4 comments about Eddie Murphy: The Life and Times of a Comic on the Edge.

1. One of the most gifted actors around, and always a bit unstable. Covering the gamit from childhood, to his biggest public scandal, everytime we think Eddie is finally "in a really good place" as he was quoted in 1996 by the author, his life seems to shipwreck again. Apparently Eddie still has some "skeletons in the closet." A possible cause for the breakup of his seemingly happy marriage and family life, well after the release of this book. The incident in West Hollywood's redlight district, on the morning of May 2, 1997 just won't go away. And after seeing recent photographs of Eddie with another well known male celebrity, causes one to question whether Eddie actually favors a certain lifestyle. Mr. Sanello's book obviously opened some doors Mr. Murphy certainly would have rather left closed. Hopeully all goes well in Mr. Murphy's life, but with Eddie, one never really knows the true story.



2. this book was fantastic and very informative,it goes behind the man we all know and into his life and his desire to be financially free and have a family to live with,it has funny moments also and misquoted jokes but all in all are great read.



3. This book was entirely a waste of time. Sanello's account of Murphy was shallow to uninteresting. Sanello even mis-quoted jokes at times. The book was empty, and barely had enough fresh information on Murphy to fill a magazine article.

   The author also failed to effectively use metephores to illustrate his point. Rather, his analogies were clumsy and unremarkable.

   Save yourself some time and rent Murphy's movie Boomerang instead.




4. Hi I wrote the answer and the truth about your so called demons "Drag Queen"s didn't search Eddie out for fun it was the other way around Look for In The Closet With Eddie By CANDACE WATKINS

No comments about "Closer to the Truth Than Any Fact": Memoir, Memory, and Jim Crow.

5 comments about The Jerusalem Syndrome: My Life as a Reluctant Messiah.

1. A complete waste of time. There were no original thoughts in this book at all. It is the standard fare from most tree hugging, left-wing, wacked out liberals. A lot of crap about how evil conservatives are etc without backing any of it up. Before you read this pile of refuse, do yourself a favor and buy a gallon of gas and a match. That way when you are finished, you can burn the book and maybe save a few bucks on your home heating bill.



2. The author is a lazy slacker who's never had an original thought in his entire life. Before buying this book do youself a favor(and save some money) take a hammer hold it in front of your face. Swing towards your forehead. Apply ice. This will give the same effect as reading this tripe.



3. I can't stop thinking about this book. I could not put it down. I had tears rolling down my face as I read it. Marc=Good=Sony=Love.



4. I bought this because I think Marc Maron's standup comedy is hilarious. I caught a brief appearance of him on Comedy Central awhile ago and it took me several months to find out the name of the guy who made me laugh so hard. After finally finding out who he was, I found out he has a CD, Not Sold Out, and this book, The Jerusalem Syndrome. The CD is hilarious and I highly recommend it. Since no other CDs or a DVD of his standup is available (yet, anyway - fingers crossed!), I went ahead and got the book because he wrote it, not really knowing what it was about, with pretty high expectations.

   The book is a fragmentary autobiography of some events in Maron's life, very little of which is directly related to his career as a standup comic.

   The brief first chapter foreshadows the events that will occur later in the book during Maron's trip to Israel.

   Chapters two through five cover Maron's life up to high school. I simply didn't find this stuff to be very interesting.

   Chapter six covers Maron's college years, focusing on him adopting the Beat religion. The ideas and events in this chapter are very interesting, they're written about very well, and the chapter is very funny.

   Chapter seven is another highlight of the book, covering the modest beginnings of his career as his comedian and his relationship (friendship is too strong of word) with Sam Kinison. Like the previous chapter the events here are interesting and funny, if not scary.

   In chapter eight Maron recounts his foray into conspiracy theory, and how his credulity for that intellectual junk food led to him making a fool of himself. He does save some face, though, by turning his mind back on before the chapter is through. Maron does make a really good observation about conspiracy theory literature:

   "The thing about conspiracy literature is that it's perfect for stupid people who want to seem smart and ground their hatred in something completely mystical and confusing, and it's good for smart people who are too lazy to do their homework. People can't argue with it without possibly implicating themselves."

   What I don't get is, if this stuff really happened, how is it possible that he didn't learn from this and avoid the whole Jerusalem Syndrome thing, if that stuff really happened, too?

   Chapter nine is hilarious, as Maron tells of his visits to a Philip Morris plant and the Coca-Cola museum. Maron gives great, detailed accounts of these visits and makes many humorous but true, if not obvious, observations.

