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!

No comments about Welcome to Sarajevo: Natasha's Story.

3 comments about String of Pearls: On the News Beat in New York and Paris.

1. What an amusing book. Priscilla Buckley had a spirit of adventure that propelled her to New York and a reporting career. Later that spirit took her to Paris in the 50s when it was still a magical place. I read this from begining to end in one afternoon because it's such a delight.



2. This little book is a classic "good read". Miss Buckley has an astounding memory for detail (one can only envy) which puts the reader quite into the thick of a busy, no, frenetic news bureau. Such a tightly written book as this leaves the reader little time to wander off as the news of World War II and later, the Cold War, erupt from the offices of the United Press. If you enjoy a look into yesterday through the eyes of someone with keen powers of observation as well as a (dare I say spiritual?) optimistic outlook on life and people everywhere, you will not be disappointed. A very fun book. You'll want to order several as gifts.



3. "There is an excitement about raw news that is hard to explain, but is palpable . . . ."

   During World War II, so many men were in the military that women took over what had been considered "men's" jobs. You've heard of Rosie the Riveter. This book introduces you to "Pitts" Buckley (an older sister of William F. Buckley, Jr. and later managing editor for the National Review for 27 years) in 1944 as she graduates from Smith College, where she edited the newspaper. Her memoir focuses on two stints she did with United Press, the first in New York during 1944-48 and the second in Paris during 1953-56. Like many journalistic memoirs, there's lots here about learning on the job, famous colleagues, interviewing celebrities, and major news events. The permanent value of this light, well-written book is a picture of what it was like to be a female news correspondent for a wire service when that was unusual. Ms. Buckley is a very delightful person, and you will enjoy reading about her experiences. The only drawback of the book is that she fails to connect her anecdotes back to a larger context to make them more meaningful.

   Ms. Buckley has a good sense of fun, and you will probably remember her humor best from the book. Here's a flavor of how she introduces the book. In explaining why she chose United Press over a competing offer at twice the wages, she says she "opted for . . . starvation wages, and a wonderful life." "We lived on what would now be called the poverty level, but didn't know it." Her first job was a a "copy boy" and "it wasn't much fun." These were really gofers and she wanted to become a "newspaperman." And she did.

   If you understand French, her stories about literal translations of English into French are quite funny.

   The book has several running gags. One is about constantly changing apartments and living quarters for not paying the rent. The other is about having her Hillman-Minx breakdown in the busiest intersections in Paris and helping to cause riots.

   There are also interesting insights into how news is made. Ms. Buckley was pretty open about meeting new people, even when there was no obvious story. During a tour of the George V hotel in Paris, she spotted an American tattoo on a man working on the pastry in the kitchen. This became a story about how a GI switched careers and countries.

   One of the best stories in the book is about the French surrender at Dien Bien Phu in Indochina in 1954. Ms. Buckley and a colleague interpreted a mysterious French dispatch correctly as being a surrender, and beat the Associated Press by 15 minutes to the story. On another occasion, she tells about how a dying composer was miraculously "resuscitated" in a second story after being incorrectly reported as deceased on the wire. There are also wonderful stories of covering obscure sports from correspondents who spoke French quickly when no one was around to help translate.

   Her reports about the famous are interesting, too. Once, she was dispatched with 10,000 francs (which wasn't very much) to take Gloria Swanson to lunch, in order to give Ms. Swanson tips on how to improve her column (which was a bomb, and was later canceled). Ms. Swanson only wanted an omelet, so the budget was saved. Ms. Swanson did not follow the advice, but was very friendly and nice. Ms. Buckley also covered Jane Russell trying on Dior dresses (with difficulty), and Premier Pierre-Mendes-France's campaign to have French school children drink milk (one protested).

   After you read this memoir, I suggest that you think about where taking on a role that people of your sex normally do not do could provide some fun and change of perspective. Then try it, and see what you think. Men, you could take up embroidering outdoors. Women, you could roto-till the garden for spring planting.

   See the potential all around you!

No comments about A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides.

3 comments about The Empress of Ireland: A Chronicle of an Unusual Friendship.

