5 comments about Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography.

1. Adolf Hitler: The definitive biography. John Toland, 1976.
   This biography forms a very interesting historical narrative. It presents a lively account of the smoldering resentment and visceral hatred of Jews and Bolsheviks that consumed the mind of the subject individual. Based on archival records, unpublished diaries, notes, memoirs and recorded interviews with over 250 former participants, John Toland provides a masterful compilation of the major events, speeches, conversations, decisions and their consequences that marked the career of Adolf Hitler. As a youth, he drifted aimlessly in Vienna. By 1914, he became ecstatic about volunteering for military service. About the end of the Great War, he was temporarily blinded in a mustard gas attack. At that point, about half way through his life, he heard "supernatural voices" summoning him to enter politics and save Germany. In a meteoric rise to supreme power as leader of the National Socialist (Nazi) party, he became a fanatical dictator. The Fatherland, The Fuhrer, Lebensraum (implying aggressive Germanic territorial expansion)are key words here. He galvanized the populace into frenzied support of his governing policies; then embarked on total war that soon reached global proportions. Early territorial conquests accompanied by an unprecedented slaughter of countless millions constituted Hitler"s "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem as he saw it. After the fortunes of war had turned irrevocably against him he married his mistress in a bunker in Berlin. Two days later they both committed suicide. As Toland puts it: "The flag fell where he fell and when he died so did National Socialism and the Thousand Year Reich. Because of this his beloved Germany lay in ruins".



2. 
   An interesting and well writen historical work .Toland tells it lik it was with no embelishments . Amasing how one man could lead a nation into the depravity of the worst human abuse the world has ever seen .



3. I got this book after spending a holiday in Austria, I wanted to know about Austria's most famous son... what was his childhood like, what made him tick and how did he overwhelm so many people. This is a BRILLIANT book. I haven't read any other history books since school and I can't put this down. It's a very long book but I'm flying through it because it's just so interesting. Toland manages to convey this crazy period in Europe's history in such an exciting way. I highly recommend it to anyone who is even vaguely interested in Hitler or WWII.



4. If you own only one biography of Adolf Hitler, this is the one to own. It covers his life from his birth, through the abusive years with his father, through the loss of his mother, his years years as a aspiring artist in Vienna, his service in the first world war, his joining and making the Nazi Party into a powerful political party, the beer hall putsch, his time in jail, his seizure of power, his iron fist rule over Germnay, the war and finally his death.
   Very through, in-depth and its a pleasure to read for the chapters are broken into smaller sub-sections so you can read for 10-15 minutes or for hours if you want. Excellent biography of the sometimes genius, sometimes lucky and mostly insane fuhrer of Nazi Germany.



5. This is a must buy for history buffs and those fascinated by deranged leaders of other nations. Very Very in-depth. I would recommend this book to anyone.

5 comments about He Leadeth Me.

1. Purchased book as gift for departing Catholic Father, I hope it is a good book as that was the image I hoped to convey. Sorry, I can't review contents for you, but there was no time for me to read it first.



2. I read this book on a retreat and had to buy it. The message of trusting in the will of God is so strong. No matter how many times I read this I know I will be helped each time.



3. Matthew Kelly (see [...]) recommended "He Leadeth Me" by Walter Ciszek, S.J., to me as it had a significant influence on him and his spiritual journey. The book has also had a profound influence on me - so much so, that I cannot get it out of my mind.
   
   In "He Leadeth Me," U.S. born Ciszek recounts his life as a Catholic priest who enthusiastically volunteered for preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments in communist Russia and ended up spending twenty three agonizing years in Soviet prisons, including five years of solitary confinement in Moscow's feared Lubianka prison and fifteen years of hard labor in Siberian prison camps.
   
   Upon his return to the US in 1963, as part of an exchange for two convicted Russian spies, Ciszek was asked over and over again how he survived. "He Leadeth Me" is his response. This book is about the faith he discovered and the simple truths he learned by trial and error. Truths he came to appreciate only after much anguish of soul and a great deal of prayerful reflection; truths that sustained him through the years of doubt and darkness, of hardship and suffering.
   
   The learned truth that threads its way throughout the book is that no one can know greater peace, no one can achieve a greater sense of fulfillment in his life than the man who believes in the truth of the faith and strives daily to put it into practice. "A spirituality based on complete trust in God is the surest guarantee of peace of soul and freedom of spirit."
   
   There are moments of crisis in every life, moments of anxiety and fear, moments of frustration and opposition, moments sometimes even of terror. Only by a lively faith can man live in peace among the tensions of the world. Faith is the fulcrum of our moral and spiritual balance - our powerlessness to solve the problems of evil, sin, injustice, suffering, and even death will not be a cause of despair or despondency when we have an unshakable trust and confidence in God.
   
