5 comments about Front Row at the White House : My Life and Times.

1. I never noticed Thomas much until I saw her bit on Steven Colbert's famous slap in Bush's face at the White House Pres Corps dinner. I started reading more about her and listened to her on many different shows. I respect her a great deal, so was very interested in this book.
   
   Much of it is about her. Too much really. There is also way too much name dropping as well as anecdotes about her and her cronnies that were frankly rather boring. She aslo is rather contradictory. She prides herself on her journalistic integrity but doesn't understand why someone like Lady Bird would have been furious over her leaks about her daughters. She makes a big deal of her front row seat and on the many compliments and accolades that the various presidents bestowed on her. Such things got in the way of what really was an excellent look at the administrations that she worked with.
   
   However, it was in her chapters on Marha Mitchell, and the first ladies, that really make this book a gem. The former esp - we were always told by the administration that she was insane. She wasn't - she was speaking the truth about watergate, and no one wanted to listen. And for the most part does a good job outlining each administration's successes and faults.
   
   However, She was also far from being unbiased. Kennedy was the only democratic president who she had good things to say about. To hear her talk, Clinton's lies were much worse than Watergate or Contragate. She pretty much gave Nixon and Reagan a free pass, but spent pages ranting about Clinton. I don't expect someone working so long to not have opinions but for heavens sake try to put things into perspective.
   
   Since this book was written just at the end of Clinton's term, and since I know that her opinion of Bush Jr is less than stellar, I'd be interested in reading her more current book which talks about his administration. I wonder if she now sees Clinton with perhaps less myopic eyes?



2. I liked doing business with them. The book came in very good packaging. I plan on doing more business with them in the future. Keep up the good work!!!



3. If you've ever wondered about the woman who for years asked the first question at presidential news conferences and also ended each one, then this memoir will be entertaining. Thomas had a long career and got to know every president since JFK pretty well, or so you'd think from this book which is chock full of interesting anecdotes and opinions. It is a bit repetitious and would have benefited mightily from tighter editing. One wonders if the publisher was a little too reverential to use the red pencil. Somewhere along the line, UPI, her employer, lost a lot of its power and impact, due to business turmoil. Still, Thomas soldiered on. She doesn't say much about UPI in the memoir, probably because she's still working, though for Hearst. If you follow the journalism biz, you'll want to read this one.



4. The book is a true reflection of who Helen is and her commitment to the ideals and responsibility of being a "reporter". Whether or not you agree with Helen's political views; it is hard to argue with her views regardig the responsibility of the press corps.



5. It's one thing to be a history buff and read about events of our country and the world. It's another to live it. Thomas has been an active part of almost every major historical event our country has seen for decades. It's a life the rest of us could only dream about. I thank her for giving me the opportunity to read about the behind the scenes events that have made up our history. The writing is very newspaper-like ie short and to the point. It's perfect for the busy adult who wants to pick it up for short spans.

5 comments about Almost There.

1. This is my first book by this author and thus have nothing else to compare this memoir to. My first impression was her honesty, with herself and with others: her alcoholic mother, her own drinking (a bottle of wine a night), her relationship failures both with men and women, and her regrets in life. Had she been an American publishing this book it would have been a sensation, but alas, because she is Irish and Catholic and an unknown in the US, the book made little waves here.
   
   She mentions her first book "Are You Somebody" a lot in this memoir and this seems to be a sequel. It's the book that shot her to fame, which brought her interviews in the more progressive US Northeast where many Irish live. She ponders her success almost to the point of insanity, rather than enjoying her success for her efforts. It's that typical Catholic guilt feeling.
   
   Her honesty with her seemingly gay relationship had me at first stumped. I almost stopped reading after her first mention of her ex-partner leaving her, but I overcame that after I continued her chapter. Then I realized that subject is just too tabu in the US. So I congratulate her for bringing that subject out in the open.
   
   Her candor of her first book caused some heartache to others in her life, others who may have hurt her in the past. Was she trying to get even with them by publishing the events as they happened according to her? She's honest and covers the other person's point of view, which was a courageous act. Most people who write memoirs mention the people who hurt them, but few take the time to ask themselves why they hurt them, or the reasons for the behavior. Different people, different perspectives, says Nuala. Who's right?
   
   It's definitely not an easy read or one that one laughs out loud reading. It's one more of the "Damn, that hurt!" reaction that, after more thought, allows the reader to gain greater respect for the author, and allows the readers to look deeper into themselves.



2. first off i want to say i shouldn't complain too much as i bought an autographed hard copy of this book for just $1.00 . Thank God for small favors . to begin with i really was enjoying this book in the beginning and too quick to imagine myself buying her first memoir .
   
   what bothered me the most was her having an illicit affair with a man who even she described as not being educated, nor really a " looker " . yet time and again she would drive miles, hours, and pay for their trysts .
   he'd bring hard candy ....lol.
   like, didn't she wonder why she never heard nor saw this gink on holidays such as xmas . not even a card ? I think she knew in her deepest being. she's just the type of woman for some reason needs to be exploited as that's all she feels she truly deserves . it was sickening .
   
   she's lucky to have found someone who cares . but, i didn't give a damn about her during this entire fiasco of a book . she saw the inside of more motels then " the gideon bible " .
   
   my advice to her ...go back to column writing . she ought be ashamed to have her siblings read this as well as everybody else .
   
   i don't believe in bookburning ..but, i'm tempted .



3. I could really relate to her life's reflections in relation to her own personal experiences as well as her perspective on universal family situations. Nuala's frank proclamation revealing her loneliness was quite powerful. The fact that she read this book on CD herself with wit and prose makes me want others to listen to her gift of gab.



