her, during an era of colonialism in Africa, a time when Darwinian relegation of black Africans to the lowest of human species and elevation of whites to the upper rung was very strong. Dinesen cuts through the female traditional roles, she tries flying in planes, the goes on safari, she learns how to shoot and even shoots and kills game. She is open and welcomes countless visitors from all over the world to her home and farm. This was an age of exploration and acquisition of "Dark Africa," by Europeans and Asians. Dinesen is quite aware of her feminine strength. She rescues and adopts a wounded antelope she names Lulu; Lulu becomes a celebrity on the farm; Dinesen searches, discovers and celebrates the feminist strength in Lulu: "But Lulu was not really gentle, she had the so-called devil in her. She had, to the highest degree, the feminine trait of appearing to be exclusively on the defensive, concentrating on guarding the integrity of her being, when she was really, with the force in her, bent upon and defensive" (1992: 74). Also, "Lulu of the woods was a superior, independent being...she was in possession. If I had happened to have known a young princess in exile, and while she was still a pretender to the throne, and had met her again in her full queenly estate after she had come into her rights, our meeting would have had the same character" (1992: 78).
   
   The book displays that Karen Blixen exemplified the Europeans with the upper hand in colonial world conquest and politics. It is to be recalled that the three weapons used by Europeans to subjugate Africans were the gun, the Bible, and the anthropologist. Karen used guns to protect herself. Catholic (mostly Belgian and French), Protestant (mostly British), and Muslim (mostly Arabic) agencies vied for power in Africa. The Germans were in present-day neighboring Tanzania (German East Africa) to the south. They would be ousted during this significant, "Scramble for Africa." The book illustrates how Karen Blixen took great interest in which religious group the young natives (some of whom served her) adhered to. Many native followers, taught to kneel and pray to an invisible white Almighty god, became converted to the political/ religious groups, as they became dispossessed of their land resources. The anthropology aspect, as mentioned, involved relegation of black Africans to the lowest rungs of evolutionary mankind...the white was relegated as the superior, the master, the savior, the benevolent, the genius. The movie is great at casting Meryl Streep as the beautiful, rosy-cheeked clean, statuesque woman amidst muddy, black African paradise! The real Karen Blixen likely had more rugged looks and likely often got "down-and-dirty," than is depicted in the movie. An equatorial Africa of long and heavy rainy seasons, of continuous tropical sun, and of limited running water would not leave the Danish heroine so clean and collected.
   
   It is to be recalled that Dinesen is writing from an overly European point of view, hence, negative criticism of her will not be short. Her attitude to black Africans is racist and condescending. In the movie, Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford) rebukes her for instructing native porters to get off her belongings by "shooing," them off!. Finch-Hatton, in shock, remarks to her, "Shoo?" as if telling her, "I do not believe you addressed these people that way!" Finch-Hatton (who became Dinesen's lover) knows the native languages (Kiswahili and Kikuyu), and goes on to communicate her instructions to the porters. Black Africans are prevalently depicted in the movie as poverty-stricken servants, laborers and porters, as helpless people close to animal nature. In tune with the movie, here Dinesen writes, "They were poor people, small and underfed; they looked like a pair of badgers on my lawn...I could hardly distinguish them against the grass. They were sank in deep grief; their bereavement and their economic loss melted into one overwhelming distress" (1992: 108). Dinesen is surprised that the, "Natives," are strikingly open, adapting, welcoming and unprejudiced. Yet, as prevalent in the colonial fashion, she does not attribute this to the inner traditions and workings of indigenous African society, but from influence from foreigners including slavers! "The lack of prejudice in the Natives is a striking thing, for you expect to find dark taboos in the primitive people. It is due...to their acquaintance with a variety of races and tribes, and to the lively human intercourse that was brought upon East Africa, first by the old traders of ivory and slaves...and...by the settlers and big-game hunters" (1992: 54).
   
   Dinesen wishes the natives would understand and appreciate her more. It is always presumptuous to be confident of having fully understood a foreign culture and people; she does not seem to believe she is prejudiced and why the natives to a good extent regard her as a foreigner far different from them, and difficult to comprehend. She writes, "If I know a song of Africa,---I thought,---of the Giraffe, and the African new moon lying on her back, of the ploughs in the field, and the sweaty faces of the coffee pickers, does Africa know a song of me?" (1992: 83). At the same time, Dinesen quite often acknowledges that newcomers from Africa are from a noisy and rushed world, they do not have the patience and connectedness of native Africans. European colonialists imposed on the natives an alien system of forced dispossession and displacement and of monopoly. So much of this colonial intrusion was quite new to the prevalently communalist and family-oriented, egalitarian way of native African subsistence.
   
