5 comments about Hello to All That: A Memoir of Zoloft, War, and Peace.

1. Author put his heart and soul into this memoir & it shows on every page.
   
   He not only went over to war-torn Sarajevo to pull himself out of his own deep, dark pit, but perhaps to do some good--if at all possible.
   
   It does get to you--on an emotional level & I've had to put the book down for a spell from time to time to collect myself; it is that touching.
   
   John Falk was truly the exception (to so many other journalists) who went over there for their own self-gain: ratings, a boost to their career & whatnot, never really giving a damn that the people of Sarajevo were under seige by the Chetniks and were being picked off like ducks in a shooting gallery (while on a desperate, daily quest for food, water and wood (to keep warm during severe winter months) He did what good he could do over there. No, he didn't stop the war, but he did enough; he did a lot more than a whole lot of other journalists, while battling his own demons.
   
   To reveal it here, might spoil your reading experience, so we won't say anything else about it.
   
   The other thing I did not fully understand regarding war correspondents who were over there (until I read this book) is that they had, pretty much, total freedom--at least to fly in or out of the country. So long as they had access to some money, these journalists could hop on a plane and fly to Italy, or wherever--to load up on great chow and drink--and then return to Sarajevo, where people were literally starving.
   
   I find this infuriating. This explains why the foreign correspondents always looked well-fed and nicely dressed. Hell; why not?
   They didn't have to scrounge around for food and/or water (and risk getting shot--well, some did get shot and even died over there, still...you get the pocture: they could hop on a plane whenever they wished and fly to Germany, Italy, France, etc., etc. stuff themselves silly and return to Sarajevo where misery prevailed for those trapped in the city and WERE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE)
   
   And the U.N? Forget the U.N--who pretty much made the suffering all the more possible.
   
   The only reason I did not give it five stars (which ordinarily I would have) is because the memoir would stay with the Sarajevo phase for three or four chapters, and then switch to the author's teen years and the setting in of his depression, but then just as you were getting into that part of it, the book would switch back to Sarajevo for another three or four chapters, etc. I mean I'd really be getting into the Sarajevo part, the people he encountered along the way and their various dilemmas & the memoir would, once again, switch back to his home down, college years, and all that.
   
   I understand, though, it was probably done this way because the author and his editor, no doubt, saw no other way of tackling the subject matter. It''s cool. It's still a terrific read and should give some people enough hope who may be suffering with depression as John Falk once did.
   
   Anyway, read it. John Falk gives you a unique take on what took place during the year he spent in Sarajevo.
   
   P.S.
   
   See SHOT THROUGH THE HEART, starring Linus Roache and Vincent Perez. Based on an actual "anti-sniper" Falk got to know while over there. Powerful stuff.



2. I saw the title in Borders one day and something about it just caught me. Maybe its because i was also 24, living in my mothers basement, and was on the better half of my own battle with depression, despair, and uncertainty in life. Either way, i went to the library a week later and checked it out.
   
   An easy read, and i definitely identified with it. I think the duality of the war and flashing back to 80's long island was a great way to write the story.
   
   It isnt a self-help book, its just a real interesting story. And easy to read and well written. Its really an inspriring coming of age story as well. The way he decided to just pack up and go to Bosnia was great.
   
   I only gave it 4 stars cause it wont change your life or be the best book you ever read, but it was very enjoyable. If you are going through a depression or hard times, id reccomend something by Dan Millman or Dr David Burns first, but anyone thats been there can really appriciate this book.



3. Chapter 1's leap into Sarajevo had me. Chapter 2's first expressions of adolescent depression put me off, and I thought I was going to hate this book (and its author) as another self-centered, whine-fest, but there was a drama there that kept me reading. By chapter 3 I had surrendered to Mr. Falk's story, and I eventually succumbed to Mr. Falk's charms as an author. At least until I started writing this review.
   
   "Hello to All That..." is harrowing, humorous, and compelling, but it also seems a bit glib in a made for TV sense. There's a need to entertain that subtly subverts the power of the story. "Hello to All That..." is a crisis memoir that addresses the search for self in the midst of profound depression, and the redemption of "cure" through drug therapy, and release from self. It's a privileged child's coming-of-age memoir that reminded me that privilege is not necessarily protection, and hardship is only romantic to the detached observer. It's also a war story in which the scenes played out in ways that added to a dramatic made for TV feel.
   