   After great anguish, doubt, and repeated resistance by Ciszek, he submitted to the will of God realizing that every moment of our life has a purpose, that every action of ours, no matter how dull or routine or trivial it may seem in itself, has a dignity and a worth beyond human understanding. No moment can be wasted, no opportunity missed, since each has a purpose in God's plan. We need to strive to know God's will and to do it each day of our lives - working this out with constant effort and attention to just those persons and circumstances God presents to us each day. He expects no more of us, but He will expect nothing less of us, and we fail in our promise and commitment if we do not see in situations of every moment of every day of His divine will.
   
   God asks for the complete gift of self...absolute faith in His existence, His providence, His power to sustain me, and His love perfecting me. While it sounds all too simple, one quickly learns how difficult it is when they try to put it into practice. "Is this too simple or are we just afraid really to believe it, to accept it fully, to yield ourselves up to it in total commitment? This is the ultimate question of faith, and each must answer this for himself. But to answer it in the affirmative is to know peace, to discover a meaning to life that surpasses all understanding."
   
   "He Leadeth Me," first published in 1972, is a classic and continues as an all-time best seller. Ciszek has written a powerful testimony that will challenge your view of life and, possibly, a source of a transfiguration. "It is my hope, indeed my prayer that what I have learned and come to understand so slowly and painfully might be of service to others. God is a most patient teacher, even to the most stubborn of students."



4. Just a fantastic book. I am not sure what I can add to further comments already added other than this book hit the spot for sincerity, truthfulness, and captivity of worthwhile imagination. I have just sent it to a friend that teaches English in Libya as I am assured that a wonderful book like this can only enhance her "desert experience" abroad as well.



5. I started reading He Leadeth Me because I thought it might have some interesting thoughts on God and suffering, as a general concept. I had no idea, however, how very applicable Fr. Ciszek's hard-learned insights would be to my day-to-day life as the average American stay-at-home mom.
   
   The wisdom he learned after five years in solitary confinement and 20+ years at a Siberian slave labor camp is not just how to grow closer to God in the face of great upheaval and suffering, but how to know and live God's will in the face of the frustrating, the humdrum, and the mundane.
   
   I can't recommend this book highly enough to everyone -- whether you're experiencing great suffering or just frustrated by the daily grind, you will undoubtedly find Fr. Ciszek's story life-changing.

5 comments about Chicken with Plums.

1. Marjane Satrapi, Chicken with Plums (Pantheon, 2006)
   
   Satrapi's fourth book gives us biography instead of memoir this time-- the story of her great-uncle Nasser Ali Khan, a musician who decides to die after his wife breaks his favorite instrument. We are taken through the final eight days of Khan's life, as friends, relatives, and his own consciousness try to change his mind.
   
   I admit that my somewhat cool reaction to the book is almost certainly a product of the complete overload of memoirs and memoir-like biographies with which the market is currently glutted; I'm relatively sure this will be my last one for a long, long while, save one series-memoir I'm in the middle of. I say this because it's certainly not a bad book; Marjane Satrapi is a witty writer, and no less here than in her other books; Chicken with Plums is as enjoyable as anything else she's done. I just couldn't get my head round it as much as it deserved. ***



2. This is a story of a man who lives for music and a tragic love. It is a very simple yet wonderful tale of a man who doesn't seem to know how to live. He becomes a great musician but can't work and loses the love of his life due to his devotion to music. Without music and his memory of great love, he dies. The man's family, friends and relatives don't seem to count in his estimation of life. I found this book very moving and very touching. I think some reviewers took offense since it differs from her most famous book but this one holds its own and is very special. I highly recommend this book. It is very touching and the ending is just as tragic as the main character's life.



3. I just finished Chicken with Plums, and I loved it. It has about a human condition. In this case a man, who is living a life that he felt he did not own, except his musical instrument, and the secret it held for him.
   It is deceptively simple, but it is deep in what it conveys to the reader.
   I noticed some readers felt that the book was not finished, or they were confused about it. However, I found it very clear, honest, and funny at times. It made me sad too. I wonder how many of us live a life like Nasser Ali Khan, the musician? The life that is not truly an expression of our hearts.



4. Having read Persepolis I and II, as well as Embroideries, I was excited to snatch up Chicken With Plums as well. And despite some of the negative reviews here (which almost dissauded me), I found this book one of Satrapi's most magical, perfect creations. It's quite different than the autobiographical, child-like Persepolis I, though readers of Persepolis II and Embroideries will recognize the general tone and style. That said, it's a work that takes you by surprise with its directness, honesty, and sheer invention.
   
