3 comments about Remember to Laugh: Writing My Way Around the World.

1. Reviewed by Mary Greenwood for Reader Views (11/06)
   
   The book "Remember to Laugh" is the true story of Maggie Kilgore's life as a reporter in Washington and a foreign correspondent in Vietnam. Coming from a newspaper family in Ohio, Kilgore started her career with the UPI (United Press International) and came on the Washington scene during the turbulent 1960's. After her stint as a foreign correspondent in Vietnam in the early 1970's, she worked as a financial consultant for the LA Times and later for the casino industry in Las Vegas. She started writing this memoir after a 30-year Vietnam reunion. Through her writing, Maggie Kilgore comes across as an energetic, adventurous, funny, independent and spunky reporter, who reminds me of Lois Lane.
   
   "Remember to Laugh" is full of funny anecdotes from a life lived in the early days of journalism where it was a man's world and women reporters were generally expected to write about domestic issues such as cookbooks or the society page. The "foreward" is written by Helen Thomas, who worked fifty years for UPI and was the first woman to run its White House Bureau. Thomas can still be seen at White House briefings where she continues to be a role model for women reporters. In Ms. Kilgore's own introduction, she says that her book's goal is to amuse and she accomplishes that goal. One of the funniest stories took place on a troop plane in Vietnam when the Captain asked her to sit with him in the cockpit. She refused but soon she found out that the reason for this invitation was that the men used the open back of the plane as a latrine and her presence hindered that practice. When she realized this, she went to sit with the captain.
   
   The most interesting part of the book for this reader was her two-year stint in Vietnam as a foreign correspondent. Her memories, and insider knowledge about the politicians and personalities, are the backdrop for the major stories of the Vietnam War. However, I would like to know more about the serious side of her beat and her personal opinions. I hope one day she will consider another book with a more serious focus.
   
   With the advent of the internet, computers and imbedded journalists, it is interesting to get the inside perspective from someone who has succeeded as a journalist during the major stories of the 1960's and 1970's through good old-fashioned reporting. I would recommend "Remember to Laugh" to anyone who wants to know more about women in journalism, or about Vietnam or about the history of the US in the 60's and 70's or anyone who anyone who just wants to laugh.



2. I found this story to be very interesting and very entertaining. The author has had quite an exiting life as a journalist in the US and overseas. She has met and interviewed many prominent political figures. She's also a funny, compelling writer. I definitely recommend this book.



3. Maggie Kilgore has led an amazing life that she shares with the reader. Written in a "chatty" and easy to read style, she will make you laugh and learn at the same time. Her escapades through historical events with her beloved colleagues in journalism are more than entertaining -- you feel like you are there. Don't miss this "must read" from one of the fun, female personalities in journalism of a bygone era.

5 comments about Brinkley's Beat: People, Places, and Events That Shaped My Time.

1. I liked this book. Its bite-sized chapters present lesser-known views of historic people, places, and events in a folksy, relaxed sort of way. I learned a little more about some famous folks like Lyndon Baines Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Joe McCarthy, and I was introduced to some unknowns such as Theodore Bilbo (a U.S. Senator who "led a charmed political life, surviving scandal, imprisonment, defeat, and outrage, and climbing higher and higher all the time"), and Martin Dies (a U.S. Congressman who used the then newly-created House UnAmerican Activities Committee to search out and destroy Communists rather than Nazis as it had been created to do).
   
   Brinkley's final chapter made of weak defense of the liberal, mainstream, news media's claim to be impartial. He wrote "the recurring cry that ... news media excessively influence public opinion in one political direction or another seems to me to be an empty claim. It must be if, after a half century of news reporting that has been regularly charged with being excessively liberal, we have recently elected some of our most conservative presidents." He doesn't address the possibility that the election of the greater of the two evils (Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter) twice in his adult lifetime might reveal excessive liberal news media influence, whereas the election of the lesser of two evils (Reagan, Bush 41, Bush 43, Nixon, Eisenhower) indicates the liberal media's lack of success during those elections rather than a lack of excessive liberal influence.
   
   Despite his blindness toward the msm's liberal bias, this book is a good read. I recommend it.



2. One is almost tempted to use an old Walter Cronkite line in reviewing this work..."And That's The Way It Was..."
   
   Because that what David Brinkley does in this, his last work, take us back to his time, our time, and tell us about the people, places and events that became what we now call "our time."
   
   Extremely will written. One almost feels as if he's sitting in the den with Brinkley listening to him as he tells the story.
   