   My other problems with the book were in its alternating chapter strategy which caused a wrench in flow, and I wonder that Mr. Falk or his editors weren't able to develop smoother transitions; and the author's admission that the chronology was altered for dramatic impact. The chronological tinkering is the larger problem. I don't know if that's fair in a memoir, and given the recent controvery with James Frey's, "A Million Little Pieces," it's tricky ground to be walking on. Mr Falk's desire to create drama may also have something to do with the "let me entertain you," feel I got from the book. The admission is admirable, but I find it troubling nonetheless.
   
   "Hello to All That..." was a good read, in the moment, but quite problematic on reflection. As a "read" I'm giving it three stars, as a memoir I'd only give it two.



4. I could not put this book down. I have struggled with depression for years. There is no book that explains depression more believably - Falk's feeling that life has no meaning echoes how I have felt for most of my life. He is the voice for the most cynical of all of us.
   
   The main thing that made it a brilliant piece was what he gave us in the end. Throughout the book, I was hoping for a giant piece of insight to pull me out of my own despair. About 3/4's through, he talks to the wise man who has seen it all in war-ravaged Bosnia. The guy responds with something like "Love is the answer." My heart started sinking as I almost predicted what was going to happen. He was going to take the wise man's advice and return to America, with renewed appreciation for the family that loves him. I thought: While this is a great ending for Falk, it leaves the rest of us in the lurch. What about the 'Roberts' out there who don't have anyone? Then, the wedding bells chime and it feels like there will be no answer. But just before the book closes, he drops a line: "Not one soul in that my [wedding] backyard did I meet while I was depressed."
   
   So his message is powerfully clear: Depression can really destroy a life, so that one ends up completely alone.
   
   I really think part of his remission is due to a combination of things - how his life was enriched by his experiences, but most of all that he is now surrounded by people that love him. I strongly got the feeling that he never really "recovered" until he found himself no longer "on the edges of other people's lives", but happily married. But in order to get there, he had to get on the antidepressants, which gave him the umph he needed to gain some new experiences. Perhaps those experiences enriched him as a person so that he was able to more successfully connect with other people. For man is a social animal, and without that sense of belonging most of us feel adrift and alone.
   
   The biggest piece of wisdom I gathered from Falk's piece is to what extent depression CAUSES life to go bad, rather than the other way around. For he found hard evidence in the fact that there are HAPPY people in a war-torn country. Unthinkable. While external circumstances can certainly destroy, he provided a clue to those of us who are hurting in spite of all the advantages. His non-condescending, measured tone will go a long way to make you feel validated if you are suffering from depression.



5. This novel jumps from present day Sarajevo in 1993 to, in the next chapter, Long Island in the 1980's. In Sarajevo Falk fights to stay alive and find stories as an inexperienced and naive freelance reporter, back on Long Island he fights a long and horrible depression that started for no reason and for twelve long hard years showed no signs of ever ending. John is convinced that no one can help him and all he can do is try to hang on and hope everything goes back to the way it was.
   
   Through the book, we see all aspects of his life and get to know Falk better than most of our closest relatives. It made me wonder how many of my close friends are secretly battling depression. John eventually does see a psychiatrist, and after a few different medications finally finds relief. After college, he sets off to find himself and ends up in Sarajevo alone again. However, with the help of Zoloft he knows that nothing is hopeless.
   
   As a depression survivor, I would recommend this to anyone that thinks that they are alone without hope or anyone that has ever been comforted, as Falk was at one point, by knowing that they can end their life anytime. I know I have made the book sound depressing but Falk is a wonderful writer and the novel has many funny and uplifting moments. The world would be a better place if more people were like John Falk.

5 comments about The Soccer War.

1. This is very worthwhile reading for residents of North America or Europe to gain a better understanding of conflict and politics in other parts of the world, even if it dates back to the 1960s and 70s. Kapuscinski describes events and situations that most of us will never experience, fortunately. His style is direct, immediate, sometimes blunt, but especially effective in conveying what war is like on the ground. He was an "official" journalist for a Communist country. He had the privilege of traveling abroad, but everything he wrote for publication was censored. Presumably Kapuscinski's masters wanted him to paint a picture of brave Third World peoples fighting for freedom against capitalist exploitation. But there is little or nothing here that you could call Communist propaganda. Instead it is engaging reporting of historic events in conflict zones (Africa, Central America, Syria, Cyprus) by an intelligent, humane observer who has good insights.



