5 comments about Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship.

1. In Cheap Cabernet Cathie captures the essence of what women's friendships can be. It is a well written, painfully truthful look into the depths friendship can reach. The absolute joy, the horrifying pain, the truly surreal connection women can share when they are blessed enough to meet on the same step of the staircase of life. My heart soared for Cathie and Denise as they connected in such a wonderful relationship--time and again, reminding myself of my own strong friendships. My heart broke in two as Denise's battle with MS became more and more difficult eventually ending with her departure from this staircase of life long before Cathie (or Denise herself) was ready. Cathie may you always know how truly blessed you and Denise are to have such a vulnerable connection---a soul connection--I used the present tense rather than past because you still have that connection you are just one different staircases now. But never fear--they converge at the top and one day you will meet there. Thank you for sharing your life with us. As you have been forever changed by the gift of that friendship--so have we.



2. Cheap Cabernet was a book that I did not want to put down, turn off the light to go to sleep, and found myself stealing 5 minutes whenever I could to read a few more words. You can feel the journey. From belly laughs to tears, this book has it all. You do not want the story to end.



3. Cathie Beck's wonderfully told and achingly poignant memoir will
   remind every woman to call her best friend right away to tell her how
   important their relationship is, and how she couldn't survive without
   it And, by the way, to run out and buy the heartbreaking book, "Cheap
   Cabernet." An Awesome book!



4. I loved this book, not for the enjoyable, hilarious and tragic friendship at its core, but for the personal revelations of its author. It is in these chapters of reflection on poignant moments of her own life and daunting past that occurred before this catalyzing relationship where the "meat" happens, where we truly understand the urgency and importance this experience carries for her self-realization and growth from circumstance. The delicate brevity of this story is heartbreaking. Bravo, Cathie Beck.



5. I did not know what to expect from this book when I started reading it. After about the 3rd chapter I got really sucked in. I started to really care about Cathie and Denise (the author and friend whom she writes of). These are truly the greatest stories, when you cannot stop reading because you care about the ending, or how the author leaves us. This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. It's happy, funny, sad, and makes you think about your own life and the people in it. I give the author props for spilling her heart about a close friend whom she eventually has to say good bye to. She is a strong character who brings power to the story, and the reader. I highly suggest this book, especially to women. It was one of my favorite summer reads!!

5 comments about Front Row: Anna Wintour: What Lies Beneath the Chic Exterior of Vogue's Editor in Chief.

1. I'm neither a fashionista nor a Anna hater. But I did see the movie The Devils Wear Prada, and thought that movie was extremely unflattering to her. Well to my amazement, this books paints an even worse picture of Ms. Wintour. I guess the movie had to make her a little more likeable for public consumption. The book is chock full o' gossip from people (mostly people who worked with her) who seem to have mostly negative things to say about Anna, often about her ruthless ambition to climb the fashion ladder, her shallowness, and how intimidating she is to deal with in person. Anecdotes mainly start with her teen years, when even at that time, she was obsessed w/fashion. There much written about her active love life as well. I don't know how truthful the sources are or how objective the author tried to be - I didn't really care. I just wanted to read an entertaining bio and this certainly fit the bill. In the end, I still had to admire this lady for her sheer guts and tenacity, although I would never want to work with a person like her.
   
   Take this book to the beach, read it on a plane - it will definitely make time fly.



2. the only reason i finished this "book" was because i just wanted the information. To say Jerry Opennheimer's style is disgusting would be an understatement. I cringed at every line and his pages were so leaded with stupid, crude metaphors and ridiculous over dramatizations that i wanted to kill myself! There was distict rat-like quality about the whole thing. When writing about Wintour- rival Grace Mirabella's last days at Vogue, he said: "Just when Mirabella thought she was finally safe from that skinny shark draped in Chanel, she started hearing the Jaws theme song ringing in her ears again." come on! YUCK. enough said.



3. I agree with much of what the previous reviewer,Lee Mellott,said. I too stopped reading VOGUE years ago (personally, I much prefer VANITY FAIR).
   
   Like many reviewers of this Oppenheimer book, I was enthralled to read more about Anna Wintour's life and so I picked up this book. And I was not disappointed!
   
   Oppenheimer has taken task to interview so many people that have known Anna,(many many) and with those interviews, he was able to write a very interesting book.
   
   Granted , the book is Oppenheimer's point of view on Anna. However, if even HALF of what Oppenheimer has discovered about Anna is true (via his research), OMG, the woman sounds like a manipulative, menacing, ruthless, and highly interesting person!
   
   You may ask how a woman (ie:Anna) who is so menacing can also be interesting? Well, if you were to read this book, you'd know just why I stated this point.
   
   The first half of the book is about Anna's past and how she climbed her way to the "top". I found this sooo interesting,from start to finish!
   
