No comments about As Big as the West: The Pioneer Life of Granville Stuart.

No comments about Voyages of Samuel de Champlain, Volume 3.

1 comments about Wings Over Istanbul: The Life and Flights of a Pioneer Aviator.

1. "Wings Over Istanbul" is about some historical aviation moments in time; but it's not an "aviation history" book. Life and memories of a pioneer aviator which is famous with his nonstop "world record" flight from New York to Istanbul in the first decades of the century... And of course with a plane unlike the current engineering wonders. Despite reflecting a long cross-section after a couple of years of the famous "first flight" by Wright Brothers, it's more emotional than a history book but more historical than a "remembrance" book. Simply it's a "love story" between the human beings and planes. Technically. Amazing moments, sadly aviation martyrs, step by step improvements and a crowning "world record"... Very enjoyable reading for those who love to visit the aviation milestones one by one.

5 comments about The Eiger Obsession: Facing the Mountain that Killed My Father.

1. John Harlin III climbed above his fear and finally made it to the summit of the mountian that killed his father. He gives us a timeline of events from when his dad was alive to when he finally completed his climb. A good story and read. Although I do feel bad that he lost his father, he has had more oppurtunities and adventures in his life then dozens of people combined. So life for him wasn't all that bad. But then again, I bet he'd trade it all to have had a life with his father. Can't wait to watch the film. Hope it's as good as the book.



2. The book would be more aptly entitled "The Dad Obsession". There is far too much whiny introspection and far too little discussion of the technical difficulties and triumph of the ascent. A terrible job of editing which allows the author to constantly share his obsession with his memories of his father and their effect on his life. A far better tale is Heinrich Harrer's "The White Spider" (Paladin Books, 1989) written by one of the team of four which first successfully scaled the Eiger in 1938, which book, by the way, respectfully mentions John Harlin II more than once and cites the first successful ascent of the direct "John Harlin Route" in 1966; the one during which Harlin II's rope broke leading to his tragic death. Harrer's is a first-class treatment of mountaineering and ascending the Eiger.



3. The north face of the Eiger Mountain in the European Alps has taken the life of many climbers. The author's father fell 4000 feet to his death when he was almost at the summit. This is the unforgettable story of conquering your fears and making an IMAX movie.



4. This book is up there with Houstons K2 the Savage Mountain and Krackauers Into Thin Air. John the III doesn't seem to be as obsessed and reckless as his father. I came away from the book feeling that his father cared more about climbing than anything else. At one point he told his wife he felt oppressed by his children and only felt alive when they were not around. I thought that very strange. The other incident that bothered me was when Harlin the III made friends with a young climber named Chuck and took him climbing with him. He pushed Chuck pretty hard, hard enough to where Chuck fell off Mount Robson and killed himself. Harlin the III pointed the dead body out to the authorities and hightailed it out of town, that friendship lasted all of two weeks. That incident struck me as very strange. Overall the book was an entertaining read.



5. 
   An absorbing tale of adventure and exorcising personal demons. John Harlin III is an outdoorsman and mountain climber and successfully navigated climbing the face of the Eiger, where his own father had died some forty years earlier. Notwithstanding the book's subtitle, the mountain did not kill his father, a broken rope led to his father's fall.
   
   In any event, the reader does not get the impression that the younger Harlinis obsessed by any particular Oedipal complex. We can empathize with his plight of living in the shadow of an iconic, larger-than-life mountain climber. At one point in his life, he is tormented by the question, "What have you done in life, other than be the son of a famous man?"
   
   We may all overtly or subliminally have the challenge of surpassing the accomplishments of our fathers. John Harlin III provides a touching memoir of struggle and transcendence, freeing himself from the haunting memories of his father's unsuccessful attempt to climb a mountain that became his obsession.

2 comments about Quest For Survival.

1. Very enjoyable, amazing life. A good read if you want to be inspired.



2. A True inspiration to anyone wanting to suceed in life. This is a gripping story of one man's life, and his quest to just survive. He had the same bad luck as the ordinary guy, yet he managed to pull through time an time again. The book is filled with story after story that we can all relate to, while at the same time giving you the unique peek "inside of history" in the making.

No comments about True stories of pioneer times: (Northwest Territory 1787-1812).

5 comments about The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness: A True Story.

1. This is the best book I have read in a long time. I loved the author's technique of prefacing each chapter / theme with an ancient folk tale. This connected the wisdom of the past with the challenges of today. I found the author's style engaging and attractive (there are not many books I have trouble putting down). The teachings about life and God were profound. My only grateful regret is that I did not make notes while reading. I will now have to do that upon reading the book a second time - after I get it back from the people to which I have loaned it. My advice is don't borrow this book but buy your own copy. Then, when you read it, have a pencil nearby. There are many statements that are so life enhancing, that the reader will want to remember those passages and refer to them, when, in their turn, life grants a portion of challenge and sorrow.



2. I did not at all like this book. The author tries way, way too hard to come across as folksy yet profound, and in the end his tone is possibly the most annoying I've ever read. Which makes it even less forgivable that he constantly uses the tritest of clichés both in characterization (he compares meeting his wife to a Joan Baez pop song) and in metaphor (he really actually uses "like grit on sandpaper").
   
   There's a number of short included stories. These stories are mildly interesting on their own, and definitely provide a welcome break from having to hear the author, but lose effect when they're forced into such a corny, played-out "illustrative text" format.



3. I had picked up this book at a book fair a while back and it sat on my book self for months. One afternoon I started reading it and I was completely capitivated by the beauty, insight and inspiration contained in this bright treasure. The book speaks to your soul. It is also funny, wise and instructive. Ben Izzy gives us an opportunity to learn from his strength and challenges. When life hands you lemons you have options on what to do with them. Ben Izzy explores and discovers the ability to make lots of lemonade. This book was so moving that I wanted several special people in my life to have it and be able to read it again and again. Everyone that recieved a copy was equally knocked out. All I can say is do not pass this one up. This book will warm your soul and inspire you.



4. This book intersperses short stories from around the world with the author's struggles coping with partial muteness. Rather than being preachy or sentimental, the author entertains us by providing international tales that foretell lessons he learns in his own life. The author's advice re: happiness reminds me of Theodore Roethke's beautiful lines:
   
   "I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
   I learn by going where I have to go."
   
   I did not provide this book with five stars, only because I felt the author's relationship with his friend Lenny was co-dependent and deserved less attention. Of course, that relationship leads the author to a large part of his self-actualization, but I would have liked to hear more about his wife--she shines in every small aside about her. If you want to be entertained and read a story about an author coping with an illness (that affects his ability to speak) in his own unique, admirable way, this is the book for you.



5. This book found me the day I was attending the wake of a good friend. I was feeling miserable of course and decided to start this book minutes before I got out of the car at the funeral home to take my mind of off my grief. I read the prologue and was hooked to this story. It has changed my outlook on life and on the death of my friend. It is great how the author takes each folktale and applies it to his life. This book is full of many life lessons and I am truly inspired to look through the curses in my life to find the blessings like Joel ben Izzy did. I have just bought this book and plan to read it to my High School World History classes this fall. I think this is a must read book for everyone. Give yourself a gift and read this book!

No comments about Abraham's Journal: The Life and Times of Abraham Blish.

No comments about George Leigh Mallory: A Memoir.

No comments about Daniel Boone: Wilderness Scout: The Life Story and True Adventures of the Great Hunter Long Knife Who First Blazed the Wilderness Trail through the Indian's Country to Kentucky.