1. Brian Desmond Hurst was a soldier (a veteran of the Gallipoli campaign), a film director (his best remembered effort being the Alistair Sim version of "A Christmas Carol"), and, in the end, equal parts dreamer, grifter and raconteur.
   
   We meet up with Hurst well into his twilight years. Journalist Christopher Robbins is sent to meet the openly gay (and still quite frisky) Hurst, who is searching for a fresh young talent to pen a screenplay about the events leading up to the birth of Christ. A chance encounter of the luckiest sort. Together they travel to Morocco, Ireland and Malta. The friendship that develops, and is so lovingly documented in these pages, is obviously life changing for Robbins. Hurst understood well the business of living in the moment; and though he may have been a bit of a schemer, he opened up a new world of discovery, adventure and infinite possiblities for Robbins.
   
   The years pass, the script gets written and bandied about, but the film is never produced (neither is Hurst's promised autobiography). What remained were the author's copious notes detailing, not only their shared adventures, but many of Hurst's ribald and hilarious stories reported seemingly verbatim. The man was the Irish Scheherazade. Along the way we are introduced to a rogues' gallery of eccentric characters, some royal, some famous, some criminal, some perverted, but all colorful and brilliantly remembered. This volume is often laugh out loud funny. However, Hurst's memories of growing up poor in Ireland, of his family struggles, and the absolute horror of his war experiences, are told with a poignant and shattering clarity.
   
   This has proven to be one of those rare books for me. I never wanted it to end. There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to adequately discribe this uniquely rendered memoir. Once read, I defy anyone to forget Brian Desmond Hurst or "The Empress of Ireland."



2. The Empress of Ireland is the kind of book you don't want to finish, you feel a stab of sorrow when you realize you've passed the halfway mark. This memoir of the author's relationship with the Irish film director Brian Desmond Hurst reads like a novel. You are fully engaged with the characters and have entered another world. It is hilariously funny, deeply moving and the kind of book you will either read again or skim to reread favorite passages. The best book I've read all year.



3. I love it. Until I opened the book the name of Brian Desmond Hurst would have rung only the dimmest of bells, but apparently he was a figure of renown in the British film world of the 1940s and 1950s, and had a hand in dozens of films, most of them unreleased this side of the Atlantic, and you get the picture he was no Carol Reed over there. (He did discover Roger Moore.) But he was the funniest raconteur you'll ever read about, and we are lucky that young Christopher Robbins was right there catching all the quips and the bonhomie, and that he wasn't too shocked by the older man's rapacious homosexuality to write it all down for posterity. I haven't laughed out loud reading a book all year, and this one had me doubled over, nearly in pain. On every page you'll find something to cherish, and something to remember.
   
   Some parts have the glory of utter bad taste. Teasing Michael Redgrave about his penchant for bondage (of a particularly painful sort), Desmond Hurst explains to Christopher, "There are a few in jokes about Sir Michael in our circle. 'Sir Michael Redgrave, I'll be bound!' and 'Sir Michael is unable to come to the phone now, he's all tied up.' Do you understand?" Christopher though straight-identified shares his patron's love of gossip and scandal. Besides naming names, Robbins also plays discreet and shrouds some of his best stories as blind items. He doesn't reveal the identity of the popular star with a drug problem that made him impossible to work with, but he gives you lots of clues. The name "Richard Dreyfuss" springs to mind.
   
   Beyond the fun and the frivolity, there's a lot of heart in the book. Hurst's memories went way back, to childhood in Belfast, the city where much of the Titanic was built. "Brian's father proudly took him to see the great ship launched. 'When the news came back of the ship's sinking, a tidal wave of grief struck Belfast. There was not a street in either North or South Belfast that didn't have a house in it with the blinds down, because there were some four hundred technicians from the town on that maiden voyage.'" And just a little while later, World War I was launched, and Brian was sent to Gallipoli, the most heartbreaking of all WWI battles. His clear-eyed and incredibly detailed memories form the best account I've ever read of that awful siege.
   