   Basically, Anna knows how to use her money , her family status, and her sexual personna to manipulate people in order to get what she wants. As ANDREA, the main character in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA would say:
   "...had Miranda [ie: Anna] been a man, Miranda would be a typical assertive executive male, using everything in his power to climb to the top.But because Miranda [Anna] is a woman,then she is seen as a B****".
   
   Yes, Anna Wintour (or Miranda) is not a MAN, and therefore society deems her as a "devil",... or a self-serving "status climber". Is that totally fair to Anna Wintour? Well, when you read this book, you can decide for yourself.
   
   The second half of the book deals with Anna Wintour's rise to the top. This part of the book goes deeply into what makes Anna tick. What turns her on (and off). What Anna Wintour will do to get what she wants is carefully explained.
   
   In this book , Anna is often portrayed as a woman that was/is selfish and cold, and as a woman that will sleep her way to the top, whether she loves the man or not. She married for status, as the book reflects. She used/uses people then basically throws them away when she is done with them. She is portrayed as a woman that was (& is) eager to please her Dad, and was (& is) willing to do anything to win that approval. What I get, from the book, is that once her Dad died, Anna's ruthless personality was so deeply embedded,...so much so that it has been difficult for Anna to turn back.
   
   For a while, when Anna was having an affair with "the Texan", Anna seemed to be softening a bit. However, since the book stops at 2004, heaven only knows if she is still with "the Texan" or not.
   
   Once again, this is Oppenheimer's take on Anna. Is it true, or is Oppenheimer's view of Anna a bit far fetched?
   The only way for the reader to decide this point, is to read the book and decide for themself.
   
   My opinion (& this is only my opinion) is that Anna is very much like what Oppenheimer's research portrayed in this book. But I'm sure that there is much more to Anna that the reader will never know.
   
   Anna Wintour is a chamelion, and also, she is a mystery to many, ---and primarily since she rarely lets her guard down.



4. Give me a break. Jerry Oppenheimer is one of those "unauthorized" biographers who extrapolates and dramatizes, adding his own skewed agenda all along the way. I couldn't stand his writing (especially his creating thoughts for Ms. Wintour as a child!) and wish there was an actual, trustworthy and unbiased biography of this visionary, if demanding, stylemaker.



5. Not that Anna Wintour is such an interesting person, but the author writes a nice biography. He does a good job, interesting details. However, I probably expected more "glitz". I recommend the book.

5 comments about Staying Tuned: A Life in Journalism.

1. Daniel Schorr makes me sad only because real journalism seems to be a dying art. This book is so well-written and interesting and , yes, historic.



2. Interesting history of TV journalism but there was just so little emotional content the group all wished it was a biography rather than an autobiography. Boomers will recognize most of the names of the reported on characters and in some ways it was an international "We didn't start the Fire".
   
   Peter G.



3. I have to admit to a certain fascination with news personalities. After all, as a confirmed news junkie, I have faithfully watched all the major netweorks and tune into NPR on my way home from work daily. Therefore, I was pleased to discover this literary gem by long-time TV and radio commentator Daniel Schorr, the seemingly omni-present conscience of the electronic media. Like many of his generation, his is a voice of reason and objectivity in a sea of faces otherwise clamouring for fame and notoriety.

   Yet, while I genuinely like the book and heartily recommend it, I must also admit to feeling a bit disappointed by what he has to say, for he seems determined throughout the book to confine his comments more to the stories at hand than I would have liked, and although he discusses personalities and the way some of his stories were affected by them, the insider's look is compromised to some extent by the very virtues he brings to the subject in the first place. Perhaps after fifty years in the business he simply cannot bring himself down to the level of a confessional tone in this self-described tour of a life within journalism.
   
   Schorr has been everywhere and seen everything, from the infamous McCarthy Hearing in the early fifties to the erection of the Berlin Wall in the early sixties; from the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination to the tumult in Chicago at the 1968 Democratic convention; from the coverage of Watergate to the break-up of the Soviet Union. Throughout all this he has rubbed shoulders with all of the titans of media news, from Edward R. Murrow to Dan Rather, from Douglas Kiker to Sam Donaldson, and from Ted Turner to Walter Cronkite.

   He has also been a witness to much of the history of the 20th century, having rubbed shoulders with everyone from Nikita Krushchev to President Eisenhower, from Charles DeGaulle to Marshall Tito, from Lyndon Johnson to John F. Kennedy, from George Bush to Bill Clinton. This is a wonderful book, and one I am sure you will enjoy as much as I did. It serves to remind us that a man of purpose, principle, and conscience can still act in accord with his ethics and values and succeed in the world of electronic journalism. Enjoy!