   And, if you have read this far, isn't it interesting that everyone who has reviewed this book as given it a four-star rating. Don't know that I've seen that before. It is a good book and deserving of at leat that rating, perhaps higher.



3. This book contains a hundred wonderful anecdotes from the life of a man in the middle of things for four decades. They don't make journalists like David Brinkley any longer.



4. David Brinkley's final work is a brief but often amusing accounts of "persons, places, and events" covered in his long career--a literary post-dinner liquour to be sipped and savored for the moment and the memories. Brinkley is at his best when he recalls his meetings with Washington types, from reporters to presidents, in brief summations. It was fun to once again, for those of us long in tooth, recall the antics of Martin Dies, the racist Theodore Bilbo, the amusing bloviator from the Illinois prairies, Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen, the solemn hat-wearing reporter, Mae Craig, and other worthies that Brinkley chooses to comment on. Brinkley also shares his views on presidents he knew and interviewed. There is nothing particularly notable here, but little asides as, for example, his apology to President Clinton after Brinkley's late night put-down of Clinton's long-windedness during the 1996 convention are of interest.
   
   Some of the tales that Brinkley tells are little known, or forgotten, as for example his treks into the hinterland of America, early TV travel documentaries, that he helped pioneer. All of these mini-essays and remembrancs make for a nice bedside book, to be picked up and savored before the sandman arrives. As usual, the writing is clear and unpretensious and his acerbic and sometimes jaundiced view of Life in Washington greatly appreciated, particularly by those who have lived here during many of the events written about.



5. This book is not a memoir in the traditional sense, or even directly about Brinkley. Instead, Brinkley has composed a collection of essays recounting, as mentioned in the subtitle, the people, places and events that have captured his interest during his career as a television journalist. These compositions provide glimpses into the past sixty years, and are both observant and humorous. Brinkley helps shed some light on the second half of the twentieth century, and in doing so, also provides us a glimpse into his own personality. Through his insights and reactions, we can just begin to get a glimmer of the man behind the familiar face.

1 comments about Point of Departure (Classics of Reportage S.).

1. I can't forget 1967; it was one of the great years. I'm rereading a powerful and valuable book written in 1967, so I did a dogpile search for "James Cameron + Point of Departure" and got a website with a Studs Terkel interview in which he said this:
   
   "Have I mentioned the name of James Cameron? Some people ask me who is the writer I most admire. I can tell you the journalist I most admire. He was an Englishman named James Cameron. Not the James Cameron who directed "Titanic" - a wholly different animal."
   
   Wow, the great Studs Terkel likes the author I'm reading and enjoying! Terkel goes on to say:
   
   "I suggest you find a book called Point Of Departure by James Cameron. It's available somewhere in paperback. It's one of the best pieces of writing that you've ever read anywhere. It's sort of memoiristic, through essays from different places he's been in the world. I met him when he first returned from North Vietnam. He was the first Western journalist to visit and speak with Ho Chi Minh during the bombings there - the very first. Of course Ho Chi Minh knew him, they all knew Cameron. His stories are wonderful. They're funny and they're brilliant, and incisive."
   
   Yep, the very book I'm reading. And if you have even the slightest interest in adventure or the life of a foreign correspondent, if you are fascinated by war, if you hate war, or if you believe that everyone is entitled to the pursuit of happiness, I would tell you to read this book that I was lucky to find in the Soi 6 Library in Pattaya, Thailand.

5 comments about Nothing to Fall Back On: The Life and Times of a Perpetual Optimist.

1. At first , I almost put this book down , because the first chapter did not grab me. Im glad i read this though because it is an excellent account of makiing it in the business while failing in the buisiness at the same time, confronting internal politics, office nemises, and personal crises. A good book and especially relevant to anyine who works int eh publishing industry.



2. Betsy Carter's autobiography is truly interesting and a joy to read. You'll laugh and sometimes you'll cry, but you will never be bored. If you want to know what it's like to live and work the high-paced New York life in a unique and personal way, this book will give you the feeling.
   
   Betsy shows us what it was like to grow up in the 50s and 60s, from New York to Miami and then on to being "a journalist in New York." She blithely details the trials and tribulations she's been through without wallowing in them, showing her true optimism and connectedness to life.
   
   I fell in love with Betsy's sister, Miriam, and Betsy's amazing mother. Don't miss Betsy's mother's comment upon learning Betsy had been secretly going to Bible school. Even with tough times, Betsy Carter is a truly blessed person.
   
