4 comments about Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson.

1. Your pleasure or displeasure in this book will depend entirely on your liking for and tolerance of the late Hunter S. Thompson.
   
   I happen to have enjoyed most of Thompson's writings but considered him just another ill-mannered, self-absorbed and self-referential celebrity of the dawning of the age of celebrity. The times favored Thompson with his let it all hang out style: open drunkenness and drugs, outrageous commentary. But he had keen powers of observation and turned in craftsman like sentences and had a devilish wit. He was also opinioned and, in my opinion, dead wrong.
   
   In any event, for those who are interested - and the interested are the only ones who will appreciate some of these interviews - Thompson's widow has collected and edited 48 interviews of Hunter S. Thompson spanning the years 1967 through 2005. Like Andy Warhohl, Thompson kept the publicity machine whirring for a long time, fueling it with an endless succession of weird episodes.
   
   Some of the interviews are hilarious with self-revering interviews who are - in their own mind's eye - great public intellectuals approaching the Great One. Needless to say, these interviews are trite: "Do you still live life at a fast pitch?" "Due to your hedonistic misbehavior, do you find it hard to discipline yourself to write?"
   
   Other interviews have more depth.
   
   Does this collection add only to the wealth of Thompson's estate? Or does it add to our understanding of Thompson?
   
   I think the latter, but only in the sense that Hunter S. Thompson understood better than most that publicity was good and that publicity about being the "bad boy" was even better. Do we gain insight into the mind and character of Hunter S. Thompson? I don't really think so.
   
   But this collection of interviews to a someone like myself who is a mild fan of Thompson Is still interesting and an enjoyable read.
   
   Jerry



2. Thompson's shining Gonzo Intellect is displayed here with humor and insight. Thompson was a seer, a visionary, an immovable force of which our culture will have to contend with for decades to come. His interviews read like his prose - evidence that what you read in print was the Good Doctor himself without pretense, without a mask. The earth's axis has shifted since his departure and we are all at a loss with his absence.



3. Always interesting and often funny, Hunter Thompson rations answers to helpless interviewer's and public forum's questions giving insight to his writing, lifestyle, philosophies and opinions from the 70's till just before his passing in 2005. A wealth of nutritional info and sages for our times included as well.



4. About 85 pages from the end, wishing it had been kept to about 300 pages, or at the very least, the ED. would've not repeated so any identical questions, responses, off handed remarks...programmed questions & memorized, sometimes expanded responses...typos, & why define for us in every interview who Ken Kesey was? A. Ginsberg? D. Halberstam? P. Buchanan? B. & H. Clinton? Nixon (!)? Der Fuhrer!!! Honestly? Every interview, everybody has to be introduced, title's mentioned in interviews have to be expanded below...I just don't get it. Any one w/ any idea who this man was knows who these other people are & if not, if they are interested in learning more, let them do the research. What would've taken 5 seconds to google has now slowed down the pace of this book to a handicapped crawl...
   
   Three stars is probably one too many, but can't hold the format of the book against the power of the words.....
   
   Actually...I think I can. This is a two star book.
   
   If only these interviews would've been edited by those that worked w/ him throughout his life & when he was in control of what went out & what didn't, we'd all be better off for it.
   
   In the long run, H.S.T.'s writing has & will always stood alone & uncompromised & there's no reason to think that will or should change now, no matter who gets their hands on the rights to his literature.
   
   And I was so damned excited to get this book...

5 comments about Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism (Turning Points in History).

1. I remember very well listening to Edward R Murrow when I was growing up. His was the voice of authority. I laughed in this book when Edwards recounted how Murrow had to call the bingo numbers because his wife, who was the social director on the boat, was seasick. That must have been some bingo game.
   
   The history recounted in this book was fascinating, especially the relationship between Murrow and Walter Cronkite. The flame of TV journalism lit by Murrow was already fading by the time of his death and went out with Cronkite. Murrow's fears about the direction television was taking was prescient regarding the state of news broadcasting today. He just didn't know how bad it would get.
   
   I was interested to learn that Murrow was one of the forces behind PBS in a final attempt to salvage journalism in TV.



2. A good book should create an impact in the reader. It should touch a person or inspire them to take a stand. The story of Edward R. Murrow is that type of story. This particular book follows Murrow's impact in the embryonic industry known as broadcast journalism. Though I sometimes felt the author was too concerned with the comings and goings of Murrow's staff, it does not take away from the overall product. This is not intended to be a thorough biography of Murrow.
   
   Murrow got his start in education through the International Institute of Education, which is reflected in his belief that the news should educate. Also at this time, Murrow served as the Assistant Secretary of the Emergency Committee in Aid of Displaced Foreign Scholars which relocated displaced German Jewish scholars to America. His work would lead him to become a war correspondent for CBS radio during World War II, providing some of the most influential information of the time.
   
   With the new media of television, Murrow would not start behind the camera. But with the backing of CBS boss William S. Paley, See It Now would become the standard bearer for news. Though it is best known for its stand against McCarthyism, the program allowed a multi-sided view of issues. In other words, it served to educate the public.
   
   In the words of the author, "... Many of today's public affairs programs reflect the polarized political climate and are overtly partisan to entertain listeners and viewers whose minds are already made up. People no longer tune in to a program for a detached assessment of political matters, they tune it to have their bias reaffirmed." (158-159) Today's media thrives in sound bites and shows a topic in black and white, forgetting that there are a lot of shades of gray to an issue. Murrow brought out the gray in the issue.



3. I listened to this in the car and found myself sitting in the garage waiting for a passage to conclude. It was riveting and I was amazed at what I learned about Murrow in his own words. A wonderful audiobook.



4. Edward R. Murrow was a giant of a man and more than just the liberal hero of felling Sen. Joseph McCarthy (who went overboard on a very real problem of Communism in the US - see books on Venona), which takes up much of this small book.
   