4. I was most impressed by "Staying Tuned". This book is Daniel Schorr's auto-biography of his many decades in journalism. Few people have had the opportunity to be the eyewitness to history that Schorr has had. Schorr was present to cover Nikita Khruschev and the De-Stalinization movement in Russia. He was present to cover post-nazi Germany under Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. He was able to cover aspects of the "Great Society" under Lyndon Johnson. Also, he was there during Watergate and was sufficiently critical of the Nixon Administration to make the White House "enemies list".

   Schorr's ability to communicate directly with the personalities such as Khruschev, former Yugoslavian President Tito, and Chancellor Adenauer of West Germany was most impressive. Clearly these were the days before journalism became swollen with hordes of "news hungry" reporters. I doubt any correspondent today could get as much access to similar political and public figures.

   While dealing with earth-shaking events and personalities, the book also touches on Schorr's day-to-day existence. Difficulties such as avoiding taxes in the Soviet Union, obtaining a refrigerator, and functioning in a communist country are interesting, as well as amusing. One also is touched by the descriptions of the people in foreign countries who worked for him.

   Schorr viewed Johnson's "Great Society" programs as failing because the administration gave up on them, and reduced funding due to the demands of the Vietnam War. He rejects the conservative ideology that the programs failed because they were inherently flawed in some fashion. Its refreshing to hear another viewpoint besides the one that seems to be parroted constantly.

   Its clear that Daniel Schorr is a person who by practicing his occupation as a journalist in a courageous and intelligent fashion, contributed much to American Democracy. The American people cannot make informed and sound decisions without good information from journalists. The First Amendment guarantee of "freedom of the press" would mean little without tough-minded journalists pursuing stories of national importance. God bless Daniel Schorr as he reaches his golden years of life. One only hopes there are other courageous men and women who will take his place.




5. Before reading this book I already believed that Daniel Schorr was America's finest broadcast journalist. But my admiration has only increased. This book accomplishes what I had only hoped the memoirs of other famous broadcast journalists (e.g. Ted Koppel, Walter Cronkite, and David Brinkley) would.

   Like those other journalists, Schorr has been very close to a remarkable number of the defining events of the last half century. But his writing seems harder-hitting, as much historical as journalistic, and he seems to be two levels deeper in understanding and perspective than they were in their books. I felt in the middle of the events with Schorr, not watching them at 30,000 feet. Perhaps it is the difference between the perspective of the man at the scene, compared to that of the anchorman. Schorr's immense knowledge of Nikita Khrushchev and (separately) of Richard Nixon are absolutely outstanding.

   The book demands a lot from the reader. Not everything is told sequentially, and not all the background material is explained. Schorr seems to expect you to remember many of the events and issues yourself; his job is to add depth, perspective, and detail. Younger readers who don't remember the 50's, 60's, or 70's, will be challenged by the book. Those who do remember those decades, will be immensely impressed, educated, and enriched

5 comments about My Remarkable Journey.

1. I found this book in the library of my gym and started reading it in the sauna. The first big discovery I made was how funny this guy is. He could have been a standup comic. I particularly liked the Henny Youngman joke he tells about the guy whose brother tells him he's sure he won't be mentioned in his brother's will. You'll have to read the book to find out the punchline. Other facts that I learned about Larry King: he was quite the lady's man including a relationship with Angie Dickinson (my admiration for him...uh, envy might be a better word...went way up on reading this), his philanthropic work with the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, his lack of a college education (who says you need a college degree to succeed in life), his 8 marriages which don't seem so bizarre once you read his explanation, and other interesting tidbits. The book is a breezy read, much like his interviewing style, and you get the sense of a genuine individual, not a phony.
   
   Why not 5 stars? His liberal bias seeps in once in a while, something that rarely happens during his interviews. I wonder what he would say about the Obama presidency today given how divided and polarized the country is and how hope has been replaced by doubt and anxiety. And boy does he have it in for Rush Limbaugh. He ought to interview Rush on his show. Maybe, like Elton John, he should be a little more open toward the conservative viewpoint, or at least see Limbaugh as a human personality and not this right wing bogeyman. Larry King comes from a certain generation where the biggest political and social change was in civil rights, so I can understand his pride and satisfaction when America elected it's first black President. I was happy about that too; I just wish Obama lived up to his hype.
   
   But this is a minor criticism. And the book did succeed on one level. Now I want to watch his show.



2. I graduated from Lafayette H.S. the same year as Larry and knew him and his friends. He was a liar and a jerk then and still is now. His stories about how he got to where he is now and who some of his friends were in high school (e.g. Sandy Koufax) are fabrications. He lied and stole (in Miami) in the past. I found it difficult to believe most of what he wrote in his book. The only reason he was able to marry and date young, beautiful women was because he has money. When he was young he couldn't get a date with anyone.



3. After reading this book, I really fell in love with Larry King more. I recommed it to everyone who want to read a little history about him. He seems to be a kind fellow and he is funny too.



4. "Memories are all we have. Lose them, and we have nothing. But memories touched by humor, those are the best of all."
   
