4 comments about His Promised Land: The Autobiography of John P. Parker, Former Slave and Conductor on the Underground Railroad.

1. My daughter needed this book for research of slavery. It was great for her and she learned alot!



2. I ordered this book after seeing an interesting reference to it in an article in Smithsonian Magazine. I am so very glad I did.It is an amazing book, a very rare combination of thought provoking historical narrative, and Indiana Jones-ish excitement. I only wish it had been ten times as long-I would have devoured it. If I hadn't read the preface, which gives the background, I would have thought it was fiction, and pretty darn nail biting fiction at that.
   I have given quite a bit of thought to this book, wondering what I would have done, given the same situation, and concluded that you can only hope you would be strong enough to rise to the circumstances, but fear is a powerful deterrent.I am giving my copy to the history department chair at my daughters' high school, and will ask them to consider making it a part of the curriculum.



3. I brought this book some time ago and just got around to reading it. Well, let me tell you that I can kick myself for not reading it sooner. You will get through this book so fast your head would spin because it is so interesting you will not want to put it down. John P. Parker, my hero.



4. John Parker's autobiography is an engrossing and often surprising account of the activities of the Underground Railroad. Parker was born and lived as a slave until buying his freedom and moving to Ripley, Ohio. There he joined forces with Rev. John Rankin in helping slaves cross the Ohio River and escape to Canada. His account is lucid, swift-moving, rambunctious, and highly literate. He describes the Ohio River Valley as "the Borderland," comparing it to the lawless, violent Scots/English border. The border, constantly raided by Abolitionists helping steal men, women, and children out of slavery and patrolled by slave-owning vigilantes intent on catching them, simmers in as treacherous a state of unrest and violence as any "Wild West" town at its worst. Parker never walks the streets of Ripley without a pistol, knife, and black jack in his belt. He never admits to working for the Underground Railroad, especially after passage of the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, but pretty much everyone in the region knows that he does, putting his life in constant danger.

   Parker's account abounds in hair-breadth escapes, heart-rending failures, and startling heroics. He also reveals aspects of the Underground Railroad that one never suspects but which seem inevitable after he describes them, such as the competition that developed between John Rankin's Ripley, Ohio branch of the Railroad and Levi Coffin's Cincinnati group. Parker insists that Coffin was merely the better publicist, not the better rescuer of the two. It's also clear that for Parker rescuing slaves was not merely a fierce moral imperative but also an activity touched with excitement, zest--even, strange as this sounds, fun. There is an element of sport to his activities, despite their grim, life and death seriousness. Parker is obviously bold, intelligent, crafty--good at what he does--and he relishes the hard-won triumphs of courage and guile that allow him to free his fellow slaves.

   It's hard to say what place &qu! ot;His Promised Land" will take in American literature. It will not, I don't think, replace Frederick Douglass's "Narrative of an American Slave" as the country's premier account of the experience of slavery. It's not as powerful, relentless, or literarily self-conscious an account as Douglass's great work. But it may prove to be, for the Underground Railroad, what Sam Watkins's "Co. Aytch" is for the Civil War: perhaps the most engaging, colorful, and moving account by an 'ordinary extraordinary' man in one of this country's most agonizing and dramatic conflicts.

5 comments about Front Row at the White House : My Life and Times.

1. I respect Helen Thomas for her fearlessness, tenacity, and the fact that she broke so much ground as a woman in the WH Press Corp. However, as other reviewers have noted, this book didn't have the bite of her questions at a press conference.
   
   I'm glad I read this book - parts were very interesting. Her insights into individual Presidents and First Ladies, the way they viewed the press, and the insidious transition from communications to spin and handling. She also takes the press to task for buying into this.
   
   The book is kinda wonky, and if you aren't a press junky, it wouldn't mean much. I didn't know there was so much to know about Air Force One - and even after reading it, was numb.
   
   Reading this book made me think that I had Helen Thomas at a loooong Saturday afternoon brunch, and she had begun holding forth. Fascinating premise. But after a while, you'd want a break - take a walk, see if they brought out more shrimp, maybe check the Blackberry. After a while (or maybe 30 pages), it would be irresistable to go back and see what she was saying now. You'd be rivited for a while, then your eyes would start to glaze over, and it's time to see if they have FINALLY brought out more shrimp. After everyone has had three glasses of wine, you're in a mellower mood to listen, and she's in a crazier mood to talk, so it all works out just fine.



2. I never noticed Thomas much until I saw her bit on Steven Colbert's famous slap in Bush's face at the White House Pres Corps dinner. I started reading more about her and listened to her on many different shows. I respect her a great deal, so was very interested in this book.
   