   In actuality, Murrow was a rare quality of a man that shined for a bright moment amidst much darkness. His notion of fairness and character is better addressed in A.M. Sperber's "Murrow: His Life and Times" (read p. xi and following). Although, the best contemporary view of those times - to be neutral - is now found wanting, as no one is neutral - although he was exemplar regarding fairness, even when he went to defend his associate Laurence Duggan (p. 99), who was not only a KGB informer, but in fact, a KGB agent (this wasn't known to the public until after Murrow's death). Nevertheless, Murrow was a man who stuck to his guns and his character and redefined journalism (earlier journalism had a "yellow" reputation since the 19th century). My father had worked with him in the 1950s at CBS and told us that he was down to earth and a solid person. He was the ultimate gravitas statesman of journalism. He was not so easy to categorize, which journalism since the Watergate era has done in political terms (when the media was redefined by the Bernstein / Woodward team at the Washington Post - decidedly with a left bent).
   
   Bob Edwards, who has hosted "Morning Edition" on NPR, writes briefly on Murrow and tends to mold him in the image of a contemporary liberal media hagiography, but never really shows the depth of his character and the times that were (again, see Sperber).
   
   In his afterward, Edwards comments on the devolution of broadcast journalism. His most telling paragraph is when he writes:
   "If there's a Murrow now among young journalists, he or she will probably leave the business before arriving at a position that gets our attention. If that person shares Murrow's background and training, he or she likely will end up as the president of a small college, enjoy the work, and know the names of every freshman's parents. That would be a very good thing and we should not necessarily mourn the loss of such an individual on a bigger stage" (p. 165).
   
   Another outstanding journalist of that era to research was the Chicago-based Clifton Utley.
   
   I still remember those great weekend days when my father would listen with memory to "Edward R. Murrow - A Reporter Remembers, Vol. 1: The War Years, 1939-1946", those London broadcast recordings of Murrow starting with the memorable line, "This is London". He would start his later broadcasts with a similar focused-styled phrasing that captured the imagination and hearts of people everywhere.



5. This was a very well written short volume which covered the major aspects of Murrow's career. While I found it very lucid and enjoyable, my only small complaint was its brevity. An excellent overview.

5 comments about Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith.

1. This book was a little too theological and not as personal as I was expecting. I always liked to hear Bill Buckley on TV and admire his intelligence and thoughtful answers and opinions. The book is interesting , but dry.



2. I am unabashadly conservative, and a big WFB fan. I was curious to read this book and understand a bit better the connection of his faith to his work & life, but came away a bit disappointed. There was very little in the way of WFB sharing any sort of personal relationship with God, and perhaps that is telling. Instead, there was a lot of story retelling about his experience in Catholic school along with some long recited passages from other authors/catholic writers that influenced him. Some may enjoy this approach, it was just - for me - disapointing compared to the high bar set by his other works.



3. God bless you, Bill. This was perhaps your best work and also the one perhaps least noticed or acclaimed. We can only imagine your relief upon seeing Pat and so many other friends awaiting you as you entered the pearly gates.



4. I wanted to get a glimpse of contemporary conservative thinking. After Mr. Buckley passing away I heard that he was a sort of beacon for modern Conservative political thought. There's no better way to get a lowdown on this than to get under conservative skin, i.e. going into the subject of faith, since this is a sort of underlying building block for conservative thought.
   
   Referring to the subtitle "An autobiography of faith", there is very little "autobiography". We get just a glimpse of Mr.Buckley's privileged childhood in the beginning of the book. But the major body of the text is a commentary on someone else's religious writings, filled with very generous quotations. From the initial premise of the book - "autobiography of faith" - I got an impression that it's going to be a personal account of how someone like Mr. Buckley comes to Catholic faith and what strengthens him in his beliefs. What you get instead is a very referential analysis of certain developments in the history of Catholicism and some current religious concepts. For example, Vatican abandoning the Latin liturgy in favor of modern languages (the author strongly disagrees with it), issues of contraception, the influence of church on the state, etc. In general, it leaves a strong impression that this book is written by a journalist, who wanted to mull over the current agenda, not by a person, who wanted to explore and share his personal relationship with God.



5. I am not a Roman Catholic and never have been. My review is by an individual who is critical of the Roman Catholic Faith. The author of this book, William F. Buckley is a devout Roman Catholic and believes in the teachings of his church. The title of this work makes it sound like a devotional; it is not. The cover of the book calls the book an autobiography of Faith; It is not. William F. Buckley does share some personal experience in his life interacting with the Roman Catholic church. He also discusses thoughts of fellow Catholics in his life. It is not explanation or presentation development of faith through life experience or study. This book is about Roman Catholic doctrine. The original working title of this book was Why am I still a Catholic. William F. Buckley felt this title made it seem like he was or should be embarrassed to be a member of the Catholic Church; something he surely is not. The author uses the same intellect and serious thought to his religious faith as he argues his political views.
   
   The Catholic church is the ultimate arbitrator of Truth. This book defends the Pope's obligation to make biblical teaching clearer and easier to understand. The author details the churches' position on developing doctrine. Difficulties between Arnold Lunn, then at the time not a catholic, and friar Arnold. Included in the discussion is papal inerrancy , the inquisition and slavery , eternal punishment, indulgences, difficulty with Biblical interpretation and Biblical literalism. In other places in this work the author defends Mother as the Mother of God, the praying to `the saints', miracles at Lourdes, issues of no woman priests, divorce - annulments, birth control, and remarriage. Obviously I disagree with most everything in the defense of Catholic teaching but is done well. Ordination of Michael Bozell is told about. The principles of being a God Father and how the application in real life is discussed.
   
   Included are observations and experience with fellow Catholics. An example of this is Malcolm Muggeridge.

5 comments about Mark Twain: A Life.

1. This book COULD have been great. Biographies are my favorite genre and I've read a bunch of them - this one falls pretty flat. The author's biases are so clearly obvious he's almost a presence in the book himself, which is distracting even if you agree with his views, and irritating if you don't. Forget Mark Twain's religious bias, the author's anti-Christian stance shines through even stronger, such as the statement that Mormons were just waiting for the Union to dissolve so that they could rise to power - and he sticks it to the Presbyterians just as badly, even misrepresenting Job from the Bible. His anti-capitalism, left-leaning political opinions come through just as clearly.
   