2. It is a striking book. Mr. Kapuscinski is a great writer and the narrative is simply wonderful.
   
   It is a great account of the cold war, as fought in Africa and Latin America.



3. Kapuscinski is the master of international journalism. Often he prefaces his accounts by saying something to the affect of, "Everyone told me that trying to get into the Congo was suicide. I had to do it." The result is a perspective that no one else is able to give, a sometimes brutal but eye-opening account of the effects of war.
   The best part of The Soccer War to me is Kapuscinski's ability not only to report on war, but to capture the humanity of the people involved. He is in this way an anthropologist as much a journalist. True, this book covers extensive topic matter: Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Algeria, Congo, Burundi, Cyprus, etc, but Kapuscinki's voice is powerful enough to unify these seemingly disparate stories.
   If you are curious about world history, if you want a humanistic and first-hand view of events that have shaped our world today, this is your book. There were times when I was literally on the edge of my seat wondering if Kapuscinski would make it out alive. Of course, we know he did because he pubished a book about these experiences.
   
   Visit my blog: http://www.writingup.com/blog/namingame



4. It's almost impossible to process the news with the same perspective after reading this book...what was true in the 60s still rings true today. I picked up this book while simultaneously reading articles in Esquire and The New Yorker about people (Bill Gates, Bill Clinton...) trying to make a difference in Africa. While I was made hopeful by the observations in today's mainstream press, I grew increasingly frustrated when confronted with the dark reality that Kapuscinski exposes.



5. As somebody who once lived in Honduras before the infamous soccer war of 1969, I long had Kapuscinski's book on my "must read" list. Though I bought it five years ago, I didn't get around to reading it till just now. I'm glad I did. THE SOCCER WAR is another sterling volume from this master of description.
   
   THE SOCCER WAR isn't a book about the absurd war between El Salvador and Honduras, triggered by World Cup qualification matches, but really caused by El Salvador's overpopulation and the subsequent overflow of Salvadorenos into much-emptier Honduras. The war may also be ascribed to the fact that neither country has been able to tame its landowning classes, who continue to this day to run rampant over the poor masses of people. In any case, this war, which happened decades ago, occupies only 30 pages of a 234 page book. The rest of the book contains vignettes from Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Burundi, Algeria, Tanganyika, Syria, Cyprus, and Ethiopia. I think another title would have given readers a better idea of what the book is about. Anyway, I would not say this book is about particular societies or countries, rather it is about the human condition. Kapuscinski, if you have read any of his other (excellent) work, specializes in inserting himself into extreme situations----war, rebellion, conflict, and abnormal behavior. Where the strictures of daily life have fallen down, we find him reporting, usually at considerable risk to his person. He is nearly burned to death in Nigeria, nearly executed in Burundi, nearly lynched in the Congo, nearly blown up in Honduras. In every case, he manages to portray some participants as humane and decent, or as simple people caught up in events beyond their control. He never writes off groups of people as `wild' or `barbarous', but manages to `read' them even as he faces almost certain death. The absurdity of all this violence, the violence that never ends on this planet, comes through loud and clear. Ryszard, you wrote your best, but nobody in charge listened. Readers of the book, however, will come away with a better understanding of human nature and its universal similarity on every continent, among every race and religion. From the stupidity, waste, and blood, we can learn. We just don't.

2 comments about Southern Daughter: The Life of Margaret Mitchell and the Making of <I>Gone With the Wind</I>.

1. At 463 pages, "Southern Daughter" is definitely a well-researched and informative biography. However, the barrage of dates, facts and other figures take away from a smooth, enjoyable reading experience and makes it hard to get through the book at times. My advice is read this book only if you are extremely curious about the life of Margaret Mitchell or have to do research on the topic. Otherwise, look for a more reader-friendly biography.



2. The research is well done but there are too many details repeated. I would have enjoyed it more if it were condensed at least 30 per cent.