   Late in the book is a sort of defense of Hurst's films; Robbins makes a case for the best of the war films, but the truth is, he is an unlikely figure to be re-examined. THEIRS IS THE GLORY sounds like a truly odd movie: it's the story of the Battle of Arnhem (later immortalized as A BRIDGE TOO FAR) made shortly after World War II as a "docu-drama," in which every actor you see on the screen, and every technician you don't see behind the screen, had to have fought at Arnhem. Could it really be good? I guess it's possible. History has a way of finding the good inside the bad, and happily Christopher Robbins shares that propensity.

No comments about Talking Back: ...to Presidents, Dictators, and Other Scoundrels.

5 comments about I Want to Thank My Brain for Remembering Me: A Memoir.

1. I love the Breslin delivery. This took us through his surgery deep into his brain, outlined every moment and procedure. Tells us that he didn't want to be "selected" as if he, in his fame, was getting special treatment. Was not at all sure he would come out knowing himself or anything of his universe. Fascinating in the telling. Well done and of major interest to anyone who wonders about the potential in their own life for 'something' to go wrong up there...



2. Well, Jimmy Breslin is Jimmy Breslin. I have always been a fan. The part of this book that really fascinated me was his reaction to the health care issue.
   He had a brain aneurysm. He has to have it operated or he dies. He could come out of the operation a vegetable. He tells his wife to get everything out of his name - the home the assets everything. Basically he says; I didn't work this hard all my life to spend my last days as a vegetable and have all my money drained into the coffers of doctors and hospitals.
   His wife did not follow his advice and luckily he came out all right.
   But isn't that interesting? Jimmy Breslin is a millionaire and with a ton of insurance but yet even he is vulnerable to the perils of this health care system.
   I guess since I'm 65 myself now and everybody I know is dead or on their way out - the death deal and everybody philosophizing about it is like water under a bridge. The insurance thing was more important to be. I agree with Jimmy, people all work too hard in this country to have whatever they have left stolen from their children and grandchildren to go into paying for this damn defunct health care baloney.
   I say good for him!



3. Outspoken New York newspaper columnist and author Breslin, famed for his sharp eye and wit, explores his own brain in this memoir of his life and his experience with brain surgery.
   
   The book opens the night before his aneurysm surgery in 1994 and closes with him leaving the hospital, mind intact. In between is a free-association of flashbacks - a rollicking ride through his life, his city and his work - punctuated by contemplative reflections on the nature of God and the human mind.
   
   "I lived in the everyday excitement of meeting strangers who unfold in front of you and become people you cannot wait to tell others about. How can you be expected to notice what is happening to your own life? ...and suddenly I look down and see that my feet are pawing strange dirt at the lip of a grave that maybe could be mine. And that is blinding speed."
   
   At age 65 Breslin made a rare doctor's visit due to eye trouble. The eye is nothing, but the attendant MRI shows an entirely unrelated "bulge," which could be a life-threatening aneurysm.
   
   Instantly Breslin recalls the Crown Heights riot after a black child was killed by a car driven by a Jew and a Jewish student was subsequently stabbed. Entering the area in a cab, Breslin was beaten and finally rescued. "The guy with the knife took me by the arm and led me through the crowd. The rest of me was reeling, a flag blowing in a stiff wind."
   
   Breslin's eye was injured in the melee and he seizes on this as an explanation. His memory of the riot is pungent, urgent, but the doctor brushes it off.
   The aneurysm confirmed, Breslin makes a joke. The doctor is amazed at his lack of understanding. But: "I also was treating it just as I do any horrible thing that occurs in a day. I report on a tragedy by remaining cold and callous and concentrate on making notes of the smallest details. In the hotel kitchen in Los Angeles, I counted Sirhan Sirhan kicking his legs five times before somebody sat on them after he shot Robert Kennedy."
   
   As he educates himself about the aneurysm and his options, he recalls the deaths of others - Nelson Rockefeller, his beloved wife Rosemary, the New York stabbing of Martin Luther King and his assassination a decade later - and endures the kindness and shocking insensitivity of various friends and colleagues.
   
   He recalls colorful characters from mob bosses to shady polls, rollicking nights in bars where he learned more than any journalism graduate sitting at a computer (he has the older generation's contempt for new ways).
   