   The book gives us a nice picture of the times and events in the places Sam Clemens lived - New York, San Fransisco, Carson City, etc - which is interesting in itself. But even those glimpses into American life at the time are tainted by the author's opinions. A good biographer doesn't make himself obvious in his books; he shouldn't intrude at all. Ron Powers is not a good biographer and I will not be reading any more of his books.



2. I hadn't thought about Mark Twain in a while and picked up this biography somewhat at random. Then I thought it might be interesting to read about his days working on a steamboat on the Mississippi River. I couldn't put the book down, read it in two nights. I'm still thinking about it a week later. One of the best biographies I've read.



3. An excellent biography marred by gratuitous left wing political commentary. I don't know why Mr. Powers decided to sprinkle those little gems throughout the text, given that they add absolutely nothing, but I wish he'd respected his subject--and his readers--enough not to intrude. If I'd wanted Powers' political views, I'd have sought out a book about him. If you can ignore the author's trespassing, it is a worthwhile read.



4. This book provides important insights into Mark Twain and his life and times. It should part of the reading list in any course that spends time on Mark Twain's writings.



5. Mark Twain: A Life
   The most consummate biography of Mark Twain ever-- as the back cover reads, "[Twain became] the king of the eastern establishment and a global celebrity as American became an international power. Along the way, Mark Twain keenly observed the characters and voices that filled the growing country, and left us our first authentically American literature. Ron Powers' magnificent biography offers the definitive life of the founding father of our culture."
   
   Ron Powers does a superb job of bringing Twain to life in front of our eyes. Highly, highly recommended.

5 comments about A Clearing In The Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the 19th Century.

1. This is a brilliant account of an American legend. His career was a remarkable adventure: surveyor, sailor, farmer, merchant, social commentator, author, abolitionist, planner, construction manager, wartime administrator, mining executive, and (finally) consummate landscape architect. The author skillfully conveys these transitions in an lively narrative that ably portrays 19C America as well.
   
   Olmstead's creativity was served by a pragmatic versatility capable of working wonders. Anticipating dense urbanism and frontier encroachment, he pioneered municipal parks and wilderness preserves that today remain invaluable oasis's. Though largely self-taught (like Washington and Lincoln), he collaborated as an equal with the luminous figures of his day (most formally trained: Vaux, Richardson, McKim, Mead, White, Post, Burnham, Root, Hunt, Saint-Gaudens). He was interested in new technology (electric boats and lighting, drainage, transportation) and took a leading edge to incorporate it in his work.
   
   Ultimately, his legacy is not only one of exceptional work (enjoyed by many cities, including Hartford -his birthplace), but the invention of a skilled professional discipline that continues to enrich human life today.
   
   This work (illustrated and annotated) was a delight. Highly recommended. I wish it was available when I attempted to make my way through Laura Wood Roper's torturous `FLO: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmstead' in 1973 (it sits on my shelf yet half unread).
   
   Also recommended: Cynthia Zaitzevsky's `Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System' (1982) a great record of Olmstead's Boston park development (with plans and photographs).



2. As a Landscape Architect Olmsted holds a special place for me in the American story. This book is an easy and pleasant read. Most people do not know of the diverse and remarkable path that Olmsted's life traced. Witold's retelling of Olmsted's life covers in adequate depth and breadth the extraordinary tale without bogging down or over emphasizing any particular phase of FLO's life. Olmsted was not only the designer of Central Park but he was an influential member of society in his day and his legacy is as valuable in social terms as it is in environmental.



3. The life of Olmstead was a mystery to me. I read about him in the "Devil in the White City" I had to learn more.
   
   This is a capable biography, covering his life seemingly thoroughly. I didn't buy into the convention the author used when he would describe moments in Olmstead's life in a semi-fictional way. Otherwise, good really good stuff.



4. A Clearing in the Distance is a great biography about a man who had great strength and deep sorrows. The first half of the book covers Olmsted's life before becoming a Landscape Architect. He was basically a very talented man who could not find his calling. Once he found it, he pursued his passion with commitment and daring that changed the way that subsequent generations have thought about their environment and surroundings.
   
   The book provides valuable insights into both Olmsted the man and the world in which he lives. There are musings that are the author's thoughts and are obviously not historical, but they are interesting too in that they give us insight into the author's biases and interests.
   
   Overall, A Clearing in the Distance is well worth reading.



5. Olmsted's life is fascinating and Rybczynski does an adequate job of presenting the highlights, but the writing style is something less than engaging. In addition, the author spends too much time on trivial matters while neglecting more important things. For example, he writes page after page about Olmsted's failures to connect with a romantic mate. Goodness, he wasn't much of looker or a lady schmoozer and this plagued him for years. There, I said it in one sentence. Had the author done likewise we might have learned more about the details of some of Olmsted's projects. If the author wanted to play up relationships to give the reader a fuller appreciation of Olmsted's psychological make-up, he would have done better to delve deeper into the parent-child relationship.

5 comments about The Rage and The Pride.