   The book follows the last eight days of Nasser Ali Khan's life, as he decides to resign himself to death after his wife, in an argument, destroys his precious "tar"--an Iranian sitar-like instrument. He is a master musician, renowned throughout the country, and the great love affair of his life (despite one thwarted human one) was with this reciprocating instrument. Unable to find another tar to requite his passion, he loses all taste for life and its joys, and decides to stay in bed until Azrael, the Angel of Death, comes for his soul. While waiting, we get a series of flashbacks and flashforwards as he--and others--recount the stories and anecdotes that frame his life. Reading this book is like listening in on family stories around the dinner table, which by their very nature are fragmentary, interrputed, and from multiple points of view.
   
   Though a simple story, the manner of telling it is amazingly complex and mesmerizing. Satrapi's storytelling is at its most concise here, but so much is revealed about the very human passions that shape a life, and how blind we are even to the people we live with. This is a magical book, filled with Satrapi's beautiful characterizations of the people she knew and loved. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.



5. Drawn in bold black and white, Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel illustrates the moving and disturbing life and last days of her uncle, Nasser Ali Kahn. He was a famous Iranian musician, loved for his virtuosity, and the sensitivity with which he played his beloved tar.
   
   It's a tale of how a man's happiness was gradually eroded by his culture, loss, suppressed feelings, and unrealizable expectations.
   
   The story starts with an older man in black walking down a city street. He encounters a slender woman with her grandchild. He hesitates. Asks if her name is Irane. She doesn't recognize him. Wonders how he knows her name. He, Nasser, apologizes and walks on to a friends business where he hopes to buy a replacement for his recently broken tar.
   
   We later learn that the broken tar had special meaning for Nasser. When he was a young man, the parents of the woman he'd fallen in love with forbade her to marry him because he was only a musician. Losing her plunged him into deep depression. He had difficulty playing. Nasser's tar master tried to console him by telling him, "To the common man, whether you're a musician or a clown, it's one and the same. The love you feel for this woman will translate into your music. She will be in every note you play." He then gave Nasser his own tar and instructed him to go on playing.
   
   From then on, Nasser's joy was his music. His playing thrilled his audiences
   
   Since childhood he'd been unable to meet the conventional expectations of others. His mother's, his brother's, his teachers', the parents of the woman he loved, his wife, his children.
   
   His mother urged him to marry a woman he didn't love so that he would forget his loss. Although the woman he married did love him, she resented his music. His children, influenced by their mother's attitude, became estranged from him. This drove him further and further into his music.
   
   After he failed to find another tar equal to his broken one, feeling that without that tar and his music there was nothing else he wanted, Nasser came to the conclusion, "To live, it's not enough to be alive." He decided to die.
   
   This where the novel really begins. Through Satrapi's masterful construction, we are able to piece together what we need to understand who Nassar was, and why he would make this tragic choice.
   
   Satrapi reveals Nasser's life and character by skillfully rearranging temporal events - picking up a incident, then dropping it, and then weaving it in later on in the story with new threads. She loops the past into the present, the future into the past. Sometimes, from frame to frame, she switches back and forth between the past and the present, showing how a character's unhappy memories and lingering hurt become emotional IEDs on the path to true understanding.
   
   There are many lenses through which to "see" another person, many ways in which to know them. At Nassaer's mother's funeral, a mystic tells him the story of five men in the dark trying to describe a whole elephant from the part each has touched. "We give meaning to life based upon our point of view," he tells Nasser. In Chicken With Plums, through characters and events, Satrapi gives us the whole elephant.
   
   As the novel progresses, Satrapi's drawings become more expressive and surreal, adding more decorative touches. Her work resembles animation, almost cartoonish, but her story has the depth of a great novel. She has the timing of a film maker, knowing just what to show when, and how to keep the mystery and tension to the end.
   
   Chicken With Plums has touched me deeply. It's a heart breaking story of love on many levels, fulfilled and unfulfilled. I believe Nasser died of a broken heart. Without Irane and without his music, he could not find a way to be in this world.

5 comments about Cullotta: The Life of a Chicago Criminal, Las Vegas Mobster and Government Witness.

1. Another well-written, factual and informative book by Dennis Griffin.
   
   This book details the life and crimes of Frank Cullotta before he became an informant and briefly covers his life after the witness protection program. It covers in depth the friendship between Tony Spilotro and Cullotta from their early days as juveniles on the streets of Chicago to the glitter of Vegas.
   