4. Yes, ma'am, this `analyze my life and then tell-all' book seems like the sort of fare on which Oprah could chew for several shows. It was ready-made for her book club and would have instantly been embraced by her angst-loving fan base, but somehow it stayed outside that sort of recognition. But that's not a cheap shot, I mean it, this is a book for those who like the sort of reading material common in Oprah's book club. So Oprah readers, go get this!
   
   I don't know if I was supposed to, exactly, but I found this book gloomy, and mostly only liked the rare parts where Irish Times writer Nuala O'Faolain wasn't speaking so personally. Her reports on the state of Northern Ireland, her experiences in America (page 195, " 'America' was always the word for promise." Boy have I ever heard that before...) the compare and contrast moments that dealt with Ireland in relation to other places she's been, these were a lot more likely to hold my interest, I found, than her oft-murky forays into her own allegedly bleak childhood, her controversial romantic life, or her stark realizations at her own failings, failures, and foibles.
   
   Still there's something endearing about a woman whose best mate is her dog, Molly, and whose singlemost passion in life seems to be her readiness to delve into self-deprecation as if it is also her salvation.
   
   I don't regret reading Almost There, but I don't plan on seeking out any of Nuala O'Faolain's other published books, either.



5. I love this book. While her first, Are you Somebody, was so full of darkness, this is full of hope. It is a book about redemption. She is not there yet, but almost there. She writes BEAUTIFULLY. A real wordsmith. The way she writes alone makes it worthwhile. I am in my 30s and male, and I found that I could relate to the themes she raises. They really are universal.

4 comments about Casi una mujer.

1. este libro me parecio interesante,es una lectura entretenida



2. lya he leido el primer libro de esmeralda,"cuando era puertorriquena" me parecio muy interesante, la segunda parte, "casi una mujer" tiene muchas repeticiones del primero , pero la lectura es llamativa y entretenedora, lo recomiendo



3. estuve esperando MUCHO por este libro. Cuando era PRiqueña fue tan bello y me trajo tantos recuerdos. Luego salio El Sueño de America- una de las mejores novelas que he leido- y yo seguia esperando por este libro!

   Esmeralda es la mejor, me transporta a PR en cualquier momento y por eso la adoro. Habla de su familia como si fuera la mia y creo que somos primas!

   Creo que es la mejor escritora latinoamericana hoy en dia, solo que no tiene mucha popularidad porque escribe mas bien sobre PR. Estoy esperando como loca el proximo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   El mejor regalo para cualquier latina que este orgullosa de sus raices!




4. Esmeralda did it again! This book is excellent, it takes up where When I was Puerto Rican left off. No pude dejar de leer el libro hasta el fin! This book is not only a sequel, but it stands on its own as a really good book. For me, reading it in Spanish added a little more flavor to the plot. In English or Spanish this book doesn't loose anything in the translation. I highly recommend it.

2 comments about The Real McKay: My Wide World of Sports.

1. I remember reading this book years ago and enjoyed it very much. It brought back to mind that horrible period during the 1972 Munich Olympics when those Iraeli athletes were tragically killed and Jim said those now famous words "they're all gone" -- so simply said but oh so meaningful and emotional.
   
   It is now June 7, 2008, and today Jim has gone to join those honorable athletes. God bless you, Jim. We'll remember you always. Sports won't be the same without you. Hopefully those that followed in your footsteps will learn from you and your legacy.



2. Jim McKay's autobiography doesn't start with backstory of his early life but with a remarkable minute-by-minute description of the crisis at the 1972 Olympic Games. McKay, now 27 years after that event, recalls it with such detail that it seemed to have happened last evening. For someone who was born after this event happened, it was amazing to read the story of what happened by a guy who was actually there.

   This is one of my highlights in the book. McKay, not his real name - which is a funny story - takes the reader through his life. How he was a newspaper reporter turned song-and-dance man and to how he became one of the best sports reporters in televsion history.

   If you've ever heard a sporting even called by Jim McKay, the atmosphere is set so wonderfully, it's almost like you're there. The same is true for this book. Pick up a copy. -usc503@aol.com

   P.S. It won't be the same watching the Kentucky Derby, Preakness (McKay's favorite race) and Belmont without Jim McKay - we miss you already!

5 comments about The Best of Friends: Two Women, Two Continents, and One Enduring Friendship.

1. Do you need to know how people cope with immigration, or do you want to understand the strength and power of woman? Do you need inspiration to realize your dreams or do you want to see the wonder of the animal instinct humans have in friendship?
   Do you know anybody that immigrated? Then if you value that friendship, read this book now. It does not matter how wonderful the country is to which one immigrates, your longing for your original home, family and friends can never be alleviated. It becomes part of who you are. One does not need to be depressed or wingy about the matter, but it is always there. Pulling at the very strings of your heart. And one try to justify it on a daily basis.
   Ginger and Sara lives this globalization. Sara's office is the world. While she has a family at home. Her friend and support system is at least 3 long haul flights away. Ditto with her in laws.
   Ginger lives the dream, finds the love of her life at a price. Though her office is confined to one country, she is vulnerable to the excruciating elements of this desert.
   My admiration of these two woman knows no bounds, and on top of all of that, they can write!
   Best gift ever for your best friend.



2. I read this book because these authors went to school with my daughters. As I read, my interest went far beyond my connection. The candid sharing of both triumphs and let-downs of each woman was unique and interesting.
   The lessons learned, the sacrifices and wisdom gained from following their dreams was fascinating. I highly recommend this book and hope they will continue writing.