   This is a quote from "My Remarkable Journey" that resonates throughout all the stories from Larry King's life. From his childhood memories with his father to his high school hijinks, to his first experience on the radio to his criminal arrest, and to the birth of his children, he writes with such honesty and nostalgia that you either wish you were there with him along the way or want to know more.
   
   I purchased this book when Larry came to our city for a Q & A and book signing late last year. I've admired and watched him since I was a kid and was grateful for the opportunity to see this legend in person. He is as genuine, straightforward, and funny as he is in the book. Read "My Remarkable Journey" if you want to know more about the man who merely asks questions -- this is where it's his turn to tell his story.



5. A fan of Larry King, this book gave insight into how he became the face of CNN. The book flows well and comes across as a detailed timeline of Larry King's career. The book offers information regarding his childhood, including some very funny childhood stories. Near the end of the book, he discusses his family in detail, and how all of his children remain in touch with him today. A quick and enjoyable read.

5 comments about Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School.

1. As has been noted in other reviews, the author is quite a snob, which becomes increasingly off-putting as the book goes on. Her scathing portrayals of many of the other females (Mimi, Cyndi, Penny, Ricki) makes one wonder if it is legitimate or just more of her competitiveness--it's funny that she seems to be so jealous of Mimi, who has more money, so she attacks her as being "older" and unable to cook, though Mimi ends up as a top student. She seems inconsistent with her background--early on, she is a "double major" in History and English, later she is "pre-med"--probably a Williams first to have a student doubling up on traditional liberal arts pre-reqs plus all the science and math courses required for med school. I just hated this book because in the end I found the author to be so flat out unlikable.



2. If you ever wonder what it would be like to be so interested in cooking that you went to professional training school, this is the book for you. Written by a gifted writer this book will transport you to the French Culinary Institute in NYC. You'll meet the varied group of students that take the course, learn to fear the footsteps of the chefs teaching the course, get a sense of the ribald humor in the professional kitchen. I must say that one of the things I found most enjoyable about the book was the writing style; the book combines vivid descriptions, humor, and a story that moves along at a simmering pace (sorry, couldn't resist the pun!) There's even a few recipes thrown in to try on your own, although I quickly realized that my rendition is probably going to bear only a passing resemblance to what a trained cook could do. I hope there are more books in the author's future!



3. We choose this book for our book club without reading any "real" reviews about it. BIG mistake. All of us wished we wouldn't have wasted our time.
   
   The narrator is catty, rude and gives away the fact that she graduates first in her class (a big part of the mystery in the storyline) in her bio on the jacket. I can't believe that some publisher even thought about printing this book. I guess she still has friends in the business?
   
   Don't waste your time. I hear there are lots of great cooking school books out there!



4. I could not stand that typical New Yorker style. For someone from the West Coast, this is so unbelievable stuck-up, it's bordering on the ridiculous. Her condescending descriptions of her co-students, the eagerness to judge people by the brand of their clothing, made me hate the author.
   ok, she learns how to cook, but is she a chef? As far as I could find out, she is a writer for a food magazine now.
   Well, I am not surprised that someone with her snobby attitude can't hack it in the business



5. There are things I like a lot about this book. These things include that parts of it are quite well-written, there are some genuine insights into what attending the chef programme at FCI is like, and the recipes work pretty well.
   
   There are things I hated about this book. These things include that other parts of it are ludicrously poorly written, that the author very often comes off as a petulant child, that stories are started but not finished (or told in ways that lessen their impact).
   
   Overall, even when the book works well, it seems like a string of amusing anecdotes about culinary school, rather than a coherent narrative about attending culinary school. Perhaps the subtitle of the book should have warned me about this, but I was still disappointed by it.
   
   One of the main points the author makes is that prior to attending FCI, she was a skilled cook who didn't really understand cooking. She skipped steps in recipes, without realizing what effect that had on the dish. She learned that there's a reason you let dough rest, for example, and when she did it, she found that the resulting pastry was better than when she skipped that step. Well, there's a whole mountain of accumulated knowledge about how to construct memoirs so that they offer more to the reader than a string of memories presented in chronological order. It appears to me that the author is as ignorant of that body of knowledge as she was about the mechanics of cooking before her culinary education. It shows in this book. Much like her pre-FCI omelets were inferior to what she learned to make in Level 1, this memoir is far inferior to what it might have been, had she only known.
   
   Anyway, not a total waste of my time, but I think that this author would have written a better book about this experience had she let it simmer for a few more years.

5 comments about In the Hot Zone: One Man, One Year, Twenty Wars.

1. This is an outstanding work by Kevin Sites. In writing this book he traveled to all of the major countries currently in conflict and reported on the impact of that conflict on the people of that country. Often he put himself in considerable danger to report the stories and were it not for his eye witness reporting, much of the suffering in these countries would go unnoticed by the rest of the world, His book is made even more real because of the DVD which accompanies it. This is certainly recommended reading for anyone wishing to understand the real story and not just what the normal news media want you to know.