   The book is extremely well written and edited, in fact, this may be the best edited book of its type I've ever read. She manages to convey whole chapters of converesation with just a line or two of dialog.
   
   I will immediately, if not sooner, pick up the two fiction books Betsy has written since this autobiography. She's just that good a writer
   
   Rading this book made me feel like I was reading something written by a good friend. Highly recommended, especially to women.



3. I didn't realize that this was an autobiography. It reads like fiction. I know very little about the magazine world, but I have a distinct feeling that Carter really showed us an inside peek into it. I had a little trouble keeping up with all the friends, colleagues, loves, etc., so I just concentrated & listened beyond that. I really enjoyed reading Carter's upbeat attitude on life. Yes, she's definitely an optimist and no, that doesn't automatically classify you as silly or stupid. All the curves that life has thrown this woman, it'd be easy to let them all blanket her in despair. Yet, Carter only gained strength & wisdom at each point.
   A few people have mentioned they had a hard time following b/c of the way she moves from past to present so frequently. If you can relax & really immerse yourself in the book, you won't even notice that. Obviously, she did that for affect & wanted readers to get the "full circle" feel of her story.
   I liked the book very much. A real slice of life. I love the way she has handled everything. I wish Ms. Carter much happiness & hope readers pick this book up & are inspired by her as I've been.



4. I haven't finished this book yet, but I am very hesitant in doing so. I'm about a quarter of the way into it and am totally bored. I saw the ad in a magazine and it sounded interesting. The details she gives in some parts are just not needed as someone else stated. I hope it gets more interesting. She definitely makes me want to write a book about my life because it is way more interesting than hers. I figure if she can publish an autobiography than I definitely could get a deal in a second. Sorry I just find this book not worth reading anymore.



5. While her resume sparkles, Betsy Carter does not live up to the promise of her editorial credits. The facts of her story are certainly interesting, but Carter's observations of her own fate are removed and somewhat clinical, rather than compelling and empathetic. Her story weaves back and forth between her childhood, young adulthood and careerhood in a poorly structured manner that is confusing to the reader and does the story no favors. My hopes were so high for this book and I was sorely disappointed. Readers are tired of the "woman overcoming adversity story." This one could have stood out with more emotion and less antisepticism.

No comments about The Celibates.

No comments about Susie Bright's Sexwise.

5 comments about Faded Pictures from My Backyard: A Memoir.

1. From December 1947 until June 1951 while I was a student at SUNY - Albany, I worked and lived at the Albany Home for Children as one of several Assistant Activities Directors. A week ago while googling "Albany Home", I came across this book and started reading it to learn more about what has happened at the home since I left. It didn't take long for me to become absorbed in the major thrust of the book as described by previous reviewers - especially Virginia Mathers. "The heartfelt story she tells of her love for her mother is so poignant that at some points it is almost painful to read - her emotions are so raw and real. The other part of the story is Ms. Carswell's amazing candor as she describes her own problems and obsessions which haunted her throughout a majority of her life. The fact that she has perservered and become a major literary success is a tribute to her strength of character."
   
   I actually couldn't put the book down.
   
   Although it was a minor part of the book, Ms. Carswell's descriptions of life at the home, both from her own experiences and Bob Wygant's, was right on. In fact, I learned more about the purpose and mission of the home by reading the book than I did while I was there.
   
   I'm glad that she got to meet my boss, friend, protector, and straight shooter - Coach Huddleston.
   
   Read this book!



2. Sue's father is the Director of a home for disturbed children. It's interesting the expertise and wisdom that he can give to other troubled children, but when it comes to his own daughter, he's in denial. Very candid and extremely well written.



3. Sue Carswell's astonishing, spectacular book is, without a doubt, the most courageous book I have ever read. Carswell opens her heart, her psyche, and her soul to the reader and the world, and does so with monumental skill, humor, and candor. When you finish this book, you feel you know the author better than anyone, other than yourself, because she has revealed herself so generously. What a comfort her struggle with her demons will be to so many people.
   
   I laughed out loud at points and cried (something I haven't done in years while reading a book). Her voice evolves over the course of the narrative and will be in my head for a very long time, maybe forever. So sweet, so sad, so resilient. Ms. Carswell invites readers in to her wirting process in the beginning of this book, and at the end, she brings you back to her flickering computer screen. Even though much of the book is painful to experience, I didn't want it to end and so I read the Acknowledgments as if they were a part of the story and, in a way, they are.
   
   I tried to find one thing I didn't like about this book, but the only thing I was unsure about (the lack of quote marks), I ended up loving. Their absence is liberating.
   
