5 comments about Take the Cannoli : Stories From the New World.

1. Vowell's book is definately a clever and witty delivery of truth. Some of it is her own truth through life experience. Even if you don't share her opinions, you understand her point without feeling like you are sacrificing your own. She makes you think, laugh and enjoy yourself with introspection mixed in..well done Vowell!



2. I became a fan of Sarah Vowell after reading Assassination Vacation, and decided to go back and read her early works. Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World is very good although a bit short. It's also a bit dated, although that's entirely my fault for taking so long to discover Vowell.
   
   Take the Cannoli is a compilation of short stories that mostly deal with the author's life. She writes of being born in Oklahoma and raised in Montana, her twin sister and her parents, her education and her background (she's part Cherokee), her political beliefs and her interest in history, and especially her travels. Many of them are downright funny, and Vowell has a wicked, self-deprecating wit. The chapter on her trying to alter her appearance to become a "Goth" was a scream! I also enjoyed her escapes as a band geek. In high school, Vowell wasn't exactly your average high school student. "I have intimate knowledge of what it was like to be young and uneasy and outraged under Reagan. My high school was 1980s in miniature--you either belonged or you didn't. And if you didn't, you learned to seek relief where you could find it--and for me, that relief was with other black-clad malcontents who could quote defense-spending statistics even though we were barely passing algebra."
   
   Vowell is at her best when she chronicles her travels and two that I enjoyed were her trip to Disney World and her tracing the Cherokee Trail of Tears. While her reflections on her Disney trip were funny, her take on The Trail of Tears poignant, sad and reflective. But even The Trail of Tears is good for a few chuckles, at Vowell's expense. When traveling on a road near her hometown, she relates that "only I know its topography with the intimacy that comes from leaning over every inch of it, carsick. I can't help but wonder if the grass grows so close to the shoulder because of my personal fertilizer crusade: I was a little Lady Bird Johnson of puke."
   
   I wish that Vowell wrote books a little quicker, but in the meantime, I'll have to content myself with reading her earlier works.



3. Writer Sarah Vowell established a following on NPR's "This American Life" in explorations of the byroads of American culture as well as her own life. Many of those pieces appear in TAKE THE CANNOLI in essay form alongside articles that originally appeared in print and online. The collection reveals the growth of the writer, from insightful young talent to a person shedding the edges of youth for a mature perspective on herself and, especially, her relationship as an American with this world. While her most recent work, ASSASSINATION VACATION, has her at the top of her powers, this collection, interesting in itself, shows her getting there.
   
   Vowell begins by peeling back her youth as the liberal daughter of a Second Amendment gunsmith in Oklahoma and Montana; her life in high school band; and finally, growing up under the threat of doom held over her head by her family's Pentacostal religion and the Reagan administration's imagery of the evil empire and nuclear war. She moves onto tours of Frank Sinatra's hometown, Hoboken, New Jersey; Disney World and Celebration, Florida; New York's infamous Chelsea Hotel; Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp; and Goth culture. There a hilarious episode in which the creator of "This American Life," Ira Glass, tries to teach Vowell to drive. The second strongest piece in the collection is the essay from which she takes her title, an account of watching "The Godfather" religiously in college, hanging onto its simple imperatives in defense against the uncertain waves of diverse philosophy that swirl in academe. The strongest piece is the trip she takes with her twin sister Amy tracing the Trail of Tears their Cherokee ancestors were forced to march when President Andrew Jackson banished them from their own property. In that, you see Vowell learning to wrangle the kind of ambiguities that usually stop others in their tracks. I love how she loves America, clear-eyed but without apology.
   
   This collection of essays is often topical and thus some of them are a little dated, or at least ironic given more recent events. I'd really like to sit down with Vowell, to see what she thinks now.



4. Having read The Partly Cloudy Patriot first, I loved this book because it invited me to learn more about the author and her life. And in that respect, the book is very good--well-written and full of Vowell's characteristic wit. I would not, however, recommend it as a first taste of Sarah Vowell; I think it's funnier and more interesting once you're familiar with her style.



5. She's a staple of This American Life on Public Radio International, and she's also appeared in GQ, Salon and Request. Her humor and wit are sharp and perceptive. But, let me work from the back cover blurbs.
   
   Essays on American history, pop culture and her own family. Yep. But it's not easy to get me interested in American history or pop culture. A madonna of Americana. Yep, but I'm bored again.
   
   Her writing about her family, early on, was great. Then we got some history that bored me, but I kept going because she is talented. Surface, but talented. Then an essay about the Trail of Tears that really hit home for me, then some amusing stuff. It's not bad, but I don't see myself going back for seconds. I'll keep an eye on whatever else she does.

5 comments about The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family.

