5 comments about The Man Who Would Not Shut Up: The Rise of Bill O'Reilly.

1. I got this book for my husband thinking that it was a book written by Bill O'Reilly and it isn't. I got him Bold Fresh and he LOVED it. He said this might be an OK book, but the print is really small and he probably won't read it. It was a waste of money AND on top of it all, somehow when I was ordering it 2 of these books were added to my cart, I deleted one and then somehow it went back in and I received 2 of them and paid for 2. Neither my husband or I read the book, so I can't say whether it was a good read or not.



2. A quick read for O'Reily fans and non fans. Tells you how O'Riely rose and stayed on the top: persistance, talent and good timing.



3. I knew Marvin Kitman had written an "unauthorized" biography of Bill O'Reilly a couple of years ago entitled "The Man Who Would Not Shut Up," and I honestly never really viewed it as a serious or worthwhile read. But after reading the one or two sane reviews on Amazon.com, I decided to give it a try. I was not only surprised, I was for the most part pleasantly surprised.
   
   I think it was initially the book title that probably caused me to give the book a pass. But after seeing the tremendous amount of time and research Kitman put into this book, which included almost thirty interviews with O'Reilly himself, I was ready to give it a serious look. Kitman beautifully lays out the book in five very informative and chronological parts. He spends more than half of the book (Part I) taking a detailed look at O'Reilly's pre-The Factor life. He appropriately titles this section "The Making of an O'Reilly." If you have already read O'Reilly's latest biography, "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity," a lot of the information in Kitman's book is familiar ground, yet is presented from a different and a very interesting point of view. In this part, Kitman mostly just lays out the biographical facts, while inserting only limited amount of additional opinions, observations and analysis from the biographer.
   
   Kitman makes no attempt to hide the fact that his is a liberal and has little in common with Bill O'Reilly. But I believe most readers will at least be satisfied that he certainly did his homework in compiling the research and interviews for this book. Kitman spent five years of researching background material, conducting interviews and locating classic black and white pictures and legal documents in preparation for writing this book!
   
   The book is filled with revealing quotes from O'Reilly himself (Of course), and a virtual "who's-who" of O'Reilly's childhood friends, teachers, schoolmates, coworkers, employees, bosses, rivals, friends and foes alike. Kitman really went all out with interviewing those in O'Reilly's past. This is what I found to be the most impressive aspect of the book.
   
   Though Kitman admits most of those in broadcast news write O'Reilly off as little more than a demented, obnoxious, insufferable loudmouth (and he certainly agrees with them), but during the writing of this book he also admits that there is much more to O'Reilly than meets the eye; a much deeper person and journalist than the blustery and physically imposing (6'4", 200+ pounds) man he first encountered. This book is no simple caricature of Bill O'Reilly, but an intimate and sometimes moving look at the man and what really matters to him. He follows O'Reilly through his rough years at home, in school, his experiences as a high school teacher in Florida, and as a nonconformist in the world of written journalism and broadcast news.
   
   In Part II, Kitman covers O'Reilly's rise to the position of senior anchor and "boss" of The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel. Most in broadcast news try to simply pigeonhole O'Reilly as just another rigid conservative and not worth listen to. But Kitman believes journalism needs more unconventional, independent freethinkers like O'Reilly, trained journalists, reporting the news others won't touch and providing balanced analysis, coupled with their opinion in addressing as many of the public's questions as possible.
   
   I enjoyed getting to know more about O'Reilly's family, sister, wife, and two children, something O'Reilly has stayed far away form doing. I least enjoyed the latter chapters of the book (especially Part III) where Kitman seems to lose focus as a biographer and begins to join the other "anti-Spinheads" by launching his own personal insults at O'Reilly. I felt this departure from standard biographical form detracted from an otherwise excellent book.
   
   By the time you near the end of this book, you will probably realize that Kitman genuinely likes O'Reilly. Not his arrogant persona, mind you. He really likes O'Reilly, the journalist. Note the following quotes:
   
   ** "Every night he brings passion to the tube....Those are the things that won me over. I liked O'Reilly's anger. He goes after the dragon, what Fred Friendly, Ed Murrow's producer at CBS News used to say was the true function of news. O'Reilly has the fire of a reformer, a man who got angry at social injustice, as he saw it. He wasn't afraid to get involved."
   
   ** "I think it's probably a better world having people like him (O'Reilly) on the TV news.
   
   ** "O'Reilly is a serious journalist who doesn't play by the rules of objectivity. He is not alone in considering news and analysis valid journalism. Actually, he is a throwback to the way it was in the old days when CBS News was the paragon, the model for all TV news."
   
   The quotes above speak for themselves.
   
   I do have one minor administrative note for your reading entertainment. This is the second book I have read this year where the writer, or maybe the publisher, chose to use, in my opinion, a near useless format for their End Notes. There are no notations in the text to indicate that there even are any End Notes. Then when you find that there are pages of notes (22 pages in this book!), the only indicator what the note is referencing is a page number. No indication on what line or what specific information on the page the note is referencing. This was very frustrating for me since I see real value in footnoting. I realize the traditional form of Footnotes or End Notes (The kind most of us learned in high school and college) take more time and effort, but in this book anyway, the author would have garnered the undying gratitude of readers like me if the traditional method was used. Enough said about that. The book also contains and excellent Bibliography and an Index.
   
