5 comments about Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de France.

1. I came away feeling there's no way that Floyd Landis doped or cheated. The anti-doping organizations of the world are so desperate to clean up the sport and prove they're worth the funding being given them. Unfortunately, it appears that they and the labs they use are guilty of bad science and sloppy work. Floyd's talented, trained extremely hard, has a single minded determination and focus, and a phenomenal ability to suffer. The story of his upbringing in Farmersville, Pennsylvania and his road to professional cycling is fascinating. Ride on, Floyd!



2. Great stuff. Floyd is such a winner, looking forward to seeing him race again. It's an alarming shame the trial process is such a sham.



3. The book was an eye opener to the world of drug testing - good reading too



4. One of the best books I've read recently, it was very well written. I believe Floyd was falsely accused, in part because of things he said or did before or even during the race. I feel it was a way to get back or get even with him. Sad but true that sometimes happens. We know Dr. Arnie Baker and feel that if he backs Floyd, Floyd must be innocent. I will be passing this book along to friends so they might reach their own conclusion.



5. This book is a great read, and clearly sets forth what you won't hear in the news. He did not fail the drug test, and the USADA should be ashamed of themselves -- I can't believe my tax dollars supported the USADA garbage.

5 comments about Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language.

1. this was one of the best books i've ever read. it was packed with profound insights. the writing itself is just beautiful.



2. A wonderful book on moving from one culture to another and one language to another--Polish to English. Anyone who has had this experience will immediately identify with the author. Eva Hoffman writes beautifully about every nuance of her family's move as a young teenager from Communist Poland to Canada. Cultures that are superficially similar turn out to be very different and the effect on family life is staggering.



3. Hoffman's description of Poland in the Communist years following World War II is riveting, and so is her narrative of life in the U.S. following her arrival here at age 13. But what impresses me most about this book is its assured writing style, and the author's ability to skip back and forth from one decade and year to another without boring or losing the reader. Hoffman is an unusually gifted writer. I am using her text as a teaching tool for a would-be memoir/autobiographer. Thank heaven her parents survived the Holocaust and brought her to us.



4. I started reading this wonderful book 6 months before I left Brazil towards Israel. After finishing the first Part (Paradise) I just could not keep on reading, and I abandoned the book for a while. After I landed in Israel I re-took the book and was delighted again with the realness of it. A thought occurred to me that the reading was so descriptive of the immigration sentiment that I just could not understand it before immigrating myself.
   
   The book helped me to understand and to organize the infinite sensations that come with the leaving/arriving to another country. How the language affects the way we think and act, how sadness and happiness are mingled into one strange feeling, how we cope and forget without noticing, and how we urge to succeed and prove that we can be part of the new country.
   
   In addition, the book also brought to me new feelings and curiosities about my grandparents, whom also escaped from Poland and Russia in the late 40's. Hoffman describes so well how the old traditions and languages influenced the new live of those who left their country because of prejudice and persecution!
   
   One passage that I am specially fond of: "No, I'm no patriot, nor was I ever allowed to be. And yet, the country of my childhood lives within me with a primacy that is a form of love. (...) All it has given me is the world, but that is enough. It has fed me language, perceptions, sounds, the human kind. It has given me the colors and the furrows of reality, my first loves. The absoluteness of those loves can never be recaptured: no geometry of the landscape, no haze in the air, will live in us as intensely as the landscapes that we saw as the first, and to which we gave ourselves wholly, without reservations." It reminds me of Wordsworth when he writes about Tintern Abbey.
   
   A wonderful life-changing book.



5. I loved this book when it came out and I love it still many rereadings later. This portrait of the Wandering Jew as a young girl begins with Hoffman's childhood in Cracow, Poland just after the second world war; moves to Vancouver, British Columbia when she is thirteen; continues on to Texas and Massachusetts for her university years; and ends in New York, where she becomes a writer and an editor at the New York Times Book Review. It encompasses many themes: the defining power of language; the cost of changing cultures, the construction of personal identity, and the consequences, for many Jews, of the Nazi and Communist regimes. Hoffman was born in the summer of 1945. Like many Jews in post-war, Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe, the Hoffmans observed Passover and had home-baked challah, on shabbat but Eva was culturally Polish, reading Sienkiewicz's nationalistic novels, playing Chopin etudes, attending church with her friends, receiving gifts on St. Nicholas's Day. After emigration, she adapts to North American culture, first Canadian, then Texan, then New York. This is a memoir squarely in the Jewish immigrant tradition but one in which the immigrant is a graduate student at Harvard, and relates her situation not only to Mary Antin but to contexts laid out by Sartre and Nabokov, Jung and Freud. Lost in Translation contains stories and essays, phrases to ruminate on, ideas to consider. It is a demanding read that challenges its reader to consider her own autobiography, her own childhood, her own assumptions. Having compiled an international bibliography of Jewish women's non-fiction books with poet Irena Klepfisz (available on my website) , I can say this is one of my favorites.

