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5 comments about The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice.

1. This is an engaging, well-written memoir of a man who came from a disadvantaged background, a high school drop out who, with a little help from his friends, pulled himself up by his boot straps, eventually becoming New York City's fortieth Police Commissioner in 2000.
   
   Born to an alcoholic mother who worked as a prostitute and was eventually murdered, Kerik grew up in the mean streets of Newark and Patterson, New Jersey, and eventually dropped out of high school. A devotee of martial arts, he become a third degree black belt and joined the military, a career choice that was to give focus to his life. From then on, it was a natural segue into law enforcement.
   
   The book takes the reader on a trip down memory lane through Kerik's colorful life from his inauspicious birth to the 2001 World Trade Center attack. Kerik details his rise from warden of a Patterson, New Jersey jail to a member of the NYC police Department, then NYC Commissioner of Corrections, and, ultimately, NYC Police Commissioner. Police buffs will especially enjoy Kerik's war stories of his days as a foot soldier of NYPD, from his early days as a rookie cop to his faced paced, adrenalin rush days as a member of the DEA/NYPD Task Force.
   
   Very loyal to friends and family, Kerik is clearly a complex man with a lot of natural ability, a virtual diamond in the rough with an uncanny knack for rising to the top in whatever he does. Despite his lack of formal education, Kerik was always able to think out of the box and adopt new ways of looking at old problems. This, coupled with natural leadership ability, made him a force with which to be reckoned. His friendship with Rudolph Giuliani, in those early days when Rudy was running for Mayor of New York City, eventually helped secure Kerik a prominent berth in city government. Whether it was as the Commissioner of Corrections, where he was able to bring Riker's Island, a local NYC penal colony, up to snuff, or as Commissioner of NYPD, where Kerik did much to quell community dissatisfaction with the police, Kerik did manage to leave his mark.
   
   Still, there are little hints of an Achilles heel and chinks in the personal integrity of this man of supposed steel and honor that are revealed in this book. I was struck by the fact that Kerik, while Police Commissioner, seemingly thought it was alright to use resources of the NYC Police Department to try and unravel the mystery surrounding his mother's death years earlier in Ohio. Even though years later he was eventually made to pay back the money that those investigative efforts cost, I was surprised to see that at the time he was using members of the NYC Police Department as his own private investigators, he did not think that this was an inappropriate use of public resources for a private matter.
   
   Unfortunately, this little chink in his personal integrity would come to bite him on the butt when Giuliani recommended him in 2004 to President Bush for the position of Secretary of Homeland Security. A background check would reveal a number of problems, some of them minor, some less so. In 2006, Kerik eventually plead guilty to misdemeanors on state charges related to his ethics in having accepted about $165,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, NY apartment in 1999 to 2000 from a construction company with alleged mob ties. At the time, that construction company was seeking to do business with the City of New York, and Kerik is alleged to have used his connections to lobby on that construction company's behalf. Moreover, that same company also gave Kerik's brother a high paying job. This beleaguered former NYC Police Commissioner has now been indicted by a federal grand jury on sixteen counts of fraud and corruption.
   
   This is simply the story of a man who, through his own hubris, thought he could do no wrong, and in doing so, eventually lost everything.



2. On the plus side we do get a look into the workings of the NYPD which I found fascinating. But Kerik is a shameless self promoter. I was almost embarrassed to read some of his self praise. Of course his story is perfect for an American audience -- we love someone who achieves much more then his background would predict. But we would also like our heroes to be a bit humble while they achieve so much. Some of the writing is uneven, especially the storyline of his mother. Since he has so little data on his mother, its difficult for him to generate a very engaging story there. If you like police stories and can find this book on deep discount you'll be pleased with it.



3. I could not put this book down! Bernard Kerik tells his story by telling the story of the heroes he encounters along the way. His life experiences are sometimes normal, other times anything but normal and all make for a fascinating read.



4. I would have rated in 5 stars for the quality of the story, but now that I know the majority of it has elements of untruth, it gets one star, and only because I can't rate it any lower. He also left out a lot of things, like at least one marriage. How do you forget THAT?
   