3 comments about American Character : Curious Life of Charles Fletcher Lummis and the Rediscovery of the Southwest.

1. I live within walking distance of Lummis' home El Alisal. It's fitting that it perches on the edge of what was the Arroyo Seco (dry gulch) whose raw beauty had attracted Lummis and early settlers. And symbolic in that the world's first freeway rushes past it now. In fact, El Alisal faced demolition until preservationists--always outnumbered in L.A.--saved the site. Lummis gave his adopted city a complicated heritage: he boosted its Spanish Californian image and so lured many newcomers who overwhelmed the vistas of fragile arroyo, hills and valleys with millions more homes. The millions clogged the roads, and so freeways followed, along the riverbeds now encased in concrete.
   
   Mark Thompson's biography follows that assembled two decades earlier by Lummis' daughter and edited by his son from Lummis' own manuscripts, and one biography from the mid-70s that dwelt on Lummis but with far less access to personal papers. Thompson has access, and has used his resources well to more fully explore the complexity of a truly memorable character whose legacy spanned the Southwest, as he sought to preserve and conserve Native American artifacts and cultures as well as restore the California missions, create a world-class municipal library, write for what became the city's leading newspaper, and still found time to build El Alisal from boulders in the arroyo, hold there wonderfully wacky parties, carry on love affairs, conduct archeological research, ruin three marriages, keep a menagerie of animals and people at his home, and roam off from it on even more travels that followed his first publicity stunt--he sought sponsorship by keeping a travelogue weekly sent to newspapers in an early commercial tie-in for one who sought celebrity-- on his "tramp across the continent" (or most of it!) to Los Angeles from Chillicothe, Ohio, a Harvard dropout at 25 in 1888.
   
   Naturally an exciting story, but Thompson digs deeper into how Lummis reflected but overcame some of the prejudices common to the East Coast elite from whose lower ranks he came, and how he struggled with a tempestuous personal life and a libido that created tension, led to an early stroke, and led him on even more intimate adventures much less documented. The readable yet thoroughly documented text reads at a brisk pace; all facets of Lummis' many angles gain clarity. Well-chosen photos capture the idiosyncracies of this unforgettable sombrero-bright green corduroy suit-and-Navajo belt attired eccentric, who did so much to both sustain and unwittingly erase the traces of the Spanish and Native California he came to love.



2. Charles Lummis is a very interesting person in American and Southwest history, but author Thompson goes way beyond what most biographers would do and produced a richly researched and highly readable story. I read this book in my car, under a streetlight, while my wife attended a Christmas function. Does that tell you how interesting it is? I've passed Lummis's home/museum thousands of times but never visited--now I will.



3. Mark Thompson's long & deeply researched biography of a forgotten, complex American born just before the Civil War, is fascinating. Over a long & restless life, Charles Lummis became a poet, prolific letter writer, journalist, photographer, archaeologist, editor, champion of Spanish heritage in the Americas, & Indian Rights advocate - the classic workaholic of the late 19th & early 20th Centuries.

   It was his TRAMP ACROSS THE CONTINENT in 1884, which he weekly serialized in newspaper articles, that catapulted him into the public's eye. In time, as his assignments for the newly-formed Los Angeles Times, took him deeper into the Southwest which would capture his heart & soul, & closer to the American Indians for whom he would advocate mightily, he caught the ear of a President. Theodore Roosevelt came to consider Lummis a vital part of his "cowboy cabinet," & often invited him to Washington. Lummis enjoyed a life-long influence, via his editorials & many books, on the way Americans thought of themselves.

   In this era of bland plasticity, AMERICAN CHARACTER, reminds us of how individualistic, passionate, offensive & charming our forefathers were. It also reminds us of how devastating was our impact upon the people & the land in a time when a man could bemoan the wholesale slaughter of buffalo & Indians, while not batting an eye as he shot other critters just for the thrill of it!

   In the light of today's political correctness, Charles Fletcher Lummis' love life was as gilded with misogyny as you would expect from a man of his time - he kept his first marriage secret all through his Harvard years. As in every other aspect of his life, his thirst for affection & companionship was both utilitarian & fascinatingly eccentric.

   AMERICAN CHARACTER: Charles Fletcher Lummis & the Rediscovery of the Southwest, has been named by the Western Writers of America as Winner of the 2002 Spur Award in the biography category.

