5 comments about Leave the Building Quickly: True Stories (P.S.).

1. I loved this book. I thought it was witty and funny and a great read to relax with and just enjoy. I wish it were longer.. I didn't want to finish it.



2. I bought this book after reading a good review. It was terrible! One chapter explains how a close friend and mentor told her that the book wasn't ready for publication. She made fun of him for being so foolish - she should have listened!



3. This is a book of essays (unlike a novel, which I thought it was when I bought it). But, I read it as I had already bought it. As essays, they are amusing; not hilarious or funny as is described elsewhere, but just amusing. They do not have much substance; they did not make me think, or change my mind, or do anything except amuse me. If that's all you want, by all means, buy this. But do not expect to be greatly enlightened or have your thinking changed; Plato or Machiavelli are much better authors for those purposes.
   
   In short, if you like essays about nothing in particular, you might want to consider this book. If you're expecting something else, forget it.



4. Very easy and quick read. I was laughing out loud the whole time. All the things you thought only you were thinking, wrong- Cynthia Kaplan is too!



5. I read many titles steeped in humor but this just failed to impress me. I didn't get very far into it before I made my decision to discontinue my time with it. I've never read Kaplan before and doubt I will again. She attempts to write in a self-deprecating manner like other humor authors, but for me, it failed to have the same effect. I just didn't think she was that likable. Her stories failed to capture my interest. There were a few notable points, but they didn't arouse laughter in me as I was expecting.
   I suppose if you're in the mood for a few stories from a mostly negative-minded Mother, then this book is for you.

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

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



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



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



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



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

No comments about The Lost Art of Walking: The History, Science, and Literature of Pedestrianism.

5 comments about Honeymoon with My Brother: A Memoir.

1. This book is absolutely phenomenal!! I bought the book with Franz and his brother came to the UC Davis bookstore (and they both signed it for me!) but didn't end up reading it until 2 years later while I was on holiday in Japan and Shanghai.
   
   I didn't have a highlighter with me so I decided to dog ear any pages that stood out to me...the whole book is pretty much dog eared!
   
   seriously - it's a really FUNNY memoir of his travels.. and I think it definitely hits home more for anyone who has traveled (even if not to the extent they have!). He points out nuances about traveling that you will totally understand and you'll chuckle to yourself when you realize how TRUE everything he says is.
   
   Definitely a must read!



2. Loved the idea, but the writing disappointed me, and bored me in the second half. Too much annie rambling (grow up franz, sorry), and too much about himself, conquests (care factor : 0) and not enough about the countries visited in those two years.
   Those places and people met deserve a better travelogue than this. Three stars is to oppose the current rating, i did enjoy the read but didnt found this an exceptional book.



3. My book club just finished "Honeymoon With My Brother" and we just loved it. It was adventurous, funny and sad. If you are in a bookclub just e-mail him he is just wonderful. Two weeks ago we had bookclub and I called him and he presented over the phone to our club his book. Last night we had bookclub and I called him and we were on speaker phone for at least 45 minutes to a hour. I just can't say enough about the book and Franz.



4. Whether or not you like this book depends entirely on your ability to tolerate the voice of Franz "the Wiz" Wisner. This memoir covers a two-year trek around the world taken by Wisner (adored by all) and his brother after Wisner is dumped by his fiancée right before his wedding. The two men are true world travelers in that they journey to some of the most remote and exotic locales in the world often as backpackers without guidebooks or set itinerary. The problem I had with this book is that given the depth of their travels, the writing and insights are sophomoric.
   
   The book reads like a high school student articulating his eye-opening experiences after his first trip abroad: "Your best experience will be something spontaneous. Travel is the only investment with guaranteed returns.... ...poverty doesn't equate to unhappiness." Four months spent in Africa constitutes only 32-pages. Perhaps this is because it is the one continent Wisner did not have any sexual conquests to share. Considering these two men are in their thirties, their level of immaturity and self-absorption is astounding. Most of the book served as a platform for Wisner to expound on his many great accomplishments, his list of loyal friends, his sexual prowess, and his personal witty commentary. I continued reading the book in the hopes that Wisner would evolve over the course of his travels, but no.
   