5 comments about My Cousin the Saint: A Search for Faith, Family, and Miracles.

1. When I first came across this book, I read a few reviews and thought it sounded like a delightful story. I grabbed a copy of it as soon as I could get my hands on one and since finishing it, I've recommended the book over and over again. It may be the only book I've ever read that appeals to so many people for so many different reasons.
   
   It's a wonderful story of a young Italian American man learning more about his family (both here and there) and one very special, sainted relative; it's a bright and entertaining look at everyday life in Italy, it's a fascinating view of the people whose job it is to 'make saints' and it's a very open account of some deeply personal times. The author talks frankly about the illness and death of his brother, and his ongoing questions about faith, being Christian and what it means to him today.
   
   The author has taken many different threads and woven a wonderful story; a cloak of many colors. Justin Catanoso's style is engaging, entertaining and extremely readable even while moving into topics that might be a bit difficult to understand, like the whole saint-making process. He brings the individuals in the story so much to life, I genuinely felt sad at the unexpected loss of an important family member.
   
   As a Jesuit-schooled Catholic of a certain age, I could also really relate to some of the personal questions he raises about faith and religion. I think a lot of us have the same feelings, yet think we're alone with our questions or doubts.
   
   For me, the book was really very thought-provoking on many levels. Reading it did made me more determined than ever to get to Italy some day!



2. I stumbled upon this book by accident, and in spite of that, or perhaps because if it, I have been deeply touched. I do not search out religious literature, and would not normally seek out a book about a saint. Instead it was given to me by a friend. While My Cousin the Saint is nominally about Padre Gaetano Catanoso, a recently canonized saint from the Italian region of Calabria, the story is deeper and more personal. Author Justin Catanoso tells the story that all children of immigrant families want to tell. The author recounts his family's history on both sides of Atlantic. We follow the life and works of Padre Gaetano, a humble parish priest, and learn how he influenced and helped generations of Southern Italians, from the poorest and least educated villages. We also follow the life and history of Padre Gaetano's first cousin, the author's grandfather, Carmelo Catanoso, from his immigration to Philadelphia, to his life raising a family and building a business in Wildwood, New Jersey.
   
   The story, however, is not Gaetano's or Carmelo's. It is Justin's. It is not a book about Padre Gaetano; it is a book about writing a book about Padre Gaetano. Justin brings us along with him on his journey to rediscover his family in Italy and to rediscover his lapsed Catholic faith. Ultimately, the author is on a quest to rediscover himself. The author does not overplay the rediscovery hand, however. There are no great epiphanies, no grand lessons. In that respect, the book is not about the miraculous, but more about the human. Padre Gaetano's miracles are documented in a clinical fashion. The reader can decide whether they are true miracles or mere medical oddities. Padre Gaetano himself never claimed to be a miracle worker, just the "little donkey of Christ." What is more profound is the degree of love and trust the Catanoso family has in each other: brother, sister, husband, wife, parent, and cousin. It is a trust and love that not even Padre Gaetano is above or beyond.
   
   The book is written with humor and humility. I literally laughed out loud and called family members to share the story of the author's Uncle Tony's unauthorized side trip to find his Calabrian relatives during World War II. Uncle Tony's tale of finding his ancestral village is either miraculous or absurdly serendipitous. As a reader, I felt like I was sitting down to each meal with the Catanoso family. Like Padre Gaetano himself, My Cousin the Saint is neither preachy nor lofty. It is a joyful Italian sharing. In the end, what both the reader and the author walk away with is a deep respect for the power of familial love.



3. This could have been a boring read, even as a Catholic and who shares a common upbringing, I was worried it might take me a bit to get through. I was wrong. The story is told as if Justin is sitting in your living room sharing this with you. You don't have to be a Catholic or someone who was raised in similar circumstances to enjoy My Cousin The Saint. Buy this book and sit back and enjoy a trip through Southern Italy and Southern Jew Jersey.