1. 9/11/01,a sore point among many in America and in the world.An unspeakable tragedy,a waste of life,and for what?The modern day eqivalent of Pearl Harbor will be remembered as Roosevelt said then as,"a day that will live in infamy".If you live in New York as I do, witnessed it as I did,chances are you know someone who lost someone that day.My heart goes out to them.But that seems a shallow tribute to those who must go on without loved ones lost that day.Not because of a plan to injure Americans but because of the stupid,ignorant,malcontents that ascribe to radical Islam.A pox on the world,an agenda pushed foward by the Saudis'(our friends),paid for by the petro dollars we give them so we can drive our 8 cylinder monster mobiles.They should be ashamed,they should be dealt with severely.Orianna Falacci has taken that very anger and has written a scathing report, more of an open letter to the world venting her anger most vehemently at the source of this ridiculous waste of life.She is Italian and her love of both America and her native Italy is apparent.She yells and screams at you and in many respects she is right and not afraid to speak her mind which is mostly negative toward the Middle Eastern issue both on a personal and global level.It is at times jumpy and does veer a bit.Her discussion of Italian history shows how it too has fallen under the political auspices stemming from the fear of Islam,the unchecked immigration and the slow deterioration of and destruction of some of the most beloved places as Islamic influx and the power to intimidate now shapes the landscape.Because of the need to ass kiss the imams to maintain peace,sunny Italy has become a muslim stronghold and may one day be renamed Italistan,don't laugh,just watch.Falacci has seen alot of violence and wars,practically grew up on it and her writings send a strong message that she is one who can cut through the crap and deliver ideas,ideas that have made her enemies,and is not afraid to say it despite the outcome.Her ability to write what others think in private but would never admit to publicly,not to rant but to have something to back up your assertions is to be admired in any writer.As Christopher Caldwell wrote in his 'Reflections on the Revolution in Europe' as he charted the muslim movement over time and how because of this, the balance of power is changing rapidly in much of the countries we refer to as European nations.Fallaci is right in her emotive reaction to 9/11 and the European demise.It is too bad she is now dead and her pen is silenced.All survivors of that day should read her,Italian Americans should,patriots should just to realize that the whole world is not against us,we have true friends out there despite what the news tells you. She makes her disdain for the Middle Eastern culture and the individuals who engage in it both men and women quite clear.They value the lands of their forefathers,the desert sands, they can have it,lock, stock and barrel.Stay there, we won't bother you.This book will fuel the fire in your heart.It is time to stop forgiving the bastards, as Falacci would say, and start showing them who they should not be messing with.That they should think twice and twice again if they want to come at us again.Falacci's anger should be the anger that keeps us alert.America must not forget nor should she forgive.'The Rage and the Pride' will help you keep the flame of liberty alive.Thomas Paine would be proud of her.



2. This book seemed like a great idea when I bought it in a moment of $@#. I spent some time reading it and it provided a point of view of the author and thats about it. My review for this book are that if you are looking for this particular subject area, then there are books available which would give you better kick.



3. Bikinis vs. burkahs, bell-towers over minarets: secular humanism vs. retrograde bigotry. Dividing foolish tolerance of intolerance from righteous defence of human rights, Fallaci's attack on Islamic fascism and Muslim extremism post-9/11 reads passionately if inevitably unevenly in her translation from Italian. Her famous journalistic career that brought her into Vietnam, 1968 Mexico, to Arafat and the Dalai Lama, among despots and dictators provides her backdrop for her disgust with how the West capitulates to the "Reverse Crusade." I liked its content; her presentation remained erratic.
   
   She explains in an extended preface how this article expanded into this short book, why she chose to render it into her idiosyncratic English, and how it relates to her adopted American audience. She errs in assuming Yanks put their hands over their heart for "God Bless America" (it's not our national anthem), and her usage does have its antiquated touches: "Read History and you'll see that behind every event of Good and Evil there is a piece of writing, A book, an article, a manifesto, a poem, a song." (23) Still, I can "hear" her in her rhetorical flourishes on the page, as if her own quirky, ineradicable "accent."
   
   The book follows the pattern of Bernard-Henry Lévy's later (2008; also reviewed by me on Amazon US) "Left in Dark Times." Taking the Italian (as he chides the French) surrender in the name of political correctness the professoriate, the chattering classes (she calls them the "cicadas"), the media, the churches, the bureaucrats, and the politicians to task, Fallaci comes from the background of a family whose own anti-fascist, progressive, secular, and leftist values find themselves undermined by a people who refuse to apologize for their culture's destruction of intellectual and scientific and rational patrimony. Even as they insist on mosques as they colonize Western Europe, Muslims forbid churches in the Middle East. They demand unlimited immigration, importation of their customs, and municipal acceptance of their limitations on the freedom of women, of unbelievers, of dissenters.
   
   This infuriates Fallaci; Italy, she elucidates, cannot be compared to pioneer America. Her small country cannot accept so many foreign migrants determined to assert their dubious "rights" to spread drugs, prostitution, discrimination, squalor, and backwardness into the heart of civilized Europe. She has the "guts" that she finds lacking in her Florentine counterparts in office, to call out her enemies and face them heedlessly. As a woman refusing to give in to sexism, crude advances, catcalls, and second-class status, Fallaci seeks the moral high ground, in her advocacy of the universality of decency, equality, and dignity.
   
   She reminds us that the real protagonist of the war the West has taken on is not Bin Laden, or even the backward regimes that sponsor and foment terror. The "Mountain" for 1400 years remains unchanged, "which in spite of the shameful richness of its retrograde masters (kings and princes and sheiks and bankers) still lives in a scandalous poverty, still vegetates in the monstrous darkness of a religion that produces nothing but religion." (30) Illiteracy rates surpass 60% in most Muslim nations; information comes "only through the backward Imams of the cartoon-strips." (And this years before the Danish uproar.) In Kabul, beards can be shaved or grown, burkahs discarded or forced back on-- the military victories of the West, she warns, will not "solve the offensive of Islamic terrorism. On the contrary, they encourage it. They exacerbate it, they multiply it. The worst is still yet to come. Here is the bitter truth. And Truth does not necessarily stay in the middle. Sometimes it stays on one side only." (32)
   
   I was reminded of Robert Ferrigno's alternative-history novels "Tears of the Assassin" and "Sins of the Assassin" (both reviewed by me, written after Fallaci's 2001 book) about a near-future Islamic takeover of much of America: Fallaci predicts that such a movement may not be as dramatic as Ferrigno portrays, but perhaps as insidious. She wonders why Pope John Paul II apologized for the Crusades while no Muslim leaders acknowledged the depredations upon Italy of their Moorish slave trade for so many centuries that terrorized the Mediterranean. She cites (this book lacks footnotes, and often sources are not fully identified) an October '99 Vatican synod between Muslims and Christians where "an eminent Islam scholar addressed the stunned audience declaring with placid effrontery: 'By means of your democracy we shall invade you, by means of our religion we shall dominate you.'" (98)
   
   Such threats often become buried in the mainstream media by "cicadas," eager to promote a more placid view, she argues. I'm not sure if the subsequent "war on terror" can be aligned with her thesis; her book needs to be placed within the immediate aftermath to 9/11, as it appeared but twelve months after the attacks. In that context, it reads years later as an artifact of the immediate rage and the intensity that Fallaci brings to her subject. It lacks the learning of Lévy, it shares his scattered structure as both progressive journalists desperately try to talk sense into their grovelling colleagues, and it fails often to keep attention for a foreign reader unschooled in the intricacies of Italian (as in Lévy's French) political factions and cultural discourses.
   