   In closing, whether you are a "Spinhead", an "Anti-Spinhead" or just too busy watching reruns of American Idol to care either way, there is something for every reader to either really love and/or really despise in The Man Who Would Not Shut Up (The Rise of Bill O'Reilly). You simply can't go wrong here.



4. This is a good read. It doesn't gloss over, nor fully agree with, O'Reilly's immovable viewpoints but is sympathetic to what he's trying to do. You get some info on O'Reilly's origins and how he came by his strong opinions as well as the kind of life he leads off-camera. You certainly don't have to be a right-winger to enjoy this book, just have an interest in how people develop into what they become as adults and how a few can persist against popular opinion. You also can see, if you're looking, that O'Reilly, and probably other high profile voices, don't take themselves nearly as seriously as they appear to on camera and certainly not a seriosly as some of their critics.



5. I don't often give five stars, but this book is deserving of one. I knew a little bit about O'Reilly's background. I watch his show, but flip over to other channels quite a bit. On whole I probably watch about 20% of his show on average. Most interesting is his interviews with Dick Morris and Karl Rove.
   
   I find it interesting that O'Reilly is a cheapskate and that he prefers living on Long Island as opposed to Manhatten. It probably helps keep him grounded. Too bad other media stars don't do the same. He drives used cars, as cars mean nothing to him. Can he be all that bad? Yes, he has his character flaws, but then so does everybody else in the media or elsewhere. I did appreciate the insight to newsrooms and the politics of working in TV. It's realy not much different than what everybody else who works for a living has to put up with on a daily basis.
   
   Read the book and judge for yourself providing your neutral or a conservative. Liberals will get heartburn as they love to hate Mr. O.

No comments about LEGO: A Love Story.

5 comments about Another Life: A Memoir of Other People.

1. Korda chronicles his thirty-year career in trade-book publishing at Simon and Schuster at breakneck speed and with great enthusiasm. He's met a bazillion celebrities, both distinguished and tawdry. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this page-turner.
   
   A previous reviewer, Peachaggi, says Korda never mentioned THE LOVE MACHINE. Pea must have skipped Chapter 19 in Part 4, where THE LOVE MACHINE is mentioned at least thirteen times. I counted.
   
   I have just three complaints: Korda seems ignorant of the subjunctive mood, neglects to make his pronouns agree with their antecedents, and splits his infinitives unnecessarily throughout. Of course, there's more to trade publishing than grammar and usage, subjects about which few people seem to know very much and care even less.



2. Michael Korda's family biography, Charmed Lives, remains one of my all time favorite reads. This book, Another Life: A Memoir of Other People, came to my attention while doing research on the web regarding the meaning of memoir/biography. There has been some recent controversy over whether a memoir is based on facts or simply on subjective opinion. I will take Michael Korda's facts, and subjective opinion, anytime. He has a balanced point of view, and the gift of seeing us all as people. He also understands the nature and the nuturing of creative talent.
   
   Another Life is a memoir of the publishing industry; it presents a view of how publishing used to be in the old days, the Golden Age of the famous name publishing houses. Though I think we are in another and very different Golden Age at present. I am entering the publishing business myself, and it gave me insights into truly how the business operates on a personal level.
   
   I am now reading his biography of Ulysses S Grant, and am very much interested in his assessment of Grant. It stays with me. I hope Mr. Korda continues to write historical biographies. He has a lot to share with the world.



3. This dreadful piece of pap should be pulped. It is rife is factual errors so embarrassing one wonders if Mr. Korda has become senile, yet is still so hungry to publish that he is willing to lie ruefully in order to sell a book. Fact-checking will bear out appalling errors. Mr. Korda's memory requires a make-over, and his style is unbearable. Don't waste your money.



4. This book is a fascinating read and hard to put down. The reader gets a whirlwind tour through the editing side of publishing and a multitude of witty and entertaining brief caricatures of people famous in the world of books. But the only person, of the multitude vignetted in the book, who comes through even vaguely like a real human being, is Dick Snyder, one of Korda's bosses. Korda goes through paternity, divorce and prostate cancer with nary a whisper of an emotion. At the end one is left wondering what was the purpose of the whole exercise.



5. I really enjoyed this pleasant and often humorous insight into the world of publishing. Korda supplies his readers with interesting and often poignant anecdotes about the many famous celebrities with whom he's worked over his long career, including Marilyn Monroe, Jacqueline Susann and Claus von Bulow, to name just a few.

5 comments about Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent.

1. When I first went to university in Atlanta, arriving from the North, in the mid-60's, I was struck with the proliferation of car tags with the subject quote, accompanied by the Confederate flag. The same flag was incorporated into numerous flags of the states of the old Confederacy... there were also the ubiquitous statues to "our Confederate dead" in the squares of the small towns throughout the South. It was 100 years after the end of the American Civil War, yet the "lost cause" still had numerous adherents. And I suspect the Vietnam War will be much the same way, with the arguments raging on for a hundred years, a "civil war" within American society. We're more than a third of the way to that 100 year mark now, and the book itself, and Berman's efforts to unravel the truth concerning the enigmatic An is lost, in the partisanship of these reviews. Perhaps it's impossible for any sentient human who lived through that period, or who gave it a subsequent serious examination, to be "non-partisan," certainly myself included.
   