4. "My Cousin the Saint" is a terrific account of both branches of a family from Calabria, the part of Southern Italy that is in the tip of "boot" on the map. One from the side of the author's grandfather, Carmelo Catanoso, who emigrated to America in 1903 when he was 16 years old, and all his descendants, and the other branch that remained in Italy, and included the pious priest, Padre Gaetano Catanoso, who died in 1963 and was canonized in 2005.
   
   It is the author Justin Catanoso who has brought both branches together in the writing of this lovely book, because of Padre Gaetano becoming a saint. Family members who did not know of each other's existence now were united, and the roots of their Italian ancestors bringing meaning and depth to the life of those in America. The author weaves both sides of the story seamlessly and skillfully, contrasting the poverty in Calabria, that had its share of the horrors of both world wars, to the Catanosos in Philadelphia, where with diligence and hard work, all things were possible for Grandfather Carmelo and his sons.
   
   If the book has a weakness, it is when the author focuses on himself rather than his relatives; even the language loses its beauty and becomes more ordinary, even coarse on 3 or 4 occasions (which might be jarring for those who are reading this book specifically because of Padre Gaetano, and are used to a more "sublime" tone of writing). Nevertheless, "My Cousin the Saint" is a lovingly written book, and the author did a tremendous amount of research which handsomely pays off. Also greatly appreciated are the wonderful photographs, especially the older ones, with the stupendous portrait of Padre Gaetano as a young priest of special value. The book also includes a map and a "Cast of Characters," that are useful.
   
   Padre Gaetano's life story is an account of humble service, and untiring love for his fellow man, and will inspire many. Carmelo's story of coming to America with nothing and achieving much will motivate and encourage others. It all makes great reading, and we thank Justin Catanoso for making it all possible.



5. My Cousin the Saint is provocative--it's impossible to read this book and not contemplate your own faith and the meaning of family. I consider myself far too practical and rational to be religious. So it was interesting reading about how someone with the same self-image started believing. Or at least trying to.
   
   Furthermore Catanoso's vivid descriptions of his family in the United States and in Italy provides an interesting contrast of the social norms in those two countries.
   
   Growing up outside of Boston, I was jealous of my many Italian-American classmates and their large, boisterous families. This book confirms that my envy was well founded.

4 comments about Poor Man's Provence: Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana.

1. In 1996, after having covered the South for over three decades as a newspaper reporter and columnist, Rheta Grimsley Johnson., with her husband Don, journeyed from their home in Iuka, Miss., to the shores of the vast Atchafalaya Swamp.
   
   They purchased the Green Queen, a gawky one-room houseboat, and soon bought a cottage in the nearby town of Henderson, which "may well be the funkiest little town in Louisiana." There she fell in love with the people, traditions and culture of Acadiana.
   
   A marvelous prose stylist, Johnson delivers a glowing encomium of the Cajuns--their music, food, occupations and celebrations--a people bubbling with joie de vivre and having an unselfish commitment to family and friends--"the salt of the earth"--who will literally give you the shirt off their back.
   
   For the past decade, Rheta and Don have made their second home in Henderson, where they enjoy authentic Cajun culture. In Poor Man's Provence, she debunks the myth that "all Cajuns are illiterate hicks, backwards bumpkins."
   
   Poor Man's Provence reveals a warm humanity and is a fun book to read.
   
   Rheta Grimsely Johnson's reporting has won awards including the Ernie Pyle Memorial Award for human interest reporting (1983), the Headliner Award for commentary (1985), and the American Society of Newspaper Editors' Distinguished Writing Award for commentary (1982). In 1986 she was inducted into the Scripps Howard Newspapers Editorial Hall of Fame, and in 1991 Johnson was one of three finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Syndicated today by King Features, Johnson's column appears in about fifty papers nationwide. She is the author of several books, including America's Faces (1987) and Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz (1989). A native of Colquitt, Georgia, Johnson grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, studied journalism at Auburn University and has lived and worked in the South all of her career. She and her husband Don Grierson live with three dogs and two cats in Iuka, Mississippi, and Henderson, Louisiana.



