No comments about Home Truths: Life Around My Father.

2 comments about Beyond the Night: A Remembrance.

1. This is a rich and textured memior of youth in the South. Wayne Greenhaw is one of the great voices of Southern writers. This is his most personal and engaging work. If you love Harper Lee, Pat Conroy, and Truman Capote, you will love this book.



2. Readers fond of memoirs will not want to miss this one. It is highly imaginative, moving, beautifully written and immensely satisfying. Wayne Greenhaw has written many books, a wide variety, but he has never written one quite like this one, and I guarantee you'll love it. It would be perfect as a gift for someone you love.

5 comments about In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: A Memoir of Iran.

1. This memoir reads like a compilation of thorough newspaper articles or short stories, I never quite knew where the book was going next. It contains snapshots of Iranian life, histories of people involved in the Revolution and people who oppose its growing hypocrisy, and the reflections of a foreigner trying to understand and be understood. I found it very enjoyable to read, an absorbing glimpse into the lives of people who are motivated in ways foreign to my experience and a testament to the difficulty of turning a revolution into a stable government worthy of its citizenry.



2. The book opens and closes with descriptions of scenes from an Iranian festival celebrating the martyrdom of the Imam Hossein, hero of Iran's Shia Islam. Sandwiched in between are snippets of the country's history, snatches of the personal experiences of the author's life as a Westerner in Iran and descriptions of the lives of ordinary Iranians and their experiences of the Revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and life in post-revolution Iran. The theme of martyrdom seeps through all of these encounters and experiences, and we are presented with an assortment of attitudes to the sometimes senseless, sometime noble aspects of martyrdom in Iranian history. The book has moments of thought-provoking brilliance as the author presents us with some of the dilemmas and paradoxes faced by ordinary Iranians. It also has moments where things become disjointed and it is easy to lose the thread. In the end, the idea of martyrdom is not enough to hold together a loosely structured narrative that jumps back and forth in history and alternates historical explanations with the anecdotal stories of a large number of diverse characters.
   
   De Bellaigue never claims to have no personal opinions on the issues he is writing about and in fact he presents his own biases plainly on occasion. This does not prevent him from offering up alternative points of view, however, and these are the moments that become thought-provoking. It is a struggle to give this book a star rating. At some points it deserves 5 and at others 2. The author's masterful command of language rates a 5 throughout. All in all though, I would say it is a worthwhile read.



3. This is a well-written and engaging book. It provides a close look at Iranian society and culture. When it comes to politics it is not as relevant and clear as it could have been.



4. Thumbing through Christopher de Bellaigue's "In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs," I smelled a rat.
   
   Riddle me this: How is it that an Englishman who wrote what is being billed as a "searingly honest portrait" of life in modern-day Iran is not in, uh, jail?
   
   How is it that he is permitted, to this day, to reside in unmolested luxury and comfort in a tony suburb north of Tehran? Wouldn't anybody "honest" be either imprisoned or shoved on a plane?
   
   Answer: because his memoir is not "searingly honest." Or any kind of honest, for that matter.
   
   That's right. de Bellaigue, who about a decade ago converted to Islam and married an Iranian, has managed to write a book about Iran that, while lovingly describing colorful characters, quaint locales, and heart-wrenching situations, never actually takes the trouble to specify where all the grief in this society is coming from! While he is competent at turning a phrase, his book ends up just flitting from anecdote to anecdote; he never manages (or bothers) to stitch his material into a more coherent (and therefore more condemnatory) narrative.
   
   What's worse, de Bellaigue is, without hitting you on the head about it, apologizing for the mullahs, for the oppression, for the blood. Not that he does this directly, no. But every description, every episode in the book, each island of woe that drifts into view is allowed to drift right back out of view without our cicerone's ever clarifying the serpent in the basement. Well, no, sorry: not in the basement anymore.
   
   If I were Iranian, I'd be fuming.
   