3. How refreshing to read about two loving, smart, independent women and how they realize the need for loving interdependence between friends! The idea of writing a book together over time and many miles is a perfect illustration of their connection. Their stories of being there for each other -- in spirit and when possible in person -- through the best and worst of times are inspiring. They remind us that the realities of adult life are best viewed through loving eyes -- our own and those of our friends and families. I have read it and shared it with friends with joy and confidence that they will enjoy it as well. Definitely add it to your summer must read list.



4. Usually, I'm not a non-fiction reader, but the story of Sarah and Ginger's enduring friendship kept me glued to the book. I'd suggest this to anyone who has a friend of any length of time. Loved it!



5. It's a great read - the intertwining lives of two childhood friends and how they have cleaved together over the decades. What's rare about this book is that each woman has her say and tells her own story - yet the sum is much more powerful than the two parts. Wonderful to see how these two young girls evolve into women as they nurture each other along the way. I loved it.

2 comments about Katharine Graham's Washington.

1. After reading Graham's personal history I was dissapointed that there was nothing else written by her. This book fufills that dissapointment. She provides all sorts of views about Washington even though she doesn't agree with them all. There are articles written by Nancy Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Alice Roosevelt, and many, many more. A great read for anyone interested in Graham or Washington.



2. I am not completely finished with this book, but wanted to post a review urging all who are interested in the history of our country to read this.

   Mrs. Graham has gathered articles from many people associated with the govenment and also some who were natives of Washington and in the social scene. Some were White House employees. She has written an introduction to each article which is helpful.

   There are many interesting stories never seen before. I especially liked the articles of behind the scenes preparations for the visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939 by White House employees. Eleanor Roosevelt's article is different than the one she has in her book as it does not include the stop at Hyde Park.

   Mamie is presented as a difficult taskmaster by the White House seamstress. All good reading.

   I don't know if young folks will enjoy this book as much as I did, but they should give it a try.

   Only objection. There were not enough pictures!

5 comments about My Country Right or Left 1940-1943: The Collected Essays Journalism & Letters of George Orwell (Collected Essays Journalism and Letters of George Orwell).

1. This is my first volume of essays, articles and letters by Blair/Orwell, which I read thanks to Jim Egolf's recent review here. The man contradicts himself quite a bit, but I do not regret the time spent. Who wants to get bored by people that one always agrees with?
   The main theme of the book, due to the time of the sample, is England in war with totalitarianism/fascism/nazism. Though Orwell was in his heart a leftist, he had enough insight from own experience to understand the nature of totalitarianism, he was a dedicated anti-Stalinist, and he staid away from party politics.
   And yet: his long essay 'The Lion and the Unicorn', one of the core texts of this book, gives a political vision, that puzzles me. He displays a surprising naivete about the strength of economic planning in socialism. Of course, we have the benefit of hindsight, we know that a central planning bureaucracy can be the right approach for a short term effort, like for a war, but will be hopelessly lost in inefficiencies in 'normal' times. Orwell was deeply convinced that state capitalism or socialism was the future, there would be no return after the war.
   I have decided to ignore his political recipes, but to enjoy his social analyses: England is a rich man's paradise, but the ruling class is too stupid to run the country.
   One of his main contributions to our understanding of the confict of the time: his juxtaposition of the ideology of hedonism (which nearly led the West into the abyss) against the ideology of social sacrifice, which helped the Nazis to succeed, luckily only temporarily.
   I wonder if he fully understood the real antagonism of Hitler to the West or if he got deceived by the temporary diversion of the pact with Stalin. (I notice when I browse the reviews and comments in this neighborhood that there is a certain willingness to say, the West should have gone with Hitler against the Soviets. Oh my, what a misunderstanding.) Probably he did. In a nice remark after the German attack on Russia he says, had this happened before the Hitler-Stalin pact, there was a chance of serious political disturbance in Britain, because the ruling class might have wanted to join the attack on Germany's side.
   My favorite text in the collection is the essay on H.G.Wells' inability to understand Hitler. Wells was the man who envisaged scientific progress against reactionary societies earlier in the century. He was unable to understand that Hitler's essentially irrational and superstitious ideology was capable of an efficient alliance with the other side of science.



2. This book is an anthology of Orwell's essays, literary criticism, letters to friends,and political criticism. Those who read this book can read some interesting letters that Orwell wrote to the editors of THE PARTISAN REVIEW on the fortunes of W.W. II involving the British. The book concludes with Orwell's diary of the war. While George Orwell (1903-1950)was a self admitted "leftist," he was not an ideologue. Orwell showed that he was a well read individual and knew very well that political labels conceal the desire for political power regardless of political titles and party affilations.
   
   Orwell was a master of literary criticism. Two examples are his review and comments on Hitler's MEIN KAMPF and Tolstoy's denounciation of Shakespear. Orwell commented that an English review of Mein Kampf favaored the German dictator. Orwell correctly predicted such praise would soon evaporate which it did. Orwell informed readers that praise for Hitler was not unusal. One must note that Churchill complimented Hitler in Churchill's book titled GREAT CONTEMPORARIES. Churchill also complimented Hitler in a speech to Parliament in November, 1938. Here Orwell shows not only his ability as a literary critic, but he informs younger readers that the political disapproval word,fascism, had a different connotation. Many Europeans including the British middle and upper classes had serious concerns of Big Communism with its record of mass murder and concentration camp brutality.
   