2. Poor Man's Provence: - Having a fair amount of familiarity with the area and people, I'd say Mrs. Grimsley wrote as good of a memoir of this part of Louisiana as any. Whether one is familiar with the area of not, it would be worth reading it ahead of time to get the most of the visit to Cajun Country. From beginning to end I felt like I knew the central figures in this non-fictional memoir, Johnelle & Jennette, and they didn't disapoint. The place is crawling with people like them and it'll please and even surprise them all to know a transplant appreciates them for just being themselves. Whether the writer, Miss Rheta(as locals would call her), intended it or not, she and Don are now a part of Cajun's lives forever and we're all grateful for her memoir and presence.



3. Somewhat like the wonderful nonfiction works of Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways" and Raban's "Passage to Juneau", only better, much better. Like those two travel novels, "Poor Man's Provence", entertains with unique true anecdotes and historical facts about the down home exotic people and places of the Acadiana ("Cajun") Country, Louisiana. Woven into the colorful quilt of her writing, Rheta Grimsley Johnson also gives us wicked irony, Twain like humor and a little subtle, sincere, simple human philosophy. Unlike "Blue Highways" and "Passage to Juneau", "Poor Man's Provence" is not a travelogue, but instead represents ten years of learning and loving the gentle folks of Cajun Louisiana. It's a great book to read if you think that you will ever want to see this part of the American South, and it's still plenty entertaining even if you just want to get to know the natives vicariously. If there is any justice in such things, this must read book should win lots of awards.



4. All ethnic groups have their on distinct qualities and because of this most are completely misunderstood. Cajuns are no exception. I know when I was a kid I wanted be black. I truly didn't understand why then, but over the years thinking back I know it was because of the sense of pride that most of my black friends had. Ms. Johnson has tapped in to the Cajun pride. She conveys with humor and humility the love they have for their land and family, as well for others not of their ethnicity. Her love for them shines brightly. I love this book and highly recommend it to all.

5 comments about My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith.

1. I got this book back last Christmas, but somehow forgot to bring it back from my parents' house. I was very excited to see it when it arrived this summer in a box from the folks. This is a collection of Kevin's dairy that he's been keeping online, but since I hadn't been keeping up with that, it was all new to me.
   
   I have to give Kevin a lot of props for revealing so much of his life to his fans, especially the stuff about when his dad passed away. Sharing like that made me call my own father to let him know I love him.
   
   I know some folks might find some of the entries a little boring, but who lives a life that is always exciting? It shows that Kevin is just as human as the rest of us, though with a ton more bank and a great job.



2. Kevin Smith never fails to make me laugh. If you are a fan of his work, buy this book!



3. I'm not completely finished with this yet, but from what I've read so far, it's definitely interesting. The title isn't very accurate in my view, and I'm sure many would agree- his life isn't all that boring. He does a bunch of mundane stuff, and he writes about that mundane stuff in a fairly matter-of-fact way, but still- there's something interesting about it.
   
   I loved Clerks (didn't like Clerks 2 all that much), and I've seen a few of his other films. I'm not a mega-fan, but I like the guy in general, and I've enjoyed his work. He had a lot of interesting stories in An Evening with Kevin Smith, and this book is much like that. The stories are much shorter and not as interesting reading them on paper, but still- it works.
   
   There are laughs, some really moving parts when it gets serious, some neat inside info. about his business (to a small degree). Uber fans will surely love it, and those like me who have enjoyed a few of his films will probably find it a good read as well. I'd give it a 4, but most of the stuff written about is just so mundane that I'd have to give it a solid 3.5



4. At this point in his career, it would be hard to put Kevin Smith in the top tier of directors, in the same league as folks like Eastwood, Spielberg, Scorcese or the Coen Brothers; he does, however, have a real cult following, of which I am a part. Besides the fact that he makes really good movies, he also has a just-one-of-the-guys aura, developed through his "Evening With..." DVDs of his speaking engagements and his film commentaries. My Boring-A$$ Life also promotes that reality (or very well-constructed image).
   
   My Boring-A$$ Life is subtitled The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith, which is pretty honest. Starting on March 20, 2005, the book begins as a daily chronicle of Smith's activities. Not just the movie-related items, not even just the extraordinary events, but even the most mundane activities, including bathroom trips and sexual acts. Admittedly, some of this wears thin in the early going, but the book changes as it goes along.
   