   The second half of Fallaci's exhortation slides into long perorations against her foes. This again is intentional, as her preface indicates. I found her tone reeled about; its lack of coherence perhaps may have been minimized if it was delivered as a series of separate articles rather than compressed into a single text lacking chapters or divisions as it's given to us here. It fits, again, her own personality I suppose, and nowadays might have been blogged serially. But as a narrative, it's idiosyncratic to say the least. Her admissions to being a careful and slow writer appear to be at odds with the intensity that she admits fueled its composition.
   
   For all its awkwardness, her passion and energy may reward some readers even as its denunciations, periginations, and execrations may continue to gain her-- albeit after her death from cancer five years after this book appeared-- lots of rotten tomatoes. She bravely faces her tormenters, and while her stubborn defiance may enrage the gentler liberals, she takes a liberated stance that shows courage, however misguided in her rhetorical excess that likely goads her opponents to more hatred and more intolerance. This is the strategic risk she seems eager to encourage. It's up to you to regard this as insensitive or principled, bold or foolhardy. At least we have freedom of the press to do so, unlike many Middle Eastern polities.
   
   The Taliban's horrible demolishing of the Bamiyan Buddhas "was pronounced on the 26th of February 2001 (not 1001)." (118) The squares of Italian cities, full of medieval and Renaissance splendor, are desecrated by Somalians in tents, urinating against church walls, drowning out bells with boombox recordings of calls to prayer. The contrast of Third World squalor amidst First World patrimony she conjures up powerfully. She does not shirk the hypocrisy of the West who expects the East to do its dirty work, and she does stress too the manipulation of the desperate immigrants by both the Muslim and Western politicians. Most of all, her feminism informs her pride, as it stokes her rage, against those who dare to mock her, paw her, and insult her for her right to walk among them as a modern woman. She expects to be treated with respect, and reacts accordingly when she is denied that politeness from those who enter her native land to assert their "right" to stay there, to live off the largess of Italian charity, and within their new home or tent to denigrate her.
   
   She's best when evoking the machine-gunning of three women presumably executed by the Taliban for going to the hairdresser. This episode was recorded by a journalist, and the scene was followed by the announcement of the brutality by the local Minister of Foreign Affairs as approved by the Taliban. One woman, in her death agony, as her last gesture lifts up her burkah to expose a bare leg to her murderer.



4. Oriana Fallaci was a controversial Italian journalist, author, cultural commentator and polemicist up until her death from breast cancer in 2006; a native of Tuscany, she had witnessed her father tortured by Mussolini's black-shirts and had fought in the resistance whilst barely more than a child. As an adult, she traveled extensively in the middle-east and was highly regarded for her reportage of various conflicts and world events, as well as numerous interviews with the likes of the Dalai Lama, Yasser Arafat and Ayatollah Khomeini. Her disgust with what she saw as the corruption of Italian ideals eventually led her to refute her status as a public figure and seek exile in New York.
   
   It is the attacks of September 11th on New York city that were to act as the crucible from which 'The Rage And The Pride' was to be forged. Written in the two weeks after the attack, apparently in a period which saw her forego sleep and food, Fallaci's `sermon' (her words) is an excoriating, bilious attack on the ideals of fundamentalist Islam and its insidious infiltration into European life at the hands of politicians, intellectuals and commentators more obsessed with political correctness and their own careers than the protection of their electorate's freedoms and civil rights. Fallaci dubs these politicians, intellectuals and commentators, `Cicadas' and is completely unrepentant in her hatred and disdain for them. However, her absolute hatred is reserved for the adepts of Islam who, she argues, are attempting to engineer a global caliphate by altering the demographic make-up of Europe and the West through mass, state-supported immigration. At least, statistically, demographic projections would seem to bear out her theory - within the next twenty to fifty years, due to an aging indigenous population, low indigenous birth rates, and a fertile immigrant population, countries like Spain, Italy and France stand a very good chance of having a majority Muslim population. However, Fallaci's book is by no means a dispassionate analysis of the situation. If you're looking for that, you'd be better off reading a book like While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within. Be under no illusions, this is not journalism, this is the passionate polemic of a dying, angry woman (Fallaci was well aware that her breast cancer was probably terminal at the time of the book's writing) who has witnessed the spread of fundamentalist Islam throughout the middle-east, and who is disgusted at what she sees as the betrayals of the western ideals of tolerance, feminism, art, love and culture, written in the kind of unapologetic, blunt invective that will have the politically correct apologists running for shelter and crying racism - an erroneous accusation at best, because, as Fallaci points out herself, `Islam is not a race, it is an ideology'.
   
   This is an important book, possibly one of the most important books of the early 21st century, because it is unafraid to externalise the thoughts that many in the West are too afraid or consider too unpalatable to be faced. Fallaci herself considered the book to be a 'scream of anger' designed to awaken the world and considered it's message to be so important and so personal that, rather than risk it's message being lost or softened by the translation of a third party, she translated the book from Italian to English herself - thus retaining the unique cadences of her Tuscan upbringing. This does make the book more uniquely personal. As one who is familiar with the delicious quirks, nuances and cadences of the Tuscan female attempting to speak English, I could quite clearly "hear" her voice whilst reading it.
   
   I urge you to read it. It is very short - I myself read it in one two hour sitting - and beautifully written.
   
   You may not agree with all of Fallaci's opinions, her politics, her choice of words or her polemic, but this is a book that needs to be read due to the questions that it provokes and because it was written by an extremely brave woman who was both sufficiently experienced and uniquely placed to raise them.



5. Fallaci here is not telling the world anything that it does not know...she is just reminding them. All the many abuses waged against the Western world by Islamic culture are collected and retold in this small volume, since we in the ever-tolerant West are always apt to forget them. She reminds us that it is not a question of how to coexist, but a stark reminder that coexistence is impossible. Their very religion/culture teaches that to coexist with the "infidel" is a sin.
   