   Orwell showed himself again as a literary critic when Orwell critisized Tolstoy for the latter's condemnation of William Shakespear. Orwell correctly refuted Tolstoy on a couple of issues. First, Tolstoy read Shakespear in translation which may have tainted his understanding of Shakespear. Also Tolstoy tried to condemn Shakespear in lieu of Tolstoy's social philosophy. Orwell stated such criticism was useless because such criticism would have been incomprehensible to Shakespear and his English contemporaries in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Orwell also chided Tolstoy for his assumed superiority. Tolstoy could not understand why Shakespear literary work was so appealing and wrote that everyone should know that Shakespear was some sort of scoundral. Yet, Orwell wryly comments that Shakespear's literay work was available throughout the world while Orwell could not find Tolstoy's essay until he found it in a museum.
   
   The best part of this Orwell anthology are his political essays. Orwell noted that there was suppose to be a bitter political divide betwen Fascism and Big Communism. When the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact in 1939 unhinged this concept and angered Communists and their fellow travellers. When asked about this unexpected turn of diplomatic events, Molotov (I believe it was Molotov) who said that the difference between Socialism (Bib Communism) and Fascism was a matter of taste. Approximately two years later when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, this view sure changed. Orwell stated that Stalin and his supporters would have called themselves Fascists if they thought such a label would enhance their power. Hitler and his supporters would have done the same. Orwell clearly indicated that men who have concentrated power will use whatever political labels to keep or enhance their complete hold on power.
   
   Orwell used the political chaos both inside the Soviet Union and in Europe to sound a serious warning that literature could be lost because of the rapid changes in political loyalties. The sudden changes in internal enemis in the Soviet Union serves as a classic example. The heros of the Workers' Paradise were concentration camp victims the next day because they could not stay current with ruling party's changing enemy's list. The Non-Aggtression Pact mentioned above is another good example. Orwell reflected that in previous centuries, literary men (an women)had "a frame of reference." Their political and religious loyalties were stable from cradle to grave. However, given the rapidly changing of enemies, literary figures had no such stability and writing could be dangerous especially in the Soveit Union where writers were either sent to concentration camps or committed suicide. Had Orwell lived longer, he would have been pleased to see such Soviet writers as Boris Pasternak (DR. ZHIVAGO) and Alexander Solzhenitsyn who surived the Soviet purges and yet were awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In fact, Solzhenitsyn sent ten years in a Soviet concentration camp from which he emerged as a literary giant. Orwell did suggest that totalitarian thought control could not survive the spirit and soul of thoughtful men.
   
   Among Orwell's many talents was his ability to expose political hypocrisy. Many of the British leaders were demanding that Mussolini be charged for "war crimes." Orwell scoffed at this nonsense. Orwell cearly indicated to his readers that those British leaders who demanded such "war crimes" trials against Mussolini were exactly the same British leaders who ten years previously praised Mussoini for the acts they now wanted to charge as war crimes. Orwell had a solid memory, and when Mussolini moved against the Communists and aided Franco in the Spanish Civil War, many of the same British leaders who wanted to try Mussolini for "war crimes," praised him for his actions which they awkardly tried to define as war crimes ten years later. Among those who praised Mussolini in the 1920s-1930s included Churchill.
   
   In parts of the book Orwell showed himself as a military expert. When there were threats of a possible German invasion, Orwell had practical suggestions of arming the British citizen with the most practicle weapons. Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War and volunteered for W.W. II, but illness kept out of that conflict. Orwell also took pride in his position in the Home Guard.
   
   This reviewer has one criticism. Orwell's letters to the PARTISAN REVIEW, political essays, literary criticism, etc. should have been arranged by topic rather than by time sequence. This would enable readers to easily read the book. However, this reviewer could not have done nearly as good a job. Orwell simply enhanced his position as a great novelist, literary critic, political thinker, and excellent prose writer. Readers would to well to read this book to have a better understanding of the war years (W.W II) than is presented in badly written textbooks and popular accounts. This reviewer highly recommends this book.



3. For years, I have been impressed by the quality of the essays in Dickens, Dali, and Others, Shooting an Elephant, and Such, Such Were the Joys. I was looking forward to reading more of Orwell's essays. I soon discovered, however, that Orwell's essays not published in book form shared all the faults of those that I had read, but few of the virtues.
   
   Many cite Orwell's honesty as his primary virtue, but these essays reveal a man who is, if not dishonest, then at least quite blind to his own experiences. He states, without any supporting evidence, that "only Socialist nations can fight effectively" (p. 67, from The Lion and the Unicorn), despite the fact that he served in an army organized along socialist lines (as narrated on p. 255), if not the army of a socialist nation, five years prior to the publication of this statement; the army was defeated decisively by Generalissimo Franco's decidedly non-socialist forces.
   
   Orwell also frequently resorts to name-calling. Those who disagree with him politically are almost invariably "reactionaries", "Fascists", or "pro-Fascist". Jack London is "not . . . a fully civilised man."; rather, he possesses a "streak of savagery". Any thought, expression, or even word of which Orwell disapproves is "vulgar", from the cartoon postcards of Donald McGill to Kipling's statement that "He travels the fastest who travels alone" to Yeats's use of the word (!) "loveliness" (Orwell also claims that "Yeats's tendency is Fascist." on p. 273).
   
   It is clear to me after reading this volume that the editors who selected pieces for the three volumes of essays published during Orwell's lifetime made the right choices; they show him at his best. The rest of the material here is hardly worth reading except as a window into the soul of a man who was incapable of viewing the world except through the distorting lens of a commitment to socialism.



4. ...Country Right or Left is part of a four volume set of essays commissioned by Orwell's wife Sonia. Whatever the criticisms that have been made of her stewardship of Orwell's legacy, these four volumes contain much of the best of Orwell's essays, letters and diary excerpts. This volume covers the early war years and much of the writing is shaded by that war.