   The second star is because I did actually finish the book and because some of it was amusing--although I think unintentionally so.



5. . . .you might enjoy this.
   
   Same sort of premise--a big life change precipitates world travel. In Eat Pray Love--a divorce, in this case, a canceled wedding.
   
   Wisner does think a bit about his circumstances, but in general this book is more about the travel than the introspection, which I enjoyed. He does examine the rediscovery of a relationship with his brother, which added a level of personal examination to it.
   
   You could call this the man's Eat Pray Love.
   
   If you dream about the idea of taking a year off and seeing the world, hang out with Franz and his brother for a couple hundred pages.

5 comments about All Things Bright and Beautiful.

1. Whether you love animals, England, or just great stories, James Herriot's memoirs of his career as a country vet will really hit the spot.
   
   Here is a collection of experients he has had in his career of working with animals in the English countryside, full of biting humor and observation that will have you laughing hysterically as well as more than a few that will touch your heart and bring a tear to your eye.
   
   His writing is oberservant, clever, and delightfully simple as to get the story across. It's like he is talking to you, and it is clear that he enjoyed his life.



2. Want to laugh and cry - then the Harriot books are for you. If you are an animal lover and want to read some really good, fascinating stories, please read these books. You will love them!



3. All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot is a true classic and I can see why it has been such a big seller through many decades. Sadly, I missed seeing his books when they were made into a television series. This autobiographical work is charming and delightful.
   
   Jim Herriot was a vet in Yorkshire, England. He was pretty much a country veterinarian, servicing farm animals for most of his years. He began his career when the practice of being a vet was pretty much in the dark ages. Antibiotics were not yet on the horizon and many of today's vaccines weren't invented. Each chapter is a story about a different experience--birthing a lamb, caring for injured animals, judging a favorite pet contest, tasting homemade wine, etc. Through them all, we get to sense Jim's love for his job, his patients, and the simple but grateful folk he came in contact with every day. Many times, being a vet was also to be a detective. He often had to come up with a diagnosis for a mystery ailment, and he had to deal with everything from copper deficiencies to hairballs. As in life, not all of his stories have happy endings.
   
   I am happy to have finally acquainted myself with James Herriot and will definitely read more of his books. I have already started James Herriot's Dog Stories.



4. Is there anyone who read ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL and who didn't rush right out and buy this one next? I didn't think so. I gave the first one a rave review, and rightfully so, but somehow I don't recall enjoying it as much as I did this one. He's an amazing talent on so many levels. Read the real reviews by the real reviewers. They're all true. This man lived in the moment, and he enjoyed all in life that is enjoyable.



5. We listened to this book on a trip and wanted to keep driving so it wouldn't end! It was a collection of Mr. Herriot's adventures as a country vet in England, and was so delightfully written. Having lived with the various ailments of large animals, the occasional realistic descriptions of ailments did not bother us. Someone not accustomed to large animals and their care, might find it too descriptive. We enjoyed the book immensely and hope to hear them all!

5 comments about First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.).

1. What a powerful, remarkable story that centers on a girl's will to survive. I won't forget this book, not for a very long time, if ever. I felt like I was with the narrator, right beside her, in the midst of the killing fields. Whenever I'm having a tough day now, and worried about some trivial thing, I remember this book. Fantastic. "First They Killed My Father" certainly isn't an easy read (in terms of emotional intensity), but it's one of the most important books I've read.



2. Wow, I was blown away by this book. Despite the virtually universal good reviews, this book sat on my desk for months. I wasn't sure I was up to reading about the horrors of Pol Pot. I have seen the pictures of the Killing Fields and read about it before.
   
   But my conscience bothered me and I eventually read it, thinking if it was too depressing, I'd simply chuck it. But like many, I was sucked in once I started - read it in less than a day - stayed up half the night reading.
   
   Powerful story of survival and the incredible cruelty of Man brought about by ignorance and poverty.



3. I read all but a couple chapters of this book on a flight across the US. It is easy reading and I could not put it down. The horrors this author went through will make the reader pause to count his blessings. I think this is a must read for anyone who is unfamiliar with Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.