   Fallaci's "sermon" is heartening because it can, and does in several spots, give the America reader something that he desperately needs--a morale boost from a foreign source. We get so used to hearing the world cat call us and to watching them burn our flags, that sometimes we forget why we bother to help anyone. Fallaci reminds us that there are some out there (even in Europe) who not only respect America but love it "like a husband", as Fallaci writes.

5 comments about Broken: A Love Story.

1. Let me begin by saying a MUST READ. Approximately one year ago I attended a book signing where Lisa Jones spoke, not just about her book, but herself and the man she wrote about. It was a pleasant and interesting talk, but being who I am I thought: here is another non-Indian, (I am too), who was allowed to touch the Indian world for years, (I did also in the late 70's), who first became enamoured with the essence of the Indian culture, (as did I) and who felt the centuries of guilt that all non-Indians should feel for what the American government has done to this beautiful culture (as did I). As for the Shamanistic/healing qualities of Stanford Addison, well, I live in Boulder where every third person either believes they possess similar qualities, or aspires in that direction. I have been a psychotherapist for 40 years. On January 1st 2010 I was invited to go to Stan's for a sweat to support a friend who was working diligently to heal some old wounds. I went. I went back a second time for the same reason, and in between I read Lisa's book, as well as spent a little more time with her, and Stan. I get it, stop making the quick judgements Bruce, this man is for real, so is Lisa, and her book is a very compelling read. Does it tell a story about a special human being who has the presence to alter your life, should you so desire, for the better, by the quality of his contact with you, and the spirits he contacts for you? Absolutely, without a doubt. I have received this kiss just because I was along for the ride as a support for my friend. But this book does so much more than tell that story. The autobiographical vehicle Lisa uses to inform us about Stan, shows what can happen when a person "lives" their desired change. Very powerful to read and see this development. There are many levels to this book, and I believe it is because the man who inspired it, and the woman who wrote about it, both have an openness, and commitment, to softly, yet profoundly, speak to those who desire to listen. Read this book, you will be more than happy you did, in fact, you will thirst for more.
   
   Bruce Gottlieb
   Psychotherapist



2. I read a lot of books - this book resonates like very few I have read in quite awhile Broken: A Love Story. While the cover is confusing, implying all kinds of things that this book is not about, the rest of the pages pull and tug and remind us of our own struggles. Broken presents a tantalizingly honest journey of a modern sophisticated woman moving between her broken white world and Stan Addison's broken native Arapaho world; all the while inter-twinning the brokenness (physical, spiritual, emotional, social, historical, etc.) of her characters - which are all the more powerful, because they are real. Ms. Jones speaks deeply to all of us; somehow, somewhere in our lives we have been broken and may still be. Her adventure helps the reader more deeply experience his own cracks in his life: past and present.
   
   This is a powerful book, - it's not perfect, but neither is the author nor the world that she and the rest of us have created for ourselves. This is the kind of book Opra should be prescribing - it helps make the world a better place, broken as it is.



3. The beauty of Lisa Jones' "Broken: A Love Story" arises from the unlikely pairing of student and teacher: one Scottish-American journalist investigating the wisdom path of one Arapaho horse gentler, a horse gentler who happens to be quadriplegic. Stanford Addison is a shaman; his style of breaking horses and healing humans is "noninsistent to the core." Alert to more than a good story, Jones lets herself be changed by Stanford's unimaginable life.
   
   "I had been homesick, not to mention heartsick and Godsick, for thirty years... I wanted to know people who had a sense of home, and if they didn't have it, at least knew it was missing." Jones visits the Addison clan for years, attending sweat lodges, assisting Stan, moving through tragedy and good times in the company of friends.
   
   Taking the journey her book provides into the "postapocalyptic" world of reservation life in central Wyoming, a life mainstream Americans assiduously ignore, it's clear the actual separation between us is as thin as willingness, as courage. Jones passes back and forth across that reservation boundary line for four years, investigating and absorbing Stanford's life, until for her the line vanishes.
   
   "Broken: A Love Story," is a memoir rich with unexpected homecoming. And with love that is not personal. "Negative capability"--the poet Keats' phrase for juggling and accepting discordant realities--moves the hearts of both Stanford Addison and Lisa Jones. They are both, in Keats' words, "capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact & reason." They are in love with the mystery. Keats held this the highest aspect of character. In "Broken," unimpeded by resistance, the negative becomes the positive. And back again.



4. Lisa Jones has seemingly been on a lifelong search for the meaning of life, and her place in it. She has been courted, and has subsequently rejected, several suitors; had a difficult life with her much-older and emotionally distant father; and at the time of this book, was in a quandary about what to do about her relationship with her current beau, an aspiring Buddhist monk. Her high-strung,fractionary nature comes through in her writing; I can almost hear her with a high-pitched, strident voice, and see her moving way too fast through life. In her profession as a journalist, perhaps this is an asset. In such a life, you have to be ready to move at a moment's notice. Ms Jones, however, buzzes around at a dizzying rate.
   
   An assignment sends her to cover a quadraplegic Arapaho Indian horsebreaker on the Wind River reservation in Wyoming, and with confusing suddenness, her focus homes in on her subject. We never really hear about the article she writes for, I believe, the Smithsonian; instead, with seemingly overnight speed, she becomes a disciple of the man who breaks horses - or, more accurately, who directs others to break them. Stanford Addison had been a wild one in his youth, brought to grief by a late-night car wreck, and now he devotes himself to healing the woes of others, with horsebreaking as a central theme. He is beset with medical crises, mostly brought on by his paralysis; contact sores, bone lesions, bouts with diabetes - but through it all he treats those around him with gentleness and acceptance, and alludes to the paths they might take to better emerge from their troubles.
   
   There is a lot of Stan's spiritual leading in the book, but much more of Ms Jones's self-absorbed striving to find her personal answers. She believes herself to be an apostle, almost, of Stan; virtually abandons her home in Colorado to live in the cacophony that is the Addison household (any number of family members, and friends, reside there, finding sleeping space wherever they can), making her place there by doing household chores and looking after Stan. She seems to be a personal assistant at all hours of the day, devoting every minute to his welfare, wrapping herself up in the entire extended Addison family. And there is no luxury here; this is reservation life, pure and simple. A lot of the life within the household revolves around the sweat lodges Stan presides over, and while the personnel involved was not made fully clear, it appears that people from all walks of life attend these sweats, at which Stan draws out the demons that haunt them.
   