3 comments about In and Out of Vogue.

1. Regardless of how you feel about fashion or Vogue, it is an interesting character study of a woman of that time, bucking the expectations of her family, her chosen industry, and of society in general as she married very late in life and never had children.
   
   I admire Mirabella for refusing to allow cigarette ads in Mirabella and for being so independant. No, she didn't try to please anyone but herself, but what an amazing feat that was considering that Oprah has built her dynasty on teaching women how to do just that.
   
   Not the greatest book in the world, but worth reading for the viewpoint. I would also recommend reading Katharine Graham's autobiography. That will roll your socks up and down.
   
   Disclaimer: I worked for Mirabella magazine's Chicago office for the last nine months before it was sold to the publisher's of Elle magazine and was then hired by said company to work for another recent acquistion, Premiere. I met her "Grace" once and only to shake her hand and stand aside. She was pleasant, though.



2. Mirabella's scathing account of her time at Vogue reads like a bleeding heart story of how she was wronged. What her one-sided account leaves out intentionally is what an amazing fashion editor Diana Vreeland was; at Harper's Bazaar, fashion editor at Vogue and finally, editor-in-chief at Vogue. Vreeland is the quintessential fashion editor which is why she's studied in fashion schools, has had exhibits of her work at the Met, countless books written on her. Mirabella tries to claim she made fashion more democratic, but Vreeland was the true originator; her use of ethnic models, the photographers she chose to work with( Avedon, Bailey), the content of the magazine took it from being a society-rag, to a more modern take of the world of fashion and style. Mirabella turns her acid tongue not just on Vreeland but on the wonderful photographer Helmut Lang, Avedon, fashion editor Polly Mellen and of course, Anna Wintour. Mirabella doesn't take credit for her own downfall; she was an editor at fashion magazine-they show fashion in all its outrageous, banal or causal air-what ever way the winds of fashion fall, the magazine has to reflect that. Her decade was the seventies. She reflected what was happening in fashion and the world at the time; she showcased American designers like Halston, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, Geoffrey Beene. She favored the tall, blued-eyed blondes Patti Hansen, Roseanne Vela, Lauren Hutton, Karen Graham with their "tiny noses and big white teeth...exotic, `interesting'-looking girls weren't for me. The word of the day was pretty." She admits her book. But the eighties was the complete opposite of the seventies, but she chose to stay firmly planted in the past instead of showing the fashions of the eighties; she despised Christian Lacroix's clothes choosing to ignore one of the hottest designers at the time while other fashion outlets(Bazaar, Women's Wear Daily, Elle, etc) where showing his popular designs. Is it no wonder than that Alex Liberman had to overrule her? Her ego is so over the top, she felt she was "saving" women from fashions she didn't care for. The irony of the situation is she was fired for the exact same reason Vreeland was: being out of touch with fashion.
   Her book is an interesting read in a person so detached from reality and how they ruined their own career. What of Mirabella's own magazine, the magazine for real women? It folded like a stack of cards. It goes to show you what women really want.



3. Grace Mirabella not only lets you in on her life and her rise throught the fashion world, but she also takes us you on a wonderful ride and adventure. She truly made VOGUE a wonderful magazine and when she was 'let go' she didn't pout instead she started her own successful magazine, MIRABELLA. Thank you Grace for writing your memoir and sharing your life with us all.

5 comments about The Three of Us: A New Life in New York.

1. I've just finished this book, and as a first time mother to be in her 30's (like Joanna) , and an Ex-Rhodesian now living in the U.S. (like Peter), I found it a very interesting read. I enjoy Peter's writing a lot - this book was very different from his usual style. I was mildly uncomfortable that both Peter and Joanna seem to be very critical of everyone they meet or know - I'd feel like I was under a microscope if I had to meet them in real life. They also seem miserable a lot of the time, no matter where they go. To read their criticisms of people and places was amusing in the beginning, because I also have a dry sense of humor, but by the time I'd finished the book I was left with a sense of unease - these two don't seem very happy with each other or their life choices. Also too much 'name dropping' - that irritated me - I don't care what Puff Daddy does with his free time. I am looking forward to reading Peter's new book though, if it's as good as Mukiwa I won't be dissapointed.



