2 comments about A Childhood in the ABRUZZI: A Memoir.

1. i order this book because i am from abruzzi,what i did not know that mr. zavarella and i both comes from the valle peligna. i laughed and cried at his stories of his childhood because, like the author i went to the madonna della libera, when was her feast,and mr zavarella come to my city sulmona to see the funeral of jesus at holy friday and at easter to see the madonna who runs on the square.
   it is a wonderful book,i want my childrens to read it, in fact all the abruzzesi should read it.
   
   bravo art zavarella



2. I have just finished reading a great book by Art Zavarella PE, entitled "A CHILDHOOD in the ABRUZZI," released recently by PublishAmerica of Baltimore.
   
   Art Zavarella was born in Italy as Artorige Pelino Zavarella and came to America at age twenty-six with a few dollars in his pocket and a diploma as a civil engineer. After struggling for a couple of years doing menial work while mastering the English language he finally found professional employment with a consulting engineering firm; and, later, he obtained the license to practice professional engineering from the University of the State of New York.
   
   When he first returned to Italy after an absence of more than 32 years, he noticed with great pains that hardly anyone, there, remembered the village the way it was before the war. So, on account of this, he decided to compile this book to bring back to light the memories of the village the way it was during his childhood. And he does it well recounting events and things with brilliant descriptions, and his passion of it can be perceived in every paragraph. He loves the valley where he was born, surrounded by beautiful mountains dotted here and there with picturesque villages; some perched upon rocks; and the farm of his grandfather on the foothill of Monte San Cosimo. He describes well local traditions carried down from generations to generations unchanged since pagan times, and places of historical importance that he had visited from time to time; the hard life of the villagers with their fears and superstitions still believing in witchcraft, werewolves, omen, fortunetellers and the power of the Evil Eye. He recalls his school years with great emotions, while striving to learn Latin, Italian Literature, Math, History and other important subjects. Not to mention the hardships caused by a war that brought so much destruction to the land he loved.
   
   The book is as delightful as compassionate and reminds me of the famous Italian movie "Cinema Paradiso," and deserves to be rated at 5 stars.

5 comments about Native State.

1. I'm quickly approaching the end of this book and already saddened by that fact. This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. I'm principally a fan of non-fiction and this memoir has really touched me. If you fancy yourself as musical, nostalgic, cosmopolitan, idealist or perhaps, simply human in the least bit, you will undoubtedly find yourself attached to this book. Maybe I relate to it more than others will but the wanderlust, the music, the cast of shadowy figures, the distance (figurative and literal) between self and family all tug at my heart with a true, visceral immediacy. I found it extremely thought-provoking and wisdom-imparting. With jazz in my ears, misadventure on my mind, and a bittersweetness in my heart, I will be reading this one again and again.



2. Tony Cohan's attempt to cope with the father who dominated his life has produced this splendid tale of escape into adventures literary, musical, and romantic in lands far and near. Mr. Cohan's abundant talents enabled him to find acceptance among musical and literary figures whose names will surely inspire threads of memory for readers of a certain age, say 60 and older. The memoir thus opens many more windows than would the ramblings of a less gifted protagonist.
   
   The writing is more than equal to the images it is called on to create, and the influence of Mr. Cohan's father is delineated touchingly and understandably as it evolves from early days in New York and Hollywood up to the day of the elder Mr. Cohan's death.



3. This is a favorite for me - a retrospecitve on real life adventures of a man experiencing life with reckless abandon, yet searching for something - meaning, fulfillment, legacy...
   
   Tony Cohan bares his sole, show his flaws, character strengths and character failings. No glossing over the facts, just tells it like it was. Easy to relate to for those with a sense of wanderlust. His failings are our failings. We experience his adventures as if we were there.
   
   A really good read if you like biographies, adventure, character studies...
   
   Cohan's "On Mexican Time" was also a very good book.



4. I purchased this book based on the author's experiences with many artists that have touched my life. I found this to be a slow read and not particularly thought inducing. Perhaps someday as my father is aging I will re-read it and find a new appreciation for it, but until then I would suggest avoiding this one.