   I guess what really bothered me about this book is Ms Jones's doe-eyed, complete surrender to the mystique of Stanford Addison, which may or may not be how the other satellites rotating around him see him also, but with Ms Jones it seems a little ADD - as if she is very centered on one thing, but when some new spark of interest hits her, she drops what was formerly important and attachs to the new interest. She makes allusions to Stanford being Christlike, and while I hold that everyone should find their inner path however they can, this was too simplistic to me; too easy a way to explain her total immersion in the Arapaho world. And, from reading some passages, it doesn't appear that she really gets a grasp on the Indian life, anyway; during a peyote ritual, she and a friend - the only non-Indians there - treat the solemnity of what is essentially a religious rite with great disrespect; not intentionally, but after all the time she has spent with the Addisons, I would have expected her to treat the event with the seriousness it deserved.
   
   Her travels through her spiritual awakening are, at least, readable, and the book was, overall, not boring, but I didn't feel an epiphany of understanding from the tale. I saw her as a sort of permanent guest in the household, becoming very attached to the family without totally 'getting' the dynamic of what it means to be a Native American today. And I expected a lot more about breaking horses, which is how we are introduced to the story, but which somehow gets shuffled to the side.
   
   Not a bad book, but not highly revelationary or with any great insights. This was basically a book about Ms Jones. Stanford Addison might have helped her along to her finally finding peace, but I'm not sure she couldn't have done that on her own.



5. Broken is one woman's odyssey into the American West. Beautifully written, this is the story of the author's venture into an Arapaho reservation, where she learns not only about Stanford Addison and his healing and work with wild horses, but about herself in the process. Not a book for everyone; if you like reading about learning new ways, journeys and a thoughtful tale, you will enjoy this book.

5 comments about Where Hope Begins: One Family's Journey Out of Tragedy-and the Reporter Who Helped Them Make It.

1. I saw this author and family interviewed on "Oprah" and was simply dumfounded by their story. The author is a strong, compassionate, remarkable, modern day heroine. This family is an absolutely inspiring testament to how vulnerable, soul-crushed humans can -- and do -- survive the unsurvivable, starting from below ground level, and going on to learn how to live productive, worthwhile lives. Due to my professional background, I also especially appreciated the insights as to how this kind of tragedy can come to happen, and how ordinary people fall victim to it. I strongly recommend this book!



2. Good book. What this family went through no family should ever have too. I had a hard time putting it down at times and made me wonder how good our Social Services programs really are.



3. I originally saw this family on the Dr. Phil show and was so inspired by them and their story that I purchased this book. This family is truly amazing and hearing what they have been able to overcome is truly awe inspiring.



4. There are no words for this story. Tragic in every way. I had heard about this case and then forgot about it. Thank God for Dr. Phil bringing it out. These family members are very special. May God continue to bless them.



5. I ordered the book after hearing Dr. Phil talk about it last week and I haven't put it down since I got it. I had never even heard of the Wesson story before watching the show and now I can't get enough of it. What this family has survived, and what this reporter has done for them, is simply amazing. Just when I couldn't take hearing any more gruesome details of abuse, the author switches to an uplifting, positive chapter and before I knew it, I had read the whole thing. The only problem I have, is I want to know more! Are the repoter and the family still living together? Kudos to everyone involved and may God Bless all of them. I will be buying this book for my friends and family this holiday, as it is truly inspiring. Wow!

5 comments about Dijiste Que Me Querias: Como Sobrellevar lo Impensable (Spanish Edition).

1. es un ***EXELENTE LIBRO*** y no me aguanto para que salga su proximo Maria A. es mi heroina de la vida moderna, la gente que se encarga de criticar a esta MUJER es por que de otra forma no lograrian llegar a ella. la admiro y respeto mucho su trabajo sus libros(que los he leido todos) me han arrancado llantos, risas, pero sobretodo he aprendido mucho de cada uno de ellos sobretodo de este viacrucis que llevo cuesta arriva no se si hubiera tenido el coraje que tubo, lo recomiendo este y todos los demas mi hijastra que se ha convertido en tu fiel admiradora a sus 15 anitos y yo estamos ansiosas por que salga ya su proximo libro Sara Balibrera San francisco CA



2. La verdad yo no le diera ni una estrella a este libro pero si no le pongo la estrella no puedo publicar mi comentario. Me parece un libro en el que ella fue muy cruel con el esposo que estaba muriendo de cancer. En todo el libro ella se puso como una gran persona, un heroina. Me parece tan cruel que ella le reclamara acerca de el pasado cuando el estaba muriendo en el presente. Si ella lo hubiera dejado alguien lo hubiera cuidado igual porque ios pone angeles el el camino de uno.Si ella fuera realmente la gran persona que quiere parecer ser lo hubiera cuidado y ya.Que bueno que no compre el libro porque si no pediria mi dinero de regreso.



3. Uno de los mejores libros escritos por Maria Antonieta Collins. Es un excelente libro que ademas de contarnos la historia que vivio' la escritora, nos brinda informacion y consejos sumamente importantes para lidiar en situaciones dificiles.
   El libro trata de como Maria Antonieta descubrio la infidelidad y enganos de su esposo. En el libro, hay senales de alerta para darnos cuenta de cuando estamos siendo enganadas. Les recomiendo 100% este libro al igual que "Cuando el Mounstruo despierta" de la misma escritora.



4. I really enjoyed this book. I could not put it down! It teaches you about love, and loyalty through the worst of times. I cried three times while reading it. I also liked that it came quickly and that the price was very good. I am saving it for my mom to read when she comes to visit for the holidays. I know she will love this real life story. One of the best stories I have read! I highly recommended this book to all my friends.



5. Este es un gran libro basado en la realidad de los hechos, y que nos hace reflexionar profundamente sobre nuestras relaciones de pareja.
   Se lo recomiendo a todos.

5 comments about Honeymoon in Tehran: Two Years of Love and Danger in Iran.