   Much of it is about her. Too much really. There is also way too much name dropping as well as anecdotes about her and her cronnies that were frankly rather boring. She aslo is rather contradictory. She prides herself on her journalistic integrity but doesn't understand why someone like Lady Bird would have been furious over her leaks about her daughters. She makes a big deal of her front row seat and on the many compliments and accolades that the various presidents bestowed on her. Such things got in the way of what really was an excellent look at the administrations that she worked with.
   
   However, it was in her chapters on Marha Mitchell, and the first ladies, that really make this book a gem. The former esp - we were always told by the administration that she was insane. She wasn't - she was speaking the truth about watergate, and no one wanted to listen. And for the most part does a good job outlining each administration's successes and faults.
   
   However, She was also far from being unbiased. Kennedy was the only democratic president who she had good things to say about. To hear her talk, Clinton's lies were much worse than Watergate or Contragate. She pretty much gave Nixon and Reagan a free pass, but spent pages ranting about Clinton. I don't expect someone working so long to not have opinions but for heavens sake try to put things into perspective.
   
   Since this book was written just at the end of Clinton's term, and since I know that her opinion of Bush Jr is less than stellar, I'd be interested in reading her more current book which talks about his administration. I wonder if she now sees Clinton with perhaps less myopic eyes?



3. I liked doing business with them. The book came in very good packaging. I plan on doing more business with them in the future. Keep up the good work!!!



4. If you've ever wondered about the woman who for years asked the first question at presidential news conferences and also ended each one, then this memoir will be entertaining. Thomas had a long career and got to know every president since JFK pretty well, or so you'd think from this book which is chock full of interesting anecdotes and opinions. It is a bit repetitious and would have benefited mightily from tighter editing. One wonders if the publisher was a little too reverential to use the red pencil. Somewhere along the line, UPI, her employer, lost a lot of its power and impact, due to business turmoil. Still, Thomas soldiered on. She doesn't say much about UPI in the memoir, probably because she's still working, though for Hearst. If you follow the journalism biz, you'll want to read this one.



5. The book is a true reflection of who Helen is and her commitment to the ideals and responsibility of being a "reporter". Whether or not you agree with Helen's political views; it is hard to argue with her views regardig the responsibility of the press corps.

5 comments about The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero.

1. 
   The subtitle "The making of America's first superhero" really doesn't hold up very well. I would say George Washington or Daniel Boone fit that bill long before Houdini was born and a few others probably could be named as well. The authors also pursue a questionable line of research when they try to put Houdini in the position of master spy with very little research to back it up; mainly supposition and conjecture derived from a few sources. I guess they were trying to add a bit more spice to a figure who has had more than a few biographies written about him, but I didn't find all the "bells and whistles" necessary to enjoy this well-written look at one of the few individuals whose name has become part of our lexicon. Houdini's life is a marvelous combination of hard work and ego; in his quest to be famous he achieved a kind of immortality, his life filled with all the human failings of hubris and weakness, but he was always supplemented by a tremendous will to overcome whatever he was confronted with. .The later chapters, dealing with Houdini's battles with spiritualists, like Margery, are particularly telling. These attacks on spiritualists, who seemed to have really earned his enmity by having the temerity to try to trick the master of deception, are fascinating examples of how Houdini was able to combine his personal feelings with commerce as he was able to tour and lecture on their fraudulent practices. These chapters are truly the most intriguing, as the gradual decay of Houdini's friendship with Arthur Conan Doyle is mixed with Houdini's valiant attempt to enlighten people to the deceit of the spiritualist movement. Once again the author's attempt to "gild the lily" by suggesting Houdini was killed as a payback from the "spiritualist movement" with little evidence. It's not that I don't believe the possibilities of this "assassination" or the book's earlier contentions of Houdini's "spying" but I would expect them to be better supported by evidence before giving them as much credence as this book does. Despite these attempts to add another dimension to Houdini's biography, the book still stands as a valiant effort to bring Houdini's life and legend to a new generation.



2. This book must be ranked as the best biography on Houdini. It is so well written that I literally could not put it down.
   
   I knew only Houdini the master magician, but he was so much more--possible spy for the US and Britain, inspiration for countries to develop an Air Force for the coming conflict (WWI), and even devulging some of his secrets in order to teach soldiers how they might escape from enemy prisons, etc. But of course the biggest story of all is his intense fight against fake mediums and their bilking the grieving of both their money and playing with their emotions.
   
   Of particular interest is the conflict between Conan-Doyle and his band consisting of, among others, Dr. Crandon and his "medium" wife Margery. It is amazing how the creator of the world's greatest fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, could drop all reason when it came to these con artists. Doyle was obviously emotionally wrought over the death of his son, and it made him abandon the very aspects of rationality. His fictional character would have quickly proven that there was not just a million dollar industry based on fraud, but also there existed an equally strong possibility that Houdini was murdered. Doyle was not a fuzzy, warm guy when it came to another who challenged his irrational belief system, and it is unfortunate that one who is justly admired for his writing became so intertwined with the fake "religion" of spiritualism .
   