5. Tony Cohan, an incredibly gifted writer - his account of finding a new life in Mexico, 'On Mexican Time', is a superior contribution to the genre of literary travel memoir - has written a sort of early prequel to that book, a fascinating and heartrending story of one man's search for a meaningful life. This is played out in retrospect as he watches his father die in present day Los Angeles. He takes us back to his boyhood in the shadow of a belittling and domineering man, who shaped him for all that was to come. Young Cohan was an accomplished jazz drummer playing with greats like Dexter Gordon in Copenhagen - and pre-Ringo Beatles in Hamburg! - but he gave this up to follow a trickier path of self-expression as a writer. This led him through the early days of the counterculture that began in the late 1950s and flowered into the sex,drugs, rock and roll, Buddhism of the 60s. Cohan hung out with Paul Bowles in Morocco, Jim Morrison in LA, Burroughs in Paris. But this is much more than a name-dropping memoir. It's the paradigm voyage of a generation, and Cohan is its very best, most moving explicator. A great and moving book.

5 comments about Looks Like Howard.

1. One of the best and most entertaining reads I've had in quite some time. Sure, it was extra-special reading a memoir that took place in familiar home-territory, with so-familiar-that-it's-scary parallels that happen in many large, Catholic family settings.....but mostly it's just beautiful imagination shining onto paper, weaving a tapestry of humor, wackiness, honesty, awareness and insight to which many readers will instantly relate. The ending was unexpected and delightful (gave me chills, actually). I look forward to more titles by this author in the future!



2. A powerful read -- packed with self-deprecating humor, fantastic turns of phrase,incredible emotion, and insightful revelations arising from mundane everyday life. And best of all,the ending is especially satisfying even though (and maybe because) it's not wrapped up with a perfect bow. This book is enjoyable not only because Kambitsch's writing is fantastic, but also because the story is compelling and vibrant in a very believable way.



3. I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Kambitsch (rhymes with damn bitch! (-:) reveals a fascinating childhood and coming-of-age in this funny, yet poignant memoir. If you ever get to Dayton, OH, she enacts scenes from Shaggy Hair in occasional performance art with Maribeth -- you just have to read the book!



4. ... In the 1960's, this might be the story he would write. Except Patricia Kambitsch makes it clear when this memoir extends into the occasional fictional fantasy. And her brilliance of fantasy reflects a sensitive adult that can inhabit and feel deeply for the little girl experiencing the tragedies of her youth, but not understanding them at the time.
   
   The crux of the story (why you should read this) is that she reates such a vivid sense of how children view their own lives, that you may relive the wonder of your own childhood through new eyes she bestows upon you, the reader. She revives the immediacy of experience and the meaningfulness of everything and anything - a word, a pet, a blanket - as a child sees them at the time of experience. Her adult reflections bring the edge of humor to the story, where all the real-world characters of one's life - big siblings, parent, neighbors - are portrayed with a biting comedy originating from years of storymaking and empathy.
   
   So, if David Sedaris had been born a girl in the 60's, he might be as funny as this, but we would would not have the incredible fantasies recreated here, speaking with the truth of self-told fictions in a real and rich inner life.



5. In this memoir, Kambitsch really nails the smallest moments of family and childhood all under the shadow of her dead father. It sounds like a sad story from the outside. Six children left fatherless, a grieving, lovely widow left to fend for them all.
   
   But it's not what you think.
   
   What makes this book different from the typical early childhood trauma memoir is Kambitsch's irreverent and hilarious narrating voice. She has all the flair of an author like David Sedaris and his underhanded humor, and she is able to capture the conversations, the rules of the childhood games (like "Playing Jesus"), and the portraits of her family that really make the story pop.
   Kambitsch sneaks in some poignant and sad issues and then tears them apart with her sarcastic and straightforward humor. In the end, you will love this family for their imperfections.
   
   It's refreshingly subtle and smart writing.

2 comments about Don't Throw the Bread: A Young Girl's Journey During World War II.