   As the book evolves from pure diary to more interesting tales, it gets stronger. We follow Smith's first real acting role (in Catch and Release) and the lessons he takes from working for another director. We get the story of Smith's acting in the fourth Die Hard movie, and details of his work on Clerks II. There is a lot that's funny, but when necessary, he can be serious. This is most evident in his "Me and My Shadow" entries, which describe Jason (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob) Mewes's coping with drug addiction.
   
   Overall, Smith seems to have a pretty good life: he makes decent money, he spends a lot of time goofing off, watching movies, having sex or hanging out with friends. Fortunately, he doesn't really crow about his good life but presents it matter-of-factly. It also helps that he is quick to point out his own shortcomings, most notably about his weight.
   
   This is a great read, especially for Kevin Smith fans. It is, not, however, a really fast read (it is too densely packed with detail), but fortunately, it is structured in a way that allows easy breaks when necessary. If you have enjoyed films like Clerks, Chasing Amy or Dogma, here is your chance to learn more about the man behind these movies and have fun in the process.



5. I am a huge Kevin Smith fan so I loved this book. The diary style can get a little boring as Smith describes daily life but a true fan will enjoy the insight. The section chronicaling Jason Mewes struggle with drugs (Me and My Shadow) is a great read. Very touching.

5 comments about Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Hunt.

1. Ruarks style and attention to details make this book leap off the page. Visions of the African landscape appear in your mind. Ruark describes the sights, smells, and the very face of Africa. Also the foreshadowing of his alcoholism is recounted time and again. I can't wait to read it again!



2. I love both Hemingway and Ruark but, despite the fact that Hemingway has won more literary accolades, I enjoy Ruark more. He describes himself as a 'second rate' Hemingway. I don't agree. I think Ruark was, in fact, the real deal. I have my questions about Hemingway.
   
   Ruark is never politically correct whether he is talking about war, politics or hunting. He tells it like he sees it and does it and, having been there myself, many times, it has the feel of reality. Even in Ruark's time he recognized that hunting, in many American circles, was becoming 'de classe' and regarded as passe by the elitist Left in America. As such, Ruark reckoned, perhaps correctly, that big game hunting was on its last legs.
   
   He couldn't have known of the great resurgence of hunting since his death. As it turns out, hunting is not only satisfying and profitable but--partially because it is profitable to nations that might otherwise be disinterested in their own wildlife--it has promoted the conservation of wild places and wild animals all over the earth. At the same time, Ruark could not have predicted the power of the the idiotic 'animal rights' movement, although he would have scarcely been surprised. Ruark recognized that the more urban societies became, the more isolated from nature--and reality--the same societies would necessarily be.
   
   I also enjoyed the part in Ruark's book in which he is nearly killed by a zebra. Predictably, Ruark sees the humor and irony in the event.
   
   Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico



3. Well I love old african stories. Here is another that I will read again and again. This is the type I like most. Just facts and no lets make it a story stuff. This is almost like reading a journal or diary. I loved it and bet you will too.



4. I loved his stories of Africa! The book took me back to a better time when being on safari meant you could be killed by very dangerous animals or reptiles but humans were not quite as high up the list in the danger catalogue.



5. "Horn Of The Hunter" is one of the best stories about African hunting and wildlife that has ever been penned. (My Opinion) Robert Ruark may have written between the two era's of Hemingway and Capstick, but when it comes to writing about Africa he took a backseat to neither of them and if you have read my other reviews you know that I have nothing but praise for them both.
   
   Ruark takes us on safari with him and his wife Virginia. The copyright is 1952 and though I couldn't find a definite time for the safari it was during the post WW II era. It is reasonable to assume that it would have been a short time prior to the copyright. He describes in great detail the African wilderness and wildlife along with the discomforts of insect bites and muddy river bottoms. Traveling through the Tanganyika wilderness in a Land Rover called Jessica with a professional hunter named Harry Selby, Ruark takes us with him on a grand adventure.
   
   Unlike many prominent writers Ruark not only tells of his successes, but his failures as well. Throughout the text Selby compares Ruark's marksmanship with a lady client named Harriet Maytag and Ruark's responses to his comments add depth and humor to the text. There are some spectacular long range shots taken, but there are also some clean misses at both long and short range. He admits his fear of Cape Buffalo and tells us of his love for wing shooting. He talks of Selby who is as sqeamish with snakes as a teenage girl, but is the living portrait of abosolute courage when following up wounded and dangerous animals.
   