   After reading this book, which dispels many of the myths and unlocks the real story not told by the media, I myself believe there is enough circumstantial evidence that Houdini was at the very least a victim of people who wanted to injure him enough that he would give up his anti-medium crusade. It is also possible that certain people intended for him to die--they certainly had the money and influence to have it done. Houdini himself towards the end of his life acted as though he knew he was doomed, realizing that the people against him were powerful enough to accomplish his end.
   
   I now have a totally different view of this wonderful man and believe he was a martyr to the cause of exposing these predators of grieving people who used conjuring tricks to pull off their "schtick". He was truly a "Superhero" and this book brings the man back to life. The sad part is that he did not succeed and we are still plagued with these cruel charlatans. I recommend this book 100% without any hesitation.



3. A stirring account of Harry Houdini not only as a great magician but as a great human being. Should be read by all those who aspire to be the best that they can be amidst the pitfalls of the human condition.



4. This book delighted me and disappointed me. It delighted me because of all the rich details it gives about Houdini's career. He was a far more versatile and complex man than I had ever imagined, and the physical control he had over his body would have put any yogi to shame. Although the details sometimes get out of control, for the most part I couldn't put this book down. But, alas, three faults bugged me: 1. The authors provide no analysis of the man, they merely tell us what he said and did. Many of his actions cry out for interpretation and explanation, but the authors--if they say anything--speak in generalities. How does Houdini compare to other magicians and escape artists? (For instance, how good was his brother Hardeen compared to Houdini?) What are the tricks that still baffle magicians today? What medical explanation is there for his apparent ability to slow down his breathing and heart rate to the point where he would appear to be dead--and could survive in an airtight coffin for an hour and a half when the medical experts said he'd be dead in minutes? 2. The authors are unwilling (or unable) to look critically at Houdini. His statements and actions lead me to believe he was an egomaniac, desperate for attention, viciously defensive, suffering from a constant sense of inadequacy. But the authors blind themselves to these traits and assure the reader he did it all for the sake of keeping a promise to his dead father. Houdini is always praised, never criticized, by the authors. (For instance, for all their comprehensive detail, the authors somehow manage to leave out the fact (that I saw in a PBS documentary) that Houdini had a mordid curiosity--desiring to gaze upon the bodies of those who had suffered a gruesome death.) 3. The authors pathetically fall for conspiracy theories when it comes to explaining Houdini's demise. Were there lots of people who wished Houdini dead? Yes. Is there any evidence he was murdered? No. Just from the information the author's provide (which has a lot of holes in it), it is obvious that Houdini died from complications of a burst appendix. Surgery on Houdini pretty much proves this. As in science, the simplest explanation is to be prefered.



5. Harry Houdini was quite an extraordinary man. He could escape from almost any type of restraint, pick cell door locks with ease, and toward the end of his life, battle to expose phony mediums. This book tells it all, but in a rather odd way. Often there are disconnects between sections of the book, and it doesn't flow chronologically, which can get somewhat confusing. Also, many times the authors discuss something, but don't pin it down in time, which definitely is confusing. One of the main aims of the book, according to the authors, was to reveal that Houdini worked as a "secret agent" for various governments. While they cobble together suppositions and snippets of writings, to my mind they don't get anywhere near proving their case. Read the book for the story of an amazing man, and let it go at that!

5 comments about Write it When I'm Gone.

1. A very good book of Ford related memories. Excellent photos inside. The passages read very smoothly here.



2. Like many baby boomers,I was grateful Gerald R. Ford was there when the nation needed him. After the god-awful Watergate mess revealed a President at his worst, it was comforting to have Ford, a man widely liked and respected, assume the Presidency. Ford's reputation as an earnest, unpretentious and decent individual able to laugh at himself survived and even thrived in subsequent years when compared to those who followed him into the White House. That image is borne out in WRITE IT WHEN I'M GONE, Thomas DeFrank's touching memoir based on years of private interviews with Ford. DeFrank's book gives us a much deeper and illuminating portrait of both the man and the politician.
   
   While Ford's take on the American political scene from the 1970s on made for interesting reading and confirms him as an astute analyst, I was much more taken with the insights on the man. Though he loved politics and was an ardent spokesman for the Republican Party, Ford's values and innate courtesy caused him to be circumspect in his public comments. Unlike today's slash-and-burn politicians, Ford viewed his Democratic colleagues as friendly adversaries worthy of respect. If he had critical or harsh views of others, he kept them largely to himself...that is until he talked with DeFrank.
   