   Pham Xuan An did led one of the most incredible lives of the 20th Century. Without any true training in the "arts" of espionage, he was one of the most effective spies of all times. An was loyal to many of his friends, and duplicitous at the same time. He became a trusted friend of General Lansdale who first went to Vietnam on behalf of the CIA in the `50's. It was Lansdale's recommendation that helped An get his visa to study for two years, in Orange Co., CA., the first Vietnamese there, and the place which is now their informal capital, with the influx of refugees after the fall of the South. From Lansdale on, An knew the top leadership of both the South Vietnamese and the Americans, and he was always the essential "go to" source for the American journalists. And all the time he was working for the other side, so effectively that General Giap joked: "We are now in the U.S.'s war room." Overall, despite some caveats below, I believe Professor Berman did an admirable job telling the essentials of this man's story, and interviewing a man who lived a double-life so effectively that he could have been fooling even himself. Berman starts his story, suitably enough, by telling how An, at considerable personal risk to himself, used his influence to save the life of NYT reporter Robert Sam Anson, and ends it with the story of his help to a top South Vietnamese official, Dr. Tran Kim Tuyen, on the last day of evacuations during the fall of Saigon. A "private honor" indeed. On several occasions Berman quotes An as to the motivation for his actions, one that is easy for Americans to understand: he simply did not want Vietnam to be ruled by foreigners, be they French or American. After the American war ended, An was never fully trusted by the Northern leadership--he had been too close to the Americans, and still said injudicious things, and Berman does raise the question: Had he been a double or triple agent? My inclination is to say No.
   
   As for the caveats, I felt there were serious ones of omission. Whether we are talking about Iraq, or Vietnam, given factions will use the argument that this particular action "saved American lives." It is an important consideration, certainly on a personal basis, and wouldn't it have been judicious to include a reasonable speculation on how many lives would have been saved if: 1. When Ho Chi Minh went to Versailles in 1919, before he "turned communist," that Woodrow Wilson meant self-determination for ALL people, and not just white ones; 2. After the Second World War, that the USA supported the only faction in Vietnam who supported us during the war, Ho Chi Minh and his band of partisans, and that we answered the letters that he sent the American government, requesting independence from the French colonialists who had collaborated with the Japanese; 3. Or that after their war of independence against the French, that America actually supported the free elections called for in the Geneva accords of 1954, despite President Eisenhower's estimate that 80% of the population would have voted for Ho Chi Minh. A different course at any of these three junctures might have saved 58,000 plus American lives, and three million Vietnamese. Finally, in terms of speculation, there is that haunting picture at the end of the book, of President George W. Bush standing with An Pham, An's son. Omitted from the book was Bush telling the Vietnamese that one of the most significant "lessons" of the Vietnam War is if we had stayed there long enough, we would have won!! Absolutely mind-boggling. An might have saved innumerable American (and Vietnamese) lives simply by having the war end - finally - in 1975.
   
   There are a few errors of commission too: "the bulk of them ground combat troops," in reference to 540,000 Americans in Vietnam (p24). The "bulk" of our troops in Vietnam were ALWAYS support troops. It was Nui Ba Den, Black Virgin Mountain, not Ba Den, Black Mountain (p77). "fearful of a scenario such as the invasion by the People's Army of Vietnam that had defeated the French in 1954..." (p133). What invasion? It was there country!
   
   I briefly met An in the Majestic Hotel in Saigon in 1994. I was in the company of one of the big name American journalist of the war, unnamed in the book. An was very much still under suspicion for meeting so many Americans, and they had a subsequent private conversation. It was my one and only time in Saigon, despite having spent a year in the country, 1968-69. And that is another point about the book... clearly what happened in Saigon and what was going on in the "field" somewhere in country were related, but they were highly separate worlds, in which journalists feed on the latest rumors, and visited the field from time to time, but rarely saw or experienced the reality that troops in the field did. Completely different versions of the same war.
   
   For those who rate the book a 1-star, demonizing An, and his actions as a "Communist," I wonder what they think about the greatest threat to America today, (still!) "Red" China. It is not the military, but the economic threat that should be of utmost concern: all they have to do is stop buying our debt, and there would be financial panic of the worst sort, or stop manufacturing, and the shelves of so many retailers would be empty. A dependency of our own making.
   
   Overall, Berman is to be commended for telling this important, essential story of one man's remarkable actions during the war. You sensed that he pushed and prodded, gaining as much as he could elicit, before the veil was dropped again: "... we can go no further on that...". Clearly Berman has empathy for An, but wisely does not accept all aspects of the story at face value. This is the only authoritative book we will ever have on Pham Xuan An, and Berman deserves a full 5-stars for his efforts.