2. Great to read this humourous account of pregnancy. The honest male perspective is refreshing. An easy, gentle pregrancy diary-like story, which leaves the reader wishing Joanna, Peter and their precious son, Thomas, well.



3. Maybe I didn't get it since I am not a New Yorker. I don't really care that this couple wasn't married, but the lack of love between them was such a turnoff. Peter seemed to have a hard time believing that he had something to do with the pregnancy at all...he kept saying how he was being dragged to doctors and forced to do this and that....My conclusion is that not all writers should write....



4. Joanna and Peter are far from the 'smug marrieds' Helen Fielding talks about but they are just as engaging and enjoyable as Bridget Jones. Their writing makes you feel like one of their best friends. They share their daily observations on pregnancy and impending parenthood with honesty and wit.

   Read it and then share with all your friends!




5. The authors have managed to capture the bizarre nuances of daily life in New York while overlaying this with the difficulties and emotions attached to a first pregnancy. As resident aliens, my wife and I have recently been dealing with the similar issues associated with the upcoming birth of our first child.

   This light hearted look at the processes required to give birth in the New York also provided us with forwarning of the costs, bureaucracy and personalities that are inevitably encountered along the way.

5 comments about Metal Cowboy: Tales from the Road Less Pedaled.

1. A "born again bicyclist" who thinks bicycles will save the world, I went to the library to get books about cycling & bicycles. I discovered The Metal Cowboy and hung on to it even though it wasn't "technical". I tried to read a funny bit aloud to my family but I was giggling too hard.
   The almost-romantic chapter is my favorite.
   Reading this book makes you feel like there is hope for America's privileged middle class kids. By getting lost on a bike we can find ourselves.
   Joe's most recent book (Momentum is Your Friend) is equally excellent.



2. From my blog: [...]
   I started reading Metal Cowboy, a collection of stories by Joe Kurmaskie, a few weeks ago at my Dad's suggestion and have had a hard time putting it down. I finished it on Thanksgiving day and knew I had to get a review up in short order. Metal Cowboy is a collection of some of Kurmaskie's stories from his long distance bike tours but I promise you that you don't need to be a cyclist to appreciate this book.
   
   Kurmaskie is a top notch storyteller who writes in a way that is relatable to anyone who would come across his material. He also has a knack for showcasing what is good among people. Joe's optimism shines through even when he is in the worst of situations while on the road. He manages to make you feel as if you are right there with him experiencing everything he does.
   
   One of my favorite stories in the book is called "The Tree Huggers versus the Tree Cutters as Told by the Fence-Sitter" and it begins with this quote from Theodore Roosevelt:
   
   "Far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory, nor defeat."
   
   The quote is a powerful one and it foreshadows the rest of the story nicely. In a nutshell, Joe runs across a logger while at a campsite who he becomes friends with. The logger then offers to let Joe stay with him when Joe makes his way towards his house in the coming days of his trip. Joe ends up at the loggers house but he is not home so Joe decides to camp in the woods where he meets a number of the "tree huggers" who are protesting the company that Joe's logger friend works for. Joe, trying to be friends with both the loggers and the tree huggers, ends up having to explain himself to both the logger and the tree huggers and everyone ends up not caring for Joe too much since he wasn't really up front about his true beliefs.
   
   The story reminds us to not be afraid to talk about what we believe in and to be up front. It also urges us to step out of the gray twilight and take some chances. As entrepreneurs and VCs we are all taking our shot at changing the world. Yes, a lot of us will fail at some point in our lives but I, for one, would rather fail while taking a chance on something I believe in than to have never taken a chance at all and I think a lot of you probably feel the same way.
   
   That said, I highly recommend picking up Metal Cowboy. You won't regret it. My only warning is the book may cause an overwhelming urge to grab your bike, load it up and head out on an extended bike tour of your own!



3. This is the first book that I read about long distance and adventure bicycle touring. I loved the stories about the people Joe meets and the situations he got into. I liked it so much that I immediately read the second book and ordered "Momentum is Your Best Friend". I would recommend the same to anyone! This was a great book.



4. I have just completed Metal Cowboy and have ordered a couple of copies for riding and non-riding friends. Joe reminds me of Bill Bryson or an early Peter Egan.