   Over the course of the book's 250 pages, I grew to like and admire Ford far more than I had in the past; the Nixon Pardon still rankles! DeFrank shows us a normal guy who loved to laugh and toss down a few with the boys; a genuine and genuinely kind man who never lost the common touch; a straightforward, old-fashioned ex-football jock appalled by the underhanded machinations of various politicos; a devoted family man who never cheated on his wife. Yet Ford has his moments of anger and pique as documented in the book. Likewise DeFrank doesn't shy away from some questionable aspects of Ford's life such as his merchandising of himself after he left the Presidency. After all is said and done though, you like Jerry Ford; reading of the decline of such a gregarious, active individual in the closing chapters is hard. He was a good man.
   
   Though I enjoyed DeFrank's book, I thought it could have been more tightly edited. Various redundancies occurred throughout the book.
   
   Whether you're a Jerry Ford fan or not, you'll want to read WRITE IT WHEN I'M GONE. It offers an unvarnished look at the unique life of a kind and decent man who gave America hope and stability during the worst of times. Historians will have the final say on Gerald R. Ford but, for me, I can only echo DeFrank's closing line: 'Thank You, Mr. President.'



3. I dove in to this book expecting new and exciting revelations only to find.. not so much. Yes, it was interesting to learn what Jerry Ford really thought about his fellow Presidents (especially Reagan), but where are the bombshells?
   
   It was obvious that Mr. DeFrank admired Mr. Ford greatly. I too remember the healing effect Ford had on the country after Watergate and admire him. However, this author did not have enough material for an entire book. Redundancies abound. The same sentence often appears in different chapters. His description of the pivotal meeting with (then) Vice President Ford appears verbatim several times throughout the book.
   
   If this had been an article in a magazine, I could have rated it higher. Even without any real revelations.



4. Who ever knew that Gerald Ford could be so interesting? I read over 70 pages in just the first day I got it and did not want to put it down. This is not a straightforward biography for a change-there are plenty of those out there. This is personal insight into a man that rarely let us see that side of him. He was a man of good morals, was extremely intelligent, and if you can get past the whole Nixon pardon, he really did deserve a second term in office. Even though his presidency was short, those were some very interesting times and Gerald Ford was a big part of bringing the country back together after Watergate and Vietnam. It is great to have the authors perspective of traveling with him for so many years and interviewing him, and even building a friendship with President Ford. You feel like you are along for the ride. I am glad I purchased this as it is a totally different kind of political book than anything else I have ever read. It is an easy and quick read, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone interested in US history and/or the Office of The President. My only wish was that it was longer- did not want to get through it so quick !!!!



5. A wonderful read about a good and great man. If only this country had more such men, then maybe there would not be the huge political schism in Washington today. Ford was a healer, who could be bipartisan and establish a rapport with his political enemies. Maybe, that was because he had no real enemies, and many on both side respected him for what he was: a smart, honest politician who did not have a huge ego.
   
   In this short book, DeFrank shows that Ford was really who he said he was. He loved the Republican Party and would not tear it apart for his personal ambition. He loved his country and tried to find common cause with some polical opponents like Carter and Clinton. He loved his home city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was like most people: an average man thrust into the leadership of the free world.
   
   This is a nice read about a true American Gerald R. Ford. His presidential service was short and his life long, but he made a difference in American political life. DeFrank captures the true spirit of Jerry Ford.

5 comments about The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones.

1. This is a decent rock and roll book about the Rolling Stones that traces their history up until Altamont. As others have noted, the first part of the book is dragged down by the author's ongoing trouble with securing a contract (who cares?). It's worth sticking it out, b/c the book gets more interesting. The stuff about Brian Jones was new to me. He was more wacked out than I realized.
   
   One odd thing is that it seems the author describes incidents that he witnessed, but their descriptions are straight out of the Maysles' doc "Gimme Shelter". If you watch the film while reading the book, you'll see what I mean. Maybe he used the movie as a way to jog his memory. Maybe the clips in the film were the most interesting things to highlight. It's hard to tell. But you see the author at a few different points in the film, notably when the band is listening to their new record in the hotel room. It's pretty cool.
   
   All in all, this is a great book. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Some of it is beautifully written. But don't go by the blurbs in the back of the book stating it's the "best book about the 1960's". But worth the time, nonetheless...



2. To book eventually goes from a chapter to chapter switching from the old days (interesting) to the 1969 tour and back. I skip over any parts that don't have to do with the Stones directly and that helps keep it interesting. Entirely too much time spent on the question "Will I get the rights to do this book?". Want to just get the stories. He runs hot and cold but generally when he talks about the Stones (or quote Keith), it is a good read, especially if you read it while listening to old Stones records.



3. There is no stronger, clear-minded, and focused writer of American Music Culture than Stanley Booth. He never writes from a distance. In fact, sometimes he writes from too close, within firing range, as with The True Adventures of The Rolling Stones, also published under the title of Down & Out With The Rolling Stones. Booth says it took him years to recover from the experience. I say he hasn't recovered yet. When you are from Georgia and live in Memphis, you learn to survive, but you don't recover. The True Adventures of The Rolling Stones is a historic, deep panorama of a different violent time in America. In order to create, you have to go through the fire. Stanley Booth has done just that.
   