2. Larry Berman's book, The Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An is a fascinating read on many levels. First, I believe the book should be considered an indispensable volume in the vast collection of Vietnam War literature. It is more than an intriguing tale of espionage and history of the Viet Nam War, it's an enlightening view into the soul of the American press corps and how they provided cover and legitimacy to North Vietnam's most successful spy. An, working for his communists' masters, successfully deceived and manipulated the foreign press corps as well as U.S. and South Vietnamese security officials for the duration of the war. Truly An was one of the great spies of the Twentieth Century, whose chief enablers were well-known members of the American press corps.
   
   The book unfortunately is colored by the author's desire to make An's treachery something we should accept and forgive, notwithstanding his direct culpability in the deaths of U.S. servicemen and untold numbers of South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. If I had a nickel for every time An was referred to in the book as "charming" or "helpful" I'd have a nice start on my son's college fund. For the most part, these "friends" served as useful idiots to An, who played them like a fiddle. The larger question that remains unanswered is to what degree An succeeded in coloring press stories critical of U.S. policy. The book points out that almost all the newly arrived American correspondents in Viet Nam sought out An because he was a man of uncommon insight and was reputed to have the best sources. An surely fed anti-American or anti-war views to the Viet Nam press corps, many of whom arrived in Viet Nam profoundly opposed to the war. He essentially gave them what they wanted to hear. An's impact on the U.S. press reportage must have been enormous. Despite An's professions of love and friendship for his American press colleagues, he must have been utterly amazed at how easily duped and trusting the anti-war journalists were.
   
   The author quotes Frank McCulloch of Time who said of An, "I can say in retrospect that being a spy never warped his journalism." How could it not? I've never heard a more ridiculous statement and the book is full of quotes by An's former American colleagues that are equally ludicrous. But then they are trying their best to justify their association with this utterly charming and helpful communist spy. Robert Sam Anson was quoted as saying that the "delicious irony was that all the while the empire of Henry Luce, the great Asian anti-Communist, had been paying his (An's) salary." In truth the most delicious irony here is that anti-war journalists like Anson were willing pawns in planting communist slanted stories influenced and/or partially written by a North Vietnamese agent, who successfully manipulated the American press corps for years.
   
   An, like all good spies, was calculating and cold blooded, but above all he was a master at manipulation. How else can one explain the loyalty of his former Time colleagues felt towards An even after they learned he betrayed them and their country. The most extraordinary part of the story is that An was able to continue to manipulate his press friends long after they found out he had duplicitously used them. With very few exceptions, his former war time press friends seemed all too happy to overlook An's treachery to forgive and even praise. But then this reveals quite a bit about the American Viet Nam press contingent, many of whom have gone on to make a great deal of money criticizing America's involvement in the war. They are eager to forgive enemies, but are less magnanimous when it comes to forgiving Westmoreland and Nixon. Most of these Viet Nam era journalists viewed the U.S. government/military as the main adversary so it is understandable they would be so quick to forgive An.
   
   There is much that An does not share, by the author's own admission, presumably because it would be even too much for his loyal American friends to stomach. An claims that he only provided detailed analysis of events to North Viet Nam leadership. He also admits to helping plan the successful assaults on Saigon during the Tet Offensive (how many Americans and ARVN died in Saigon during Tet?) and to passing to the North Viet Names advanced warning of impending offensives. Despite his denials, An undoubtedly provided lists of anti-communist South Vietnamese officers and officials that would eventually be liquidated by the Viet Cong. It strains credulity that An would not provide such lists. One can only guess what the brutal Viet Cong would do to those found on such a lists. What other murderous acts An conducted on behalf of NVA/VC one can only speculate?
   
   An has quite a bit of blood on his hands, but we should forgive him, according to many sources quoted by the author, because he was a "nationalist" and loved his country. When the war was over, An even had the gall to send his family to the safe confines of America and later even persuaded his former friends at Time to underwrite An's son's education in the United States. It's ironic indeed that these journalists, whose careers were made by their so-called "principled" stand against the Viet Nam War, owe so much to a North Vietnamese spy. Fearing that they were being used by the American military, our journalists were oblvious to the spy who helped them write their stories. I highly recommend the book, but one has to read between the lines to understand the true value of the book.



3. This book aptly demonstrates that most reporters are only selecitvely critical of their subjects. Larry Berman does nothing to double check Pham Xuan An's assertions. He is in love with the man and easily allows himself to be manipulated by this master con artist and terrorist. The book's only value is shows to what length journalists will go to avoid admitting that, far from being independent thinkers, they willing believe the first source that confirms their own prejudices. In short Perfect Spy is an excellent example of Stockholm syndrome.



4. Before the review, a preface. Let's face it, any book on the Vietnam war will find a polarizing reception, for obvious reasons that the death and destruction of that war are recent and still with many. In choosing a book to read, the general tone of 5-star or 1-star reviews should not be a guide; nor should one's agreement with the author's general point of view (easy enough to determine before reading). Rather, a basic question, how much new material will the book cover?
   
   I have been interested in the intelligence aspect of Vietnam operations, and in fact wrote a thesis in college on Edward Landsdale and the CIA involvement in the 1950s. Pham Xuan An's major intelligence contributions mostly cover the 1960-1975 period. In addition, the book covers the "making of the spy" - the strategic decision to send An to the US in 1950's and a somewhat poignant post-1975 chapter. My general conclusion is that the book contains plenty of original research (obviously interviews with An are the bulk of new material) and is a must read (accompanied by a general history of the Vietnam for a context).
   