   The chapter on Bertha's was particularly engaging, where the robbery is first covered by the FBI/Metro's version of events and in the preceding section; Cullotta gives his account of the robbery before and after arrest.
   
   Cullotta makes the distinction between his role as informant to that of `rat' Sal Romano, as entirely different situations. His was a matter of self-preservation, while Romano's was to purposely set out and trap unsuspecting mobsters. It is Frank's belief that they would have got away with the robbery at Bertha's, were it not for Romano.
   
   While I don't condone crime, I couldn't help but feel relieved when Cullotta makes it out alive after becoming a government witness and now leads a relatively normal existence in an undisclosed location.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, particularly in Las Vegas.



2. An absolute great read! Mr. Griffin gets right to the point with his painstaking research in this book. Anyone would have to be afraid of a guy who would whack you if you looked at him wrong. A can't miss buy!!



3. Intense, graphic, and action-packed, "CULLOTTA" by Dennis N. Griffin is a must read for all fans of true crime.
   
   In this no-holds barred biography of Chicago criminal and Las Vegas Mobster Frank Cullotta, Dennis Griffin delivers a powerful and detailed account of Cullotta's life. From his early days when he meets the man who would become known as Tony the Ant Spilotro, through his many years as a Chicago criminal and Las Vegas Mobster, and the events that led to Cullota's decision to become a government witness, "CULLOTTA" brings the reader into the inner core of The Outfit and the life of organized crime through the eyes of a man whose life was connected to and revolved around many of the important Outfit players.
   
   "CULLOTTA" is a first for me because I've never read any true crime books, nevermind a comprehensive biography of someone with ties to organized crime. I approached "CULLOTTA" with a fair amount of trepidation. Could I enjoy a book I assumed would discuss in detail the activities of mobsters and career criminals? I couldn't even sit through one of the Godfather movies. But after reading the foreword by screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi, who consulted with Frank Cullotta for the Martin Scorsese film, Casino, I had to know more about a man who could talk about murdering Jerry Lisner with about as much emotion as he would have if he were ordering his meal from a fast food joint.
   
   The amount of research Dennis Griffin did for this biography and all the interviews he performed, in addition to, Frank Cullotta's contributions to the project made "CULLOTTA" the excellent book it is. I'm ready to go out and purchase Griffin's other books on crime and law enforcement in Las Vegas so I can know more about the other players involved.
   
   "CULLOTTA" delivers a chilling and exciting glimpse into the life of Frank Cullotta. And despite all of the crimes that Frank committed over the years, the reader finds herself rooting for Frank's life on the straight and narrow to succeed.



4. Cullotta has to be one of the most prolific criminals in the annals of both Las Vegas and Chicago organized crime. You'll feel like Father Confessor reading this book, where he purges his soul in what has to be the longest string of end-to-end confessions in the history of (dis)organized crime. In this book he joins forces with retired policeman-turned-writer, Dennis Griffin, who dutifully recounts each score and every hit with the cold accuracy of a Seargant Joe Friday writing his police reports. Griffin's style is perfect for this kind of book. There are no high-flown metaphors, "just the facts, ma'am."
   
   While I had second thoughts about paying honest dollars to an admitted life-time thief and killer, I didn't mind giving a few bucks to Griffin, and maybe we can keep Cullotta off the streets with a few royalties from his life story.
   
   Here a career cop has managed to write a good book with the unusual help of his natural enemy, a career criminal and big-time mobster. As for Cullotta, he has managed to somehow outlive most of his enemies, while coming clean with the G, getting witness protection, reduced sentences and now dubious celebrity. He even re-enacted one of his most infamous hits in Scorcese's "Casino" while he was in the witness protection program. Who says crime doesn't pay?
   
   This is one career criminal who seems to have nine lives and then some. He gives the details on each caper in this joint effort that was released simultaneously with the Family Secrets mob trial in Chicago, in which all defendants were convicted on all counts.
   
   Cullotta gives a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the dysfunctional family of crime figures during the mob's heyday in Chicago and Vegas. All the usual suspects are in the book, but seen up close and personal from the perspective of one of their own...the only one that got away.



5. True crime is fascinating. It has been the background of countless newspaper headlines, books, TV series and movies.
   
   Over the years, there has been a gradual trend toward more truth in "true crime" literature and more realism in the visual depictions of crime figures. Joe Pesci's brilliant portrayal in Casino is far more penetrating and revealing than were those of Edward G. Robinson. The popular series, Sapranos, is far more realistic than the old Untouchables program.
   
   I'm not sure why others are so intrigued by crime and criminals, but I wonder most what motivates criminals and how they justify and rationalize the bizarre acts they commit. Beyond all the drama and entertainment, I wonder what makes gangsters tick.
   