   Chapter ten provides a mish-mash of professional and personal experiences. I simply didn't think this stuff was very interesting or funny.

   Chapters eleven through thirteen contain the events foreshadowed in the first chapter, including his trip to Israel and his experience with Jerusalem Syndrome. I don't know how much of this is true or exaggerated, but I thought most of this stuff was pretty stupid. Some of it is funny, but not in a very good way. Perhaps a Jewish person could relate to this more and find some value in it, but I could not.

   Chapter fourteen is simply excellent. Maron returns home to do a benefit show for his old synagogue. He sees some friends and acquaintances from his youth and ends up helping out in a pretty big way. This concluding chapter is interesting and touching.

   The Jerusalem Syndrome contains very little about Maron's career as a standup comic. There's a little bit about him getting his foot in the door as a comedian at The Comedy Store and then later a bit as he starts to make a name for himself with appearances on television. If you want more on the life and times of a standup comic, I don't think you can do any better than True Story, Bill Maher's fictional story of several standup comics trying to make careers for themselves during standup's golden years.

   This book has some really good parts, but at least as many not so good parts. Perhaps the good parts make up for the not so good parts, but overall this was pretty disappointing considering how hilarious Maron's standup is. In any event, I'd rather just have more of Maron's standup comedy on CD or DVD.




5. Read this book. I read it in a day. I went back and underlined the good parts. I told a number of friends about it. You don't have to know anything about Judaism or Israel to appreciate Maron's spiritual journey. It's the funniest thing I've ever purchased online.

No comments about Free At Last?: Black America in the Twenty-First Century.

1 comments about Militant Mediator: Whitney M. Young Jr..

1. Whitney Young was a very effective leader in the fight for equal rights for everyone. He was effective both in fund-raising and in resolving conflicts. He learned to speak the language of the whites he had to deal with, so that they preferred to deal with him rather than with more militant black leaders who were unable or unwilling to speak to whites in terms whites were used to. He had the knack of knowing how far he could push whites toward fairness to blacks without getting their backs up, but never taking a straight "no" for an answer. He would accept less than what he really wanted, but always more than the other side really wanted to give. He made good use of the fact that prejudiced whites would generally prefer to compromise with him rather than deal with the more confrontational black leaders.
   
   Dickerson recounts Young's life from birth to death. It is a story well worth reading, of a brilliant and dedicated person who made a substantial contribution to the progress of racial relations, and whose methods future leaders could do well to study and emulate.
   
   Unfortunately, the narrative drags at times. Young brought to each new challenge the same impressive list of strengths; enumerating them yet again eventually becomes tiresome.
   
   
   watziznaym@gmail.com

5 comments about Were You Always An Italian?: Ancestors and Other Icons of Italian America.

1. Male or Female, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation this book is a must read. I think I might be a little older than the author having grown up in the late 40's and in the 50's. I also come from New Jersey (Trenton) and initially raised by my grandmother gravitated between the burbs my parents had moved to and the Italian section known as the burg. I basically grew up in both worlds, the old and the new. I never really thought much about who I was, but an experience I encountered in the 1990's with a section of the Navy rattled that foundation resulting in a search for my Italian heritage. Having read "Were you always an Italian?" has helped in making me understand myself. It has shown me that the choice's made and the direction traveled is not unique. A must read for every Italian-American.



2. I read this book and it spoke to me because I too am a child of immigrants that grew up very close to where the author grew up in NJ. It was like she was living my life. Yes, there are many problems that children of immigrants face while trying to navigate between their birth culture and the American way of life. After I was finished, I put the book on the shelf and forgot about it.
   
   Then I went to the town where my mother grew up in Italy. On the drive there, I noticed that this town is the neighbor to the town of the author's family. Having spent time in both towns, I must say that what the author has written about the area is truly insulting. Her characterizations of the area as desolate and sad do a disservice not only to her ancestors, but to mine. The people were kind and warm. Yes, it is not the richest of areas, but why do you think the people left this area to make a better life to begin with? They didn't have a lot of opportunities, but they worked hard to make better lives for themselves. Jsut becasue they needed to leave doesn't mean they didn't love the area to begin with. That is why so many return year after year. I'm not sure what she was expecting, but I'm sorry she was so disappointed. These towns were filled with good people living their everyday lives. I suppose the author feels they should spend their time discussing Italian literature and art in the town square by candlelight.
   
   I am embarassed to think that I once read her words with reverence. I understand that this is a "personal journey," but come on, would it hurt her to be the least bit truthful with the reader?



