No comments about Stealing Buddha's Dinner.

5 comments about No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life.

1. The next time you think that life has dealt you a bad hand, you should pick up this story about Kyle Maynard, the congential amputee athlete. I found the story very inspirational and motivating. While I was hopeing that Kyle would talk more about other aspects of his life, like career, it was impressive reading about how he trained for football and wrestling. There is also the amazing amount of faith and caring from Kyle's friends and family.
   
   Next time that you get self-conscious over a blemish or do not feel like exercising, take a few minutes to flip through this book about an amazing human being.
   
   Doug Setter, author of Stomach Flattening



2. Kyle's story is one that helps you to believe in love of family and power of the human spirit.



3. This book is truly inspiring!
   Read it, with a box of Kleenex tissue handy. This book will put iron in your spine!
   Then buy copies for everyone in your family . . . and friends . . . and.
   Do not! Repeat- Do not miss out on the rich blessing this book delivers.



4. It is a great book. It proves that the mind can overcome any physical disablilities.



5. Very great story. It's one thing to tell a kid that they can do anything they put their mind to when they're born with a body that's not "normal".
   
   But it's another thing for a man like Kyle to SHOW people that it's possible. He's served as an inspiration to at least 2 of my patients and their families, because they can see the possibilities of life as an adult, defining and projecting who you are as a man, rather than letting society tell you who you are supposed to be.
   
   Excellent read. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir.

1. Let me just get this out of the way, regardless of WHO YOU ARE, this is a really good book (which I actually read from front to back and will probably re-read) that any human being should like, plus the story has an amazing twist . The people who feel they have to go on the defensive and gave this book a bad review, I feel sorry for. I read to open my mind, not to close it; THAT DOES NOT MEAN I TAKE TO HEART the veracity of everything I read . Small minds come in many different flavors, so don't feel so special, get a hobby!



2. I'm sorry I cannot review this book as I have yet to receive it. Maybe you should improve your delivery serviuces to countries such as mine.!



3. This is a sad story of a little girl in which she is forced to set aside the crown of liberty and live like a beggar, but she fights to retain her dignity...
   Excellent Job, Great Audacity.



4. As a person of the same age as of this woman, who has lived in Iran until 1994, I have to say I find this book a bad piece of fiction, written for the Western audience and ready-to-be-sold to Hollywood to make a crappy movie.
   The truth is, in those years our life as a nation was miserable. Evin prison was full of political prisoners, and there was no freedom of speech. But things were not the way Nemat describes it. Her memoir is ridiculously fabricated with lies about everything you can imagine about Iran. People of age 15 were executed in Iran in those years, but for reasons more politically important than leading a strike in high school! Is she crazy? If the Iranian regime wanted to arrest every high-school student for their argument with their math teacher they could not rule the country. And that story about being saved by her interrogator: nothing can be more far from reality than that. This is more like an emotional Hollywood movie than the reality I have lived in.
   
   I cannot believe people here actually believe this nonsense. This woman is either a charlatan, or a psycho.



5. I have read the reviews that are good, bad as well as the very heated discussions about this book and I have to say that it is good that this book generated such intense reactions in mind of the readers as it did for me. Regardless of the accuracy of the author's account as I don't have the first hand experiences, I assume that most of the author's accounts of the general political and cultural environment in Iran are fairly accurate. My reaction is again, the disbelief over the oppression and violence towards women in the name of religion and traditions, and the conspicuous lack of uproar in the international community in the name of political correctness or "cultural sensitivity". I don't mean to minimize the importance of other causes that received attention, such as Chinese government against Tibet, but when it comes to women, the world seems to be rather silent. Books such as this, and other memoirs such as Infidel, Bookseller in Kabul, Wild Swans,and memoirs by FLDS survivors are important means to raise awareness, therefore need to be written and to be read. Having said that, I gave only two stars because the writing is very poor and flat and some recollections of her childhood experiences seem too romanticized and blantantly inconsistent with her developemental stages, which raised questions in me about the believability of her account, and eventually became distracting to me.