4. When I started to read the memoir, it was very hard to put down. It is written in first person tense through the eyes of a young girl struggling through the Khmer Rouge insurgency in Cambodia. I am a 1st generation American whose mother grew up in war torn Vietnam, so I had an interest in the Southeast Asian set memoir. Now I am trying to find ones as good as this one, but set in with my mother's experiences. This book was an in depth way to learn about the people & the recent history of struggle which many Cambodian Americans no doubt have also lived through but not spoken of. It really reinforces that family and love are the most important things in life. It's a must read.



5. The book is very well-written. Loung Ung wrote with compassion,spirtual, and horrenic activities growing up under the Khmer Rogue regime. She experiences tortues,stravation, and execution of her parents. This book is very interesting to learn what the author went through live under a horrendous communist movement. The author wrote this book in a sense to give the reader an image on the conflict of war that is going in Cambodia. Readers would not be able to put this book down since it give the readers a hint of life growing up in the Khmer Rouge. Ung had to move from different works camps at a young age, and she experienced a hardship growing up in Cambodia during the 1974 to 1979. Between these two years, she watch baby brother died of stravation and the loss of his parent by the Khmer Rogue. Having to travel a large distance to Vietnam, Loung experience the execution of her people. The book will change your prespective of life and the mistery of what the cambodia people been through during the killing field years. Highly recommened to any type of readers.

5 comments about The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.

1. Two Literacy Students at the Aguilar Language Learning Center (of the New York Public Library) recently read this book in their tutoring group and wrote these reviews:
   
   MARIA LOPEZ
   This book made me laugh, made me feel sad, and broke my heart. I found the book fascinating. It was a great read. One of my favorite passages was the description of Ruth riding her bicycle. One part that made me laugh and laugh was when Ruth and Mary got boyfriends. I also love when Ruth disappeared for a few days and went to Brooklyn to visit her old friends.
   
   I loved the chapter about Chicken Man. James thought he was smarter than people thought. That is true. He is very smart! Also, I was very sad to read about how James acted as a teenager. I think that he must have felt very lonely.
   
   I really enjoyed reading The Color of Water. I have never read a book like it before. I learned a lot about different cultures and the value of family.
   
   
   MARIAME TRAORE
   I recommend The Color of Water by James McBride because it teaches us about family values and culture. James McBride was raised with many brothers and sisters in the early 60¹s by his white mother. As a child, McBride always questioned why he and the rest of his family look different from his mother. As he got older he found out the truth and learned to respect his family and his culture.



2. Take a minute for yourself and your family and please read The Color of Water. What you can learn from this book expert in a few minutes is that the McBride family is no different from my big family. We came from the South to the North for a good life and to get a good education. A black man married out of his race and struggled. They had to keep the marriage quiet because in the South, if a black man was walking down the street, and a white woman was walking down the same street, the black man would have to turn his head away. I have no problem passing this book to a family member or a friend. I relate to this book because my kids married our of their race. If they are happy then I'm happy too. It is your right to marry whomever you want. Don't listen to people telling you that it can't work out. Listen to what God is saying and it will work. Have you ever watched little boys and girls play in the park? Sit down and watch. They do not see color. Kids live to have fun. Growing up in the same neighborhood, they are good friends. But somewhere down the line these relationships may change. I notice that we are beginning to understand each other better, and books like The Color of Water pave the way for this better understanding.



3. This is a remarkably unsentimental portrayal of a black man's white, Jewish mother who finds a life with those of another race more sustaining than staying with her own.



4. This book had been on my shelf for a long time. Having just finished it, I can only wish that I would have read it much, much sooner.
   
   This book alternates chapters between the author's voice (the son, James McBride) and the mother's voice. He uses italics for those chapters in his mother's words and, while it seems this would be clear enough, I still got very confused in the first half of the book. I would begin a chapter knowing it was in the mother's voice because of the italics but, once I was heavily into the chapter, I would get confused about the family history because both her chapters and his chapters are written in first person. This is the only reason I gave this book 4 stars vs. 5, because it was otherwise an outstanding and truly touching read.
   