   I'm not even sure why de Bellaigue wrote this thing. I charitably stuck through the whole tour, waiting for it to take off, but it never did. In fact, I only realized what de Bellaigue really was when I was about halfway into it: a whitewasher of atrocities.
   
   Chris, if you're reading this: Shame.



5. 'In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs' is more or less enjoyable to read, but not quite as advertised. It is definitely a personal account which adds much flavor to the book but tends to be choppy and seems to lack any real purpose.
   
   While it does focus to some degree on the difficulties that the revolution now faces in Iran, it fails to tie these accounts together in any meaningful fashion. If this was the first book one was to read about Iran, it may prove difficult as it is taken for granted that one has a fair amount of background knowledge regarding Iran.
   
   If you are one who reads about Iran often, this book would also be worth reading. If you want your first picture of Iran- choose something different such as 'Persian Mirrors' by Elaine Sciolino.

1 comments about Elizabeth Gaskell: The Early Years.

1. I see I'm the first person to review this book, and I can understand why. No one else has read it. That's because it's almost unreadable. The type is very small. The author cannot have omitted a single scrap of his copious research. His selection skills need honing. People with only remote connections to EG, and many with no connection at all, are discussed in tedious detail.

   This book is definitely not for the common reader. The details may interest other scholars, and the author is probably justifiably proud of all the new facts he's unearthed, but these do not make for compelling, or even interesting, reading by ordinary fans of literary biographies.

No comments about Coincidences.

No comments about Good Times and Bad: From the Cape to the Kremlin.

5 comments about Call The Briefing.

1. Marlin Fitzwater is still, in my mind, the supreme model of a press secretary. He was sharp, quick witted, capable of being funny, and honest. This is a terrific book that not only lets us in on what a press secretary's job is really like, he gives us the inside story on many important events in the second Reagan and Bush administrations. He also tells delicious stories about the Whitehouse press corps that are entertaining and informative.
   
   The author provides enough of his own biography, about fifty pages, to give us a better idea how he became who he is and how he came to Washington and ended up working for Larry Speakes, Reagan's press secretary at the time. He grew up on a Kansas wheat farm, ended up working at some small newspapers and working his way through college like many of us less well to do children of the middle and working classes did and do.
   
   He provides some key insights into the Reagan administration and is not afraid to say when he thinks Reagan was less than successful or what his weaknesses were, in his view. However, he is also extremely positive and explains where he thinks Reagan received bad advice and was less than well served by certain advisors.
   
   The accounts of the Bush administration are also excellent. Each anecdote is not only interesting but is used to illustrate some principle of the media in Washington and how the feebback between the press and politics works. The campaign between Bush and Clinton, whom the press adored, is especially illustrative.
   
   Each press secretary nowadays writes a book about their time in the hot seat, and they are usually good. After all, they are in that job because they know how to tell a story and communicate with the media and through them with us. But Fitzwater's book is a special example that sets the standard for all the rest.



2. I have read my fair share of political memoirs and to me they always seem to all into one of two categories. It is either the disgruntled guy that maybe did not leave on such good terms who is going to put as much venom as possible into anyone that slightly crossed him during his time in the administration, or it is the guy that thinks the President he served walked on water and is wondering why the American population did not create a monarchy with his President as the King. This book falls into the later category. I am not apposed to these types of books, I tend to like them if I liked the President so I was ok with the authors glowing review of Reagan and Bush. I just wished the author had given us little more meat with his comments. Most of the book reminded me of a rambling conversation you might have with a friend where, at the end, you really do not know what was talked about. One thing did come out very clearly, the author loved working for these two Presidents and there is absolutely no criticism, fair or unfair, within these pages.