1. 
   This book tells the story of Ahmadinejad's first election and how the first years of his administration affected the daily lives of people and, specifically, this reporter.
   
   Azadeh Moaveni takes you through the naiveté of reform minded voters who justified their sitting out the 2005 election since no one represented positive change. Little did they know that at the last minute a hard liner could be entered in stealth and would change the country and take away what little freedoms they had.
   
   She shows how the situation deteriorated. To this point, small freedoms had crept into the Islamic Republic. When Ahmadinejad opened soccer games to women it was hoped the trend would continue, but this was followed a widespread crackdown on woman's attire. Satellite dishes are first removed by somewhat polite police, later, they are just smashed on roofs with little warning. Moaveni's professional situation deteriorates as well. The intimidating government minder becomes downright lethal.
   
   Amid all this, Moaveni falls in love and becomes pregnant. She can't get health information since sites found in Googling "Women" (as well other body parts) are blocked. Every aspect of childbirth is fraught with stress down to selection of the child's name. The marriage ceremony and celebration have concerns. In Iran, wedding planners have added responsibilities. They may have to pay the police to so your friends and relatives can be together (men and women) to celebrate. Add music or wine to your party, and you have more complications.
   
   I didn't read Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran due to the all to cute title and almost passed this one up as well. This is not Chick Lit. It is a very serious work and I highly recommend it.



2. I was intrigued to be introduced to a place that, realistically, most US media presents in a fearful viewpoint. The author does illustrate with many examples that, as with all cultures, people are very much alike, trying to get ahead in the world making a better life for themselves and their families. But it almost comes across as viewing this behavior as selfish, that Iranians are indifferent to eroding freedoms, yet the author leaves the country for that very reason.
   
   Most of the book is quite easy to read and entertaining, but the viewpoint is exclusively from the privileged upper middle class, almost to the point of bragging when digressing into the details of her wedding. And while the author is a writer for Time, she brushes aside in a couple sentences that speaking to a few people in Tehran purports to represent the views of the entire nation- at least the title of the book does not deceive this fact. At times, the reading gets laborious such as when pages are devoted to the nuances of finding an obstetrician, and yet the process was little different than would be encountered in other developed countries. It was hard to understand the point, and I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time.
   
   In addition, much of the text deals with the author's ambivalence to Islam, again little of which has to do with Iran and simply her own spiritual journey. Interesting perhaps to some, and though she tries to link it with the religious aspects of an Islamic nation as a whole, the connection is weak.
   
   The book as a whole does succeed in opening the door on a nation that most of us scarcely know, but unfortunately the reader must wade through too much mostly unrelated writing to reach it.



3. You have to respect someone who risks her life to report accurately and honestly in Iran. There were very real dangers that Moaveni consistently faced. So dangerous in fact, that when she heard of a friend's arrest, she was too scared to speak out on her behalf.
   Yet, the entire book was essentially a dialectical debate about whether to stay in or leave Iran. The arguments for and against were repeated with minor variations for hundreds of pages. By now we all know how oppressive life is for women in Iran. That's a given.
   I was very frustrated by the constant reminder that most of Iran is made up of more secular people, or even religious Muslims who felt hostility towards the very small percentage of militant Muslims in the country. What is a small percentage? Is it 1%? Wouldn't knowing that there are 500,000 militant Muslims in a country frighten anyone? And how much of a smaller percentage than 1% can we get? In other words, her description of reality didn't give you enough useful information, despite numerous repetitions of facts. Wouldn't it be more useful, for instance, to state that there are an estimated 2,000 militant Muslims in Iran than saying that the militant Muslims made up a very small percentage of Iranians?
   I found Moaveni's pro-Palestinian stance upsetting and unbalanced. And I would have like to have learned that after leaving Iran, she did what she could have to help her friend who was unjustly imprisoned. This was never addressed after she spoke about how guilty not doing anything made her feel.



4. Born to Iranian emigrants in the United States, journalist Azedah Moaveni starts living the life on which she merely used to report as she marries and attempts to put down roots in the country of her bloodline, which is her TIME magazine beat. Ms. Moaveni tells her story, which spans two years that include the birth of her son, in HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN.
   
   Azedah Moaveni's decision to make Iran home coincides with the election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. If one can experience culture shock in a country she knows well, that's what happens to HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN's author as rules restricting personal freedom take effect with Iranian authorities removing satellite television dishes, imposing Islamic dress code, and limiting names families can choose for newborns.
   
   HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN reminds us of how westernized many Iranians are despite their country's preponderance of religious conservatives. Vanity results in nose jobs being one of Iran's most popular surgeries. Pregnant women find their doctors pushing unnecessary c-sections because of their higher profit margin. Weddings cause families to spend beyond their means so they can keep up with the Joneses.
   
   An Iranian government official whom Azedah Moaveni identifies only as "Mr. X" stands between the journalist and her press credentials. Recurring meetings with him she details in HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN prove her sword of Damocles. By the end of her second year residing in Iran, Ms. Moaveni faces greater threats from the Iranian government because of her reporting. She must choose between standing her ground or fleeing for the sake of her husband and their toddler son.
   
   Azedah Moaveni's engaging prose keeps the HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN pages turning. Read HONEYMOON IN TEHRAN.



5. although the author finds the governmental intrusion an irritant, more often she sounds like she is making excuses and justifications not so much for the government but for the people's support for it and for their attitudes. she describes facts reflecting small mindedness, bigotry, sexism, zealotry and fanaticism but tries to jusify them as though she hopes the reader will somehow understand. there is no excusing or understanding a community which perverts religion to subjugate women and suppresses free thinking and expression. casting the entire society as innocent bystanders who are at the mercy of the government is a mischaracterization. likewise, struggling to differentiate between "arabs" and persians sounds as though one is superior to the other or that the distinction is material. the country, which is made up of its population, uses religion as a weapon. complaining that religion is causing iranian rights to be infringed upon without mentioning that the same religion is also the basis and foundation for rampant international terrorism is self serving. the author herself claims liberality and open mindedness but takes swipes at israel, judges "arabs" and struggles to create some non-existent difference between muslims based upon their country of origin. overall, uninformative and unsatisfying.