   I am not a researcher and I cannot really evaluate the quality of historical scholarship, so in general I accept factual claims made by Berman, though not all the interpretations. Here are several questions to ponder (which are addressed but not fully resolved in the book).
   
   - How can a spy be so successful for so many years at such high level of access? Berman's answer is that one must truly live one's cover, but if that is so, did Pham Xuan An have to sacrifice some of his comrades to prove his effectiveness to his sources in S. Vietnamese govt and CIA?
   - What was the true value of Pham Xuan An to his bosses in the "jungle"? Berman insists it is the analysis of the American and S. Vietnamese intentions. To me it appears that the lion's share of his contribution was passing on the information basically verbatim, whether overheard reports, or photographed documents. In addition, every American journalist claims they were not influenced by An, but simply came to see the war in much the way he saw it. I have some doubts there...
   - Was An a nationalist or Communist? I actually agree with Berman on the blurring of the two identities and being more first than second, but I can certainly see merits to the opposing view: An was a staunch Communist and everything else was just melodrama.
   
   I give the book 4 stars rather than 5 for two main reasons:
   - It's annoying that some periods are skipped over--e.g., there seems little going on between 1968 and 1974.
   - Some unnecessary lionizing pieces on N. Vietnamese (Ho as father of nation, Dung as clever general) which do not seem to fit into the context of the narrative about Pham Xuan An and give an easy target to portray the book as leftist propaganda piece. Instead, I'd rather have more info on the Vietnamese intelligence agents that worked (and are buried) alongside An...
   
   But overall, a fascinating read!



5. Larry Berman's trace and insights into this master spy, An, forces one to confront the arrogance and amateurishness of Americans who touted their professionalism at war. The complexities of the Vietnamese people, their culture, history, hopes and dreams, all as unknown to Americans of 1955-1975 as their language, provide the means to understand why we lost and now the South Vietnamese nationalists were betrayed by the communist party of the North.
   
   Not a book for those who want to see that time, or this, as a set of clearly defined opposing choices, or the "less developed" nations of the world as simple, backward or unenlightened.
   
   His subject is a sophisticated, complex individual who understands he was ultimately used.

1 comments about Journalism's Roving Eye: A History of American Foreign Reporting.

1. Dean John Maxwell Hamilton of the Manship School of Journalism at Louisiana State University has given us in "Journalism's Roving Eye: A History of American Foreign Reporting" a comprehensive and fascinating account of the lives and writings of some of journalism's most colorful characters. Beginning with Colonial times and moving to our contemporary era, Dean Hamilton covers a lot of ground but does so in a lively and informative fashion. Anyone interested in journalism or the sweep of America's diplomatic history will find it a valuable source book, as well as a good read. Jack Sullivan, Alexandria, Virginia

5 comments about Are You Somebody?: The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman.

1. Nuala O'Faolain's book is elegantly written, but sometimes it got so depressing that I wondered if I wanted to keep reading.
   
   Her emotional life seems to be a never-ending train wreck, as she hopelessly pursues one man after another.
   
   I wondered if she was any better off than the mother she so pitied, neglected by her husband, looking after ten kids, and sitting at home all day reading and drinking.



2. After being completely charmed by 'Are you Somebody?" I was expecting at least a well-written decent read. Instead this book was disjointed, rambling, went into highly irrelevant personal details, and didn't seem to have much of a point.



3. Nuala O'Faulain writes of her life in an uncompromising, hard look at a time spent very differently from many of her countrywomen, and gives vast amounts of insight into the roles prevalent in Irish culture, and how they effect every day life. She has lived a full,wandering life and while she hasn't been endlessly happy, she has learned to value what she has and who she has become. There is much here of value for any woman to take away.



4. I did not like this book. It is a memoir that is more like a catharsis and 'atta girl in order to make excuses for a fairly valueless and vapid life.
   
   Fueled by the Womens' Movement, Ms. O'Faolain justifies her short-lived, alcohol-entrenched or extra-marital liaisons with no remorse. She claims that if her lovers are married, it's their wives' problem (and this from a soon-to-be feminist!?). She is also a name dropper of all manner of literati with some anti-semitic descriptions thrown in.
   
   Finally, we look at the terrible neglect and abuse from her childhood with narrow-visioned denial. She demonstrates this same denial when she minimizes the domestic violence in her relationships.
   
   I have to wonder if she's ever done deep reflection or if she has any capacity to put herself in someone else's shoes.
   
   Not recommended.



5. I'm as surprised at all the bad reviews, as some of you are surprised by the good ones. I would call this book one of the best i've ever read. I love books for different reasons... the quality of writing, the "story" itself, the development of the story, and/or how the book itself makes me feel - ie. how much i'm moved or entertained by it. I sobbed thru about the last 60 pages of this one. This book made me wish i knew this woman. It's incredible to me - her life, her dreams, her intelligence, her inner beauty and turmoil...everything about her. I will read this again...i will be 50 next month, and maybe this book means more to me than most - as i live alone (divorced), and never had children.
   
   We love things for different reasons. I love this book for all the right ones. Enjoy.