1. I found myself laughing throughout the book. Very snappy writing and a story that I could identify with within my own relationship. The story echos today's society and the struggle (conflict) that a lot of relationships go through whether gay or straight. I think I loved the reactions of his son the best. A must read for anyone conflicted about marriage or a commitment ceremony.



2. This one I liked; it was fun reading about D.J. and good to see he has done so well with his Dads. The issues with his mom made my heart ache, and I wondered how that would progress over time. But the theme of the book - commitment - made my head ache. Back and forth, back and forth with the marriage thing. Dan makes the angst sound funny, although it wasn't at the time, I am sure. Still, in the end - I never quite got the point. It was entertaining reading for sure. Dan Savage could write a book about brushing his teeth and it would be funny. It's just with so few heterosexuals caring to get married and half of those who do divorcing, why the yen to do this straight-y thing?



3. Take a closer look at the issue of same-sex marriage with this examination and criticism of both sides of the debate.



4. An excellent sequel to Savage's The Kid. Funny, heartwarming, and thought-provoking all at the same time.



5. One of the things I liked best about this book was that Dan Savage didn't just destroy the arguments against gay marriage, but he also correctly criticized many of the popular arguments in favor of gay marriage for succumbing to the same double-standards as the opposition. What was left was arguments that are rational, clearly stated, and funny.
   
   Savage's personal story is well told, reflective, and entertaining.

5 comments about Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa.

1. Antjie Krog is a South African writer and poet who covered the South African Truth and Reconciliation commission hearings. She wrote this book about the experience, from the particular point of view of a South African of Afrikaner background.
   
   I found this book both difficult to read, and difficult to put down. Krog chooses extremely compelling stories to highlight, and the impact is visceral. She asks some very smart and difficult questions about what truth and reconciliation can possibly mean in a country burdened with such a history. The Country of My Skull does an excellent job in providing possible answers to these hard questions, while acknowledging that she may not be the person to either have an opinion or have an answer. She seems to continually ask who are judges and who are victims, given the situation.
   
   While I liked that she shared her own experience of the Commission honestly, there were times when I felt that the focus on her personal life weakened the book. Made it overly poetic, somehow. When she discusses the Death Fugue of Celan, she makes the point that there are some subjects that poetry cannot and perhaps should not touch. I sympathize with the desire to use that kind of precise and metaphoric language, but it increases the distance.
   
   This seems to me an important book. Four and a half stars.



2. A. Krog writes an amazing piece revolving around the events pertinent to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the emergence of the African National Congress in the politics of South Africa. Graphic descriptions of militant and counterinsurgent armed activity in the apartheid government, and first person testimony to the TRC of human rights violations from many parties. Krog's recollections are necessarily emotionally derived and sometimes difficult for this reason to follow analytically, particularly to one not immersed in South African history and cultures. Extensive use of indigenous languages with helpful translations and a glossary of common local parlance included, which makes the reading much more interpretable. The book is written assuming the reader is familiar with the political events immediately prior to the institution of the TRC and the dissolution of apartheid politics. An excellent piece for any world history or political science student.



3. Antjie Krog writes with a poet's power of observation both with inner feelings as well as to witness the outer complexities of people's pain and truth. Whose truth, which truth, and at what time? The Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings which she followed along with many other reporters, becomes a focal point for the process of hearing these complexities as well as offering the possibilityes for healing in a country struggling to understand the tensions between global change and the bonds of tribal and cultural loyalties and traditions. Krog offers us a chance to participate in this as well as to reflect on our own healing processes and sort out the complexities of many truths we live with.



4. A great book, telling a part of a nation's history, that must never been forgotten



5. As a British engineer living in South Africa for 15 years I obviously lived on another planet compared to this lady. Maybe because I worked in black townships and saw things as an outside observer I was not burdened by self loathing and idealistic fantasy that make up much of this work. Sure bad things happen in old wars in Africa or new ones like Iraq, but I can't help feeling that we have been here before. Atrocities happened in Rhodesia but despite the false dawn and liberal accolades that welcomed Mugabe in the same way them as they welcomed Mandela now, we ended up with worse country not a better one. I think that when we all look back on this period in years to come and unburdened by the current plague of political correctness that blights our times, we will realise that those who should ask for forgiveness are the liberal media elites who destroyed South Africa and the hopes of all its people both black and white.

5 comments about Blindsided: Lifting a Life Above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir.

1. Mr. Cohen is a huge black hole; I once did not feel his love for his children...my impression is that he was after all a very lucky man. he managed to put up with a demanding career, had the big luck in a great woman and I think wonderful kids...Instead of bitching so much, be thankful Mr. Cohen for what you have! In other country or other financial situation you would be long gone.