   Based on the things that came out later, he probably should have been IN Riker's Island, not running it. He sounds like someone who gets promoted because nobody likes them and there isn't enough on them to get them fired.



5. GIVEN KERIK'S REPORTED MOB TIES, AMORALITY AND CASHING IN ON THE 9/11 TRAGEDY, IT'S NO SURPRISE TO READ THIS CON JOB PIECE OF FICTION. HIS GHOSTWRITER IS PROBABLY A FICTION WRITER BECAUSE ALTHOUGH IT IS WELL WRITTEN, THE STORY IS A FRAUD. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN SAUDI ARABIA? HE STALKED AND TERRORIZED WOMEN ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON POST. WHY DIDN'T MR. LAW ENFORCEMENT WHO CLAIMED TO BE SO HIGHLY SKILLED THAT HE COULD TRACK DOWN THE BIGGEST DRUG LORDS IN THE WORLD...TRACK DOWN HIS OWN INFANT DAUGHTER --THE ONE HE ABANDONED? HOW ABOUT THE TRUTH? HE IS A CON MAN, ABANDONED HIS OWN CHILD, IS EGOMANIACAL AND IS NOTHING MORE THAN A THUG. HE WRITES ABOUT SOME TEACHER IN SCHOOL WHO TOLD HIM HE WOULD NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. GUESS WHAT? HE WAS RIGHT. BERNARD KERIK IS JUST WHAT THAT TEACHER SAID HE'D BE. A BIG ZERO.

5 comments about Camp.

1. This book provided insights about others' camping experiences. Thus I could compare it with my own camping experiences (mostly at BSA camps). It takes alot of courage to handle the rigors of camping, in my opinion.



2. Although the sleep-away camp that I went to was rather different than the one Michael Eisner attended and lovingly described in this book (the rustic Keewaydin located in Vermont), nevertheless, I definitely related to Eisner's remarks on how summer camp can simultaneously foster in children independence, interdependence and constructive competition. I liked the way the book jumped around from generation to generation, to show how the benefits of the camp experience are timeless. His ode to the camp owner (forever known to campers and staff as "Waboos") is quite touching, especially his depiction of present day, close to 90 year old, Waboos, who's almost blind. My enjoyment of the book was certainly enhanced because one of my favorite activities as a camper was canoeing, which is a cornerstone of Keewaydin. I'm very curious as to how the two boys known as Q and Pepe, who were able to attend the camp as a result of a charity that the author finacially supports, are doing these days.
   
   "Camp" is a charming little book, especially for someone like me who was also, to some extent, shaped by summer camp.



3. Eisner's descriptions of his experiences as a camper really hit home for me, I would recommend this book heartily. Coincidentally I also was a Beaverbod (attended Camp Beaverbrook) run by Amee and Niha and Mr Mahnke's Brother. The experience described in Eisner's book is much more "East Coast" than my own experience but still rings true if you ever went to summer camp. His descriptions of the aging Camp Director and the emotions he evokes are great. Good read!



4. Eisner's book is a wonderful reflection of his experiences over many summers at a prominent northeastern "sleepaway camp." Being a northern Californian, I was not exposed to this particular genre of camp experience, but my brothers and I were fortunate to attend a wonderfully similar enclave three hours north of us called Camp Beaverbrook, which featured most of the same experiences (save for the wonderful natural lakes) that Mr. Eisner recounts. Our camp directors, "Amee and Niha" (Bob and Marion Brown from Orinda, California) built the place by hand and created a wonderful place for young people ("Beaverbods," we called them) to grow up and learn to live with others. Mrs. Brown even wrote her own reflective book called "Past Tents," which is unfortunately out of print. If you enjoyed Mr. Eisner's book, you should also see the movie "Indian Summer," which never ceases to bring a tear to my eyes.