5. As I live my life, going from one task to another, there is a part of my brain that yearns for more, something a little closer to the edge of my comfort zone. I received "Metal Cowboy" as a gift a few years ago and there it was, the life less ordinary that always seemed to escape me! Joe Kurmaskie tells wonderful stories about true humanity and the good that exists in this world. Sure, I only get to experience a slice of this life on long weekend rides and the last full week in July on RAGBRAI, but the Metal Cowboy makes me hopeful for the future.

5 comments about A Life Shaken: My Encounter with Parkinson's Disease.

1. This was by far the most comprehensive, detailed and informative book on Parkinson's disease I have read.
   The author is an Early On Set Parkinson's patient and yet, with support, has been able to continue to raise his family and work full-time at his job as Editor of the Los Angeles Times.
   
   He thoroughly investigates medications and other medical proceedures available and their benefits and disadvantages, which I found extremely helpful- certainly more information than I received from any physician.
   
   Further, the author discusses, with amazing frankness, his own physical and mental challenges, which takes it beyond pure information to a story of courage and personal growth.



2. Joel Havemann brings the journalist's practiced eye for detail, detachment and clarity of expression to the task of understanding, describing and coping with Parkinson's. He also allows his heart to speak and the result is a work that should be especially valuable to those who have themselves have recently received a Parkinson's diagnosis or who have a close relative or friend thus stationed.
   The book offers clear and interestingly presented facts about the various drugs, treatments and hopeful research that become an integral part of having Parkinson's, as well as the historical and public policy context in which those elements have evolved in the centuries since the disease was first identified. There is just the right mix of facts, opinion and sometimes barely concealed disgust in Havemann's treatment of these matters.
   As valuable as those chapters are, I think many will find Havemann's account of his personal odyssey and that of his family to be the more valuable aspect of his book. He is unstinting in his descriptions of the physical and mental effects of the disease and frank about his occasional failures to deal with those effects as effectively as he would like. He also spares little in telling of his fears about the disease's potential progress and what it could mean for him and his family.
   I can't think of a better preparation for confronting the many challenges and crises that accompany the arrival of Parkinson's in the life of an individual and family. A Life Shaken is strongly recommended.



3. Other books about PD scared the heck out of me, but Havemann's sense of humor and indomitable spirit have changed my perspective. I'm not afraid anymore. Thank you Joel. The book is honest and straightforward. He describes what happens to a brain with PD so clearly that I finally understand it!



4. Author Joel Havemann weaves his own story of living with this progressive neurological disease with a clear and carefully researched explanation that ranges from symptoms and drugs to challenges and the outlook for a cure. "For an adventure it is - not one that I would have chosen, but an adventure all the same." Mr. Havemann, an editor with the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times, helps us look at the human brain and its intricate yet magnificent operation, and the disastrous consequences of even the simplest misfire. He has created an excellent reference guide for caregiver, family member and patient alike that affirms the paradox of our own frustrations and hopes for the future. We feel Mr. Havemann's determination to keep going for his family, anger at the debilitating symptoms, and belief that the scientific and medical communities will deliver an answer.



5. Mr. Havemann provides us with an incredibly personal view into Parkinson's disease. His wit, candor, and superb writing style draws the reader into his story to such a degree that it is difficult to disengage. While telling his story he concurrently entertains and educates the reader as to where medicine stands with regard to research and current treatment, and how individuals cope. I'm looking forward to his next work.

5 comments about The Other Side of Eden: Life With John Steinbeck.

1. This is a great book about Steinbeck IV. I found his account of his father's visit to Vietnam fascinating - truly moving account of father and son while the VC are [perhaps] stealthily moving in the night. Steinbeck IV served with AFNN in Vietnam - though not at the Saigon HQ where Airman Adrian Cronauer [played by Robin Williams in the movie Good Morning Vietnam] was. Bob Morecook AFVN News 72/73



2. I'm reading this book in conjuction with Oprah's book club choice, East of Eden. I just had to respond to the person below who called the book boring, because I cannot put it down! People who drink alcholically are not weak minded, as the poster states. If self control could stop an addict, there would be no need for treatment centers and 12 Step programs. I found the story of recovery which weaves its way through John and Nancy Steinbeck's marriage to be tremendously inspiring and uplifting.
   And I'm glad there's more to the book than an expose of Steinbeck's shadow side. This is an epic page turner which runs the gamut from the Steinbecks involvement with Beatniks, Hippies, Tibetan Buddhism, Viet Nam Vets, Anti-war protests,
   Recovery, New Age gurus; it's truly a chronical for any baby boomer to find something that resonates in their own mythology.
   The book has also helped readers on the Oprah Book Club board understand the psychological dynamics amongst the characters of East of Eden, as played out in the real lives of Steinbeck's sons. I love this book.