   Ruark's delightful humor is on nearly every page as he describes various bits of unorthodox lore. Such as painting a juvinile baboon with flourescent paint to frighten off the band or Selby's advice to him to survive a buffalo stampede by shooting one of them and climbing on top of it to avoid being trampled.
   
   When I finished reading this story I was as sad to see it end as Ruark was to leave Africa.
   
   All in all this is a readers delight and will be a treasured gem in any hunters library.

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 Outlaw Biker: My Life At Full Throttle.

1. This has got to be one of the worse books I have ever read. I kept waiting for the outlaw biker to show-up. The stories are mainly about anyone who rides a bike and actually takes it somewhere and things happen. He was shot and bitten be a rattle snake when he was a kid. And he was a brat at that. All of the stories were told from a high school humor point of view, none of them funny or really interesting. Save your money and buy one of Sonny Barger's or Hunter Thompson's books.



2. Absolutly the worse Autobiography I have ever read. An unbelievably boring and uneventful biker story. Do not waste a nickel on this book.



3. Dick Hayes's story "Outlaw Biker: My Life at Full Throttle" is perhaps one of the few realistic, centerline stories of a man who adopted the 1%er lifestyle and the motorcycle that goes with it as his way of living life. He is not a Sonny Barger nor a Ruben Cavazos, but rather a run-of-the-mill guy / biker who lived the bulk of his life on the fringes of society with all that entails...that's why he calls himself an outlaw biker.
   
   In the macro picture he's your average 1%er and he describes how really unromantic the daily doings of a outlaw rider are despite the few, primarily criminal, "bright spots" - all that ultimately lead to either the hospital, the courts, or prison from what Dick describes.
   
   As with nearly all bios and auto-bios coming from this slice of the criminal culture, little if any remorse is extended to the victims of the outlaw biker world's dependence on drug dealing, theft, firearms trafficking, sexual slavery, assault, murder, rape, domestic violence and all those other society-killing activities that keep him and those like him rolling on two wheels.
   
   This exclusion of individual responsibility is yet another affirmation coming from the 1%er sub-culture of why Hunter Thompson ended his book on the Hells Angels with this advice from "The Heart of Darkness", the classic tome of Man at his very worst -
   
   "The horror! The horror!...Exterminate all the brutes!"
   
   Cleanly written, easy to put down and pick back up again, kudos to his co-writer for bringing it to life in print.



4. I really enjoyed reading Deadeye's book. As I read it I felt like I was sitting next to him in a bar listening to him tell stories. There were parts of it that made me laugh out loud and there were parts that made me think that this guy is insane. He has definitely lead an interesting life. My book club was lucky enough to meet him. By talking to him in person you would never guess that he has done so many "bad" things. I am looking forward to his next book.



5. This book is about an interesting character but, not really a biker book.
   Not bad but, not outstanding.

5 comments about Storkbites: A Memoir.

1. Marie Etienne's Storkbites about her childhood growing up in a loving, yet verbally and physically abusive family in Lafayette, LA draws you in like the savory smells of down home southern cooking. With Money, a big house, luxury cars, Mardi Gras balls, a sweet father, a mother who cooks and cares for her NINE children, this Catholic family suddenly turns from perfect to unbelievably chaotic and cruel. Etienne's parents are alcoholics with deep-rooted problems, shocking behavior, and no clue how to raise children. Each of Marie's eight siblings are interesting characters with distinct personalities you grow to care about. Some of them don't come out of this nice-and-brutal lifestyle as well as Marie did. Her openness and honesty about herself is courageous and admirable.
   
   This book is a page turner, by a talented writer, with a wry sense of humor and easy way of expressing herself. She uses a format which alternates back and forth from present to past to present, which pulls you in and keeps you hooked. Her lists of favorite Louisiana dishes and seafood make a Louisiana native crave the familiar Cajun dishes. Anyone who is not from the south gets a flavor of southern vernacular and traditions.
   
   This story would make a great movie, better than Steel Magnolias or Crimes of the Heart. I highly recommend it to anyone. Keep writing, Marie.



2. Storkbites: A Memoir, is the story of a rich girl growing up in the South. The big family may look picture perfect on their public outings, but all is not well in the big house. With honesty, and not much fluff, Etienne brings out the truth with her intelligent and easy to read style. It makes you wonder how many more stories she has up her sleeve?