5 comments about Red Azalea.

1. 
   From the start of the book the reader is enveloped with several odd concepts and aspects of communism and the Chinese culture that many may find simply odd. This is one of the books most fascinating qualities that make it partly likable. My problems with the book come primarily from Min's raw and almost poetic writing style. At times her simple sentence structure was a major drawback that led to a choppy feeling and rough delivery. I felt that her memoir would have been more appealing if she had spent less time dwelling on descriptions that were in many cases not necessary. Overall this book in my opinion deserved three out of five stars. I will undoubtedly recommend this novel to others for the reason that this story is one of a kind and at many points heartwarming.



2. Red Azalea is a compelling memoir, even though the writing is not always engaging. The prose relies on simple declarative sentences and often seems stilted. One observation follows closely upon another; thus, a description of setting might be followed immediately by a description of mortal danger, all in the same even, subject-verb syntax. You feel like you are reading a translation, and, in a sense, you probably are, since Anchee Min knew no English when she came to the U.S. in 1984, although the memoir was written in English. (Red Azalea was published in 1994.) Interestingly, she does not use quotation marks for a character's speech, but does use them for the numerous quotations from Chairman Mao, which has the effect of making Mao a powerful presence in the book. Two things make the book compelling. One is the sheer force of the events of the Cultural Revolution, particularly Min's depiction of her childhood and of her time on Red Fire Farm. The other is her eye for detail, like the bright red underwear hung out to dry in the spartan barracks of the collective farm. Min's recollections of sexual repression (and expression) during the Cultural Revolution are interesting. Such sexual puritanism is exactly what George Orwell's character Julia rebels against in the totalitarian society of his novel 1984, written in 1949, the year Mao came to power.



3. I'm not really sure what to make of this book. It was very powerful and personal. It's unlike any other book i've read because it something that has actually happened. The events in the book are mind blowing in a way that makes you want to keep reading. I would reccomend this book for someone who is ready to read a story that can overwhelm you.



4. I finished the book in 2 days...I could've finished it in one but I'm a student so I couldn't finish it as early as planned. However, I love this book! I love Anchee Min..she is definetly my favorite author. I bought almost all her books. One of the book I really liked is Empress Orchid.



5. Having read Empress Orchard I found this written in a more juvenile way. Perhaps the author was a younger and less sophisticated writer at the time. Good, but not fantastic

5 comments about I Am Not Myself These Days: A Memoir (P.S.).

1. I guess it always amazes me when people write books about their lives and just lay it all out there for the world and their mothers to see. Mr. Kilmer-Purcell pulls a chunk of his life from when he first landed in New York and covers the good--meeting a rich guy with a nice apartment, the bad--drug and alcohol addiction, and the ugly--the crash and burn when it all crashes down, a drunk drag queen the morning after, etc. As a comparison you could say it's sort of like Augusten Burroughs book Magical Drinking as they are both advertising copy guys who drink and drug a whole lot. It's funny how that particular career seems to have generated a number of writers and also amazing how they continue to drink and drug yet never manage to be fired or lose their jobs. I did enjoy the book, he has a light breezy writing style that makes the funny and sad material compulsively readable. Being a 7 foot, in heels, drag queen named Aqua definitely portends itself to riotous happenings and there are quite a few related to good effect here. But it's his addictive compulsive relationship with his hustler crack addict boyfriend that drives the story along to it's ultimate ending. The fact that he has recovered himself enough now to be a writer and columnist for Out Magazine seems like it could be a story in itself. Somehow you want to know how he managed to clean himself up after the extreme highs and lows he went through all in years time, hopefully in the next non-fiction book he does he will cover it. I do recommend this book, not only as an enjoyable read but a handbook of what NOT to do when you first move to New York.



2. There is really not much to say about Kilmer-Purcell's 'I Am Not Myself These Days'. Simply put, it is my favorite book, a beautiful book, a book that I have read to pieces, scribbled thoughts in, and highlighted to smithereens. This book changed my life (how cliche) and I have since passed it on to no less than 10 of my friends, all of whom have written in the margins and underlined passages that scream out to them.
   