5 comments about Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: And Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask.

1. Having teased my 76 year old mother about her own recent "ink" (her eyebrows,) I bought this book based on the title to read and to share with my Mom. While I did laugh along through the first third, relating to the newspaper clippings and answering machine messages, I was disappointed with the author's record of her phone calls with friends plopped into the middle of the book. They seemed pretty inane and not really relevant to the story. (This is the part where I may just be out of touch with mainstream America...or old.)
   
   But I did enjoy riding along on the family trip to the tattoo parlor enough to mail the book to my mother (perhaps with a few newspaper clippings and magazine articles.) I'm also curious about the author's earlier book about her years as an interviewer for the Rolling Stones and will look it up.



2. Jancee Dunn has the most captivating, comedic and down-to-earth persona, through her writing voice, that reading her memoirs is like visiting with a wonderful long-time friend. It appears as though Ms. Dunn has no qualms and holds nothing back as she brings readers into her little corner of the world, and what an adventure her world is.
   
   I had previously treated myself to Jancee Dunn's first published memoir, But Enough About Me: How a Small-Town Girl Went from Shag Carpet to the Red Carpet. I was instantly hooked on her tales of wacky interviews with those famous faces that constantly grace the magazine covers and t.v. screens that capture our average eyes. When I discovered this third title, I was nearly jumping with anticipation. Picking up the innocent pink cotton candy colored covered book, with the anything-but-innocent title pertaining to tattooed mothers, I was anxious to read this next installment of Ms. Dunn's life. After reading the first few pages, I knew this would be a highly entertaining and satisfying read - I was not disappointed.
   
   I think that part of the enticement of Jancee Dunn's books is the simple fact that this is a real person, going through real life, and so many of us can relate. Be it crazy but loving family members to insane pressures of work and having the knowledge of a close friend always having your back. Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? is written in such a way that it truly does feel as though you are sitting down and chatting with a friend over a cup of yummy, frothy and calorie filled coffee. *(excuse me a moment while I go grab a pumpkin spice latte.... Okay, as I was saying...)
   
   One of my favorite parts, among many, was when Jancee and her friend were comparing music on their iPods. I had to laugh at some of the titles they secretly adored listening to, but would die if anyone else knew what they were listening to at the gym. Many of the titles and songs that they named, are ones that I know well. I even had to giggle when Jancee made a cringing mention of the group Nelson - my, what yummy looking, long blond-haired, fellows they once were!
   
   The love and closeness between Jancee and her sisters and parents are very apparent and a wonderful treat to be able to glimpse into. Although, I have to say, that a two hour debate over pie flavors or stuffing types, for Thanksgiving, would be apt to drive me a bit batty. Also the fact that each family member has to basically agree unanimously on many issues would be a huge headache for me, for Jancee and her family this is just the way it is and very typical. There is a scene, within the book, that focuses around the fact that Jancee's parents decide to sell the house that they all grew up in. This is met with great despair and objections from the girls, not to mention some obsessive drive-bys from Jancee and her sister, Heather. Then one faithful day, Jancee and her family are invited to visit their old home, where much has changed, yet the experience settles many flutters of sadness that had been left behind.
   
   I have to mention that each chapter is perfectly titled and will bring laughter, just from its one simple line. Just to give you an idea, here are a few of them: "They Don't Make Designer Colostomy Bags", "Secure You Wig with Extra Hairpins Before Lovemaking", "Salty, Sweet Gritty Blobs of Joy" and "His 'n' Hers Tiger-Print Underwear in Soft, Shape-Retaining Fabric". Also, the reminiscing about the JC Penny catalogs of days gone by, was tons of fun.
   
   Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo? is such a wonderful, heartwarming and fun-filled book. Jancee Dunn pens her love of her family, her ups and downs and life's craziness perfectly. The closeness shared by Ms. Dunn with her family and friends is a rock solid one and one that I cannot wait to hear more about in future books. (*okay, fingers crossed that there will be future books, not sure on any details) This is a work that will make readers laugh, sniffle a bit and reflect upon their own lives and family. A definite must read!



3. I happened upon Jancee Dunn's "But Enough About Me" this summer and enjoyed it so much that I immediately had to read this one as well. It was great spending time with Jancee, her family and friends. Didn't want it to end! To keep the fun going, read Jancee's blog and also "Please Excuse My Daughter" by her friend, Julie Klam. More, please!



4. I was looking forward to this book, having enjoyed her two previous ones. However, I just can't read it. I've got as far as the third story and have had to give up. It's repetitive, and her family and friends don't seem interesting enough to warrant going any further. Maybe she's recover her form next time.



5. After thoroughly enjoying 'But Enough About Me', I was excited to see Ms. Dunn had a new book out of short stories about her life. This book is a bit more on the personal side, focusing mainly on stories of her family (who just crack me up!) and her own life, whereas her previous book was more about her job at Rolling Stone, and the famous people she had to interview.
   
   Some of her stories are just too funny (like her and her sister's obsession with their childhood home after their parents sold it, and Heather's poor son wondering why he has to trick or treat in a strange neighborhood an hour and a half away from home! Oh, and the Japanese toilet! I almost peed myself reading that one! ). Some of her stories are sweet (like her father's incessant need to send clippings about every possible disaster just to make sure his girls are ok). And some are very sad (like her father not having a recording of his own father's voice and the tapes Jancee gives him of his mother).
   