   That's why I found Dennis Griffin's CULLOTTA so fascinating. It is a compelling look into the mind and motives of a classic criminal. He approaches this subject with the discipline of a seasoned reporter, objectively telling both sides of the story in plain English. He doesn't add anything for dramatic effect. He doesn't embellish. He doesn't extrapolate. He doesn't try to impress you with his prose. Like the old TV crime show, Dragnet, his motto seems to be "just the facts, ma'am." (Griffin's background, by the way, is not as a reporter, but as a police detective. Nevertheless, his journalistic approach puts most modern "reporters" to shame. He has written a series of books about Las Vegas and the famous mob figures of the 1970s and 1980s. Each one is better than the previous.)
   
   His latest work, CULLOTTA, is a natural progression of more truth in true crime that began with Mario Puzzo's prize winning book, The Godfather.
   
   While The Godfather was a fictional account based upon real characters, CULLOTTA is a concrete account of a real crime figure. It is the most realistic account of organized crime I've read to date. No small part of that credit goes to the co-author and subject of the book, Frank Cullotta. Though a career criminal in every sense of the word, this mobster, turned government witness, seems to display a candid honesty that has endeared him to the enforcement officials who hounded him and the writers who tell the stories.
   
   As it says in the first line of the foreword, written by Nicholas Pillegi, who wrote the screenplay for the movie Casino, "Frank Cullotta is the real thing."
   
   So is Denny Griffin. That's why he has become my favorite true crime writer.

1 comments about Redneck Boy in the Promised Land: The Confessions of "Crazy Cooter".

1. I've met Ben and he is exactly how he presents himself in this book -- a witty, charismatic man who has overcome adversity and remembers where he come from. This is a good, inspiring story of recovery.

5 comments about My Life So Far.

1. Very Honest and inspiring. Just when she gets whiney she deflects you. A great read overall.



2. First of all, I would like to thank Jane Fonda for sharing so much of her spirit, self and life. Reading her book made me feel like I was a time traveler as she took me back in time to when she was a liitle girl and traversed along side her throughout her life and into her third act.
   
   I most definitely could relate to some of the same issues Jane Fonda dealt with in her life. For instance the lack of love, compassion and acceptance in the home while growing up.
   The uncertainty about her sexuality.
   Questions concerning the Vietnam War.
   Jane Fonda's relationship with her father or lack thereof. Unable to connect with her father on any level (no fault of her own). All these issues I to combatted in my life and just like Jane I am a fighter and a survivor.
   
   On another note, I have a favorite actress for each decade going back to the 30's. For instance Merle Oberon is my favorite actress of the 30's, Ginger Rogers the 40's, Kim Novak the 50's, and Jane Fonda of the 60's and 70's. I have not been able to choose one since Jane Fonda retired, but I am so happy to see that she is making a come back in movies. I so missed her presence on the big screen.
   
   In closing, I believe this book has something for everybody. I highly recommend "My Life So Far" to everyone.
   Thank you Jane Fonda for sharing so much of yourself with family, friends and fans.
   
   For a love story that is unlike anything you've ever read check out D. W. Gutridge's Captured by a Smile.Captured by a Smile "Imprisoned by Love": A Memoir of Young Love that Refused to Die.



3. Jane is a pretty misunderstood woman. People make judgements about her based on stories they see in the media, and based on the rhetoric of those who oppose her. I learned a lot about the real Jane Fonda in this book. Her childhood was not that pretty. Her relationship with her father was strained at best, and this book delves into that with the insight and sensitivity of a person who has learned to accept parents who are not perfect, and who has come to understand how those early years shaped her life and the decisions she made throughout.
   
   - C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail



4. I "met" Jane Fonda at a book signing in Pasadena, CA. I was immediately taken with her graciousness. She appeared beautifully poised, content and unpretentious, before a packed gathering. She was irreverent, intelligent, insightful and candid. As she sat at the signing table, she immediately commented that she thought my blouse was gorgeous. While this may seem like a very minor thing, having been to countless events of this type, I was a bit taken aback by her focus on me. This was supposed to be about HER. This is a huge part of her charm; the ability to look outward, instead of being obsessed with herself, the way that so many of today's celebrities seem to be.
   
   As a child of the civil unrest, disobedience and rights movement, I had always related to what she stood for. I could always distinguish between being patriotic and simply disagreeing with the way that the government was handling things. Therefore, it was my belief that she had been demonized needlessly, and that ignorance and the inability to understand how caring for one's country, is what makes one passionate about what is happening in the first place. This is what has made it so difficult for people to look past what happened during the Viet Nam era.
   