   Read this book.



3. You will not want to put this book down. Look for Josh's next book which will be available in May.



4. This book definitely gives insight into a life few of us will ever lead; therefore a great escape. There are some dark topics which the author touches on but does not go into detail which keeps the book fairly light and really a story about relationships on a level that is relatable to all forms of relationships. I am being a book pimp and pushing it on all my friends and family. It is emotional and entertaining, an easy read. Loved it.



5. This book is a must read for all those who are or have ever been involved in the gay club or bar culture and who enjoy witty banter and extreme circumstances. Surprisingly, given its content and focus on a twenty-something alcoholic advertising exec by day and drag queen by night and a high-end fetish prostitute, the book is incredibly insightful and well written, titalating for even the most discerning and well-read critic. It's truly a mix of fun and outlandish situations and commentary on life that is a great read.

5 comments about Don't Kiss Them Good-bye.

1. Don't Kiss Them Good-bye
   Allison has a gift from God. I only wish that I could open up my mind enough to communicate with my loved ones.



2. Allison DuBois is a down-to-earth psychic! The speptics will dismiss her book and her abilities, as they will dismiss anything that contradicts their own opinions-as-law.
   
   If you are looking for sensationalism, you must look elsewhere. The author presents her experiences and abilities without in-depth scientific explanations. She offers none, quite simply because she is who she is and does what she does. It is as natural to her as breathing.
   
   If you are a skeptic, pass this book over because Allison DuBois' easy-going presentation will enrage you. If you have an opened mind, this volume will convince you that there is something more after this life. If you already believe, prepare to have your spirit renewed by a sincere and wonderful author.



3. Don't Kiss Them Good-bye
   In this book Allison DuBois is laying out her experiences (growing up and as an adult), convincing readers that life after death consciousness is real. By bringing contact to the present with the deceased, she helps reduce the pain that deceased loved ones often feel. She bears a responsilbity for her work and insight far beyond the realm of the norm. I found it "to good to put down" and know that others will feel the same.



4. This book does have summaries of her cases and some examples. I just feel that the book jumps around and the book doesn't flow very well. I found quite a few grammar errors. It seems almost like you're reading a journal or having a conversation with her. So it's ok in that aspect. I guess I was expecting more details of the other side. For instance, how the spirits get there? What do they do all day? Does Mrs. Dubois believe in reincarnation like other mediums? Etc.



5. I bought this book because I have a niece who has an extraordinary insight into the paranormal. It was very helpful in being able to understand what she deals with.

5 comments about Ginger: My Story.

1. when this book was released in hardback, ginger rogers went on a book signing tour. she stopped in chicago and the press was there to record the event. i was there and she signed my copy. she said to me, with a bit of bemused surprise, 'bless you heart'. i, goon that i can be, just smiled and stared at this icon of film and dance. i didn't care that arthritis had robbed her of her dancing prowess and the meds had blown her up. the winsome half smile was in place and the eyes were still an amazing green.
   
   so, i niftied my way back to my apartment and started to read. it was a little bit of a comedown.
   
   i did some research on film musicals for a paper i hope to publish this year and re-read. i was left a little numb and cold. i realize that a woman like rogers came from a different place and time. and being a staunch midwesterner that she was there was no way she was going to write about her life with the candor of say, rue mcclanahan or shelley winters(they're both midwesterners--i'm about to lose my point!). but besides claiming credit for the beautiful gown of blue feathers and satin she wore in 'top hat', there was little enlightenment about her life or career. the stories just had the same bemused, slightly dazed quality she had when i met her and touched her hand that day.
   
   but i touched ginger rogers' hand! in our minds, that moment counted for something.
   
   now, if i didn't own this book, would i buy it? no. i would get it from the library and read it. and i would hope for the biography that will elucidate this woman who is a lot more complex than she let on. an only child with a domineering mother and an electra complex--hey, this is the stuff that minieries are made of!