   He remembers the cold dread of being broke, the bitterness of his childhood, his own floundering lack of identity - always pretending to be someone else. And all of it in vivid anecdotes that rivet the reader to the page.
   
   In contemplative moments he explores his relationship with God and the Catholic Church and researches the science of the mind, discovering that there isn't one.
   
   And he name-drops a bit. Governor Mario Cuomo asks the state health commissioner to recommend a doctor for his case. On the other hand murderer David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam," once pointed him out, saying " 'That's Jimmy Breslin. He's a very good friend of mine.' "
   
   Vintage Breslin, this is a compulsive page turner; funny, poignant and opinionated. His colorful, rushing style is quintessential New York and uniquely Breslin's.



4. "You take emotions, curiosity, whim, wandering around, out of a day's work and you have a corporation of zombies giving you an array of facts and details not worth space in a waste-basket." writes Jimmy Breslin of many of his fellow journalists. No commercials in Jimmy Breslin's prose, just gusty gutsy sentences, long crescendos, reflective adagios, and many many characters, all of them greater than life.

   This is a book of reminiscences first and foremost - thirty years of roaming New York's (and the world's) back streets like a mongrel journalist dog, sniffing garbage, following up on a scent, and peeing at lampposts to mark the most extraordinary territory on earth. Never awed, never condescending, Breslin is simply and unwaveringly curious - hence masterly.

   In the second part of the book this curiosity takes him into the OR and over the medical logs unflinchingly to understand the brain surgery he underwent, and to report on it. I'm not sure he fully succeeds in weaving it all into a story, though. It is like passengers watching on the TV screen the plane as it takes off - instant replay, and a bit unreal, or a gimmick. So what, it remains a great read.




5. Although the memoir is primarily the story of Mr. Breslin's diagnosis and treatment for a serious medical condition, it is delightfully sprinkled with anecdotes that pop into his head as he's contemplating his own fate. It is these stories that make this book well worth the reading. I only wish that Mr. Breslin had been more willing to let down his guard so we could get a better glimpse of the man -- I'm certain that he's at least as interesting himself as are the stories he tells about others.

2 comments about Stillmeadow Sampler.

1. I am so glad that I've discovered Gladys and that this is only one of many more books she wrote. What a delight! She is a gentle, old fashioned, nostalgic, nature loving, homemaking writer full of wisdom and thoughtful moments mixed with humor and charming description. She's in the same camp with L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Louise Andrews Kent. All good hearty, heartwarming writers who are full of vim. Read her...you won't regret it and you'll always want to go to Connecticut.



2. Gladys Taber writes of her home, Stillmeadow, in the Connecticut Hills, her parntership with college roommate, Jill, as they raise their children together, both widowed. Anything Gladys wrote is guaranteed to drop the blood pressure, calm the mind, center the heart and touch the spirit. The day I discovered Gladys was Christmas Morning in my soul!

5 comments about Villard: The Life and Times of an American Titan.

1. This biography by A.Villard De Borchgrave, Henry Villard's great granddaughter, and the knowledgable man of letters, John Cullen, is an admirable book and much more than a biograpy. It follows the life of Heinrich Hilgard resp. Henry Villard in all its ups and downs, its great asset however is the comprehensive representation of Villard's worlds. The Palatine history after the failed revolution of 1848, Bismarck and German history before and after unification, the German-Americans in Civil War America, the rise of American journalism, the immensely detailed history of the Civil War with close-ups of Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Garrison and of course the history of transcontinental railroads.
   
   The book is well written, clearly structured and contains a fine selection of photos graphically documenting Villard's life. I was most impressed by the close scrutiny of young Henry's seemingly unending struggle to survive in his first few immigrant years. He retained his optimism even after hard blows, he stuck to a life in style inspite of his spare means , his determination to succeed to prove his critical and somewhat narrow-minded father wrong - these character traits mainly make him an "American Titan". The "wanderer between two worlds" finally turned out to be a true American when he freely extended his generosity to manifold causes, especially in his home towns in the Bavarian Palatinate where his philanthropism is still very well known. In Speyer ( and not in Zweibrücken!- p. 344) he helped found a hospital with a nursing school whose huge buildings you will today find in "Hilgard-Straße" not far from his birthplace and the fine and ancient cathedral. Hilgard/Villard surely loved this imposing building, but as a catholic place of worship it could hardly have been the place of his protestant confirmation(p.11). While the book dutifully covers Villard's contacts with the most influential German-American at that time,Carl Schurz, it is a pity that it does not refer to the Palatine Thomas Nast, the Father of American Caricature and creator of Father Christmas.