1. I found this warm, down to earth story about an eleven-day period during WWII easy reading. Gerry Niskern managed to create living history with a series of delightful family stories told by her mother during layovers on a bus trip her family took during wartime. Her description of the soldiers and sailors listening as well, while trying to get home on leave was touching. This fast paced and absorbing portrayal of her family was profoundly honest. Niskern paints compelling portraits of family members and weaves in her emigrant grandparent's experiences in America. If you remember WWII you will be nodding in recognition and younger readers like me will enjoy an easy dose of history. I found this memoir within a memoir deeply moving. You will not want to put it down and when you've finished, you'll wish it was longer.



2. I ordinarily don't buy books anymore but wanted Gerry Niskern's book as I grew up in Phoenix, AZ and went to high school with her, but we didn't know each other. "Don't Throw the Bread" brings back memories of growing up during WWII. The way she writes I could imagine myself right there with her and her family. She made me remember seeing troops trains going through Union Station in Phoenix and my mother telling me not to say anything to anyone about them. Would I buy another book written by Gerry Niskern, Yes.

3 comments about Are You Happy?: A Childhood Remembered.

1. Emily Fox Gordon may well become known as The Great American Memoirist for ARE YOU HAPPY? A Childhood Remembered, and her previous memoir MOCKINGBIRD YEARS. To read these books is to spend welcome time in the warm and brilliant company of a deeply insightful writer.
   ARE YOU HAPPY? invites us into the compelling story of Gordon's childhood that is at once shockingly personal and universal. She reveals a psychic landcape, an event in our cultural consciousness, a deliciously discerning expose of family life, the fifties, parental love and failure. Her awareness of herself and the world is so evolved that the book unfolds as an exquisite map of individual consciousness, the "socialization" of that, and the brave refusal to limit one's imaginative life and primordial communion with the world.
   She writes so well that I read many of her sentences over and over to savor them, and in fact savored the entire book. Gordon has a true gift for writing of profound emotional conflict with empathic clarity. This is a book I value most of all for its wry introspection and moments of awareness that explode in revelation. It's not only about a childhood but the self in all its pain and luminosity.



2. This wonderful book tranforms incidents that we can all identify with into brilliantly captured observations about life. I am struck by the book's honesty and Ms. Gordon's ability to inject an aura of mystery and intrigue into the incidents she recalls with such lucidity. It's a great read, very moving in its simplicity and yet filled with Proustian overtones, giving the book its strength and power.



3. In the post-Frey era, it's refreshing to discover a memoir that
   reflects the ways in which memory really works. Are You Happy? delights with loose chronology and fleeting images, like the balloon glimpsed after the child has let go of the string. Yet the book is grounded by scrupulous attention to detail, with attending sounds, tastes, and fragrances that fully realize each hovering miniature. Here, one understands the author carefully scrutinized the past not to recite a history, but to evoke and describe a state of being, embracing the privilege, and one of the goals, of the memoirist: to make art of the past, as would a painter, or a musician improvising on a theme.
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader.

1. My first book about Blair was "Thirty Days" by Peter Stothard. That book was about a short time period before the Iraq invasion but it got me interested. Also I read Gerry Adam's book "A Farther Shore" and he describes his interaction with Blair. So I was ready to read a Blair biography. I would say this book is good and explains the basics of Blair's career and what makes him tick. So it was good to read but I would say it rates 4 stars. It is not a barn burner or an epic story, but it is a solid job. It is only 250 pages long and skips many things but it covers the basics.
   
   The author Philip Stephens is well qualified to write this book having been a long time journalist and associate editor at the Financial Times. He has known Tony Blair since Blair was a junior Treasury spokesman for Labour Party in the early 1980's and the author has followed Blair's upward career for 20 years keeping in close contact.
   
   One might assume as I did that this might be a flattering or even a fawning portrayal of Tony Blair. But I think it is fair to say that the book is neutral. It is clearly not nasty or overly negative and if the author had that attitude he would never have been able to interview Blair dozens of times as he claims to have done over a twenty-year period.
   