   But the best story, by far, is the title story. Way to go Mrs. Dunn for getting that Raven!! I must agree with Jancee though...when it's not your own mother, you think it's a great idea...but I'm not sure how I'd feel about MY mom telling me she wanted a tattoo! Anyway, I definitely recommend this book for those of you interested. Ms. Dunn has a great sense of humor, and a fantastic family for her to get her writing inspiration from. I look forward to whatever she comes up with next!

5 comments about Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found.

1. Fragmented, hard to follow; boring non-essential pages....I gave up about half-way through....I didn't care what happened to either the author or her brother.



2. It started when Cain slew his brother Abel. Ever since these Biblical brothers duked it out, siblings throughout the ages have been at war with each other. Of course, not every sibling relationship is one of rivalry. There are countless siblings who are hand-in-glove simpatico. Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner, however, is not a symbiotic sibling love letter, but rather a détente treaty.
   
   "Apples and oranges" is how their mother described them. On the surface, this assessment seems apt. Carl was a green tea sipping, gun-toting, right-wing, Texan apple farmer. Marie, in comparison, is a Starbucks quaffing, New Yorker who writes for Vanity Fair and other elite publications. As she states, "Our relationship is like a tangled fishing line. We are defined by each other and against each other, a red state and a blue state, yin and yang." For decades this was the state of their relationship: deep love buried underneath a surface of anger, misunderstandings, and harsh words. However, when Carl is diagnosed with terminal cancer Marie rushes to his side to try and save him and their relationship.
   
   Apples and Oranges is clearly written through Marie's prism. This partly inevitable as she is the author and partly due to Carl's meticulous eradication of his notes and letters. At certain points in the memoir I questioned Marie's assessment of her brother. For example, when Carl sought "`a hard-working individual'" to manage his apple farm, Marie characterized "the ad [as having] . . . the social skills of a blowtorch." Some readers, however, might simply describe Carl's ad as plain-spoken. Still Marie does not spare herself in this memoir and is candid about her own shortcomings.
   
   The memoir is strongest when the relationship between Carl and Marie is front and center. The parallel story of the Brenner family history, while notable and worthy of its own tome, was often distracting. Similarly, the passages concerning the history of apples in America did not move the primary story forward, except to demonstrate Marie's devotion to finding a common ground with her brother.
   
   When the spotlight shines on Marie and Carl's relationship, Apples and Oranges is a compelling read. Few memoirs are as authentic as the passage below:
   
   I love you more than anyone . . . . You are my brother. We are Brenners. Team Carl.
   There is no epiphany. There are no final words.
   Don't leave me, he says. Tears run down his cheeks. I am sorry for everything.
   
   Apples and Oranges is a lot like real life: messy, complicated, and worth savoring every second.



3. Whoa! And you thought YOU had problems with your siblings. Marie Brenner's memoir is a story of her halting attempts to connect with a difficult brother -- and to reconcile herself with the legacy of her fractious family -- after he asks for her help when he is diagnosed with cancer.
   
   My first time through the book, I skipped over many of the stories she tells. My initial reaction was that in a family such as this that actively courts dissention through their words and actions, the rifts that run deep and wide are not surprising, so not all that interesting. It's clear, too, that Marie's brother Carl has some sort of obsessive and/or social disorder that seems never to have been addressed.
   
   I was also put off by Marie's narrative voice. She is the epitome of the urban sophisticate; a journalist, a "know-it-all" as her brother says, a New Yorker. She seems to relish her own obstructionism. She encourages her brother to write, then tells him "God, that is awful." She belittles his attempts at spirituality, mocks his conversion to Chrisitanity, his halting prayers. Can't she even let a dying man come to grips with his own soul?
   
   After I got all that out of my system, though, I went back and read the book more slowly. The stories she tells are breathtaking in their cruelty, particularly the account of her mother's death, when her brother refuses to call Marie to say she is dying, even though she lives five minutes away. "You should have been here!" he admonishes. Marie makes a mad, impassioned dash through the city to the funeral home to say goodbye to her mother.
   
   I found her attempts to resurrect her family history less interesting, even with an infamous aunt who ran with the likes of Frida Kahlo and a grandfather who fancied himself a don and left his wife in favor of his young secretary. And though I grew up in New York State apple country, her many digressions into apple growing made my eyes glaze over. (I would like to taste the Honeycrisps Carl was cultivating, though.)
   
   This highly personal memoir of a family filled with colorful characters may be too much to take all at once. You may not like Marie or Carl or Isador or Anita, but this is the kind of unvarnished, brutally honest story you aren't likely to encounter often. Slow down and savor this book with the kind of care Carl lavished on his apple orchards.



4. An interesting and well-written memoir, unsentimental and incisive.
   
   the only thing that really bothered me about this book is that author clearly violated her brother's privacy. he explicitly destroyed all paperwork relating to his life, probably knowing that she would exploit his story, or explore it, for her own purposes.