   Karen Blixen's marriage starts out as more of a convenience than of romance. She left Denmark to marry the German Baron Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and start a dairy in Kenya. Bror is actually the brother of her lover. Karen is offering her fortune for companionship and adventure (and for the title of, "Baroness") much more than for enjoying the security of a man. So, from the outset, Karen's feminist inclinations are strong. The husband changes his mind about the diary, and instead invests her money in a risky venture of growing coffee. The husband is unfaithful, philandering, gives her syphilis that will disable her from having children; the marriage breaks up. Karen is left to manage the farm, she has to battle with floods and fire. Hardly anything of British big game hunter Denys Finch-Hatton's romance with Dinesen (Karen Blixen), is mentioned in the book; the movie likely borrows from other sources depicting the life of Karen Blixen. Unfortunately the English accent of Denys Finch-Hatton is not conveyed by Redford, compared to Karen's excellent outflow of a Scandinavian accent. Yet, the movie depicts their chemistry, Denys is impressed by her strength and independence, Karen's ability to tell and weave stories, they kiss, and in one scene have sex. Karen does seem to desire long-term companionship and commitment from Denys, desire for a man who will sacrifice to be with her. She stands against having a man like Denys who wants to be "free-wheeling," one who will come and go depending on need and desire, he loves the African outdoors. Finch-Hatton is mysterious, elusive and emotionally distant, but he is miscast in that in the movie: he seems to represent an all-American jock that waywardly found his way into Africa. Karen was wounded before, and this encounter with Denys is only a brief moment of ecstasy, but she bravely soldiers on, appreciating more of what is around her. Karen is indeed confident, stoic and creative in face of the odds. She did resist going on safari with Denys, but she eventually succumbed to his quite undeniable invitation. Eventually, they got closer, she broadened her horizons, she better adapted to and better accepted foreigners and their ways.
   
   In conclusion, the movie emphasizes the romantic issues and episodes in Karen Blixen's life in Africa (romance and sex sells in Hollywood), much more than the book does. The book seems to be constructed from a breadth of notes of what Blixen put together while in Africa, and weaved them into a good fairy tale. The truth is that Blixen dealt with aspects like fluctuating coffee prices, sometimes drought and heavy rains, discontented dispossessed natives, scrambles for Africa amongst several European agencies, African diseases and sometimes unsanitary conditions, wildlife from untamed neighborhoods. The movie does display the exquisite beauty of tropical Africa which Blixen did dwell on, but not on the colonial wranglings. There is lyrical beauty in Blixen's writing, and the movie does elicit an African peaceful mood through the excellent music. Blixen, in both the movie and the book is a strong and opinionated woman, yet flexible and open to ideas, people, and adventure. She is a significant precursor of modern-day feminism.

5 comments about Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive ScrabblePlayers.

1. Word Freak surprised me with its depth. It's a work that weaves technical details of what can be a very tedious game at the upper levels, with an engaging tale filled with emotion and humor. It's basically the journey of one guy (the author) going from "I've played Scrabble before" to a bona fide expert at the game. And along the ways, there are fascinating personalities and gripping stories to enjoy.
   
   The story really becomes more a commentary on an underground society -- the personalities, compulsions, emotion, and triumphs of a small group of people for whom Scrabble is more than just a game. You start out wondering just how someone can come to be so deeply into the game. But fortunately, you get to see it firsthand as the author himself undergoes his transformation.
   
   The book at times becomes laden with technical talks...study techniques, game details...which can be a chore to work through at times. But I felt these passages really enhanced the book, exploring just what people go through for love of the game. Without them, it would be difficult to convey the real feel of the game. It can jst make it a bit harder of a read at times.
   
   All in all, a really great book that was more moving than I thought it would be. Very recommended to anyone...just a lot of fun.