3. You needn't be Italian American or born in New Jersey from Italian parents to appreciate this book.
   
   It's not the nasty mythical underbelly, but about real Italian Americans kvetching over their roots. Many wishing they were born a WASP or a Monarch butterfly.
   
   An extension of John Fante and other first or second generation Italian Americans questioning their ethnicity. Intentionally masking their identities, many reborn as highly educated but ethnically stable members not at all like Tony Soprano.



4. Were You Always an Italian is a very well written book, which should be no surprise, considering Maria Laurino's background. I enjoyed the personal musings a great deal and was reminded of another book about Italians that I recently thoroughly enjoyed, Eleven Days in August by Amatore Mille.



5. If you had a situation where you were allowed to choose one of two things,going to the dentist, or reading this book, I would implore you to go to the dentist.
   This is at most a twenty page book, the rest is mind killing filler.The book has a leftward slant. That explains the good reviews from the media.the contents, poor Italians come to america,they dont speak the language.Duh.They can only get minial jobs.duh. they are mostly happy doing labor jobs.very few pull out of that attitude.That is about it.part crybaby part slock,my father was born in southern italy. he had twelve bothers and sisters. none of them ever complained about being stuck in some corner as an inferior. They were to busy making the american dream come true. my grandfather worked three jobs, two of which he owned, the other was being a street lamp lighter.all of the children got a good education. most of them became very wealthy.No darkness for them, america was the place to make it If you kept your eye on the ball. this dark shabby book,is a lobotomy. dont waste your time.

5 comments about Soul On Ice.

1. This is still one of the most important books of its era. It is very enlightening on such topics as racism suffered by Blacks in America, particulary Black males. If you want to know about the injustices that Black people have suffered around the 1960s, then you must read this book. But Cleaver's attempt to justify rape as a "revolutionary" act causes him to lose credibilty and also causes his cause to lose credibilty. This book would have been more powerful if Cleaver would have accepted responsibility for his crime, realizing rape cannot and never will be justifified.



2. After reading this book I believe trying to articulate in writing "what my opinion" is would be doing it an injustice. The man is brilliant and has influenced me to search for more knowledge and wisdom. Thanks Mr. Cleaver!



3. Mr. Cleaver wrote a semiautobiography about how society sets itself up along racial and gender lines. Raping women is reprehensible and evil and it doesn't help solve the racial/gender problem. It excabates it. Challenging the racist/sexist society by making alliances with people whom he considered to be his enemies will solve most of the problem. He should have shown love for his fellow man/woman. Didn't Jesus tell people to love your enemies, not hating and violating them? Later on in life, his views have changed for the better.



4. The themes exhibited in "Soul On Ice" are race, racism, individuality vs. societal standards and traditions, injustice, humanity, religion/faith, inhumanity and activism. Cleaver spends a great deal of time writing on the injustices Black people face in America, and how even though he is what society wants him to be, it is his fault that he allow society to be right. He pledges to take steps towards change and to become a benefit to society.
   I know that a lot of people think that they know about the civil rights movement and the effects it had on the Black race, but they don't. This story of a man who, at the time, had been locked up for more than half of his life, is the story of all real Black people. I think that sometimes Black people do things and think that it is their nature, which is how stereotypes brew. Cleaver shows us that it is history and hatred that have made us a collective in an usual individual world. We do think for ourselves, yet a racist society continues to force us to travel down a road that we have not set for ourselves, and that he has fell into racist America's trap. He has become the stereotype: (supposedly) uneducated, a prisoner, and a victim of "The Ogre" (the white woman).



5. people consider this to be 'in the world of literature' and serious?
   cleaver's a misogynistic pig, a racist, and a multiple rapist. that's all you need to know.

No comments about Race Woman: The Lives of Shirley Graham Du Bois.

2 comments about The Angela Y. Davis Reader (Blackwell Readers).

1. Without a doubt the most influentialblack woman of this decade.The writings in this book expose peopleto the knowledge and beauty of thispowerful woman. She held fast toher principles despite the fact thatit cost her her job at UCLA.I admireher strength and courage. When itcomes to Richard Nixon and RonaldReagan who would you believe. I willstick with Angela.her



2. Angela Davis is without question an American national treasure. From her involvement with Black Power in the 1960s to her humanitarian pursuit of prison reform, Davis has always been remarkable for what she does. This reader introduces a new generation of readers to what she says about what she does. Those who have never read her before will be sure to grab other collections (and, of course, the autobiography). The selection of essays and excerpts is quite pleasing, but only to whet the appetite for those new to Davis.

No comments about Ghosts in Our Blood: With Malcolm X in Africa, England, and the Caribbean.