3. I checked this out of the library during one of my research 'attacks'. I was actually researching the life of Ed Ricketts and got dragged back into a Cannery Row-John Steinbeck 'binge'. I thought it would be interesting to read about John Steinbeck through the eyes of a son. However, the is very very little in this book about John Steinbeck and way too much about a weak-minded son. Boring. If you are interested in reading about someone who spends his life trying to find meaning in life via others (ie. cult life) and who cannot find strength within himself....who is too weak to deal with life without chemicals....this may be interesting to you. But there wasn't anything insightful here for me. Be warned....



4. This biography of life with John Steinbeck is written by his son, who grew up in a privileged world of the intellectual elite, but one laden with abuse and estrangement. His memoir ended with his life and here is reconstructed by his wife of twelve years who adds her own insights to full out the life of John Steinbeck. Haunting and revealing.



5. I loved this book. It brought up so many raw emotions for me, that I was sometimes haunted for days after reading a few chapters. For anyone whose life has been touched by the disease of alcoholism, it is a source of great insight, grounded in honesty and the willingness to courageously tear back the curtain to show the dark side of a famous family.

   The Steinbecks have been accused of writing "fantasies" about the great man by critics who claim to know more than family members. Incidents such as Steinbeck Sr. pushing his wife down the stairs in order to abort their child, or allowing John Jr. to fall on his face when told to jump into his father's arms are discredited as lies by people who have only studied the sanitized and authorized biographies and collections of letters.

   I met recently met Nancy Steinbeck at a booksigning. I went because I wanted to talk to her about the way alcoholism has affected my family. She confirmed that although she had to divorce her husband because of his drinking and her fear of being held legally responsible for his accidents or debts, they legally established a commonlaw marriage and she continues to receive Steinbeck's royalty payments which she inherited from her husband. I found the book to be a loving tribute to a difficult but enormously creative and fascinating husband who was plagued by serious addictions.

   Hazelden Foundation, the foremost treatment center in the country, has endorsed The Other Side of Eden as the story of a journey of victory over the disease of alcoholism and codependency. Anyone who is familiar with alcoholism knows that the way John Jr. died, with three years of sobriety, is a triumph and a cause for celebration.

   This book is a Rorschach test for the reader. If you are committed to the sanitized version of Steinbeck that appears in the authorized biographies, if you are disturbed by any form of icoloclasm (witness Joyce Maynard's crucifiction for writing about Salinger) then this book will, indeed, upset your fantasy world and rattle your cage. If you are ready to take a ride of transformation and raw honesty, read the book. It is, as Andrew Harvey claims in his powerful introduction, one of the most unique biographies of the century.

   I admire both John Jr. and Nancy Steinbeck for having the courage and commitment to tell their story for the sake of history and in service to others whose lives have been devastated by substance abuse. And, judging from the cover blurb by a Steinbeck scholar, I daresay most academics are appreciative that this story will be part of Steinbeck Sr's archives. There is a saying in the 12 step program: You Are As Sick as Your Secrets. The Steinbecks broke the silence of keeping family secrets, and that's a huge accomplishment. Let the groupie scholars who make a living on propagating the Myth of the Great Writer worry about whether their academic myopia will result in their own lack of credibility. Anyone who earns money glorifying the exaulted side of a writer while at the same time denying their shadow, is a fool. And who would have encouraged the Steinbecks more than the John Steinbeck Sr. himself to show a character, warts and all? Isn't that what Steinbeck is admired and loved for? His understanding of the human condition? How did he achieve that depth? If you want to find out, read the book.

No comments about The Changing South of Gene Patterson: Journalism and Civil Rights, 1960-1968 (Southern Dissent).