   In short, I was a bit surprised by the book. It is better than I had hoped; it is a solid and well-crafted biography of a complicated person. The author had access to Blair over decades, he has interviewed many of Blair's old friends and associates, and clearly this is an excellent and well researched book by an outstanding journalist. It explains his half Scottish and half Irish roots, his education, his days at Oxford, his first legal job where he met Cherie, his first contacts with Labour, his first seat as an MP, etc. The book manages to touch on all his main career segments and explain how he has progressed step by step, adapting, learning, grasping power, holding onto power, trying to transform his ideas into action, etc. I did find one interesting aspect and that was how he developed his philosophy on supporting Bush. I recently read Zbigniew Brzezinski's book "The Choice" and many of those ideas are similar to Blair. As a result of the war in Kosovo (and Sierra Leone) Blair concluded that other than France and Britain, the EU was essentially helpless in any military conflict and the relation with the US and later Russia was the key to achieving world peace. For that reason he strongly supported US involvement in Kosovo and later backed Bush in Iraq, and continues to support close US-EU ties, and then expanding those ties.
   
   In any case, this is an interesting book and is highly recommend reading as are the other three books that I mentioned..



2. I have never visited the moon but then I know that the moon exists. Similarly I have never read this book but I know that it will contain so many lies (perhaps 'untruths' is a nicer-sounding word). For many British people the election of Blair initially gave the hope of a new life in British politics after so many years of Tory rule. They had naively expecteded that a politician coming from the Labour party would restore justice and fair play - but their hopes were betrayed. Not only did Blair continue Thatcher's policy of destroying one of the greatest welfare systems in the world ( thereby making the rich even richer and the poor even poorer) but he also continued her war-mongering policies with even more zeal. He has not only attacked old age pensions, social security and the national health service (once even better than in Scandinavia but now similar to America), but he has also exposed British people worldwide to actual terrorist threats (threats which hitherto had never existed).
   I would not like to spend money on a book such as this so that a portion of the royalties would end up in Tony Blair's already bulging pockets; and with this money he could no doubt enjoy another holiday prancing about on a tropical island while so many people in Iraq are still being killed every day. Not having read this work, I would like to say that my rating of one star is no slur on the talent of the biographer (nor can I say that his treatment of Mr. Blair is partial or flattering). However, I am sure that the biographer is reporting what his subject WANTS him to say. I wonder whether this book will provide real unprevaricative answers such as the real truth behind the circumstances of Dr. Kelly's death. I also doubt whether Mr. Blair will provide an adequate explanation as to why a British subject was left to die a barbaric death by being beheaded without his prime minister's intervention (even though that poor man and his family had begged Mr. Blair to save his life). I wonder how many other superficial issues there might be in the book - all of which will serve just to divert attention from the real issue - why did Mr. Blair pretend to the British public that he had actual proof that there were nuclear weapons in Iraq?
   A related question which I would not expect to see asked (let alone answered) in this biography is whether his actions really showed the work of a friend. A friend of America is not just someone who ingratiates himself with the leaders of the country, but someone who REALLY cares for the wellbeing of the good and decent American people themselves, especially for all the young heroes who willingly went to give their lives believing (as they were told) that they were doing so to help their country (and paid far less than the employees sent to Iraq to reconstruct the oil industry). A friend is not someone who is always a fawning follower and a servile 'yesman'. A real friend is someone who is sincere and points out the truth. Two years ago he had the opportunity to offer his American counterpart the advice of a real friend. If such advice had been taken then thousands of innocent people would still be alive today.



3. I read Philip Stephens' column each time it appears in the Financial Times' editorial page. Readers of that space will have realized that Stephens' has good access to Tony Blair, his inner circle and the workings of British government. As such, this book - a quick, worthhwhile read - is a good primer for the U.S.-based reader in gaining insight as to how that system of government works.
   
   In terms of painting the picture of how Blair and team (and mostly Blair, by the way) made its way towards partnership with the US in the actions in Iraq, there's a better source: Peter Stothard's "Thirty Days" is by far the better insider's view of that process. However, Stothard's book is emphatically not a biography. So, if you want insights on the roots and rise of Tony Blair - especially vis-a-vis his complex relationship with PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown - Stephens' book will suit you fine. [Although Stephens' himself goes on to suggest other sources that cover specific topics better than he, most notably James Naughtie's "The Rivals," which covers the Blair/Brown saga in splendorific detail.]
   