2. This book delivers on two levels. First, it is a well told journey through 19th Century American history. Henry Villard personally witnessed many of the transformational events of that time: the Colorado gold rush; the 1860 Republican Convention; Lincoln's journey from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration; the Civil War Battles of Bun Run, Shiloh, Corinth, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Cold Harbor and Petersburg; the completion of the second transcontinental railroad; and the clashes of the industrial barons of the Gilded Age. This book takes you briskly through those events with Villard as the central figure. The story is that of a 19th Century Forrest Gump.

   On another level, the book describes the rags to riches personal journey of this extraordinary man. Indeed, Villard's own life is a quintessential American story: a penniless immigrant becomes a star journalist and acquaintance of legendary generals and a president. After the war, he metamorphoses into an industrial titan and rival of Morgan and Gould, before suffering substantial financial setbacks and then revived fortunes that permit him to regain his place at the pinnacle of American Society.

   The book is a very enjoyable read that describes important events in American history and the story of a man who played a significant, if largely forgotten, role in those events. It deserves more attention and a wider readership.




3. This well-written biography gives a very empathic account of Villard and his contemporaries. Characters' weaknesses are described as forthrightly as their strengths.

   The account covers more than Villard's participation in the financial world. It also tells of his experiences as a poor immigrant. Most vivid are the chapters that describe Villard's career as a Civil War correspondent, a 'special' to coin a period term.

   Reading this book was enjoyable both because of the story, and the way it was told. The writing style is sometimes poetic, sometimes cheeky, but always concise.

   I would highly recommend this book to those interested in the Civil War, or in war journalism. The chapters dealing with Gilded Age industrialism were more biographic than historically comprehensive. For a better historic account, I'd recommend "Titan : The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr" by Ron Chernow.




4. This well-written biography gives a very empathic account of Villard and his contemporaries. Characters' weaknesses are described as forthrightly as their strengths.

   The account covers more than Villard's participation in the financial world. It also tells of his experiences as a poor immigrant. Most vivid are the chapters that describe Villard's career as a Civil War correspondent, a 'special' to coin a period term.

   Reading this book was enjoyable both because of the story, and the way it was told. The writing style is sometimes poetic, sometimes cheeky, but always concise.

   I would highly recommend this book to those interested in the Civil War, or in war journalism. The chapters dealing with Gilded Age industrialism were more biographic than historically comprehensive. For a better historic account, I'd recommend "Titan : The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr" by Ron Chernow.




5. This book is throughly researched by Harry Villard's great grand daughter. Despite the relationship the author looks at the pros and conns of the man.

   This book is able to appeal to many interests. It is the story of a very young man, new to America who eventually makes it to the very top of society. It is a lso a story about the politics and battles during the Civil War; and it is a story of the Guilded Age and the railroad wars.

   All this history centers on the life of Henry Villard, German born, young immigrant, newspaper reporter, and fiinally tycoon. A fascinating read with lots of history.

   All this

4 comments about Do Me Twice: My Life After Islam.

1. I truly enjoyed reading Sonsyrea's memoir. What I loved most about this book is how she tells her story with candor and honesty. The transformation she makes from a young girl raised in Islam, questioning her very existence and everything she's been taught, to a young woman finding her own way in life is incredible. I would definitely recommend this book.



2. DO ME TWICE: My Life After Islam is not a generic book about the highs and lows of being a member of the Nation of Islam. From her days in Muslim School to her guilt-trip marriage and her exit from Islam, Sonsyrea Tate reveals a poignant personal history unlike any "coming of age" or "coming to religion" story ever told.
   