   There are still many people who hate her for her activism. And it is a shame that those people will miss out on what truly is, an astoundingly insightful book. Jane Fonda is not just someone who is a famous actress; she is a woman who is living a very full, informed, and turbulent life, and took the time to really learn from it. And she is sharing her experiences in such a candid, forthright, refreshing way - that anyone could benefit from reading about them.
   
   You do not have to have been famous to have the kinds of experiences that she describes. While some celebrity autobiographies drone on and on about all of the other famous people they knew and know, very few actually tell about how they felt, and what they learned in the process. And many still have the fear of telling the truth. Because Jane Fonda is where she is in her life right now, she has the luxury and ability to be as honest as she wants to be. She has reached successful pinnacles in her career, that few rarely achieve.
   
   As I read each chapter, I could see my own life in parallels. I did not have the privilege that she did, however, I understand the same struggles that she had, as a woman. I could even see similarities in the kinds of men that she has had in her life, yet, I have lived worlds apart from her.
   
   This is a true, unabashedly truthful memoir, that does not scrimp on details. It is entertaining, candid, informative, while being stunningly, strikingly provocative, and enlightening. This is a book that I will always cherish. The revelations that she shares, have affected my own life, and will continue to do so. It is the most insightfully enlightening autobiography by an actor that I have read thus far. But that is not surprising, given that Ms. Fonda is much more than an actor. First and foremost, she is a human being who has always cared about humanity, and it truly shows in her life's experiences. I am so grateful that she decided to share it with us.
   
   



5. Different FlagsI have read Jane Fonda's Autobiography and find it a very interesting book. The parts telling about her mother's mental illness, her suicide, her brother Peter and her relationship with her stepmother are the ones I enjoyed most. I was able to relate to the things Jane Fonda should have said to her mother but didn't. Her father's depression was described in a touching and honest way. Having lived in another country myself, I really liked Jane Fonda's description of France back in the 60s. I will read it again. Eugenia Renskoff

5 comments about Sex Money Kiss (Gene Simmons Family Jewels).

1. This was an entertaining insight into the life of Kiss frontman Gene Simmons. From his humble beginnings on coming to America to his rise to stardom and all the ideas and insights along the way. Definitely worth a read for both Kiss fans and anyone interested in how to make money and enjoy life to the fullest.



2. Would do business again. Received in condition described and received in a timely manner.



3. I bought this for a Christmas present for my husband. He is a big Gene Simmons fan and had this book read in one night!



4. This book is so honest, that at time it was painfull for me to listen to (I've got an audio version). The realization that I also sometimes want to escape the truth shocked me.
   
   The book contains a lot of things you probably have heard - and not once, BUT Gene makes an old wisdom sound very convincing. He uses logic, facts, statistics and examples to make you re-think your beliefs.
   
   He may sound cynical, but I think he really is a man who uses his brain.
   
   I loved the audio-version - Gene is a charismatic narrator and I listend to the whole 4+ hours of audio in one sitting.
   
   Is Gene sometimes wrong? Maybe. But everybody or almost everybody is.
   
   But not everybody is as honest as Gene.
   
   "If people tell you they don't want more money, they are a) lying, b) insane" - says Gene. It is true. But a lot of people lie about this even to themselves.
   
   The book really made me look at life differently. I now see a "rebel" rock stars like Trent Reznor (a Kiss fan buy the way) or Marilyn Manson in different light - as businesspeople who spend their time earning money by selling their stuff to people, a lot of whom don't know how to spend their time.
   
   It also made me really look at time and money and re-think the value of these resources.
   
   I strongly recommend this book. And even you don't like some or all of Gene's OPINIONS, you still will probably find his ADVICE valid and useful. It works, baby.



5. No... this is not a politically 'correct' book. Its a bottom line type of book. It is refreshing in this era to have things like Money, Marriage, Sex and Business laid out as bluntly as Gene does here. even if you are familiar with these concepts, Gene's way of explaining is unique. Very cocky and very proud. Gotta love it..
   There are some Kiss thoughts mixed in for balance and to get Kiss $$, but it is more or less just a mans view on life as we know it. There are good suggestions along with some ideas that you may have never thought of.. A good purchase for the modern man. I dig it.

5 comments about Epileptic.