   This is Orwell at his finest, on one hand a confirmed socialist dedicated to fighting the right whether the Tory party or fascism; one the other hand an anti-Stalinist and critic of the left and always an anti-totalitarian.

   Contained within "My Country Right or Left" is some of Orwell's best writing. In "Pacifism and the War", a notorious piece at the time, he accuses pacifists of aiding the fascist cause. "The Art of Donald McGill" is an essay about, of all things, postcards that are popular among the middle and lower classes. The postcards themselves, Orwell argues, say much about England's political and social attitudes. It's actually a perceptive piece of pop art and social commentary. Among my favorites is the essay concerning Mark Twain (Mark Twain- Licensed Jester). Orwell, a great admirer of Twain's, is critical of him for not being forceful enough in his social criticism. He accusation is that Twain pulls his punches far too often. It's a great piece of criticism and is Orwell at his finest.

   What holds a large amount of this Volume together are the letters to the Partisan Review, a New York publication that contracted with Orwell to write commentary on England during this early war period. The issues vary from English politics, reflections on the clothing worn by the masses, attitudes towards democracy and so on. All well written, never dull and very often wrong in their predictions. There is much more here including excerpts from his diary, letters to other major figures of the day and reflections on the Spanish Civil War.

   This is some of the greatest essay writing in the English language. Even sixty years later the essay's read clearly and give insight to Orwell's thinking.




5. This is a great collection of essays and other writers by one of the foremost socialist critics of totalitarianism and domination. It is also a great book for admires of writers such as Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and Edward said, as all share the same overarching purpose: to be a tireless critic of power and domination wherever it may be found. It is ironic to the extreme that so many conservative revisionists attempt to claim Orwell as their own, which is due to the tragically myopic misreading of his writings, especailly 1984 and Animal Farm. Both books are condemnations of totalitarianism, and in the case of Animal farm, the final page attests to Orwell's repugnance of capitalism. Let it not be forgotten that Orwell fought in the Spanish Civil War in the aid of the socialist-anarchists. This is truly a great collection, which should be required reading for those who may not be familar with Orwell's non-fiction work.

5 comments about Not So Wild a Dream.

1. Eric Sevareid (1912 - 1992) was a third generation Norwegian-American born and raised in a small town in northern North Dakota. His book of memoirs Not So Wild a Dream, published in 1947, is mostly about an action-filled 15 year period from high school graduation in 1930 (age 17) to the end of World War II (age 32). During that time Sevareid professionally and personally went through a number of adventures that typify his "Greatest Generation" and events of the world at large.
   
   Sevareid was one of the pioneering "Morrow Boys", a team of radio journalists who filed daily radio journalistic pieces from Europe during the war. This allowed him to travel to many places and get up close to the front and fighting. Sevareid is at his best narrating his adventures, the book is episodic and some of the best include: Bombings in London during the Battle of Britain; the plane wreck while going over "the hump" into China; his experiences in Paris during the "phony war" and "Exodus"; the horrors of war on the Italian front; the D-Day invasion and subsequent Battle of the Rhine; the mutiny on-board a Liberty Ship in NY harbor. His accounts of the Great Depression, when he tramped around as a hobo on a train are really excellent, as is his description of a 2500 mile canoe trip, which is covered in more detail in his 1935 book Canoing with the Cree. These two books, written while still a young man, would be his most popular, and last real literary output - although he always considered himself a writer first, most of his later career was on television..
   
   Sevareid was known for writing "think pieces", for example in one transcript, aired late in the war to popular acclaim, he talks about the unknowability of the experience of combat for a soldier, the impossibility of words to describe the immediate and often irrational emotions and thoughts of a soldier. These "think pieces" became a trademark of his later in life as a TV reporter, and Not So Wild a Dream often goes off on a thinking tangent. If there is a theme to the book, Sevareid is seeking the essence and spirit of his time and generation, what we might call the "Zeitgeist", and he often comes very close to capturing the immediate feeling of change. It is why this book is so important as a primary source for documenting the times and his generation. One of the more profound moments for me is when he sees a change in his generations attitude towards war:
   
   "Our own men, whose cult was antimilitarism [in the 1930s students were highly anti-military], whose habit is to identify themselves merely as civilians in different cloths who detested soldiering, now subtly changed. There was a dash and verve about them that I had rarely observed before, and young boys would frankly say: "In Italy all i used to think about was going home. Now I kinda hate to quit before we get to Berlin." It was if they suddenly realized they were soldiers by profession, with the honest desire to complete this masterpiece of their skill down to the last detail."
   
   Sevareid is right, during WWII the American military went from a small and and unpopular enterprise to a large beast that to this day is a major force in American culture, the consequences of which Eisenhower predicted in his military-industrial complex speech. Another area Sevareid muses on is the waning power of Britain and the ascending power of the USA - which given the events post-Cold War and the "Rise of the Rest" of the world, also has a prophetic tone. To get an idea what the US will be like as it becomes less relevant in the world - with the rise of China, India and the rest - one only has to read Sevareid's account of the waning power of Britain in the last chapters of the book.