   This is the story of a white Jewish woman who marries a black man and raises 12 children (a combination of his children and her second husband's). Despite the fact that the family was desperately poor during much of their lives, all of her children went to college and most went on to be doctors, teachers, nurses, etc. She wasn't exactly the picture of a smiling, perfect Donna Reed-like mom; she was a tough cookie, but she fiercely loved her children and raised them to be good people. All of this while being completely shunned by her own family because she married a black man and left home against the wishes of her tyrant father.
   
   In my earlier adulthood, I definitely had a chip on my shoulder about my own childhood not being a piece of cake but, when compared with this woman's ordeal, my family was something out of a happy-go-lucky TV sitcom. I think anyone who is in a "my life is so hard" mindset would be well served by reading this book. Sometimes what we need is a healthy dose of someone *else's* reality to remind us that our own is not really all that bad.



5. I wanted to love this book. And I almost did. I was hooked at the beginning, but the further I read, the more discouraged I became. I could not really like any of the people and I was not impressed at all with "Mommy" or at least the portrayal of her. I think the story was good, but the telling of it was weak, unclear and toward the end, rambling. There were several spots where it could have and in my opinion should have, ended. Indeed, I set it aside for over a week with only 50 pages to go and only finished it when I had nothing else to read.

5 comments about Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy.

1. I am married to a pedro pan kid/man Ovidio Fernandez now 58, and have read many books on the pedro pan saga. This one is the most memorable and touching of them all. I lost my copy in the katrina flood and have violated my promise,not to replace lost books, by purchasing this one beloved book.



2. Very good, ethereal account of Eire's time in Cuba before being sent to the US on his own at age 12 to escape Communist Cuba. Sad, funny, disturbing.
   
   Ultimately, I think its mostly joyful, though. If you look at the photo of Carlos as a small boy, and as a 50-something Yale U. professor of History and Religion, the same tight-lipped smile and smiling eyes come through. The boy became the man, despite the worst, and some of these experiences do count as worst.



3. I forced myself to finish this book. I say that because I have no idea what all these people are talking about. I LOVE to read- honestly, i probably read 10 books a month. Finding good books that you can't put down is my hobby. Not to say this book isn't good, because it is, but the good parts are so intermixed with the author's worthless drivel thoughts about NOTHING that you can't focus on the good stuff. I found myself skimming through entire chapters and i NEVER do that!
   
   It IS a moving memoir about the Cuban Revolution and I like that part, but aside from that, I did not enjoy it. After reading the book, I know a TINY bit more about the Cuban revolution and ALOT more about this guy's hatred of lizards and his fear of his grandmother's house.
   
   Some people may like it, just like some people like Picasso. That is what I would equate it to- a newer style of writing where the author thinks that the average reader WANTS to know every single worthless thought that runs through his head- and some of that may be interesting. But after the book, you definitely wonder if someone would buy your own book if you wrote down everything you were thinking about and disguised it under an interesting time in history. Just like Picasso, you think "I could probably do this on my own if I wanted."
   
   Skip it. Buy something you can't put down because this is definitely not one of those!



4. Eire is a master of practical prose and humourous metaphors. And this, his memoir of his once carefree days of childhood in Cuba before the Revolution, abounds in both. It was very enjoyable to read as the author vividly dipicted everyday life in Havana, from his quirky family life to his reckless escapades with his buddies. He really does make you feel, hear, see, smell, and taste what he did growing up. It's easy to be swiftly swept away by the author's personal and disarming style as he recounts the time he and his friends blew up one of those hateful lizards with a firecracker. Or the time his Catholic teacher warned him of immorality. Or how his elementary crush was horrifyingly brought out in public.
   Despite these comical stories, Eire does carry a great deal of gravity, especially when referring to Castro in bitterness. His inside view of the horrors and bloodiness that accompanied the Revolution makes it painfully real to the reader. He creates an indignance against the ruthless dictator and sympathy towards the suffering Cubans. Thank you, Mr. Eire, for bringing these injustices with all their force to reality for us.
   My only issue with this book is the careless and flippant way the author(a professor of religious studies at Yale) seems to treat God. He repeatedly uses Jesus' name and all the images in his childhood home as a subject of jest. And he tries (inadequately in my opinion) to explain faith with reason, something that simply cannot be done.
   So go ahead and read or even buy this book, it will be well worth it and you'll enjoy it. Only keep your head on when you come to the religious parts.