   And when you finish with The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones, pick up a copy of Rythm Oil, I think his best book, and then Keith.
   
   There is no one writing about music with the grit and guts of Stanley Booth. All others, with the exception of damn few, are just playing.
   
   



4. STANLEY BOOTH HUNG OUT AND PARTIED WITH THE STONES. HE BECAME FRIENDS WITH AND WAS A KINDRED SPIRIT TO KEITH RICHARD. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ACCOUNT OF THE MONUMENTAL 1969 STONES TOUR. HE ALSO SEEMED TO HAVE GOOD INSIGHT INTO BRIAN JONES AND THE STONES DYNAMICS WHILE HE WAS IN THE BAND.
   HIS EYE MAGAZINE ACCOUNT OF BRIANS 1968 DRUG BUST WAS A MUST READ CLASSIC.



5. It is not often that any writer/biographer is given such unlimited access to his or her subject as Stanley Booth was given in 1969 to the Rolling Stones. As an invited insider with the world's greatest rock and roll band at their musical apex, Booth ate, drank, took drugs, and traveled with the band and its entourage. What great interviews he could have done! What amazing revelations about the Stones and their often oppositional creative processes he could have shared with Stones fans!
   
   Granted, most people who have reviewed this book have really liked it. Maybe I missed the point, but I did not come out of this book feeling like I knew the Stones any better, and certainly did not learn any more about the dynamics of their musical collaborations and clashing personal and creative styles. What I got was a good look at a writer hired to write a book about the Stones who ended up writing a book about himself writing a book about the Stones, and five hundred pages of insider gossip, most of which doesn't even border on historically significant or interesting.
   
   C'est la vie.

5 comments about I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr.

1. I find it very refreshing when a product of multiculturalism throws a wrench in the system and violently turns against his masters. In this provocative (though unsurprisingly silenced) work of pop scholarship college diversity program poster-child and hip hop "expert" Eric Dyson sets to work on deconstructing the white-washed image of Martin Luther King, Jr. that the American left has successfully promoted without opposition for the past four decades.
   
   But wait a minute, Martin Luther King Jr. was an American patriot, someone who was deeply devoted to the ideals of its Founding Fathers and simply wanted to tinker with a few of the more archaic aspects of American society (Jim Crow) so that everyone could at least have a fair shot at the American Dream. I must admit that up until a few months ago I was captured (more like poisoned) by this ridiculous myth, probably more so than most even. The story of King's life seemed so inspiring, who wouldn't want to believe in it?
   
   Turns out pretty much everything taught about MLK in public schools are at best half truths and all of the most hideous aspects of his life go completely unmentioned. As Dyson tells us, the truly radical aspects of King's ideology - such as his close association with the American Communist Party - are silenced specifically to keep African Americans in check. Undoubtedly, but these facts are suppressed specifically to keep suspicious whites in a state of unthinking, unquestioning silence as much as anyone else. Dyson didn't have to dig very much to uncover this information, even King's closest associates and biggest financial backers were Communists.
   
   Dyson also quotes some of King's most damaging speeches and interviews on economics that leave little doubt about what King's larger social and economic objectives actually were. "Oh, gee willickers!," the multiculturalist will scream, tearing the hair from his head, "You've got it all wrong - King only promoted the positive aspects of Communism." Well that all depends on just what you think the "positive" aspects of Communism really are. Let's see, King patently endorsed the redistribution of wealth, destruction of the military, labor's seizure of private business, abolition of private property...oh but don't worry, no Gulags!
   
   Predictably the trail of putrid scandal doesn't end there. In what has become a recurring theme amongst American leftists King possessed a voracious and positively uncontrollable appetite for cheap prostitutes. The point in mentioning this type of degenerate behavior at all is so Dyson can tie King's participation in the Civil Rights movement to the anti-objectivity counter-revolution that occurred subsequently thereafter. Here as well King was quite an active critic of the military (not JUST Vietnam), did interviews with pornographic magazines, generally did everything in his power to undermine sensible restraints wherever they existed, and ensured that a whole generation was indoctrinated into loving themselves and living for themselves only. Most important in all of these activities by King were the rumblings of what would later become known as "Affirmative Action."
   
   Dyson of course supports this development unconditionally and who could blame him, he is where he is precisely because King and his predecessors (backed by the Federal Government) were able to intimidate employers, agencies, and universities into adopting certain "hiring policies" favorable to African Americans. Noticably missing however in this book is elaboration on King's despicable intellectual dishonesty and theft (60% of his doctoral thesis at Boston University was stolen from another student) of other people's work throughout the entirety of his career.
   