2. I ran into an old friend in the library stacks, an old CBS commentator pictured on the back of his book, "Not So Wild A Dream." For one who was always captivated by this worldly-wise soul, Eric Sevareid, pages into this memoir of his early years to manhood and full citizenship at the close of World War II I was in complete enthrallment. Like striking the richest vein of learning. Inside this "memoir" you wil find three adventures: the earliest taken by Sevareid and a companion by canoe and foot over 1300 miles of northwest waterways at age 17; then a railway tour of the U.S. in the thirties, filled with nuggets of whimsy and wisdom, leading to the outbreak of World War II,the final adventure spanning 4 continents, major Allied campaign areas while raising a family and meeting deadlines.All the captivating storytelling gifts man can struggle for are on display in this wonderful look at the Greatest Generation in the first half of the 20th Century by one of our very own. Compelling human drama, amazing quickly-drawn human sketches and thought-provoking commentary when normal words begin to fail are the seldom-realized resources of this journalist of the House of Murrow. For those who know that time and place only through Life or Time magazines, this will color in all the gaps with greater dimension. This is a treasure trove for aspiring writers of any level to read one who walked with Dickens, Gibbons, Herodotus, Churchill and Gertrude Stein at his side, the antidote for the TV jackanapes who serve us propaganda with no historical context under the banner of "headline news." Sevareid represents the elite of Murrow talent who were first in the service of truth, skeptical of those who wandered away from that path and had the integrity to caution those who thought otherwise.Henry Adams, another American, represents the patrician class; Sevareid, a classless original.



3. One of the best books written by an American. Read it, and you will agree.
   
   The book was compared to "The Education of Henry Adams" when it was first published. I think Sevareid's book is much better. Ignorant of me? I hope not. I have read them both more than once, and Sevareid is the best.
   
   This is the book to read about America in the 20th Century. The depression, riding the rails, the incredible canoe trip Sevareid and his friend made, pre-war Europe and Nazi Germany.
   
   Then, the war. Sevareid saw it from Asia and Europe. He survived the crash of his C-46 crossing "the Hump," and returned to Europe to see the end of the war.
   
   You see the war as he saw it, and you read one remarkable story after another. Sevareid's account of the war is personal, on a personal level. He writes of people and events. the GI slogging through Italy, and the impressions left by encounters with the great and powerful.
   
   What a great book. He wrote thoughtfully and beautifully. His observations are remarkable. You feel America when you read his book. What a treat to have this book around. Just fabulous.



4. Well, yes, Eric Sevareid's autobiography to the year 1946 is a good read by a seasoned world observer. He grew up in the same North Dakota milieu as my father. I liked the part where he was advised not to enlist during World War II because he might find himself "...cranking a mimeograph machine in the public relations section of some Nebraska army camp for the next three years." Surely his contributions as a wartime news correspondent served in good stead.
   
   I'm not sure Sevareid thought much of women-he refers to an "honest whore" and "old crones." His wife is barely mentioned. Then again, he was a product of his time. Sevareid ends his book with, I guess, a plea for niceness and not bad war. As has been said, however, men love war. It is "...like lifting a corner of the Universe and taking a peek." We'll never top that.



5. The rarest of coming of age stories, one that deals not with the emotional struggles that adolescents face upon reaching social maturity, but instead a story of a generation and a nation (would that we Xers had a representative as articulate and thoughtful as Severeid) coming to terms with their ideological commitments and global responsibilities.

5 comments about So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading.

1. Sara Nelson, So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading (Putnam, 2003)
   
   I had this book on my goal list for three years before getting to it. Then I finally started reading it on January 31... and did not finish it until March 20. To say that I understand the book's title (and recognize the irony in my own approach to it) would be, perhaps, understating the case.
   
   I'm not one for memoirs, but it was impossible for me not to pick up a memoir about a woman whose goal is to read one book a week for an entire year and keep a journal about it. I mean, that's just perfect fodder for a bibliophile, right? And it helps that Nelson's narrative voice is keen and witty. This book is a collection of conversations I'd hope to have with someone I was tandem-reading books with; there's a lot about the books, of course, but Nelson also ties the books into her life (usually during musings on why a particular book jumped out at her at the particular time she read it), current and historical events, and all sorts of other ephemera. Well, ephemera to the book lover, anyway; who needs life when you have a bushel of cherry shelves crammed with books whose spines are calling out to you every minute of the day? Oh, yeah, I grok where Sara Nelson is coming from, I surely do.
   
   I will warn voracious readers that, like Nancy Pearl's Book Lust, So Many Books, So Little Time is the kind of book that will add any number of titles to your to-be-read stack. Even books that don't sound interesting in the least are written up by Nelson so well that I felt the need to add them to the list, just because she makes them sound so enchantingly bad. So while ultimately this book might lead you to a much thinner wallet, I wholeheartedly recommend it. ****



2. "My books are my secret lovers, the friends I run to to get away from the daily drudgeries of life, to try out something new, and yes, to get away, for a few hours, from (husband Leo). He doesn't need to know that my books are the affairs I do not have." - Sara Nelson in SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME
   
   Sara Nelson, at the time a book reviewer for Glamour magazine, vowed to read a book a week during 2002. In SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME, she tells us, her fellow bibliophiles, how she fared, as well as her past and present experiences with the great passion of her life - reading.
   
   Upon completion of this engaging volume, I was tempted to award 3 or 4 stars, chiefly because her literary interests are so different from mine and I couldn't relate to most of the particular titles that she mentions. (I've heard of perhaps only a third of them, and have myself read only a couple. Indeed, she reads only the rare historical novel, and, almost incomprehensibly and reprehensibly, non-fiction works of history not at all.) But, this would have been supreme self-centeredness on my part. Sara does with excellence what she intended to do, i.e. describe what are for her and for the rest of us compulsive book lovers the varied facets of the reading experience, many of which we hardly ever give a thought. Several times I found myself nodding in affirmation of her written words and thinking, "Yup, you hit that right on."
   
   SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME is divided into thirty-five chapters, plus Prologue and Epilogue. Each chapter is headed by a date and title, the former, in the aggregate, sequentially and more or less evenly spaced out over 2002. Each chapter, with reference to specific book titles, deals with an aspect of book consumption. As examples:
   
   "February 1, Double-Booked" about the practice of having one book for home and one for away. In Nelson's case, as in mine, the former is usually hardcover and the latter a more portable softcover.
   