2. Ginger Rogers wasn't much for self-reflection, and that's very evident in the recounting of her life. For instance, you never know precisely why all her marriages failed. There weren't any transitions from being head-over-the-heels-in love with her husbands to getting a divorce. And it's probably because the marriages failed that quickly. She was a romantic and when the romance faded, so did the marriage. After the fifth marriage, I think she finally realized she enjoyed being single and dating, more than she enjoyed being married.
   
   Pretty much that's about as deep as she gets about herself. Mostly it reads like a travel guide of all her movie-making. There are some amusing anecdotes which will give the reader a sense of the real Ginger Rogers. And there's also a lot of mention about her religious beliefs. These beliefs probably helped to curb any self-reflective moments she might've had, because she allowed her faith in God to guide her through the really tough times.
   
   There is one movie of hers, that, now that I've read the book, gives me a better understanding of her overall personality. 'Monkey Business' with Cary Grant. The part where she regressed to childhood was perfectly played, and I could see this as a side to Ginger Rogers that could've annoyed a lot more serious-minded people. Maybe even her husbands. But, if that's her worse sin, she did good.
   
   Fluff, but if you enjoyed Ginger Rogers as the hard-working actress she truly was, this book won't disappoint.



3. I was a huge fan of Ginger Rogers until I read this book--oy vey, what a moaner! She comes across as thoroughly tedious and completely self-involved. I can fully understand exactly why she had so many husbands. I truly sympathized with one of the later husbands who had to resort to hiding booze up in the loft of their house--anything to numb the pain, I suspect!



4. Not being an avid "autobiography" reader, I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I can honestly say that even if you aren't a reader you will like this book. It has surprises out of nowhere & it's enjoyable.
   
   I'd recommend this book to anyone.



5. What do you get when you cross Ginger Rogers with Tammy Faye Bakker? You get, evidently, Ginger Rogers--or at least what remained of Ginger in her not-so-sprightly seventies. Though much has been said and written about the cruelty of time, the gentle reader must nonetheless brace herself for a shock upon cracking Ginger's memoirs to the pages of recent photographs. There is nothing left of the buff, scrub-faced girl that graced the cover of Life Magazine in 1942 sporting boots, coveralls, and a fishing rod. Alas, Ginger in her dotage was an overweight, diabetes-ravaged, pancake makeup-smeared parody of her former self, more frightening and less recognizable than any male drag artist's impersonation could ever have been.
   
   But what, you may well ask, is the relevance of these observations? None in particular, unless you speculate that the medical treatment Ginger shunned throughout her life might have boosted her long-term physical and mental health, leading to a more lucid, balanced, and enjoyable memoir. But such was not to be. Nay, Ginger--devout Christian Scientist that she was--relied exclusively on prayer, and credited it with curing everything from an ailing starlet's acute appendicitis to the boils on her fourth husband's derriere. Where most Hollywood memoirs are chock full of juicy gossip and innuendo, Ginger's runneth over with religious testimonials. It seems that in childhood, little Ginger, stricken with warts, first employed the bury-the-potato method to no avail. Shamefaced at her lapse in faith, Ginger then tried prayer, which--lo and behold(!)--vanquished the warts, leading to a lifetime of unwavering, prayerful devotion. So says Ginger in three scores of hindsight, at any rate.
   
   These sorts of rose-colored recollections might justifiably strain the credulity of even similarly devout readers, and will certainly alienate young film buffs, who tend to lean toward the cynical and metrosexual. This is too bad, because La Ginger was indisputably one of the great geniuses of the Golden Era--one who could not only dance like the wind and sing tolerably but act, both dramatically and comically. She was a quadruple threat, as evidenced by her Oscar turn in *Kitty Foyle* and her uproarious comic rhythm in classics like *Swing Time*, *Stage Door*, *Tom, Dick, and Harry*, and *Monkey Business*.
   