   The one thing that I did get a little annoyed at was the author's attacks on the Clinton administration. I could understand the comments about the 1992 election and those comments were fair, but what was with the comments of what the Clinton team was doing in 95? These looked to me as nothing else but simple-minded attacks to help a bruised ego. As the book went on into the Bush administration this author started to really tear into the press. On and on he would spout off about the liberal press that was just out to get good old George when maybe the author should have realized that it was the Bush team that was losing focus and was losing the election one day at a time. The author hardly ever admitted that the Bush administration made mistakes; the No New Taxes issue was not even discussed. And as other reviewers here have mentioned, the author did not touch on the two military actions undertaken during the Bush administration. Overall the book was light on new facts, but had some interesting parts about the press and some internal meetings and issues. I could not get past the petty attacks on the Clinton administration and the obsessive mantra about the negative, unfair liberal press.




3. Fitzwater's book is perhaps one of the finest insiders views of the White House and the White House press corps to ever be published.
   Fitzwater details the inner workings of the Reagan White House like none other, including the scandals and how they did not affect the inside of the White House regardless of the pressure from the media. His admiration for Ronald Reagan is palpable in this book, however he's not as favorable to George Bush. While it's clear he personally likes Bush, it's also clear that he did not agree with Bush's policies and the rest of the Bush White House team as much as he seemed to agree with much of the Reagan White House. However, overall the only person to come out of Fitzwater's book looking bad is John Sununu the former Chief of Staff. He comes off as paranoid and really a generally nasty guy.
   Fitzwater also writes probably the finest view of why Bush lost the 1992 Presidental race and the bungling inside of the White House that caused it. Unfortunately he avoids writing much about the invasion of Panama and Desert Storm, two of the biggest events of the Bush Presidency. Fitzwater rationalizes this by stating many other books will be written on those two events, however I would liked to have known how he handled it in terms of the briefings and the announcement of the invasion of Panama and the beginning of Desert Storm.
   Overall, this is a fine book and should be read by anyone who wants an insider's view of what the Washington Press Corps and their relationship with the White House is really like as well as anyone interested in how Bush managed to turn huge popularity raitings during and after Desert Storm into a political defeat in 1992.



4. "Call the Briefing" by Marlin Fitzwater puts you inside the White House. The reader is brought right to the Podium, fielding questions from a voracious Press Corps ready to do almost anything for a story. And you are there with the President and the Cabinet, discussing strategy and estimating every action's media reaction.It was hard to put this book down. You meet the very idealistic Ronald Reagan and the very professional George H. W. Bush through the eyes of the man who served a Press Secretary in both Administrations. Mr. Fitzwater's longevity in that position attests to his skill at working with the White House insiders and the news media.

   Many of the events covered are specific to the Reagan and Bush days, but you also experience the many duties of the White House Press Secretary in any Administration, a role that could give ulcers to almost anyone. This gave me a real appreciation of the "24/7" crises White House Staff in any Administration, must battle every day.I especially liked Mr. Fitzwater's writing, honed through years of experience. I liked his ability to paint events in a terse yet rich way. All the journeys of Marlin Fitzwater come alive, starting as a farm boy in Abeliene, Kansas and a reporter and editor in small-town Kansas newspapers.

   Although he had originally wanted a career as a journalist, his opportunity came on the other side of the podium, handling public relations at Government agencies. Mr. Fitzwater got his baptism by fire at the Environmental Protection Agency, handling the hot potato of the Three Mile Island Nuclear leak. For better or worse, it is the news media which ultimately decides what is news and how that news is presented to the public. But their power is even greater than we perceive. They can choose to make any particular event, such as a Presidential Speech, front-page headline news or bury it on the Obituary page.

   Mr. Fitzwater handled his dual challenge very well: to communicate the Administration's activities in the most favorable light, and at the same time building trust among the White House Press Corps by being fair and honest. One sees the successes, such as the Summit Meetings held by both Presidents Reagan and Bush with Premiere Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. And you see the bad times, such as the unfortunate illnesses suffered by Mr. Bush at Camp David and again in Japan, which caused many people to question his ability to finish his term. The reader also learns about the successes and failures of the Movers and Shakers in the White House, from Caspar Weiberger and Iran-Contra to the rise and fall of the autocratic Chief of Staff John Sununu. And of course the Media are happy to make a story at anyone's expense.