   "February 27, The Clean Plate Book Club" concerning the obsession to finish a book once begun, and the maturation process that eventually allows one to permanently toss one that's not working. For me at 59, this still goes against the grain, but I've learned. Thankfully, I find myself in the predicament only rarely.
   
   "March 22, Sharing Books Gives Me Heartburn" about the painful practice of lending books out and perhaps not getting them back. I never lend books, but freely give them away when I'm through with them.
   
   "June 1, Summer Reading" concerning the overly optimistic notion that one will have the time to read on those summer weekends away at the beach resort, or wherever. Verily, vacations with my wife are death marches; who has time to read?
   
   "July 20, Reading Confidential", or how to fall in and out of love with a particular author.
   
   "September 18, Kid Stuff", about the impact the books of childhood may have on our lives. I'll never forget the Young Trailer series by Joseph Altsheler featuring the Kentucky frontiersmen Henry Ware, Paul Cotter, Shif'less Sol Hyde, Long Jim Hart, and Silent Tom Ross.
   
   "September 25, Sex and the City", concerning the prurient pay-off a best-selling erotic novel may or may not provide the reader. Well, I recall becoming feverish as a young adolescent upon reading my secret copy of FANNIE HILL.
   
   "November 15, Oeuvre and Oeuvre Again", regarding the branding of writers by the publishers, and the prudent disinclination to read too many books by the same author back to back. This is a policy I've followed religiously, except after I discovered Gerald Seymour.
   
   "November 25, Openings", or the ability of a book's opening lines to grab and not let go (for better or worse).
   
   "December 10, Friends and Family", about the pressure of being asked by a writer, sometimes a friend or family member, to read a work and give an honest opinion. Writers occasionally ask me to read and review their stuff; I've made several friends and, I suspect, a few enemies. One of the former actually created a fictional character bearing my name in one of his action thrillers (Hot Blood (A Dan Shepherd Mystery) ); my double-take would've been fodder for the old TV show "Candid Camera".
   
   Only once did I become irritated with the author, and this over a small point of geography. As a resident of New York City, I doubt Sara would seriously claim that Philadelphia is near Richmond, VA. Yet, when referring to the WWII American internment camp for Japanese-American citizens at Manzanar in the Owens Valley near present day Independence, CA, she states it being "near Santa Ana, California" though the two places are separated by roughly 260 miles, about the same distance separating Philly and Richmond. Perhaps Nelson should add a Rand McNally 2008 Road Atlas: Large Scale- United States (Rand Mcnally Large Scale Road Atlas USA) to her "must read" stack.
   
   Despite my single twinge of irritation and my general inability to relate to the author's choice of reading materials, I'm awarding five stars because, in the end, Sara shares the view:
   
   "I've lived the past year exactly how I wanted to - between the covers of books and in the places in my head that those books have taken me. I've been agitated, excited, enthralled, annoyed, frustrated, and sometimes a little bored. But I've never been lonely."
   
   Indeed, because of books, this statement applies to my entire life. Thank you, Sara, for reminding me of this truth.



3. Sara Nelson's "So Many Books, So Little Time" is an account of a reading life told with delightful wit and charm. So many people these days are doing or not doing something for a year. Two recent bestsellers come to mind: "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" and "The Year of Living Biblically." Nelson's undertaking was "a year of passionate reading." She set out to read a book a week and planned to record her thoughts and impressions. This may sound like a formidable task but for a book nut, it's a piece of cake. Nelson is an insomniac who wanders around her house at odd hours, so she'll read at three o'clock in the morning when most people are fast asleep. Like all bibliophiles, she takes books almost anywhere she goes, especially if there's waiting time involved. Standing on line in the post office or sitting on a bus? These are perfect reading opportunities. Since Nelson owns a huge number of books and has access to many others through her job, friends, and bookstores, supply is not a problem. The main difficulty was deciding exactly what to read.
   
   Although Nelson's tastes in reading are uniquely hers, she does offer some advice that I heartily endorse: 1. Do not finish a book that you detest because of a misplaced sense of guilt. 2. Do not allow yourself to be emotionally blackmailed into reading something simply because a friend insists that it is AMAZING. 3. Do not be instantly seduced by the media hype surrounding a particular book.
   
   Books are living and breathing entities that may have great meaning for particular individuals. A book might serve as a rite of passage for one person, and for another, it may strike a chord because of a significant event in his or her life. Nelson mentions Nora Ephron's "Heartburn," an autobiographical female revenge story about a woman scorned; sharing Ephron's bittersweet experiences can serve as a catharsis for someone who finds herself in a similar predicament.
   
   "So Many Books" is intensely personal and extremely amusing. Nelson chats candidly about life with her husband and son (and how reading fits into her busy routine), and she discusses her opinion of works ranging from "Anna Karenina," to "Charlotte's Web." She also talks about how special this year was for her: "I've lived the past year exactly how I've wanted to--between the covers of books and in the places in my head that those books have taken me. I've been agitated, frustrated, and sometimes a little bored. But I've never been lonely." She insists that "to read a book is to have a relationship." I couldn't agree more.



4. One of the senior contributing editors to Glamour magazine lines up a reading list of 52 books (99% novels) to read during the year. This collection of essays tracks her troubles sticking to the list; her thoughts on book lending, book covers, and hype; and how books gave her insights on her volatile Japanese-American husband.
   
   Interesting that she didn't just write 52 book reviews. Instead she concentrated on the process of reading (how she picks books, how some are easy or hard to get into, her motives for reading or avoiding certain titles, what books say about their owners), and how novels shape her life.
   