   On the bright sider, evidence of Ginger's cross-medium artistic ability is plentiful in *Ginger, My Story*. While her memoir doesn't come close to matching the literariness or wit of say, Tallulah Bankhead's, it conveys a sense of physical place and culture with an effectiveness unparalleled by other Hollywood bios. Whether Ginger is squatting in the dirt at her childhood home in Independence Missouri, sashaying around Astaire, or cringing at a bull fight in Rio, the reader can see, feel, and smell things as they were. This delightful sense of immersion makes *Ginger, My Story* a more than worthwhile read, despite what I would call the book's principal flaw: the author's tendency to depict the otherworld of human relationships in black-and-white, two-dimensional terms.
   
   Four stars.

5 comments about Evasion.

1. I wish the Evasion kid went more into detail on certain things. I don't think that he was very clear on why exactly he was vegan, why he became homeless, why he did anything at all. It was just "free" but I wanted to understand his ideas a bit better, I suppose. If he has ideas, I mean.
   
   He reminds me of some of my friends. I started working an "under the table" job and I'm not "selling out" or giving into "the man" I'm just making money. And it's annoying when I've worked my [...] off then I have moocher friends like the Evasion kid that have no problem having you pay their way. Clearly not everyone can live like this kid.
   
   Interesting though. I'm going to have to pass it on to some friends.



2. Writing a review about 3 years after reading it. Spent time with the author's crowd and even talked to him a little.
   
   Good things: fun stories with a loose flowing conversational feel, and achieves some superficial excitement. I learned a few things in here that saved my life when broke.
   
   Bad things: for every authentic experience there's a pseudo-rebellious observation that sounds like it comes from the worst mooch of a roommate you could ever imagine. You know the kind- rants against the man, sob stories when the rent's due, and won't do the dishes. The crowd of people who relate to this book is full of scenesters and slumming people with attitudes like that, so try not to laugh if they use the term "working class". The book sounds like it's trying really hard to be something you should make part of your life- don't get suckered.



3. recently purchased this book from crimethinc and could not be more content with this piece of literature. This story is very compelling and gives a closer look at what society is able to throw away and what others are able to salvage from their garbage to create an interesting, adventurous lifestyle. Definately worth the price, pick this up for a good read.



4. If you have a wild imagination and a heart you will probally like enjoy the way this writer goes about turning small tasks into romantic adventures, but if you are a millitant and stoic machine only concearned with the rights and wrongs of revolution and dont relize that peoples ways of overcomming forms of opression can be complete different then the way you would go about it then you may want to not pick this one up.



5. 
   Okay - this is one of the best books I've real in the last 5 years. Although I disagree with alot of the author's personal tenets (shoplifting, minor fraud) I do agree that the world is a landscape/playground, and that the corporate octopus has truly enslaved us all and made us soft.
   
   This is written in journal style - one can imagine the author scribbling down his thoughts in front of some coffee house. His frank style is absent in current literature and gives authenticity to his prose. "Unknown" goes to great pains to put out his philosophy, while keeping his adventures in chronological order.
   
   Best story: his travels to Milwaukee and the metal fest. I can just imagine him sneaking in to a place he would normally never go.
   
   GREAT read. Pick this up!

5 comments about The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science--A Memoir.

1. The Woman Who Can't Forget introduces Jill Price, the first person diagnosed with the condition "hyperthymestic Syndrome" the continuous, automatic, autobiographical recall of every day of her life since the age of fourteen. Once you get over the parlor trick aspect of this condition ..."what happened Monday, September 25, 1978....the crash of PSA flight over San Diego" and on and on and on. What fascinated me were her feelings of being held hostage by memories that were as fresh on recall as the day they occurred. When a memory arises, she feels the emotions of the event with the same vividness as the day they occurred. Memories from a child's perspective are remembered as such, not tempered through the lens of adult understanding. It wasn't until she contacted Dr. James McGaugh of the University of California at Irvine, a renowned memory specialist, did she find someone who understood and could explain the condition. She tries to explain to the outside world what she struggles with every day. Her goal is to become the caretaker of her memories, not their hostage. Written with insight and humor Jill recounts a life where she felt imprisoned by her memory, her struggles to understand and cope and the change love brought into her life.