   A couple of annoying editing mistakes are worth noting. Inner-circle confidant Alastair Campbell is repeatedly called 'Alistair.' I fault the editors here - this is a main character (he dominates "Thirty Days"). Sure, 'Alastair' is a non-conventional spelling, but the man deserves to have his name spelled correctly. Also, Spainard Javier Solana - head of NATO at the time of that organization's actions in Kosovo - becomes Xavier Solana. Charo was apparently unavailable for comment.



4. If you want to know why the British prime minister went to war with the US then read this well-written and insightful biography of a great world leader. Stephens produces an elegant account of the personal beliefs, strategic calculations and straightforward loyalty that kept the UK alongside the US in a time of danger. The biography is stylishly-written and full of original material



5. As author Philip Stephens notes, many Americans who saw British prime minister Tony Blair all buddy-buddy with his close friend and philosophical soulmate Bill Clinton were surprised to see Blair in apparently an equally close relationship with George W. Bush just a few months later. Other Americans may simply have wondered who this man was who became Bush's closest ally in the run-up to war in Iraq and his guest during an address to Congress.

   Either way, this biography has many of the answers those Americans may be looking for. While it is not the definitive biography of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair -- and it's obviously too early to measure his impact on UK politics, since he's still in office -- this title is nevertheless a good introduction to this major player on the world stage.

   Stephens, a writer for the Financial Times newspaper, has had a great deal of access to Blair over the years, including personal interviews specifically for this book. It's not entirely surprising, therefore, that Stephens takes a generally positive tone with his subject. While he does not downplay Blair's weaknesses, including a number of unattractive personality traits, neither is he heavily critical of the man. He also tends to be light in his coverage of others' criticisms of Blair, except insofar as they have shaped the man himself or had a lasting impact on his political outlook or success in office.

   No question that this book is more about personality than politics ... but I hasten to add that I think Stephens has done a fine job in showing how Blair's political words and deeds proceed consistently and logically from his personality and his underlying beliefs. Unlike Clinton, Blair does seem to have a solid set of core principles that transcend mere political expedience. Stephens argues that this in part explains Blair's ability to get along with President Bush on matters of global policy. At the same time, Blair is also a consummate and accomplished politician, who recognizes (again, as Stephens argues) that the British prime minister ultimately has little alternative *except* to do all he can to keep the UK's relationship with the US on solid footing, regardless of who is in the White House.

   In short, this title may seem a bit too glossy and superficial to Americans who already have some degree of familiarity with British politics and Tony Blair himself. However, for those who don't, or who seek a quick refresher course, Stephens' book has a lot to argue for it. I consider myself relatively conversant with the UK's politics and government, but still learned a lot from reading this. I think other readers may find themselves reaching the same conclusion.

5 comments about Pieces of Pie: Surviving Love.

1. I open this book and find, standing alone on an introductory page, a quote from Henry James:
   
   "Three things in human life are important.
   The first is to be kind.
   The second is to be kind.
   And the third is to be kind."
   
   And as I read on I realize that these words of Henry James are the perfect prologue to Pie Dumas' story. PIECES OF PIE, Surviving Love, is at heart an account of the author's pathway out of abuse and denial into first understanding, then acceptance, and finally into a place where she can show kindness to herself as a worthy human being.
   
   Dumas begins by telling of a breakthrough moment in her healing. She has entered a weeklong retreat at the Caron Foundation, where her assignment is to share one secret a day with the group. "I was mortified to have been placed in Caron's adult children of alcoholics group. Despite my alcoholic boyfriend and a broken nose - the most visible reasons my therapist had referred me - I was a child of an alcoholic. And I really didn't have any secrets. I thought." She jumps right in, telling the group about a compulsion to steal that began when she was eight and continued into adulthood, of abusive relationships, numerous abortions and suicide attempts, and finally of giving birth at age seventeen to a baby girl who she gave up for adoption. She can't even remember "whether I'd laid eyes on her before saying goodbye." It is at this point that an older woman in the group touches her arm and says, "That must hurt very much." At first, Dumas stoutly denies this, but then, "as I looked in this nice woman's face, I didn't see the conviction I yearned for reflected back at me. Strangely, there were tears forming at the corners of her eyes. That's when something new and altogether unfamiliar happened: Tears began to well up in my own eyes. Feelings flooded into me that I could no longer hide. For the very first time, I started crying about the baby I'd been denying for twenty-one years."
   