5. I went to camp too. Camp Hawthorne in Raymond, Maine. This book is the best and a worthwhile read for any parent with a kid at camp or any parent considering sending their kid to camp. It's likely even better for kids like me who went to camp because no matter what experience Eisner describes, the same memories come rushing back in all their fun and splendor. One of my camp friends always used to say he was going to write a book about camp called "Camp Camp." (A generic book he had in mind.) He always said no one would believe what great fun and experiences we had. He never wrote the book but I am extremely happy that Michael Eisner has. It is no samll wonder he has been so successful (say what you might about his last few difficult years - those years were difficult for anyone in business.) He actually came through them in good shape and there's a reason he did. Nothing is as tough as that first canoe trip that you lead. If you forget any one of a number of items it can turn three days into ten. Kudos to Eisner for writing about camp in all its splendor, honoring those who gave kids like us the time of our lives, and carrying on the tradition through generosity usually reserved for only the finest of America's institutions. He's got his heart and him money in the right place!

5 comments about Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond.

1. Written when McMurtry was 62, WALTER BENJAMIN AT THE DAIRY QUEEN is probably best classified as a memoir, although it is not presented as such. Rather, the construct (perhaps "artifice" is the more apt word) is McMurtry sitting in the Dairy Queen in hometown Archer City, Texas reading an essay on storytelling by Walter Benjamin, which then prompts McMurtry to reflect on and then pass along some of the stories of his life. This Dairy Queen/Walter Benjamin construct comes across as a tad contrived, maybe a little too self-consciously "artsy," but on the whole the stories McMurtry tells are well worth listening to.
   
   The two principle subjects of the book (tracking, one assumes, the two principle preoccupations of McMurtry's life) are (i) the American West -- including that pocket of the West local to Archer County, Texas where McMurtry grew up and his grandparents were pioneering settlers -- and (ii) books, reading, and writing. Throughout the book, seamlessly interwoven with reflections about larger themes such as the West, the doomed and mythical cowboy, and literature are themes or events personal to McMurtry, such as growing up on a hard-scrabble North Texas ranch, his father, going in his teens to the big city and later Rice University, returns to Archer City relating to "The Last Picture Show", and his quadruple-bypass surgery and its extended psychic aftermath.
   
   I see that previous reviews have characterized McMurtry as "crusty" or "cranky," which in my view does him and the book a disservice. Without any obvious effort to ingratiate himself with the reader, McMurtry comes off as personable and likeable. It is not much of a stretch to envision him actually relating these stories and reflections after the meal around a dining room table or maybe even a campfire (albeit not any Dairy Queen of my experience). Yes, in such circumstances McMurtry probably would tend to monopolize the discussion, but he knows more than most of us and, as his fiction suggests, he is a better storyteller than most.
   
   I vascillate between giving the book 4 or 5 stars. If possible, I would settle on 4.5. Because that's not possible, I am rounding up to 5.



2. Larry McMurtry is, as Proust and Virginia Woolf are to him, my Nile of literature. The quality of his prolific output has been inconsistent, but I find myself constantly returning to his work. Like all writers, McMurtry has his faults. But he is the best I have encountered in warding off, to paraphrase Harold Bloom, that dark inertia to which we are all susceptible.
   
   One of McMurtry's rare pieces of non-fiction, this is an intensely readable book - intentionally so, it seems, following the path of the oral tradition. McMurtry mourns the demise of this tradition, while at the same time seeking to find the positive in the historical developments that have killed it. McMurtry's yarns describe his childhood, his discovery of books, and his bouts with depression, including his ruminations on literature's place in his life, and his life's place in this country's physical, historical, and literary landscape.
   
   All of the tributary themes of the book join together as the book progresses, through McMurtry's own White and Blue Nile of Proust (who I personally like) and Woolf (with whom I have never been able to connect)and into a general inspiration to literature. McMurtry says that he early identified books as the central and stable activity in his life. This book is a testament to the joys and comforts of doing the same.



3. Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond by Larry McMurtry. Larry McMurtry was influenced by an essay he first read in a Texas Dairy Queen by Walter Benjamin. The essay he was reading was about the dissipation of memory and the loss of narrative power in fiction today.
   