1. This autobiography story caught me from it's first page. The hypnotic drawings, full of ink, shadows, and so colorful although painted black & white only.
   The story tells the tales of what appears to be at first as normal family with epileptic kid. Soon, the seizures take the family into a voyage of great suffer but full of hope, while effecting and deforming the kids souls and life path. The parents, both kind of New-Age bourgeois type, trying to find a cure for their son, while visiting all kinds of guru's, magicians, witches and doctors of all sorts. This voyage takes the whole family into never ending frustrating whirlpool. Along with that, David B. tells the story of France, through Alger war and others, culture changes, and local, yet influence the world, events. Brilliant.
   Yes, the story is pretty sad, and morbid but it's worth it. Childhood conceptions, dreams and thoughts comes into vivid describful life, takes the reader into the mind of a child, and later - adult. This journey is fascinating.
   Eventually, everybody is epileptic this way or another...
   5 stars definitely.



2. I purchased this book because I suffer from epilepsy. This book is authentic and I recommend it to all, epileptic or not. Filled with family trials and very skilled illistrations.



3. This book blows me away and I don't usually read this artform. But the book got great reviews, and has only recently been translated into English (from French). It's original. It's unscathingly truthful. I hope David B. gets the recognition he deserves.



4. None of the individuals portrayed in this story emerge intact, including the author David B. I was left with the impression that either David B. is so fully aware of this that he purposely (and perhaps brilliantly) avoided communicating how messed up everyone in his family is, or that they are so messed up that he has no idea how messed up they are. Clearly he is angry at his family for spending his entire childhood revolving around his brother and his illness, but that's perfectly normal for someone who has grown up with a seriously ill family member. But David B's self awareness seems to end there. The damage is more extreme and disturbing because his family's approach to illness and guilt is more extreme and disturbing. This book is not "light reading" in any sense - There were times when I was only able to take in a page or two in a sitting. The art is so rich and complex and the story is so complicated, I needed to take breaks or I wouldn't know what I was reading anymore. The book is brilliant, beautifully translated from French, and like nothing I've ever read.



5. the only prior experience i brought to this reading of a graphic novel was 'jimmy corrigan: the smartest boy in the world,' which is why amazon recommended it to me. ultimately, i think that the genre is all that connects them. this book is much more intimate, personal, passionate, and chilling. all things 'smartest' wanted to be but only got 4/5's of the way there.
   
   i myself am an epileptic and there are fewer diseases that this book relates to than just ones that are 'out of control.' the effects of epilepsy are far more psychological than physical. where a cancer victim is at the mercy of the disease and body, the epileptic, like many schizophrenics is affronted by dark and sinister shadows, lurking demons. however, it's one thing for an epileptic to be able to voice this. i find it amazing that David B., the brother and author, found so many ways of accurately depicting the demons' influence and sympathetically already fighting in his own way to overcome them with the tools of a child. both graphically and through the course of the story you learn of the ways the family and David B. adapt to confront the shadow, though the epilepsy ultimately remains intractable.
   
   another thing about this book that opened my eyes, is that for the epileptic, the story is told in first, second, and third person. for the family member, where it may always seems superficially to be a disease to which the family remains a third party, one may realize the struggles endured that were ignored. if i were to ask my mother how it felt for her to go through many of the struggles faced in this book, she might not think much of them. but upon reading and seeing the struggles afresh, she might realize that she had much more at stake than anyone, even herself, gave her credit.
   
   this book is so moving and deep because of David B.s ability to so comprehensively annotate each of five family members struggle. the autobiographical aspect takes a backseat to the chronicling of a dark disease that is never cured, much like alcoholism, but only ever treated and hoped against. the ending is particularly potent on this point: it is a tenuous grasp that is held to consciousness, and a varying relationship any of us have to reality, but when we hold together we arent scattered below. .mfg

5 comments about My Own Country: A Doctor's Story.

1. This book has excellent insite to the challenges of people with HIV. Great read!



2. I happened across this book and was immediately drawn into it. The author is a remarkable human being with deep empathy and sympathy with some of the first casualties of the AIDS epidemic. As a Tennessee native, this story was very interesting to me; it chronicles the spread of the disease not long after the disease was recognized. The personal stories of all concerned are engrossing, and it's heartbreaking because in those early days the medical profession had nothing to offer the sufferers--and suffer they surely did, regardless of how they contracted the disease, and the book includes stories of those who got it through blood transfusions. The human connections between this Indian doctor who was born in Ethiopia and the people of east Tennessee, made at the most basic level, are what makes this book powerful; yet the author does not excuse his own shortcomings which eventually led to the failure of his marriage. I couldn't put it down and finished it in about 3 days - and then immediately got his other book, The Tennis Partner. (Another reviewer said this is fiction - but it's nonfiction. I found it in the biography section of the public library.)