2. Richard M Cohen is amazing person. I really enjoy read this book. I found it very interest and good.



3. This is one of my favorite memoirs. Mr. Cohen writes beautifully about a not so beautiful subject, chronic illness. I hear he has another book out and I plan to look it up and order it as soon as I finish this review. Thank you for giving a voice to chronic illness Richard.



4. I really didn't like this book..from the first page. I never did try to pick it up again. Not worth your time.



5. BLINDSIDED by Richard Cohen. This is not just a book for for those dealing with MS, Although it could be the story of my family. It is the story of a man and his family who takes the blows and then gets up and keeps on going. It may not be the path was originally planned but they find a way to go go on. It is an uplifting story to those who fight physical problems and despair and find a way to go on. God bless you Richard Cohen, Meredith Viera and your children.

5 comments about The Gonzo Way: A Celebration of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

1. I bought this as a gift for my son and he was very pleased with it. He loves anything to do with Hunter S. Thompson. He did not even know this book was out there so he was very pleased with it and it was written by his wife so it gave a totally different look at his life. It is also a shorter story and that really appealed to my son. For those of you out there that don't like to read a lot this is the perfect book for you. It gives a lot of detail but is not over written,



2. This is a very short and simple insight in to Hunter S. Thompson's lifestyle written by his wife. It is an interesting enough read. Definitely lacks the originallity and verve of a work authored by Thomspson.



3. I think The Gonzo Way is great, especially now that I've had some time to reflect on it.



4. Don't waste your time with this book. It's horrible and lacks any insight despite being written by Thompon's wife (though she wasn't with him long and it shows!). Why does she feel the need to apologize for his "stoned twisted, ripped...good people" side? I mean REAL Thompson fans KNOW that's not the only essence of him...even though, yes, his "lifestyle" did provide a sort of romatic idea for the outsider to think about while living mundane lives. But thanks to Anita she does a good job of ruining that too...I don't smoke, use drugs of any kind, and have always loved Thompson for his work and his life and I can tell you, this book has NOTHING!. So sad and it only diminishes my ideals for true Gonzo and Thompson since it appears he really did have a load of "leeches" at his side. So sad to see his legacy degraded this way!



5. I was excited to buy this book, thinking that it would give a personal glimpse into the "real" life of Hunter. My excitement was in vain. It is poorly written. She says the same things over and over in an attempt to clarify her point. Reading half of this book was a waste of time. I ended up really disliking Anita and learning nothing about Hunter.

No comments about Sports Illustrated: Hate Mail from Cheerleaders and Other Adventures from the Life of Rick Reilly (Sports Illustrated).

5 comments about The Hidden War: A Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan.

1. I read this book in Husaybah, Iraq on the bloodiest of my three combat tours with Third Battalion, Seventh Marines. The ending is absolutely brutal. It made me question why I was wasting seven months of my life losing the Soviet-Afghan War fifteen years after it'd already ended. Occupations cannot be won. Good book.



2. There are actually 2 books combined in "Hidden War". The first is a few years in to the war when the writer a journalist, who has been to the USA several time and knows a bit about the west, writes as a adventure, propaganda piece. He includes the feeling of the soldiers and commanders at the time. Several years pass and the writer has been back to the USA and interviewed several soldiers who have surrendered to the mujahadin and been expatriated to the west. Also Glasnost or Openness is in full force in the USSR. The army is pulling out after 8 years of a war that produced nothing. The change in tone of the second book is sharp when compared to the hope of doing their duty in the first book.
   
   Mistakes are made by people attempting to draw parallels between America's wars in Vietnam or Iraq. This would be a mistake and reading 'Hidden War' would prove this. The United States is not the Soviet Union, decayed and on the brink of collapse. No is the media as tightly controlled as in the first part of this book (the book was written after the Soviet Union imploded, it could not have been published before then). There are no conscripts in the American Army as there is in the Soviet or Russian armies.
   
   This is a good book about a war many in the west have forgotten due to the current war in Afghanistan.



3. A nice book about the Soviet-Afghan War. The author spent the first 100 pages describing the initial invasion. The last 180 pages was spent on the final two months of the war. This is a great contrast. The initial hope of doing their international duty is followed by the final exit of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.
   
   There are a lot of interesting contrasts in this book. First, deserters who end up in America living the good life but looking back at what they lost. Then there are the Soviet troops trying to keep from being the last killed. This followed by Soviet paratroopers going on a murderous binge in the wake of their commander's death. This shows the lack of control after nine painful years of war.
   
   The journalist writes from a Russian perspective. However, he does list some of the problems/issues Russian soldiers created in this country. One wonders whether the West backed the right person in this war as highlighted by subsequent actions. I think this is a great read. The one problem is how the author jumps around in his writing, leading the reader to wonder where the author is in the story.