   Tate unveils the dark secrets that controlled her childhood, yet strangely liberate her as an adult. As she becomes comfortable with her own sensuality, she realizes just how much her sexual identity has defined many of the dramatic periods of her life and the life decisions she's made. Against the backdrop of colorful, dysfunctional family and the author's lyrical style peppered with raw realism, DO ME TWICE is a hands down keeper.
   
   Reviewed by Cxandra
   for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers



3. As a child, Sonsyrea Tate, affectionately known as "Ray-Ray," has no idea of the trials and tribulations awaiting her in adulthood - but she sure gets plenty of indicators: her father's devolution into a drug-dealing transient, her mother's overbearing animosity, her extended family members' overall dysfunction...the growing cloud of unhappiness in her life often leads her to imagine sunnier times and places not too far away (or so she hopes).
   
   On top of everything else, her beloved Uncle Hussein, a cherished role model and mentor, is slowly degenerating into a veritable shell of his former self. His body ravaged by the grueling onset of Multiple Sclerosis; the protection of his gentle, loving spirit long gone from Ray-Ray's life. Watching him suffer, she finds herself racked with questions and doubts about the benevolent, fair nature of God, and - seeing the righteous so afflicted - she begins to wonder what the point is of serving Him at all.
   
   As her life proceeds, she endures abortion, infidelity, a tumultuous marriage (even multiple instances of marital rape), and eventually the incarceration of her husband, Ron. With Ron gone, little Ray-Ray finally has the freedom of time and space to evaluate her life on her own terms and begin her transformation into the full-grown Sonsyrea. Enrolling in college, Sonsyrea then sets out on a new path, one that challenges her previous long-held beliefs and alters her vision of how her own future should take shape. The journey proves to be difficult, but one she remains determined to make for none other than the preservation of her own sanity and peace of mind.
   
   Do Me Twice is an excellent treatise on the power of self-discovery. Much like Siddartha, Dust Tracks On A Road, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull before it, Tate's story of emotional & intellectual awakening does a commendable job of confronting the misguided teachings that typically shape our youth with the learned truth and experience of our later years. Regardless of our personal religious or philosophical leanings, it cannot be argued that we are raised to follow particular doctrines designed to guide/control our behavior and bias our thinking processes. In her narrative, Tate tells of her admirable journey in combating those very doctrines time and again as they are espoused by family, friends, and even strangers committed to challenging her newfound independence. Refusing to return to the "sleepwalking state" of her past, she bravely defends her right to think for herself - and her life becomes that much more rewarding for it.
   
   Tate's emigration from the often confusing rigors of Islam may be a sensitive topic in the global political climate of our times, but the symbolism of her spiritual quest is an invaluable lesson for the ages. With a critical, yet open mind, by her personal example she successfully encourages the reader to be not afraid in coming to individual conclusions regarding all matters great and small. Highly recommended.



4. Sonsyrea Tate was raised in a ten children, devout Muslim family. Sonsyrea's mother thought that it was a woman's duty to take care of her family and that having ten children was a blessing from Allah. As Sonsyrea aged, she began to question the wisdom of having children that you can barely afford to take care of. In their household, it was the oldest daughter's duty to help with the other children and as Sonsyrea grew older this caused problems between she and her mother. As the family struggled to survive, she thought that it was unwise for her mother to not step up to the plate and get a job to help with the expenses of living; this caused their personalities to clash. Sonsyrea was determined to go to college and have a career and not have a house full of children, as did her mother. Not only was Sonsyrea dealing with the problems between her mother and herself, but Sonsyrea's favorite uncle was dying and to make matters worse her father was arrested for dealing drugs, causing the family even more financial problems. Just as most religions teach that fornication is wrong so does Islam. Dealing with her sexuality became a major problem . In order to have guilt-free sex, Sonsyrea married at a young age. She un-wisely married a man in constant trouble with the law.
   
   I admire Sonsyrea because she did not let past mistakes ruin her life and went on to get the career that she wanted. The problem that I had with this offering was that it seemed to be written out of sequence. And she could have put in a little more excitement; this did not stop me from receiving the point of view that she was making. This book was an uncorrected proof so if she gets the chapters in better order it will be an enjoyable read.
   
   
   
   
   
   Reviewed by Margaret Ball
   
   
   
   APOOO BookClub