   Larry McMurtry writes about growing up on a ranch in Archer City, Texas. He shares discovering reading and books as a teen, going to college at Rice University, knowing virtually nothing about literature, transferring to North Texas State University to finish his bachelor's degree as a workaround for a troublesome Rice professor, and then doing his Master's at Rice University.
   
   He tells some about writing, his love for books that leads to his becoming a book scout and antiquarian book dealer. Across from the Archer City court house he has a giant bookstore containing a quarter-million used books, and the dying legacy of the cowboy. He shares little about his personal life except his love for reading and his quadruple bypass surgery which was very traumatic. It may be as close to a personal memoir as we get with McMurtry. The work is well written, wide, but not deep. We do not get to know McMurty at a level most would like to experience.
   
   Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.



4. This sat on my shelf for years and I finally pulled it down. I'm glad I did. He expounds on aging, the west, books, his own writing, and reading. His writing is conversational and comfortable. Very enjoyable!



5. In this melancholy memorir of sorts, he reminates about his life growing up on the Great Plains in small-town Texas, about the vast emptiness of the Texas landscape and it effect it has on the natives. There is a vast loneliness and he feels he has been born too late so he develops an interest in vanishing breeds. The Old West has come and gone. Some time ago, I reviewed his book, THE COLONEL AND LITTLE MISSIE.
   
   He extolls the virtues of the Archer City Dairy Queen (no where else to go back then (we still have some of those places here in Knoxville) in the Eighties where he'd go to read as he drank a strasnge concoction of Dr. Pepper with lime. Now, you can get a lime Slushie with a real cherry at Sonic, the drive-in of today.
   
   He'd started on a translation of the German philosophre, Walter Benjamin's 'Illuminations,' a group of essays. He particularly liked "The Storyteller," and refers to it often as he thinks back on his life "to think about place, his life, literature and his relation to it." For twenty-five years, he has been telling his stories in book form, some of which were turned into movies, like LONESOME DOVE, THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, BUFFALO GIRLS and TERMS OF ENDEARMENT.
   
   He compares Benjamin's life in Europe with that of his grandparents settling in Texas, "while my grandparents were dealing with vast emptiness...Europe was approaching density (absolute and perhaps intolerable." There is no comparison, as they were on completely opposite polars.
   
   He'd gone on a lifelong quest to study European literature to learn their culture that spawned his own pioneer family, a quest which comes full circle, with his reminiscences for this book. He loves to remind folks of the way things used to be and this erudite elegy for the lost paces in American life and of the cowboy" comes forefront. He doesn't care much for Paul Theroux's early mentor, V. S. Pritchett.
   
   He gives an intelligent assessment of his career and the demise of oral storytelling. He promotes the need for reading and appreciated the works of Proust. He comes across as a bitter, cranky old man as he tells about his childhood and feeling 'soul-less' after his heart surgery. He's had a great career studing life and writing some strange novels. Some others are THE EVENING STAR, TEXASVILLE, and STREETS OF LOREDO.

No comments about Eels With Dill Sauce: Memories of an Eccentric Childhood.

5 comments about Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her ... Living.

1. Like many of the other reviewers here, I was intrigued by the premise of this book, but the author's attitude and descriptions of her life make it tough going at times. Perhaps she's exaggerating for comic effect, but as is, she initially comes across as the worst caricature of a Gen-X, would-be New York hipster: mean-spirited, self-absorbed, foul-mouthed, rude, whiny, and intolerant of anyone she suspects of not sharing her self-consciously outre (i.e., monogamous married life is "bourgeois", but the woman operating an S&M dungeon in mid-town Manhattan is "awesome!") values. Most of the way through the book, I almost felt sorry for Julie Powell, because she didn't seem to really get much enjoyment out of anything in her life, in spite of having a loving, supportive husband and family.
   
   On reflection, though, I felt that my earlier review was too harsh, because Powell does actually grow up a little and mellow out towards the end, and becomes much more endearing as a result. She can be very amusing at times, and I respect her willingness to let people see her struggles and failings and foibles (although I could have done without the blaspheming, and with fewer descriptions of her strident political biases and her friends' sexual escapades, which in my opinion didn't really add much to the book). Overall, it's not a bad way to pass the time.