   The story of "Dr." King is not an entirely uncommon one for political figures and needless to say his story is hardly inspiring. Indeed, it's typical even for the most violent political leaders to take a relatively egalitarian approach in the beginning, only to shed this facade once they start gathering steam in favor of uncompromising authoritarianism. Vladimir Lenin was an outspoken critic of the Czar and railed against the regime for its suppression of political speech, exploitation of the working class, and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities. Well, we all know how that turned out. I seriously doubt that Martin Luther King, Jr. was any different. Just as another reviewer pointed out, if he were alive today I'm sure he'd be right there with Al Sharpton and Jesse falsely accusing random college students of rape, petitioning to get O.J. Simpson reduced bail, and doing anything he possibly could to exacerbate whatever racial tensions still exist in this country.
   
   Why Dyson thinks this new version of King is great for black folks is anyone's guess, frankly I don't care. I'm just glad I don't have to listen to this hippy nonsense anymore and for that I am thankful.



2. I agree with Dr. King's message of harmony and peace. At the same time I can appreciate Dyson's exposure of aspects of King's personal life that most authors do not address (an obvious exception is "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down"). In a very real sense it leads to questioning Dr. King's sincerity in asking others to value the character of a person and not the color of their skin. Dr. King was an admirable figure in American history; I wouldn't go as far as the author in saying he might be the most important American ever; that's a bit over the top. I've read a lot on the subject; this book is worth reading.



3. I have always been fascinated with Dr. King as one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century. I love the work that Dr. Dyson did in writing this book, because he is authentic in talking about Dr. King the man - strengths, weaknesses and all - while exposing the myths about him. Being African-American, I can understand why many within our community woud want to scold Dr. Dyson for exposing Dr. King's dirty laundry. I, however, consider it not only essential, but relevant that we talk about the true humanity of our leaders (espcially one as esteemed as Dr. King) to avoid the danger of us elevating them as idols. It is a great reminder that God uses people (albeit flawed people) for magnificent works in a fallen world. This is a great book that I highly recommed!!



4. I picked up this book expecting a fresh approach and analysis of Dr. King apart from the obligatory images we're force-fed each new year. Instead, I was disappointed to find that Michael Eric Dyson made heavy use of speculation with the intent to scandalize more than to inform and enlighten. One such example includes Dyson conveying the idea that Dr. King may have engaged in orgies with many different women along with his right-hand man Ralph Abernathy. He then goes on to infer that there was talk of King and Abernathy engaging in sexual acts with each other! The author had no commentary to either support or dispel this "theory" making Dyson's retelling of the alleged incident totally irresponsible and even libelous. He just dropped the information, true or untrue, in the reader's lap to do with as the reader pleased. To that end, it is my opinion that Dyson's intent in writing this book was in no way honorable or truth-seeking, rather it was a means to convey his baseless ideas to anyone who would listen. I'm reminded of something my grandmother and mother would always say to me, "an empty wagon makes the loudest noise." Michael Eric Dyson makes a lot of noise in this book but totally lacks substance. This was an expensive tabloid.



5. This book was not what I expected, but enjoyed regardless. I particularly liked his idea of banning the 'I Have a Dream' speech from public media. The stories about his philandering were a bit shocking to me, but I have never read any biography of King before, so I wasn't prepared. The ocassional tangents might irk some, but understand Dyson has to take some risks and expand on ideas to make the book worth his time. Realize the civil right movement is not over. Dialogue needs to continue in written forms such as this book to make progress.
   - logan square yuppie

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin: Second Edition (Yale Nota Bene).

1. The autobiography of Franklin was a worthwhile book to read. I suggest ignoring the footnotes as you read his autobiography since it distracts you from reading Franklin's work. It was a good book that details how industriousness results in a wonderful, useful public life at an older age. Franklin is the type of public servant that we are lacking today.



2. Like so many people I only know Benjamin Franklin from school and history books where he comes across as someone stiff and formal. But here in the first half of this book we find Ben Franklin the boy. We hear him complain of his parents, his restrictions, quarrels with his brothers, and of course things that all boys do. He steals from a construction site to build a fishing pier -- and gets caught. We see him finally breaking away and moving to Philadelphia where he arrives with very little money and must subsist on bread. He describes his youth and his gradual maturity as he builds his life and fortune. Interestingly this book leaves some doubt as to whether he was actually married to Deborah Read or had an "arrangement". I particularly enjoyed his description of General Braddock and his defeat by the Indians. Although this was only briefly touched on this and other similar references to the English gives you insight into why the colonists rebelled. Clearly the English completely misjudged the American Character as most Europeans do even today.
   
   Unfortunately the second half of this book was written after the war and when Franklin was an old man and clearly not terribly interested in finishing this book. It reads as an after thought and really doesn't provide any insight into his role or the extraordinary people and events of which he was a part. But it does show the close relationship he had with his son so when the estrangement came it must have hurt him deeply although this is a subject not mentioned at all in the book.
   