2. While the author's autobiographical memory is nothing short of remarkable, she comes across as an easily controlled, whiny woman. The book is also filled with grammatical errors which slow down the story, and the portion about her husband makes this reader wonder why she thought such a self-centered man could be considered a catch. He didn't even think enough of her or her family to take his diabetes meds and stick around to enjoy old age.
   
   Of course, what's engrossing about his story is the author's ability to recall even the must mundane of facts, and is worth reading because of that.



3. Having listened to all of the unabridged audio version of this book, I second both of the earlier 2-star reviews.



4. Jill Price is remarkably skilled at perfectly retrieving memories of her past and significant historic events by day and date, but is unable to do justice to that fact through her memoir. Born in NYC in 1965 and raised in an upper-middle class Jewish family, she didn't realize until the age of twelve that her memory was remarkable. At thirty-four, she sought help from renowned memory researcher Dr. James McGaugh. Six years later, he and his colleagues published the results of their extensive testing on "AJ," entitled, A Case of Unusual Autobiographical Remembering (fifteen specific, scientific-minded pages readily available online).
   
   I'd love to spend an hour listening to her talk about her memories (she did well in an NPR interview), but can't say the same about her life story in written form. Ms. Price comes across as a needy, privileged packrat who tends to dwell on the negative, especially her mother's incessant naggings about her weight (an ongoing theme), her father's abandonment of the family, and her mother's health problems. A few things make the book almost palatable: brief descriptions of certain types of memory, references to stories with memory-related themes, and chapter-preceding quotes (probably provided by the co-author). But it's hard to get past distractions like the overuse of certain words and phrases, sometimes on the same page (e.g., "thought-provoking," "hugely relieved," "wrenching," and "stoicism"); the three page time line (a waste of paper); the overinclusion of the minutiae of her everday life (no more interesting than the average person's); the awful, amateurish writing; and the obvious lack of editing. And just when you think it can't get worse, you reach chapter 9 (warning-spoilers), in which you learn that this right-side-of-the-tracks-born, pampered, hoarder, rich girl meets the love of her life, a tattooed, pierced, flannel-wearing Type I Diabetes-afflicted (although in denial about), divorced father of two...in a chat room. The only "thought-provoking" thing about the book that you can't read on the dust jacket is what she considers too "personal" to share with readers, considering her willingness to gush about bedding her beau on their second day together. The Woman Who Can't Forget is a forgettable memoir about an average woman with an incredible memory. Better books on brains: A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas, Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet, and A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. And by Yasunari Kawabata: The Old Capital.



5. I know this book was ghostwritten but it went too far in making it seem it was written by an average person. It read at about 7th grade level. I realize doctors and scientists do not know much about this unusual condition yet was disappointed there was not more discussion of the medical and psychological history, physiology and studies about memory. The memoir about Jill's life is just not that interesting.

2 comments about Still Alive: A Temporary Condition.

1. Less a memoir than a series of essays on what it means to face aging gracefully, this wonderful book is more a self-portrait in the pointillist style. Gold has filtered out what isn't essential, has only included the facts of his life that are pertinent. It's invigorating to read how he spends his time now, always open to possibility, but unwilling to compromise. It is also a love story of intense power for his still beloved former wife, although they had been apart for over a decade before her death in 1991. His respect for that remarkable woman shine forth on every page.



2. This very funny and very wise book by Herbert Gold is a return to form for him, and a reminder of why his storytelling has been so popular for decades. Gold is one of the last true bohemians, and his having the wit to be baffled by his own survival makes this a very entertaining read.
   
   Aside from the great stories that he tells in this book, however, there is something new and deep from him--a wisdom about growing older, and about watching friends disappear. Whether it's in his story about Saul Bellow, or about the other friends who've either lost their liveliness--or their lives--Gold manages to be hilarious before you realize you've been powerfully moved by what you've read.
   
   A great read for everyone, I can't recommend this highly enough.