2. This is an excellent book that deserves to be read by a very wide audience. Sites was a freelance war correspondent for NBC News in Iraq when his controversial story concerning a marine shooting in a mosque led him to leave network reporting and take on a much riskier assignment. Working as a internet reporter for Yahoo!, Sites established for himself the ambitious plan to cover every armed conflict in the world in one year. My immediate reaction to this idea was, I admit, quite negative. I could not see how he could possibly do justice to any of the stories and the idea, seemed a case of the most blatant sensationalism and ambulance chasing. Having read the book now cover to cover, I am pleased to be able to say that my reaction was entirely mistaken.
   Sites begins by admitting that in such a short time, he cannot provide the details and background to every conflict that one might wish for in a longer work. Instead, his goal was to offer small personal details and "character driven narratives" that might in some way make the conflict meaningful to his audience. I am not familiar with how the internet site worked, but if his book is an accurate reflection of it, I would guess that he was extremely successful. His stories are about "ordinary" or "extraordinary" people, their struggles, and how the conflict affected them on a daily basis. He tells of their lives in a way that makes us care about them and explains in culturally sensitive ways what they think about us as Americans, and why they may or may not care about us. Moreover, while his focus is on conflict zones, he is conscious of the danger that his reporting "will become this deluge of tragedy" or what others refer to as "poverty porn." Therefore he deliberately reminds us that his subjects also have moments of happiness, laughter, and love and that "people are more than just the sum of their misery."
   While Sites' chapters on such places as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Israel, and Colombia are among my favorites, Sites is at his best not when he is speaking of people and places but of himself and his role as a journalist. His work has made him deeply aware of the ethical dilemmas and standards confronting all citizens of this world, but in particular those who work in the journalistic profession. He admits that he has not always met those standards to his own satisfaction, though I suspect that he is no worse and rather better than many of his peers. Nonetheless, it is precisely his willingness to discuss those dilemmas through his own examples so openly that makes his book so intriguing and so valuable. In fact, I would consider this book a "must read" for any students considering a career in international journalism, but it is equally useful to all those with an interest in the world outside their immediate borders.



3. Sites is right that Americans don't know much about the world they live in. He takes us to third world nations where conflicts rage and people die of war and hunger. This is a dangerous world and Sites makes us aware of this. I think Sites is a talented journalist, who takes his work very seriously. I enjoyed the writings, and I remember well his report for NBC about the slayings in the mosque. However, you can't have it both ways. Later when a Iraqi man if shot in the head and dying, Sites poses with his camera as a Marine comes forward. When the Marine asks him if he is going to film him while he puts this fatally wounded man out of his misery, Sites says of course. What happens is the man endures an agonizing death from a fatal head shot, and people let him suffer.
   
   I enjoyed this book. I think Kevin is a little self righteous. However his points about the US relates to the rest of the world are very true. A good read.



4. Kevin has achieved what he said his goal was; we, the public, watch war, destruction and misery on tv from the age we start to watch tv. Sad to say we usually have grown ourselves a shield against it. After reading Kevins book, you will not watch those images the same way again; now you really know the common people's suffering behind it, and the stories on his DVD and in his book, stay with you and reappear every time you watch the news and see images of war in some far away country.
   Besides that it opens your eyes, it's also easy to read and at times even fun. A must read!



5. The short attention span and corporate management of mainstream media has pushed serious investigative journalists to the fringes, with good ones like Kevin Sites forced to work independently or in unsustainable online operations. The subject of this book is Sites' year-long project for Yahoo! News in which he visited 20 war zones in a single year. The project led to some unexpected results. With so much traveling Sites did not have the time to report from each combat zone with a great amount of in-depth investigation, but on the other hand the project is a sobering illustration of how much senseless violence is taking place in the world at any given time. The rapid schedule also led Sites to dispense with standard action news coverage and to concentrate on the innocent civilians and overworked soldiers who have to take the brunt of bad decisions by politicians and demagogues. In the process, Sites comes up with incredible insights on war and politics that are as compelling as they are low-key, and his skills as an investigative journalist are complemented by a writer's gift for reaching powerful insights in few words.
   
   America is full of pundits who think they can make big statements about wars and humanitarian crises that they have not seen in person and about which they've only heard propaganda. Kevin Sites and other courageous old-school journalists like him have really been on the front lines. Too bad the mass media is too yellow to give them the airtime that they, and their subjects, deserve. [~doomsdayer520~]

5 comments about The Joke's Over: Bruised Memories: Gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson, and Me.

1. Bought the book as a gift. I needed it quickly and it arrived with plenty of time left. I was happy and my boyfriend was happy!