   From this stirring beginning, Dumas takes us back to her early childhood in Columbus, Ohio. Her father is George Dumas, a domineering man of Armenian descent. Her Swiss mother is a meek, nearly totally deaf woman who was raised in an orphanage. The young Pie and her mother are mere cogs in the wheel of George Dumas' successful import business - jewelry and novelties. She longs for a normal childhood and builds herself a haven from cardboard boxes in a back room and crawls inside to draw furniture and stick figures in an attempt to create a "normal" family. She wanders through her neighborhood at holiday time, peeking in windows at families enjoying dinner or sitting in front of a fire by a Christmas tree.
   
   Her father habitually scorns her: "When he really wanted to make his point in a dramatic way, he would hurl insults at me and then spit a big wad of saliva in my face....it was unmitigated humiliation and agony - and the message he communicated would shadow me for decades to come, constantly nibbling at any semblance of self-worth I could invent." The most deeply hidden of Pie Dumas' secrets though, the one that drives her into violent relationships and self-hurt, and eludes her recognition for much of her life, is the sexual abuse her father wreaks on her from very early childhood. It begins in their home and continues through many road trips to state fairs where George Dumas hawks his imported wares and ill-uses Pie as a gofer, and into Pie's early adolescence during a whirlwind trip around the world. Dumas writes of the excitement of this journey - a ride on a runaway camel in Egypt, learning to drive on an icy Bavarian mountain road, being honored by the King of Thailand - and of her blossoming awareness of kinds of human misery other than her own, and of her own mortality.
   
   Amid all this...and more...Pie's spirit survives. After the birth and adoption of her daughter and a disastrous brief marriage, she moves to New York to study and pursue a singing career. And then, finally, she begins the difficult journey to wholeness. In taut, direct prose, she unflinchingly relates the story of her passage from a self-mutilating victim who is addicted to damaging relationships to the vibrantly healthy woman she is today. She writes openly about the conflicting feelings she continues to face about the incest. And she works her way to forgiving her father for his maltreatment of her, and her mother for not protecting her - it's not clear how much her mother knew.
   
   A joyful moment in Dumas' account comes when she searches for and finds her daughter Debbie. The young woman is of mixed race, born from the deep friendship that developed between Pie and a young black man when she was seventeen. This happy reunion includes becoming acquainted with a son-in-law and grandchildren she didn't know she had, and seems to have made her healing nearly complete. There have been some missteps in the growing mother/daughter relationship, but Dumas appears to be centered in the love that she has given herself permission to feel and determined to keep all doors open.
   
   When I read PIECES OF PIE I have no doubt that Pie Dumas has learned to be kind to herself. She pens the following words when writing about the scars that are the left-over evidence of her self-mutilation; I think, though, they speak to the heart of this story: "Lately I've been allowing myself to kiss the imprints of the past."
   
   Martha Hills
   St John Sun Times



2. Let me explain first that I am not related to the author, even though we share a family name and lived in the same town for a number of years. This coincidence did, however, lead me to her remarkable book.
   
   Memoirs of screwed-up childhoods are popular these days, but few of them can match PIECES OF PIE for hellishness, heart-ache, and ultimately, redemption. We see a life destroyed, and we see a life painstakingly rebuilt.
   
   But the book succeeds so well not because its elements are dramatic -- though that helps -- but because of Pie Dumas' story-telling prowess. PIECES OF PIE is alive with sensory detail, sharp observation, and a respect for the complexity of human relationships. Those things, and good old-fashioned narrative muscle.



3. I had so many emotions while reading this book. My heart ached for the little girl who could only find happiness in her imagination and yet my heart sang as I watched her emerge as a vibrant young woman with so much to give to humanity. Her amazing discriptions of her travels around the world allowed me to be right there with her. This is a must read if you enjoy inspiring literature.