2. Too bad I cannot give negative stars!! Read the only the first chapter and was completely turned off by the vulgarity and whiney tone. Even though I am a college graduate I had to have a dictionary handy to interpret the obscure vocabulary that was completely unnecessary. I agree with all of the bad reviews this book is getting and am vehement about how much I hated it!



3. I loved this book. It is funny, easy to read, well written, and entertaining. No, I did no "learn" anything about cooking but it was engaging, laugh-out-loud funny in spots, and just a good summer read. I recommend this book for someone looking for a light, easy, book for reading at the beach, or on a plane.
   
   Enjoy!



4. The author has a good sense of humor so there are many funny moments, but in general, there isn't a lot of substance here. Definitely don't pay full price for this one!



5. Because this project has what I consider to be an irresistible premise and because a friend described the book as "funny," I was excited to read it. On the surface, I have a good deal in common with Julie Powell. We are close in age and background, similar in work history, and both enjoy good food, good drinks, cursing and leaving the cleaning to someone else.
   
   After reading this book, if someone were to tell me I reminded them of Julie Powell, I would commit hari-kari. She is terribly unpleasant, self-absorbed and repellant. All of the characteristics with which I could identify are completely reduced to rubble in her hands. I find myself never wanting to hear or use the F-word ever again, and even I was repulsed by her disgusting apartment. I had to skip most of the passage involving maggots lest I lose my lunch. All the tales of sticky cat hair, brackish flooded fixtures and rotting floors didn't help either. I read most of the book with that look on my face people have when something nearby stinks.
   
   I assume she was attempting humor and exaggerating many of her misadventures and personality flaws, but the end result is that I loathe her as a fellow human being and wish ill upon her. Her heartless exposure of her friends' and family's personal lives is inexcusable (and dull) and her husband appears to be a combination saint/fool for putting up with her. Powell hates the project, hates her job, dislikes her husband (she mentions her frequent desire to beat his head with sharp rocks. I mean really! Eric! Run for your life!), disdains her friends, scorns her mother, disrespects Julia Child and admires only her cats and her brother.
   
   In its relentlessly bleak tone and insistence on examining the lives of detestable characters, this book reminds me of A Confederacy of Dunces. Another supreme waste of time and positive energy.
   
   I think the lesson to be learned here is that a blogger does not an author make. The publishing industry needs to be really careful about offering book deals to just any successful blog author. Any fool with an internet connection can create a blog, after all. That doesn't mean they are worthy of anyone else's time or attention.

No comments about In War and Peace (Reminiscence).

5 comments about Like Sands Through the Hourglass.

1. The old die hard Days of Our Lives fans will love reading about Bill and Susan. You can see a lot of Julie Williams at times in Susan. Perhaps why she was so fantastic at playing this character. It goes into many of the personal stories of how this loving couple came together, and have stayed in love for all the days of their lives. Even if you haven't watched "Days" and you enjoy the biographies of the stars, this one is a great afternoon read. It's written well, following the careers of both from their early beginnings, through Days, and after. You'll find Bill is a down to earth, giving, loving man. Susan is fiesty, sometimes quirky, and a strong take care of her man kind of woman. You'll certainly enjoy this book!



2. Wow! This read is an honest look at love, loss, lessons learned and making peace with self. A must read--not only for all the people who grew up with Doug and Julie, but anyone who has ever felt any or all of the above. They even put "their ugly stuff on the porch". A super book!!!!



3. My mother in law is a huge DOOL fan and this is the perfect christmas present for her.



4. Great love story between Bill and Susan. Their personal story is as magical as Doug and Julie's, the characters who they portray. Great behind the scenes from the Days set. I could not put this book down!!



5. A joyful read! A wonderful couple! I love every time Doug and Julie are on my screen and I loved reading this book. These are people you would love to know and have in your life! Their "life lessons learned" will touch your heart.

No comments about A Good Living (Reminiscence).