2. The book should be commended as it offers some great insight into the, at times, testy relationship between Ralph and Hunter through the years. What I found disappointing is that Ralph's used this book as his latest medium to again whine on about the fact Hunter did not invite him on either of the vegas trips that were the basis for the infamous Fear and Loathing novel. At times, Ralph's continued bitterness is quite appearent and to me just comes off as very unflattering. In Hunter's life, there were many stories and trips that Ralph was not a included. Hunter had many friends and traveling companions like Michael Solheim (a.k.a. Yail Bloor), who accompanied the good doctor on drug and booze filled coverage of fishing tournament in Cozumel. I think a casual gonzo reader may find the book more enjoyable than those who are more avid and longtime fans.



3. If your a fan of Hunter I highly recommend this book. I'ts written by his best friend, not some second hand source of filtered information,
   so it's told how it is, how it was, and what really wend down on their adventures on the job.
   The book is also full of Ralph's Gonzo Art - some of the very pictures Hunter requested him to draw.
   I feel like I'm on Reading Rainbow right now, but this is a book I'm happy to have added to my collection.
   My prop's to Amazon for the best deal I could find on the internet, Thanks.
   So if you want to hear about Hunter from the man that was with him on his mission's and how that man was influenced and likewise, than this book is for you, I'ts well writted also. Peace.



4. Ralph Steadman gives and honest, insightful and funny glimps into the work he and Hunter S. Thompson did over the years.



5. I'm going to miss the good doctor. Hunter S. Thompson, with his faithful English mad man gave us the ultimate in gonzo journalism. This is Ralph's side of the love/hate partnership they shared. For the most part, he does a good job. There are some rants and he pulls off some of his own scabs from life with Hunter. The artwork is first rate and of course, that is what Ralph does best. Still, all in all, it was a good read and I recommend it for anyone who has ever been the sidekick of a huge ego or savagely bludgeoned by the wierd that has gone pro.

2 comments about Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit.

1. I gave this book to my husband for Christmas. He just loved it and is sharing it with many friends. If you like Andy on 60 minutes you will relate to many of his experences. He says this book was the best present I have given him in many years.



2. Good Andy Rooney book if you have not had the opportunity to read his previous compilations. Even though there is little new material in this book it is valuable in that many of Rooney's original books are no longer readily available.
   
   Having collected and read Andy Rooney's books and columns for 30 years I quickly recognized many of the essays in this volume. Essentially it is a snapshot of Rooney's 60-plus year broadcast career. For anyone who thinks that Andrew A. Rooney just got lucky, this book proves the adage that hard work and luck walk hand in hand. A budding journalist when he was reluctantly enlisted into the Army, Rooney learned his craft the hard way. After leaving the Army he continued his wartime partnership with seasoned reporter Bud Hutton and completed a one year stint at MGM in Hollywood as a writer. Soon afterward he joined CBS as a television writer. Eventually Rooney found himself writing for television and newspapers, as well as appearing in weekly segments on 60 MINUTES.
   
   My only regret is that this book could do with an additional couple hundred pages. Andy Rooney has written so many down to earth essays -- and read quite a few of them on 60 MINUTES and on books on cassette -- that his book leaves the reader wishing for more.

5 comments about Curfewed Night: One Kashmiri Journalist's Frontline Account of Life, Love, and War in His Homeland.

1. I enjoyed this book, I found it be insightful into an area that has suffered conflict and loss. I think the author did an excellent job of bringing the story to light and the trauma that is suffered by the people who live in Kashmir.



2. The book is a beautifully written account of the conflict in Kashmir, in which over 80,000 people have died since 1989. It is written by someone who spent his formative years during the conflict. Like all great books, this one is about human suffering, and what war does to people, to communities, to dreams, and to children's games. While the narrative follows author's own life, I admired the way it was never disruptive -- or worse, indulgent: you rarely see the author describe his own emotions; he builds a novelistic experience for the reader. This is true especially when narrating people's stories: he's virtually transparent. (I know at such moments, rather than being honest witnesses to people's stories, most writers would succumb to the temptation of describing their own feelings.)
   
   Each story in this book is a story of loss: how young men and teenagers lost their youth and teens to conflict -- some with their bodies, others with their souls, many with both and more --, how bunkers and checkpoints cropped among fields of flowers and gardens of fruits, and how schools and temples were turned into military compounds, and how, even in war, people fighting on opposite sides can turn out to be the unlikeliest of acquaintances. In one story, a mother witnessed her son being handed an explosive mine and forced to go into a building where militants were hiding. All she could do was to fight the soldiers and save her other son from a similar fate.
   
   Reading this book, I kept thinking of the Robert Hass's poem, "Winged and Acid Dark":
   
   Basho told Rensetsu to avoid sensational materials.
   If the horror of the world were the truth of the world,
   he said, there would be no one to say it
   and no one to say it to.
   