   I recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Put it on the top of your list for 2006.



4. The tender love emanating from the pages of this book touch the depths of one's soul. Whether she knows it or not, Ms. Carswell has attained spiritual greatness, although the book does not seem to be written to that end. The love she has for her mother and the empathy she holds for the orphans are the true essence of its beauty.
   
   Reminiscent of the style in which Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, the author so poignantly captures the voice of a child trying to make sense of the sadness which is her backyard; while at the same time she interjects bouts of comic relief that can only come from pure childhood innocence. As she ages in the book her voice does also. It is brilliantly done.
   
   I highly recommend this book. You will cry. You will laugh out loud. And, because Ms. Carswell reveals her heart so openly, you will love.



5. Carswell's book is a tremendous, insightful read. There are so many beautiful images and her writing just flows off the pages. The story is captivating and the characters -- her family members -- are honestly drawn and with great humor.
   
   I literally could not put this book down. Not only is the writing fantastic, her changing voice as she matures and ages is something I don't think I've ever experienced as a reader before. The stories themselves are all intertwined and her observations of her mother and her own self-reflection are devastating, moving, hilarious, wrenching, and lovely. It's a wonderfully fascinating story and for anyone who grew up in a large family in the 60s, it is especially fun.

No comments about Full Circle: A Memoir.

2 comments about Papa's Girl.

1. "In Papa's Girl, Eva Hodges Watt has gathered all the multi-hued strands of Helen Bonfils' life to tell the story of this remarkable woman who made Colorado a better, more delightful, and certainly more interesting place. This, Helen Bonfils managed to do despite a life often bedeviled by strife and occasionally, caucous scandal."
   - Tom Noel, University of Colorado at Denver



2. PAPA'S GIRL:THE FASCINATING WORLD OF HELEN BONFILS is an insightful portrait of the controversial and philanthropic woman who inherited The Denver Post from her infamous father, F.G. Bonfils. More than a bit gossipy, the book features interviews with Miss Helen's household entourage, Denver Post associates, fellow actors and producers, dear friends, priests, and attorney Donald Seawell, among many others, and tells (almost) all about her two marriages, the first to George Somnes, a gay theater director and producer, and the second an outrageous union with her one-time chauffeur, Mike Davis, half her age, who with Helen's backing became a flamboyant wildcatter who made a fortune as head of Tiger Oil and carried on a very public affair with the singer Phyllis McGuire. Readers will learn the inside story of the distant relationship between Helen and her older sister May Bonfils Stanton, the inner workings of The Denver Post, the lavish lifestyle of the Bonfils family, and tidbits about Denver society and their attitudes toward F.G. and the rest of the clan. Old-timer Denverites will lap this up; others, too, will enjoy learning about this unusual woman.

4 comments about Joyride: A Son's Unlikely Journey to His Mother's Heart.

1. It was great to find that Craig had written the book that only he could. I was lucky to be the "Bill" mentioned in the part of the book describing the Paddle across the Delaware Bay. [...]
   Craig's book is very inspirational and highly recommended.



2. I'm floored by this beautiful story of a son who learns lessons from his mother by reading her newspaper columns. Undoubtly, author Forrest knows exactly when and how to paint a narritive of tradjedy and love at the same time.
   
   I'm continually haunted by this book, because I've never quite understood my relationship with my mother and only after I read Joyride was I able to understand that life can be happy and sad and still hold the greatest meaning of all which is love.
   
   Forrest is a wonderful writer and his relationship with his mother is nothing less than amazing. I will reccomend this book to everyone ecspecially someone that is having trouble with the death of a loved one. This book will certainly make you laugh out loud and cry, but it's forever a ride of a life time.!



3. I could not put "Joyride: A Son's Unlikely Journey to His Mother's Heart" down until I read it all.
   A story of a young man finding his mother again, thru her wonderfully funny and insightful stories she wrote each week about her family and friends in a column she called Joyride. She wrote hundreds of columns in her lifetime.
   The story of the journey takes you in; you experience all the emotional ups and downs. You are there with the family.
   There a very few writers that can transport you into their reality, and Craig Forrest does it very well.
   The book is a tale of truth, tragedy and hope, the inspirational journey of a young man.
   I highly recommend it!
   Ann Kane



4. Wow, great book. I just decided to give it a try and...it really moved me. Heartwarming, adventure, good life lessons and really funny. Unbeleivable story! I'm amazed, a real winner. Forrest's book keeps you reading. I don't want to let you know anything but there's a real twist at the end. Good job.