   However, the editors have kindly provided a marvelous timeline in the appendix, which really gives you a summary of the Revolutionary War as it places various key events into perspective. You see the impact that John Paul Jones's victory over the Serapis had on events in Paris. It shows how Franklin's diplomatic skills had a huge effect on the ultimate outcome of the war.
   
   Franklin was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. He writes about himself rather modestly and really doesn't touch on his activities during the war in any detail and for this reason I only gave this book four stars. Still this is an interesting book about a truly fascinating man.



3. Well, it has been nearly 30 years since I first read Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and one can still gain some insights after a good second reading. Both the American Icon's wisdom and insights are time honored and worth repeating no matter what your age.
   
   This edition has copious footnotes on every page unlike traditionally at the end of the book. The authors may have felt that the reader would be interested in the quick reference aspect verses paging to the back. Though this can be a little strange at first, I get their point and maybe it was better this way.
   
   One aspect that I would have liked; however, would have been if they had added some of his other selected writings like "The Way to Wealth" and others. Irrespective, this is a good edition and recommended as one of the more authoritative editions.



4. The autobiography of Ben Franklin is a worthwhile read simply because of who Ben Franklin is. It is beneficial to understand the character of this great man by judging him through his own words. There is no doubt that Franklin was an ingenius man and his witty rhetoric further confirms his intelligence. It also confirms his egotistical nature I hate to say.... But I suppose he had every right given his success...
   Anyhow, I thought the first portion of the book (written before the revolution) was much more interesting that the latter half. Unfortunately the autobiography was never really finished by Franklin. He ends off abruptly during the French and Indian War period and there is nary an remark concerning American Independence, which would have been interesting to read about from his point of view.
   Still, overall, it's worth the read.



5. The purpose of the book is difficult to pin down, primarily because Franklin never completed and cohesively tied his biography together. The purpose, it seems, is then left to the effects that it has had upon history. Although difficult to follow and often a confusing narrative, Franklin composes a portrait of the prototypical American success story, perhaps even the first. His emphasis on personal virtue and industry is a sermon not only to his son, but also to Americans throughout time, on the formula for success. His descriptions of life in the colonies and the nature of self-teaching seem to set the standard for history's view of pre-revolutionary America.
   
   The ethics of clean living and a hearty work ethic that Franklin sought to impart upon his son are still alive as ideals of the "American dream." Although it can be argued how much of a dream this really is, the value given to hard work and personal responsibility are very much a part of the American rhetoric that is indoctrinated through political and nationalistic institutions. It seems undeniable that Franklin hoped to have a lasting effect on future generations, as he certainly did not succeed in living the virtue of humility.
   
   While vanity certainly must play a part in the drive for any public figure to pen to paper and detail their life, part and parcel with that is the desire to be a good role model to a wide audience. Franklin seems to have prided himself on being a good role model throughout his life, from his time in England until returning to Philadelphia, assisting others in setting up businesses and becoming self-sufficient.
   
   We can only speculate what Franklin's reasoning must have been. Indeed, it may be that assuming history will have well recorded the time period, a personal account was unnecessary. It may be that Franklin simply never finished his Autobiography and certainly intended to return to the subject. Whatever the reasons may be, this is certainly the most jarring and notable deficiency from an otherwise detailed record of the life of one of our most important statesmen.

1 comments about Wu Zhao: China's Only Female Emperor (Library of World Biography).

1. Behind this fabulous tale of the rise of the daughter of a lumber merchant to the first and only female emperor of China is a probing study of power, politics, and gender. I was particularly enthralled by Rothschild's explanation of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism in the Tang Dynasty and the ways in which they were variously used to invent a new language of symbols--indeed, to create a new political reality. This book is a tour de force filled with gruesome lore worthy of a historical novella by Tanizaki.

5 comments about Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution.

1. I am shocked and amazed. Shocked that I never knew the critical role that Samuel Adams played in what is now the United States. I am amazed at how he was able to start with a clear idea of rights and liberty and then influence first Boston, then Massachusetts, New Enland, and finally all 13 colonies. He did this through study and decades of writings that were distributed and internalized by the colonists. Samuel Adams was fearless, unwavering, and absolutely brilliant. He got thousands of people into action - and led them to make difficult choices at that.
   Mark Puls gave such a clear narrative while giving a valuble context to the unfolding story.



2. I found this book to be a fascinating study of a man who did nothing to promote himself and worked tirelessly for American liberty. This was an insight to a true revolutionary and patriot - skillfully brought to life.



3. Strong statement to be sure. Read this book to find out why it is true.
   
   It is a mystery to me why most historians seem to attach little more than a few footnotes to Samuel Adams. Noyone worked more steadfastly to both educate and organize the colonists. In spite of having a wealthy father and a Harvard education, Sam chose a life close to poverty so he could dedicate his considerable talents to the Revolution.
   