   Definitely five stars, and recommended for anyone who wants to know more about what happens in White House and how it affects the Nation.




5. "Call the Briefing" by Marlin Fitzwater puts you inside the White House. The reader is brought right to the Podium, fielding questions from a voracious Press Corps ready to do almost anything for a story. And you are there with the President and the Cabinet, discussing strategy and estimating every action's media reaction.It was hard to put this book down. You meet the very idealistic Ronald Reagan and the very professional George H. W. Bush through the eyes of the man who served a Press Secretary in both Administrations. Mr. Fitzwater's longevity in that position attests to his skill at working with the White House insiders and the news media.

   Many of the events covered are specific to the Reagan and Bush days, but you also experience the many duties of the White House Press Secretary in any Administration, a role that could give ulcers to almost anyone. This gave me a real appreciation of the "24/7" crises White House Staff in any Administration, must battle every day.I especially liked Mr. Fitzwater's writing, honed through years of experience. I liked his ability to paint events in a terse yet rich way. All the journeys of Marlin Fitzwater come alive, starting as a farm boy in Abeliene, Kansas and a reporter and editor in small-town Kansas newspapers.

   Although he had originally wanted a career as a journalist, his opportunity came on the other side of the podium, handling public relations at Government agencies. Mr. Fitzwater got his baptism by fire at the Environmental Protection Agency, handling the hot potato of the Three Mile Island Nuclear leak. For better or worse, it is the news media which ultimately decides what is news and how that news is presented to the public. But their power is even greater than we perceive. They can choose to make any particular event, such as a Presidential Speech, front-page headline news or bury it on the Obituary page.

   Mr. Fitzwater handled his dual challenge very well: to communicate the Administration's activities in the most favorable light, and at the same time building trust among the White House Press Corps by being fair and honest. One sees the successes, such as the Summit Meetings held by both Presidents Reagan and Bush with Premiere Gorbachev of the Soviet Union. And you see the bad times, such as the unfortunate illnesses suffered by Mr. Bush at Camp David and again in Japan, which caused many people to question his ability to finish his term. The reader also learns about the successes and failures of the Movers and Shakers in the White House, from Caspar Weiberger and Iran-Contra to the rise and fall of the autocratic Chief of Staff John Sununu. And of course the Media are happy to make a story at anyone's expense.

   Definitely five stars, and recommended for anyone who wants to know more about what happens in White House and how it affects the Nation.

No comments about Percy Keese Fitzhugh Boy Scout Author.

1 comments about Happy Days.

1. This was a damn good read. It was surprising how many famous people pass through this account, and how wandering the road was. From an early childhood as the daughter of one of the leading songwriters of the 20s and 30s to a life as a writer and reporter dealing with some of the most famous personalities of the day, Shana saw it all. Most interesting, however, is the story of her difficult relationship with her mysterious parents, and her glimpses into the dynamics of their relationship.

2 comments about Kay Fanning's Alaska Story: Memoir of a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Newspaper Publisher on America's Northern Frontier.

1. This is a story of how courage, faith and a motive to see justice and equality prevail is played out in Alaska. Kay came from an elite background and yet was very practical and down to earth in her dealings with everyone she met. She lived her religion and it saw her through trials that would challenge even the strongest individual. It is a good story of how ethics and morals win out when the motive is pure and the faith stong enough. Anyone should be enchanted by this story. It is too bad Kay did not get to finish it herself, but the last half written by those who knew her well demonstrates what a very special lady she was and how we can all learn from her strenth and devotion. I recommend it to anyone but especially those interested in the newspaper industry or those who want a great story about a women beating the odds when nobody thought she could do it.



2. Expected this to be much more interesting. If you want to know about the newspaper business this is the book for you, otherwise it's not of any interest other than from a business point of view.