5. This is a beautiful book. I read it about 3 years ago when it first came out and it still haunts me. While it was written by one of the children evacuated from Cuba, that's really not the story. It's a story of Cuba and the people that lived there prior to and during the revolution. Funny, yet sad, heart-warming yet shocking, foreign yet hitting all too close to home. It's story-telling without peer. A great read.

5 comments about Confessions of a Carb Queen: A Memoir.

1. I applaud Susan for being so brave to write this book. I have never been over weight, but while shopping at the book store the design and title caught my eye, so I bought it. I have recommended it to all my large and small friends.
   Susan, you are my hero!



2. I really loved this book- Interesting, inspirational- You'll never look at an obese person the same again! Just today I saw an obese man and I made myself look at him in the eye and smile- Just as I would do to anyone. I never noticed how I would avoid eye contact before.
   Loved it.



3. I really liked this book! Ms. Blech has a wonderful flow of writing that made me fly though this book like conversation. I felt at the end like we had journeyed together and I made a new best friend who I was so proud of and inspried by! Thanks Susan! Keep writing!



4. Susan was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo transparent about her binges. I could relate.. Very open about the hardships of finding romance when one is a overweight woman.. The part that I most related with was the relationships she had with her mother and father..I really appreciate that she wrote this book. This will help me to lose the "last 40lbs"...



5. Susan Blech was on a downhill path. In her late 30s, she weighed an amazing 468 pounds. This amazing book is about the path she took to get to that place, what life was like in that place, and about the steps she took to lose over 268 pounds without surgery. I call this book amazing because I probably had my mouth open the entire time I was reading it. You won't believe what this girl used to put in her mouth every day. That someone could eat this much and still be alive is amazing. For all her lack of self control, Susan must be a very strong woman. She was still alive and able to turn her life around. Some people never get that chance.
   
   She used to go up and down both sides of the street picking up gigantic bags of food from every fast food place, eat it all in her car, and then dispose of the bags, convincing herself that it didn't count if she ate the food in her car. Some weeks she would spend $300 to $400 dollars on fast food.
   
   This was especially interesting to me because she lost the majority of her weight at a weight loss center in Durham, NC called the Rice House. That's only about an hour from my house.
   
   Susan talks about her life. She grew up in a house with no mother since hers was in assisted care after a stroke. She ate as a form of self-medication for the pain she felt. She talks about her friendships, boyfriends, and siblings.
   
   Anyway, this is a fascinating read. Susan also includes recipes of low-calorie, low-fat foods. I have been trying some of them, and they are good.

2 comments about Racing Odysseus: A College President Becomes a Freshman Again.

1. Martin shares his life as a "Boomer Freshman", complete with rekindling of adolescent problems he had thought were long buried, with humor and candor, and meanwhile gives those of us who feel sheepish about not having actually read the Greek Classics painless synopses set against observations on the geopolitical dramas of today and the author's all-too-real concerns about his own mortality. Amazingly, he's combined all of this in a quick and satisfying read that makes you feel like you've done something to better yourself.



2. Interwoven themes of mid-life personal growth and recovery, contemporary college education commentary, and snippets of Ancient Greek literary wisdom, with a refreshing and upbeat message! This book has it all, from the serious to the humorous, as a tranformative tale of work, love, mind ,and body. It is uplifting and deftly done. The author describes a personal journey that adds new meaning to being a 'life-long learner'. And, he documents the life force of youth in current culture against a backdrop of literature that spans human history. It seems to me that he has captured the elan vital that exists across the generational divide. And, he shows us a perspective that tears down this divide, like the Fall of the Berlin Wall, to expose a very warm, human story that anyone, of any age, can relate to. It is a refreshing and uplifting read that leaves the reader a better person.
   Having visited the St. John's College campus,in Annapolis, Maryland, several times, I can attest to the flawless accuracy of his descriptions of the college setting, activities, and staff.