5. Bumpy in spots and not always simple to follow, however it is a very good book, with real feeling and meaning for others. I hesitate to be critical, because it is obvious she is a fine writer. This was just so clearly painful, it almost seems to me it needed a few years more to sit and "cool" in her mind. Perhaps presumptuous of me, however I would love to hear her speak of it now with a bit of distance. A worthy read.

5 comments about The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans.

1. Missed on the title . If you really want to know about New Orleans or the flood do not buy this book.



2. I was born in Texas, living in 4 corners of that state. Although technically already an adult before my move, the 15 years I spent living and working in New Orleans from 77 to 92 was when I grew up. I already had Mr. Sublette's two music histories when TYBTF came out. Each of them are deep draughts of history and music insight that I am still exploring and use as reference. TYBTF is a more personal book than those, a memoir of a life through the prism of a unique year. For me it was a page turner, after tasting a few passages, I read it daily, devouring it cover to cover. The author shares his experiences and gained knowledge of New Orleans but first gives us what parts of his life helped prepare him for his experiences there. It speaks to the nature of the city and to the life Sublette has lived that these experiences center on music and the 900-pound gorilla of this country, race. Here I feel is the first book I've read which captures the world that I experienced growing up.



3. Going to New Orleans for lovers of American music is like going to Greece for lovers of antiquity. If you're serious, someday ya just gotta make the trip.
   
   The difference is that a surprising number of the "ancient" things past legends like Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton recalled from the early part of the 20th century are still alive and well in NOLA today: social and pleasure clubs, Second Line parades. Indian tribes, jazz funerals, great musicians seemingly on every block .and what for my money is the best food on the planet.
   
   If you can't get to New Orleans right now, get this book. It's the next best thing to being shown around by a native.
   
   If you love New Orleans, this book will fill you with pride and joy and get you even deeper into the deepest city in America.



4. I was born in New Orleans. Even after I left I would go back and spend summers with my Aunt and Uncle in Houma, spending a great deal of time in the Big Easy. Do not be fooled: This book is not an accounting of what took place before the flood. It is a living, breathing document that holds your soul and refuses to let go until, gasping for air, you curse the time and finally close the cover and turn out the light.
   
   I cannot describe what New Orleans was anywhere near as well as he does, and while that makes me a little sad, wow, this book is just what it needed to be to fill that gap...



5. The Year Before the Flood offers a different perspective on the city of New Orleans and its people tracing its musical history and that influence on the world and the author.
   Having read a number of books on the city, its history and the affects of Katrina, this book was a welcome addition to understanding why New Orleans is New Orleans. It offers insight into issues such as politics and race as well as charting the rich and varied musical influences that make New Orleans such a great city for music today as well as the the cradle of jazz and, as Mr. Sublette convincingly argues, rock n roll.
   This book also traces Mr. Sublette's personal journey from a child dazzled by the many musical styles he encountered living in the south, to adulthood as a sucessful musician with an ongoing interest in varied approaches to music
   At its heart, this is a love story for New Orleans, a story not without its ups and downs, but all in all, an impassioned account of how place, culture and art are intertwined. And how a city, like a good song, can stay in your head long after its stopped playing.

5 comments about Mississippi Sissy.

1. Pretentious, self-indulgent, and by far the most boring book I have read in a very long time.



2. Seemed like a crybaby [...]. If you like child porn or gay [...] then yes this book is for you. If you don't well then it was a waste of time. Luckily I bought it at the dollar tree so I only wasted [...] on it. I could not have been more dissapointed. Some of the stories just seem way too farfetched, others go into gross detail that does not seem necessary for the story. There is a million and one fantastic [...]novels/biographies, this is not one of them.



3. One would think 'Mississippi Sissy' would be a memoir about a gay man struggling with, and overcoming homophobia. Nope, it's not that at all. Well it's certainly a memoir of a gay man growing up in Mississippi but he barely makes reference to any sort of homophobia. Instead we have the author carefully selecting important episodes in his life, mostly involving racial issues of the 1960s, and presents them to the reader in a haphazard fashion. A couple of these episodes are simply terrific - that is, painfully moving. But too many fall flat. And the author seems to dwell on certain facets (eg, going into extremely graphic detail on his homosexual acts) and dismisses others (eg, he devotes all of two sentences about a girlfriend he feared he had impregnated). And why he suddenly injects the memoir of his brother meeting Billy Graham is anyone's guess, ... the author wasn't present at this meeting.
   
   
   Bottom line: a couple of marvelous vignettes generally saves this well written yet sloppy autobiography.



4. This is not a review as much as it is a kick in the butt to me for not writing it! (I can also furnish a photo holding a baseball bat) I grew up in Tupelo Mississippi in the 50's and about a third of this book is of my own experience. I could have added the sexual experiences with the Baptist minister or the choir director or the Cub Scout leader and made a bit longer book or added more about my own escape to New York City. It was a joy to read and to know I was not alone at the time even though, of course, we all thought we were alone. An enjoyable read and the vernacular was a joy to "hear" again.



5. This is the most moving book I have read in a very very long time. It took me through the full range of emotions--laughter to tears. It had such a hold on me I finished it in one day. It made me feel like being 11 years old again reading "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" for the first time.