4. With much introspection and courage, author Pie Dumas has shared the trauma and joy of her abusive, privileged childhood. Growing up as the daughter of a wealthy, overbearing businessman, Pie let her true self fly away and became a pawn in her father's brutal, incestuous power play. The next several decades would be a slow, painful journey to the feeling, connected woman Pie is today. Gone is the insecure, bribing child desperate for the approval of parents, peers, and an audience. Today she lives a quiet life with her new family, two beautiful white shepherds named Skye and Nicky. Serving as a personal coach and sharing her memoir, Pieces of Pie, Surviving Love, Pie is using her own healing experiences to help guide others through the often shark-infested waters of familial life. Her book is an inspiration to all who want to live the best life they can live.



5. Pie Dumas is a very dynamic story teller. I was touched by her ability to find a positive perspective in even the most difficult situations. Her humor is charming and candid. I fell in love with the little girl in the cardboard house and stayed in love with the real life character from that moment on. This story reads more like fiction but is so much more compelling because you know it isn't. This tale involves much more than you expect and is full of surprises. This is a book to share.

No comments about Cowgirl Dreams.

4 comments about Silence and Noise: Growing Up Zen in America.

1. This is the story of a young man raised in the quiet reflection of a Zen monastery, but thrown suddenly into the noise, confusion, and chaos of mainstream America. The author paints a vivid picture of his struggle to adjust to a kaleidoscopic, loud, and sometimes rude new culture. He examines differences in assumptions, values, and customs, and explores the meanings in those differences. He also describes how, in the end, his Buddhist upbringing helped him come to terms with the changes.
   
   This book is clearly and vibrantly written, and very enjoyable. It's also an eye-opener. I loved it.



2. I loved this book. If you want to understand what zen is
   about, this is the book. Who better to enlighten us than
   someone born into a zen family?

   I felt the author was too hard on himself. I hope he's reading
   this. He's is ok. But I get the impression he thinks there
   is something wrong with being different. I think many enlightened people feel this way because those seeking "enlightenment" generally aren't showy people; so
   you don't often meet them.

   Ivan you are not alone. I understand your message. And I'm
   closer than you think. Just stay on the path. The truth will
   set you free.

   Lovely book and looking forward to many more to come




3. This very readable, human book takes you into the world and mind of someone who has led an unusual life and destroys the myth that all Americans are somehow "coming from the same place" and can use the same experiences and references. Wrong! And this author is only one of many.
   Mr. Richmond serves as a translator, so to speak, a bridge between divergent world views and his descriptions of trying to understand "Pop Culture" ( and sometimes getting it wrong) are fascinating. He writes with humanity and humor, never taking the stand that his upbringing and ideals are "better" just because they are different. This is a white, middle class individual who speaks English, one can only guess at how hard American culture ( and the idea we are a "Christian Nation") is for some people coming from "outside" to grasp. I read it in one or two sittings, I found it touching and eye opening, with a refreshing simplicity.
   The message I got: No world view, or lifestyle, is ever perfect. There is good and bad in all lifestyles and religions, and a compassionate person needs to see that we are *not* all alike, not all coming from a common reference. As we stretch toward empathy, our spirit grows. Mr. Richmond's struggle to unite "silence" with "noise" has given him a unique perspective, one I really enjoyed sharing.



4. This very readable, human book takes you into the world and mind of someone who has led an unusual life and destroys the myth that all Americans are somehow "coming from the same place" and can use the same experiences and references. Wrong! And this author is only one of many.
   Mr. Richmond serves as a translator, so to speak, a bridge between divergent world views and his descriptions of trying to understand "pop culture" ( and sometimes getting it wrong) are fascinating. He writes with humanity and humor, never taking the stand that his upbringing and ideals are "better" just because they are different. This is a white, middle class individual who speaks English, one can only guess at how hard American culture ( and the idea we are a "Christian Nation") is for some people coming from "outside" to grasp. I read it in one or two sittings, I found it touching and eye opening, with a refreshing simplicity.
   The message I got: No world view, or lifestyle, is ever perfect. There is good and bad in all lifestyles and religions, and a compassionate person needs to see that we are *not* all alike, not all coming from a common reference. Much damage has been done by this view. As we stretch toward empathy, our spirit grows and we as a society grow. Mr. Richmond's struggle to unite "silence" with "noise" has given him a unique perspective, one I really enjoyed sharing.

No comments about Horse and Buggy Days on Hatchet Creek: An Alabama Boyhood in the 1890s (Library Alabama Classics).