   Of course, as a cynical New Yorker, she despises all books on self-help or spirituality. Much of the fiction she did pick didn't really move me: she re-read Marjorie Morningstar, Heartburn, and Charlotte's Web, she skims others that "everyone" is talking about.
   
   One thing that is hard to like: she makes countless unnecessarily catty remarks about people in her social circle, and you get the uneasy feeling that they may easily recognize themselves if they read her book. However, I did like how she and her sister care enough to work with their intensively competitive relationship. A mixed bag in this book, but mostly good stuff here.



5. I thought this book of all genres--at least in some detail but it didn't. I thought the cover was fun..you can't always judge a book by its cover. I read less than a 1/4 of it but I couldn't go on. I would rather be reading my own 'so many books, so little time'

5 comments about Gellhorn: A Twentieth-Century Life.

1. I have been reading Gellhorn's non-fiction and am generally dispondent that I have found myself at the end of what is readily available. I picked up a copy of Travels with Myself and Another at random and became fascinated by Gellhorn. On the strength of another reviewers recommendation, I selected this book rather than others. I was not disappointed. It is a strange thing to read someone through their own eyes and then to see them without their own filter. Her own professional writing portrays her as a strong woman at ease on her own, while excerpts of her private letters suggest that she was very lonely. In any event, I zipped through the book and was surprised at the manner in which her life ended. Although, on reflection, I shouldn't have been.



2. I found this book thoroughly absorbing, a meal for the intellect and the soul.
   
   Martha Gellhorn was a woman ahead of her time. Carolyn Moorehead does a good job of chronicling each chapter of Gellhorn's illustrious life as a war correspondent and writer. And what an amazing span of history Martha witnessed, from the Spanish Civil War up to the invasion of Panama. A rather fearless woman who "ran with the wolves", Gellhorn had friendships and love affairs with legends. Of course, she is known for having been married to Ernest Hemingway... but she was also friend and confidant of H.G. Wells, Eleanor Roosevelt, Leonard Bernstein... and she crossed paths with Diego Rivera, Colette, Adlai Stevenson, and many other notables of the 20th Century.
   
   Marha really had two great loves in her life: being where the action was, where the great issues of the century were being decided, and secondly , escaping to colorful places where she could find solitude. She best loved the places that afforded freedom and sun, like Mexico, Cuba and Kenya.
   
   Of course,she was full of contradictions, personally, and unsuited for motherhood. I wish only that this book had exposed more of her acute observations about the way that the world works, and her true courage. This is a woman who at 85 yrs. of age, suffering from macular degeneration and other maladies, made a valiant effort to continue speaking for the oppressed.
   
   She was sharp until the end of her days. Moorehead has of this writing published a book of Gellhorn's letters which better illuminates Martha's character, and should serve as a good companion to this biography.
   
   Christiane Amanpour, Lara Logan et. al. owe a great debt to this woman, though they can hardly hope to match her reportorial savvy and brilliance. As Moorehead acknowledges, Martha inspires nostalgia for the days when a reporter went to the core of things, with words honestly written in simple notebooks--words that could be believed.
   
   She believed all governments inexorably abused power. She said of Lyndon Johnson: "Never trust a Texan further than you can throw a rhino."
   
   Martha, you rocked.



3. Caroline Moorehead captures the passion of trend-setting journalist Martha Gellhorn in this biography. She follows Gellhorn through the Spanish Civil War, a turbulent marriage to (fellow friend of Spanish loyalists) Ernest Hemingway, and Gellhorn's success in breaking tradition by accompanying the invading Allied armies in World War II. Moorehead's sense of history is acute and she avoids the pitfall of over-dramatizing.
   
   The book falls short only in its failure to resolve the contradictions of Gellhorn's personality...the promiscuous woman who was ambivalent toward sex...the egalitarian who cultivated the high and mighty...the compulsive wanderer and adventurer who cherished the companionship of her mother and close friends. We want to like Gellhorn, but we don't understand her well enough to get there.



4. Martha Gellhorn was a controversial journalist, and as anyone can see, this biography is either loved or hated without a lot of opinion in between.I fall in the love camp.The book is a good job at capturing the subject, warts and all.The author has clearly gone to great lengths to gather information that allowed her to capture the public and private essence of Gellhorn.Moorehead backed up her presentation many times with quotes from Gellhorn's voluminous correspondence.This is not the author's first biography and it shows;it is a first class job at piecing together the subject's long and complex life.The author is frequently clever in her wording and general handling of the book.If I have any criticism it is that the narrative occasionally moves forward without preparing the reader for a change in subject.
   I did not find this book boring.It is a book that would interest most readers that enjoy reading about 20th century history.Gellhorn's strong personality,wartime reporting,travel episodes ,love and sex life,marriage to Hemingway,and general passage through life offer a lot of spice for the reader. Though Gellhorn was a bit prickly or "difficult" at times,she was a witness to a substantial number of historical events.Her reports were first class and continue to be popular today within the reading public (The Face of War,Travels with Myself and Another, etc).Unquestionally she was a controversial character, but she counted and is an appropriate subject of interest.



5. I'm a Gellhorn fan, no doubt. However, I'm able to separate the journalist from the legend and the myth from the woman, who like so many of us, had clay feet. It's interesting to me how many men develop a virulent dislike of her, while most women can see past her many flaws, admire her courage, and take the inspirational parts of her life for what they are. I suppose if you have very set ideas about what a woman should be like, then Martha Gellhorn's bio is not for you.
   
   However, I'd recommend her work and this biog. For the open minded.