3. My Own Country is Abraham Verghese's unique recount of his experience fighting AIDS at the dawn of the epidemic. Like other infectious disease specialists, Verghese is immediately immersed in AIDS, and it soon dominates his profession. the author traces the penetration of the disease as the city comes to grips with AIDS and its unwanted victims. Often without the support of his colleagues and family, Verghese treats an ever increasing number of patients. Including the estranged brother of a colleague, a gay couple intent on breaking it`s taboo, and man and his wife who contract AIDS through a contaminated blood transfusion. Though this memoir, Verghese reveals his own confusions about homosexuality, and wrestles with the his own sympathy for his patients and the prejudices of his colleagues. As one of his nurses says "'I don't think we should have bothered in the first place...he deserved what he got and I don't see why we should have to take care of him.'"
   Verghese can become wearisome in his consistent use of the term "miracle center" to describe his workplace and tends to drone on at many points, becoming unnecessarily detailed when writing about the specifics in his work and family life which somewhat take away from his insights. Also, Verghese's family is obviously important to him, and he hints time and time again at problems with his wife, however he never fully develops their relationship. "My work with AIDS in the community fell into this chasm between us. AIDS was like another wild friend, a friend from a different social stratum, a friend I indulged but no longer brought to the house or even discussed with her." Despite this, the author tells a terrific, unforgettable story of the not only the lives and feelings of the patients, but everyone it affects.



4. This based-on the author's true-story details the time he was just starting out as a doctor. He picked a Hospital in smalltown United States where he would be the infectious disease specialist. Suddenly, cases of AIDS appeared even in that small town. It was the 80's epidemic and as it spread from the big cities AIDS victims were met with fear and a lack of compassion from most doctors. Verghese was one of the few who truly listened to and cared for his patients through such a terrible disease.



5. In "My Own Country" Dr. Abraham Verghese tells the story of the emergence of AIDS in rural Tennessee from his perspective as a new foreign doctor. In the process of describing the increased presence of the disease in his community, Dr. Verghese also tells the personal stories of his patients as well as his own story - how working with the disease opens his mind to new perspectives as well as the toll it places on him personally. The author's narrative style is compassionately captivating, managing to entertain and inform at the same time. I'd highly recommend it for those seeking to learn more about what being a good doctor is like or about the difficulties faced by those that had to deal with the disease in its emergent era.

5 comments about Mulberry Child.

1. Jian Ping's memoir of growing up during the Cultural Revolution emerges from the beating heart of Jian, the youngest among 20th century Chinese story-tellers. As readers we shrink to the size of a speck of a child caught within a gigantic world of political tyranny and terror, uncertainty and helplessness. Jian does not let go of her reading listeners until they arrive at the other end of the Cultural Revolution, safe within her staggering story of survival.



2. A real page-turner...I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what happens next. I knew nothing about the Cultural Revolution but now I feel like I beared witness to an extraordinary time and an extraordinary family.



3. A must read for those curious about what it was like to grow up in a Communist family and--surprise!---one that may shake some U. S. preconceptions. This is a compelling tale about growing up in a turbulent time in a family with strong bonds and values. This book will be enjoyed by young readers who likely will identify with the spunky main character/author and her questions about conformity and dealing with authority.



4. And it's a childhood most western readers could never imagine. Growing up in China's Cultural Revolution was an exercise in endurance, hardship, betrayal, and cruelty, but there's also a sense of adventure here, as seen through a child's eyes. Jian Ping is a born storyteller, building word pictures with simple, direct language and an eye for the telling detail. Her characters, including herself, are sometimes courageous, sometimes less than that, but they're always three dimensional human beings trying to cope with a world that has gone completely mad.



5. Jian Ping has provided to today's readers another remarkable and deeply moving account of a child's life in turbulent political times, an age in which innocence is routinely ignored and customarily battered, in which the child is witness to the cruelties and injustices of the world. The author is one of many talented writers who have become a chorus telling us what happened to them and to their families in China during the Cultural Revolution. This is not easy to read; the raw truth from a child often hurts the reader. The language here is simple and direct. Short declarative sentences, often stark along with pedestrian imagery add authenticity to the writer's tale. Yet Jian Ping's work is a labor also of love -- love for her self as a child, her parents, her friends, her generation. Her memoir is now available as an inspiration, a warning and a lament. I brought away from the narrative a certification for my own concerns and a feelings of how lucky I have been -- we in America have been -- in not seeing and feeling what Jian Ping saw and felt in her youth. I hope this is the first of many tales that will follow quickly from this writer. And yet if there is only this story from her, it will be sufficient. Mulberry Child should be read aloud to others and then read again silently to one's self. If should be read slowly so the words sink in. If should be read by the old and the young and by those in between. This is a remarkable and important account that artfully unfolds and seeps into the soul of the reader.