   At the end of it, this book affirms not what the ideological lot would have you believe (that it is about Pakistan or India, War on Terror, Indian democracy, conspiracy theories, etc.), but what Basho told Rensetsu: it is speaking to someone who cares.
   
   Please read this book. You would know know things that make us human.



3. Given the dearth of literature on Kashmir, this books stands out as an illuminating source of light on the conflict. The author successfully takes the reader into the world of Kashmir weaving antidotes, interviews with those affected, and other personal observations together to portray what life is like in the disputed region, from the perspective of a Kashmiri muslim.
   
   What makes this book so powerful is that the author has directly lived through the crisis and has moved away from the region, giving him both an inside view as an affected civilian, as well as some perspective as an "outside" observer. Another positive of the book is the author's curiosity and journalistic energy, both of which are focused on getting to the source of the story, whether it is the parents of a lost child or the Indian officer who patrols the valley or a Kashmiri who has moved on and no longer lives in or visits his homeland. The on the ground reporting and sheer persistence of the author to get first hand information is impressive.
   
   What this book is lacking and if incorporated, would make it a must-read, is more commentary on the political drivers from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Much of what is not known is why the political classes of each country construct the policies they have, as well as what are the potential options for the future (the author makes very little mention of the Kargil War, the Jihadis in 1989 who no longer were required to fight the Soviets, the Lahore Declaration etc). In addition it would be helpful to know some population numbers (how many Hindu/Muslim Kashmiri's have left the region) and overall economic trends...if the data exists.
   
   All in all, this book is not the "definitive" book on Kashmir, but a powerful memoir or journal and serves as a great view from the inside.



4. This book goes beyond all of the partisan sniping between India and Pakistan and tells the stories of the real Kashmiris caught in between. It is extremely well written and sensitive to all parties affected by the conflict, including the displaced Pandits. It is a shame that so many reviewers are willing to attack the book without carefully reading it first. Reviews of the Indian edition, even from the right-wing critics, were much more nuanced and fair. Anyone who cares about the future of the region--and good literature--should read Curfewed Night.



5. If you are interested in reading my full review, it may be found on the SAJA forum, part of the Indian-run South Asian Journalists Association website at sajaforum-dot-org.
   
   
   
   When Curfewed Night was published in India in 2008, it received widespread praise and admiration from Indian readers, became a bestseller in India and Pakistan, garnered a bagful of glowing reviews, and even went on to win India's prestigious Vodafone Crossword Award for English Nonfiction. It sold well on the subcontinent, went into multiple printings and struck a chord through a seemingly divergent group of general readers and critics, fellow journalists and writers, and from both Muslims and Hindus.
   
   However, there exists within India another segment of Hindus. One that has criticized the Indian government for failing to take a harsher stance on Jammu and Kashmir as a protection of Hindu interests. One that does not want to accept the truth of what has happened in Kashmir, and certainly does not want these stories given voice to a wider Western audience. So it comes as no surprise that this narrow-minded faction would be inclined to misread, malign and dismiss any book written by a Kashmiri Muslim. After all, in their "truly secular democratic nation" they can justify occupying villages and residential areas in Muslim Kashmir in the name of internal security, with a paramilitary force protected by full immunity. And they can just as easily rationalize the shooting of Muslim school boys in Srinagar in the name of "safeguarding humanity". Fortunately, they only represent a minority in India that fears the truth, refuses to negotiate, and seeks no solutions.
   
   Within this dangerous segment of ultra right-wing nationalists exists yet another group: these are the so-called "Hindus" and patriots sitting in America. This group may be the worst because they have been marginalized from any true participation in Indian politics and defining Hindu identity; they comment while firmly ensconced in their armchairs - benefitting tremendously from the American secular democratic model - while bored, impotent and tangential to or even excluded from the substantiative debates in their homeland. They have been reduced to trolling the internet, manufacturing dissent, and "reviewing" books they haven't even bothered to read. Sometimes in their insular laziness they even sink to reviewing radio interviews. My suggestion to them: open your minds and read the book.
   
   Now, for those truly interested in the story of modern Kashmir, with the human dimension secondary to the political perspective, I would recommend:
   
   For an understanding of Pakistani military and ISI involvement in Kashmir, by Arif Jamal:
   Shadow War: The Untold Story of Jihad in Kashmir
   
   For an understanding of American involvement in Kashmir, by Howard B. Schaffer:The Limits of Influence: America's Role in Kashmir (Adst-Dacor Diplomats and Diplomacy)
   
   For an even-handed treatment to both Indian and Pakistani perspectives from someone who has spent much of his long and distinguished career in the Indian Administrative Service working in Kashmir, by Wajahat Habibullah:My Kashmir: Conflict and the Prospects for Enduring Peace
   
   But for an autobiographical portrait of growing up in modern Kashmir, of families unwillingly caught between paranoid imperialism and an often brutal militancy, you can do no better than to read Curfewed Night.