2. In choosing to write about the misfits, neurotics, and obsessives who call themselves Scrabble players Stefan Fatsis could have chosen one of two approaches. He could have for one year followed North America's best players as they trained for and played in the National championships -- the result would have been a screwball comedy. Or he could have focused on why he -- an ostensibly successful Wall Street Journal reporter -- would himself become as obsessed with the game as the unemployed geniuses that constitute the core of the Scrabble elite -- the result would have also been a screwball comedy. Instead Mr. Fatsis chooses the middling path, and focuses on how he as an amateur tried to make it as an elite Scrabble player -- the result is interesting but is the furthest away from a screwball comedy -- it's about a serious man with a serious mission to master a serious game.
   
   That's the most frustrating thing about reading "Word Freak." It should be funny and entertaining, light and ironic -- but it takes itself and the game too seriously. That's because when writing the book Stefan Fatsis the journalist cannot separate himself from Stefan Fatsis the Scrabble player -- and the book becomes bogged down by detail, trivia, and minutaie that only Scrabble players care about. Fortunately for Fatsis there just happens to be millions of Scrabble players out there.
   
   For these Scrabble lovers Fatsis offers sound advice and analysis on playing the game, and shows well the stress and pressures of competitive Scrabble. And Fatsis does a decent job on writing about the history of Scrabble. He has a chapter on the solitary genius Alfred Butts who invented the game, and even a chapter on Scrabble's corporate history.
   
   Even though it's useful and highly marketable "Word Freak" is nonetheless written by a very pedestrian and inexperienced writer. The book is much too long, badly organized, and the diction is just terrible. Instead of gliding across the page the reader stumbles through it, sometimes tripping over the clunky words that Stefan Fatsis has intentionally placed there to show off his vocabulary.
   
   The book feels like a rushed piece of work, and not at all edited. It felt as though when writing the book Fatsis was on a 25 minute timer, and it didn't matter if the chapters and paragraphs he created made any sense he just had to get it done under 25 minutes, and if he did he would win. And judging by the sales of this book he had indeed won.



3. A friend recommended this one to me. Not a topic that I ever even knew existed - professional scrabble! But this is a fascinating subculture populated by lovable misfits -- the introverted nebbish Joel from New York, the hip Marlon, who comes from one of the poorest black neighborhoods in America, but scrapes by on his earnings from his totally ingenious mastery of a word game most of us know only as a casual past-time. Fatsis writes with genuine affection for his subject - despite using the term "freak" in his title - and he is a really good guide to the intricacies of the game, which, when played at a really high level is far more complicated than I ever could have imagined. He also gives an excellent overview of the history of the game itself - its invention, its commercialization, its growth as a kind of American icon among board games. I can't say how glad I am that I read this book. It's a joy...even if the topic is a bit unusual. Highly, highly recommend.



4. My advice:
   
   1. Consider the title/subjectmatter of WF. If you're not curious, take a pass.
   2. If you are curious, read the first chapter. If
   2.a. You're not totally (I do mean totally) sucked in, take a pass on the rest
   2.b. You're totally (ditto) sucked in, read on.
   
   My guess is that all of the middling/negative reviews on this page were posted by disgrunted 1- or 2a-readers who should have hit the eject-button early on; all of the praising reviews from us 2b-ers, contentedly strapped in for the ride. With all due respect to 1- and 2a-ers -- and with no aim to convert them from their 1/2a-ish ways (many of them have my sympathies, in fact) -- I'll just say that I'm squarely in the 2b camp. I thought WF was terrific, soup to nuts. I loved every character study, every competition, every lead-up to the next competition, every bout of authorly self-doubt, every instance of authorly self-satisfaction. Fatsis does a brilliant job of capturing -- and, indeed, being captured within -- an exceedingly odd subculture at the crossroads of game- and math-geekdom, on the wire (often literally) between sanity and insanity.
   
   Fatsis writes about Scrabble-mania with a true insider's knowledge, and with a deep affection for both his subjectmatter and his subjects. The result is a greatly engaging, at times inspiring, often humorous, occasionally pathetic glimpse into a slice of life few of us can imagine, but one we must on some level respect.
   
   WF is an odd and entertaining bit of social history. A wonderful read!



5. I am actually in the process of returning this product because the first five chapters were put in the book upside down and backwards. It wouldn't be too much of a problem but the pages were cut incorrectly and the first three or so sentences are missing from the top of each page.