   The Declaration of Independence is essentially a rewrite of a 1774 position paper that Sam authored.
   
   This book also makes a valiant effort to present a British perspective on why they believed that taxation (without representation) was viable.
   
   Your knowledge of the revolution is incomplete without an education on Samuel Adams, the father of the American revolution.



4. Samuel Adams: Father of the American Revolution is a short read, but is a relatively concise and well-written account of his political life. Adams himself was extraordinary, and after reading this book, it's easy to see that he is exceedingly under-appreciated as one of the greatest, if not the most important of American revolutionaries.
   
   Adams is a testament to the ability of one man to change the political landscape for the better, and he is inspirational as a one-man harbinger of liberty. His account gives hope for the many political problems facing America and the rest of the world, both today and for the future.



5. No one has articulated it any better than Mark Puls when he states in his concluding remarks that " Americans of his generation came to view Samuel Adams as the spirit of liberty and the patriarch of liberty". Jefferson may have written about the ideals of independence more eloquently; Washington may have acted upon those ideals more directly; and, Franklin may have translated those ideals more concretely abroad to our French allies; however, no one of our founding fathers wrote more frequently, acted more fervently, or lived more fully and focused on the prize of separation and independence than Samuel Adams.
   
   Maybe it's because Adams shunned the spotlight and the attention that others of his era sought so impassionately to grasp, or perhaps, he was content to simply see from the background the ultimate fruits of his prodigious labors. Whatever the reason, Adams emerged as the leading patriot strategist,politician as well as most influential writer in America. The author has truly captured the essence of the man who deservedly is called the Father of the American Revolution. It is a well-witten, if not long overdue, tribute to the mastermind behind the War of independence.

5 comments about The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere.

1. 
   This is the second book I've read by this author. I hope Caroline Murphy keeps researching Renaissance women and writing books.
   
   In both this book and Murder of a Medici Princess the author assembles a lot of information and presents it in a way the lay reader can really enjoy. Chapters in both books are chronological which helps the lay reader understand the complexity of the historical setting. Some chapters describe the episodes of the subjects' lives, in others there are lifestyle descriptions. The famous persons of the time are covered as they relate to the principle, and not used as a crutch to fill in a story.
   
   While the books are chronological, my reading of them wasn't. Felice della Rovere is the grandmother to the spouse of Isabella de Medici, the subject of the newer book.
   
   Both books appear to be the only full length biographies that exist for these women, which, beyond rescuing these women from obscurity, makes this an achievement for the author. Both of Murphy's subjects were important women of their times. While they led lives that transcended contemporary gender roles, their stories, as presented by Murphy, help the modern reader to better understand the social structure of Renaissance Italy.
   
   If you, like me, know little about this period, the Murphy biographies give you the context to understand the times through the people. Being the only full bios on these women, there is also plenty for those who are more knowledgeable about this period.



2. An interesting book,detailing events in Rome c.1500. Easy to read and well told,I would recommend it if you like history.Is cheap for such a scolarly work. Not prejudiced and fairly told.No complaints except I got confused sometimes by "who"the person that was mentioned. That's my fault,maybe,but a caracter guide would have been welcome.I would like to read more of this type of history book,the period is so interesting. Padraic O Cinneide. Kildare,Ireland



3. Tightly written with loads of details that goes a long way in explaining how she developed and became successful. I now have a better understanding of the 'Medevial Rome" area that I visited.



4. For the reader familiar with early sixteenth-century Rome, Caroline Murphy's book is a carefully compiled compendium of images and priceless facts, albeit some treading on familiar ground, for example the horrific Sack of Rome or the sexual anarchy in the Vatican during the reign of the infamous Borgia pope. Yet, there is so much new material on a fascinating woman, that even general readers interested in history should be mesmerized by it. The lives of numerous old baronial families form a foundation for the story of the Della Rovere and Orsini clans, of the militant Pope Julius, Felice's father, and the lords of Bracciano, the stronghold of the Orsini's. Minute details of everyday life in Rome enclose the broader picture of a papal daughter who governed her family with a suprisingly strong hand, long after her papal father died. Images of lavish feasts, rebuilding of St. Peter's, and perpetual enminity between the ruling clans are just minute details of an elaborate and very enjoyable reading. Although a page-turner, be prepared to move slowly, because the thousands of facts will demand time to savor them! Definitely not a quick read for most. Highly recommended.



5. Caroline Murphy has sketched an extraordinary life. Felice della Rovere's worlds -- personal and political -- were complicated ones, and she seems to have been amazing in how she negotiated them. I say "seems" because it's very often difficult to tell whether the author is basing a statement on solid evidence or whether she is taking a leap -- about an action, about a motivation, about an emotion -- a sort of best guess based on the evidence. That's often frustrating and often downright irritating, but all in all it's worth it to see the shape, if not the real substance, of the life.