4. This book differs from many wartime narratives in that the author focuses upon the individuals that he meets, instead of the strategic and tactital campaigns that are usually covered. The author is very descriptive with his accounts, but he often leaves the reader the task of determining the competence of persons being interviewed.
   
   This is not a preachy book, but it still comes across as very intelligent. The only thing left to say is that, This is a good read.



5. Very interesting book, it was amazing how similiar the experience sounded to America in Vietnam.

2 comments about I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World.

1. Few have approached taboo subjects such as pornography, illegal drug use, professional wrestling and sleazy rock and roll with such unbridled glee and enthusiasm, let alone filed it under nonfiction. Mike Edison is one of the few, the proud, the unabashed. His memoir reads like a rocket to all the places your parents (rightly) warned you against. It'd be foolish to follow Edison's example, but only a fool wouldn't want to tag along for the ride.



2. This isn't a memoir; it's a crime scene! The author's raunchy and ridiculous romp through the underbelly of the New York publishing scene is not to be missed. The writing is sharp and powerful, like a burlesque rim shot, and the stories unfold effortlessly through fast-paced action and drug-induced narrative. This author writes as if Toby Young downed a bunch of uppers and got smacked in the face by a flying bar stool. With this raving party of a book, Mike Edison may prove a worthy heir to the pill-poppin', line-snorting, gun-toting and anti-establishment legacy of the good Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. It's that good.

1 comments about Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression.

1. I have never been formally diagnosed with depression, yet like most people I guess, I have had spells of 'the blues' and feelings of melancholia at times. I have however a mother who has suffered from manic depression all her life and my second wife has been in the same boat for the past five years.
   
   Sally Brampton's book is high on my recommended list. Written with honesty, clarity and humor, it certainly gives a most important insight in to what it must be like to be seriously depressed.
   
   There are many books on depression out there. This one gets is.

5 comments about Queen of the Oil Club: The Intrepid Wanda Jablonski and the Power of Information.

1. While I expected to find Queen of the Oil Club to be an educational read, I wasn't prepared for the page turner I found. Rubino's first person and you are there approach to Wanda's amazing life was riveting. So far,I've recommended it to friends looking for a lively summer read, writer friends, my graduate student niece who is pursuing Women's Studies and a friend who grew up in Saudi Arabia in the 1960's. There's something there for each of them.



2. The seeds of today's oil crisis were sown during the five decades that Wanda Jablonski reported on industry events and, through that reporting, influenced their outcome. To understand the current surge of oil nationalism on the part of both producer and consumer nations that will determine the future of hydrocarbons for years to come, we need to go back to the earlier rise of oil nationalism that led to the creation of OPEC. This book takes us there through the life of an extraordinary woman. Wanda, her first name sufficed to identify her whether in the court of the King of Saudi Arabia or the Exxon executive offices, had access to the boardrooms and bedouins that created the oil machine. She spoke the truth to their faces and told her readers what went on behind the curtain. In an all-male oil world, she earned respect and fear for the power she wielded as a journalist who knew as much or more about this crucial industry than the men who ran it. Anna Rubino captures Wanda, a strangely reclusive woman who quietly re-wrote the rules of business journalism and influenced the world we live in today.



3. Review for "The Queen of the Oil Club"
   Anna Rubino takes us into the world of oil in the 1950's through the eyes of a remarkable woman, Wanda Jablonski. In this clearly readable book the reader is exposed to the personalities of the industry leaders, the look and feel of the Middle Eastern cities and the customs and concerns of its people. Filled with high drama, this book tells a fascinating and timely story, perhaps even more relevant in view of today's oil crisis.
   Donald and Kathie Eppert



4. Anna Rubino was a brilliant scholar of history at Yale as she pursued her PhD. Now she has written a brilliant historical study, impeccable in scholarship but also timely and exciting. Five stars all around.
   --William Lilley III, a Yale history faculty member when the author was a graduate student.



5. You will be sucked into the story from page one. How could a woman named Wanda Jablonski have climbed into the middle of the super secret, conspiratorial world of global oil and remain there for more than 30 years as big oil's top digging journalist? The author, Anna Rubino, lays it out in page-turning fashion.
   
   Wanda broke all the stereotypes. She was on a first-name, trusted basis with Arab oil sheikhs. Her publication, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, became the must read for every global oil player. She broke all the big stories in a career that, as written in this compelling book, tracks more like a great work of fiction - except it's all true. If you want to understand the forces that have carried us into the current world of skyrocketing fuel prices, read this book.
   
   It's a great summer escape - particularly if you can't afford the gas to get to the beach! You can sit under an umbrella on the back deck, grab a cool drink and get absorbed.
   
   Wanda Jablonski - one of the most important journalists in U.S. history. Who knew?