5 comments about Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer.

1. Before reading this book I knew next to nothing about Henry Morton Stanley other than the famous "Doctor Livingstone I presume?"--which Stanley probably never uttered. I wasn't aware that Stanley's reputation over the last 100 or so years has suffered unjustly. First, by being compared to the ostensibly more moral Livingstone; and second, by having opened up the Congo for King Leopold II, which precipitated mass atrocities, for which Stanley, again, has been unjustly blamed.
   
   Tim Jeal, demonstrates conclusively, in my opinion, that Stanley was indeed a moral man, one ahead of his time. His attempt to open up Africa to European trade and development was done in large part to help eradicate the East African slave trade, perpetrated by Arab-Swahili slave dealers. Stanley detested brutality and for the most part treated Africans with a greater level of respect than the majority of Europeans. He learned their languages, negotiated with them in good faith, and had no interest in robbing them either of their wealth or their land. He also contributed immensely to a geographical understanding of Africa by mapping out large sections of the continent's interior.
   
   Jeal, in writing his biography, benefitted from being able to view previously unreleased documents (over 7000 in all) including Stanley's journals and letters written by and to the famous explorer. The fact that these documents have been unavailable to other researchers and biographers shows why Stanley's place in history has been skewed. Furthermore, Stanley himself, went out of his way to conceal his origins as an orphan whose childhood was spent largely in a Welsh poorhouse. Jeal does an excellent job in uncovering the truth of Stanley's childnood/early adulthood. How this man from such impoverished and deprived beginnings went on to become Africa's greatest explorer is mind boggling. Those of us who have heard of Stanley, have been misinformed. Those of us who knew next to nothing about him have been cheated. This book seeks to correct both types of wrong.



2. A refreshingly sympathetic bio of Stanley. Jeal seems to have delved deeply into this facinating and accomplished explorer and the result is a quite informative and enjoyable book. Stanley was a product of his times and Jeal makes appropriate allowance for that in my view.



3. "Stanley" by Tim Jeal is a detailed biography of the Anglo-American explorer of Central Africa, Henry Morton Stanley. I have been a little bit obsessed about Africa and Victorian-Era exploration for the last few years, so my reading of Jeal's book did not begin in a place of complete ignorance, although I wouldn't call my knowledge comprehensive or scholarly. What advantage my previous dabblings into the subject matter allowed me was a familiarity with the "myths" about Stanley that Jeal was aiming to debunk. On the plus side, Jeal treats the man Stanley as more than the sum of his public parts. However, the author comes across as a Stanley apologist, spinning the explorer's legacy to argue that Henry Morton Stanley was both the most successful geographer of Africa lore and a generally good guy that was misunderstood by his contemporaries as well as posterity. While it would be difficult to make a case against the former, Stanley has generally been (fairly or not) thought of as insensitive at best and brutal at worst for his harsh treatment of Africans on his expeditions and his role in founding the Congo Free State. In his retelling, Jeal takes Stanley's part at every turn, begging the question of the author's disinterested impartiality.
   
   As Jeal explains in his introduction, the really new information about Stanley to which he had access was personal correspondence between Stanley and a couple of close friends, between Stanley and his wife, and a sheaf of letters to Stanley from a wide range of professional and personal associates. Private correspondence would be the best way to get at the real person since Stanley was prone to exaggeration and downright fiction in the published accounts of his endeavors. One might argue that all that was just to sell books. However, Stanley was a person who would say or do anything for approval, constantly crafting himself as someone that he thought he should be to cover up the truth of who he actually was. Stanley's words are difficult to trust, even when they are describing his own observations or thoughts.
   
   Jeal's biography of Livingstone is known for its revision of the history of that explorer, arguing that the doctor and missionary was not the flawless saint that he had been remembered as. For "Stanley," Jeal is doing just the opposite: reclaiming the positive side of a high criticized and controversial figure. Perhaps I have just been sucked in by the previous propaganda, but he didn't convince me.



4. This biography is based on Stnaley-related documents, including his personal letters, never before available to scholars. It has completely changed the impression I've had of Stanley over the years, particularly the very negative one I had of him from reading King Leopold's Ghost. It's also a great adventure story and well told! I give it my highest recommendation.



5. Tim Jeal goes against the grain with this account of the incredible life of African explorer Henry Morton Stanley. For the last 140 years or so history has largely condemned Africa's greatest explorer for his cruelty and difficult personality. Jeal, apparently having access to documents previous biographers have not, makes a compelling argument which reveals Stanley as a softer, more egalitarian explorer than his counterparts, who unfortunately, through misguided exaggerations in his own published writings and other unfortunate events (stemming from the day he was born), lead to the widely held views that we have today.
   
   This book, if closer to the truth than all those before it, turns the myth of Africa's greatest explorer on it's head.