3. This book propels the reader through the roller coaster ride that was Marie Etienne's life growing up in south Louisiana. A ride loaded with alcoholism, physical abuse, drug abuse, murder, suicide, neglect, wealth, love and hate - all the issues that can make any book enthralling. But these issues were all a part of Marie Etienne's family life. The reader will find it unbelievable that this is a true story. I applaud Marie for the courage it took to write her story and especially for surviving her story.



4. Marie Etienne did an incredible job with her first novel "Storkbites." I found myself feeling what she felt in living in a dysfunctional and abusive family in childhood and to her own abusive behavior as she became an adult. Her use of beautiful words immediately transformed you into feeling the area and the feelings that this family went through. This book will make you laugh, cry and be angry that these children had to grow up in such an environment. I say bravo to the author for realizing she needed to change these patterns in raising her own boys. Storkbites is a must read for everyone .



5. I would never have imagined I could enjoy a memoir until I read the first page of Storkbites. I was pulled right into the book and found myself staying up late many nights, reading about the author's life. Her book is filled with the right amount of detail making the reader feel like the events took place just moments before she wrote them. She looks at herself and her family with unabashed frankness. The story gives hope to each one of us, that every family may have its issues but that some can succeed regardless. Etienne is sure to be a writer whose talent will keep us entertained and enthralled far into the future. Her fresh outlook and gentle voice make reading Storkbites a pleasurable and poignant adventure!

5 comments about My Guy Barbaro: A Jockey's Journey Through Love, Triumph, and Heartbreak with America's Favorite Horse.

1. Of course, it is a "wonderful" read....but you know you will cry. There is so much more "than meets the eye" going on with horse racing. I'm glad this good man is working to help other not so valuable horses....where is PETA anyway? Horses are being bred to be big and powerful....but those small (thin, in comparison to body) legs , ankles etc. are too prone to break. Note also the death of the filly due to a break this year too. I could go on and on.....but y'all can surmise the atrocities. And don't forget: Big Brown was put to a race with a known cracked hoof.



2. So moving, so honest, so touching...Edgar Prado's story, his own life,
   and his love for this horse, just made me weep. Barbaro's story turned
   tragic, but during his short life, he was loved very much by very special
   people...Edgar Prado is one of them.
   They will be linked forever.



3. Edgar Prado and his co-writer did a good job representing his love and relationship for and with Barbaro. If anyone wants to know the life style and schedule of a professional jockey, this is the book to read. For me personally I appreciated the further evidence of Barbaro's intellect and intuition by the report of Mr. Prado that "a psychic had called Mrs. Jackson to tell her when Barbaro broke through the gate before the Preaknes, he knew something bad was going to happen. He didn't know exactly what, the psychic said, but he was trying to send a message that we were unable to read."I loved and still do love Barbaro. I grieve his untimely passing.



4. What better way to remenber the horse everyone in the world loves, but through the eyes of his jockey. Edgar Prado respected the ability of Barbaro, developed a relationship that took them to the top, but also
   the tragic side of racing, his accident.Everyone who loves animals should read this book!



5. I am so proud of Edgar for writting this book! It is wonderful to get the jockey's perspective, as I have read just about everything I could get my hands on about BARBARO...but, this book makes the circle complete. The heartbreak in this man's life and the triumphs of joy, make this book one you cannot put down! I very much appreciated the jockey's life story, incorporated with BARBARO...the two were a divine intervention, destined to be together. It is enlightening to see someone of meager beginnings, set a goal and achieve it! This book did make me wonder if ALL jockey's are as caring and understand their job on their mounts, as Edgar does. The day of the Preakness, he had a "gut feeling" that something was wrong; unfortunatley it took 100 yards for the ultimate breakdown of BARBARO, but it could have been so much worse if not for Edgar. This book made me feel that I was right there...it made for many tears too. The pictures were an added bonus. I am a Thoroughbed owner (non-racing), so I understand the bond that cannot be broken. My life was in a downword spiral, during the eight months BARBARO struggled to live...and to this day he is still my inspiration, giving me the courage to go on. Without Edgar, who knows how the story of BARBARO would have been told. THANK YOU EDGAR PRADO FOR WRITTING THIS STORY FROM YOUR HEART & SHARING IT WITH US*****