5 comments about Farewell, Jackie: A Portrait Of Her Final Days.

1. My husband claims that I've never met a book I didn't like. But two Edward Klein books that I've recently read have to be the exceptions. The Kennedy Curse was bad enough, but Farewell, Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days is a true dog.
   
   Klein gives us the details of the diagnosis of Jackie's fatal illness and follows through to her death. In between, he regales us with short stories about her childhood, her lovers, her husbands, her children, her friends and her job. Jackie was fiercely protective of her privacy, and one thing that she demanded of her friends was complete loyalty. Edward Klein used to be a friend, until he wrote an article about her. After that, she cut him off completely. As a result, we're not really getting his "inside" story, but the story of dozens and dozens of Jackie's "anonymous" friends. I question how many would willingly provide him with intimate details of Jackie's deathbed scene (one that he called "her masterpiece").
   
   Farewell, Jackie isn't much of a book. Weighing in about just a little over 200 pages, the chapters are short, the pages are small, and there are often two or three blank pages between each chapter. I read Farewell in a little over two hours, and I'm not a speed reader. At least with The Kennedy Curse, Klein provided us with some interesting information about the little-known Kennedy-Fitzgerald patriarchs. Unfortunately, Farewell, Jackie has little to redeem it. I think Klein has milked this cash cow (the Kennedy's) to the extent that the cow has run dry. It's time for him to find some new material.



2. The author was once a friend of Jackie's, until he had the audacity to break one of her cardinal rules...writing an article on her for Vanity Fair in 1989. Like many people, he has cashed in quite nicely on noteriety of the Kennedy's, and Jackie in particular. Hence, Jackie banished Klien from her circle as she did with many people that she felt breached her privacy. You can hardly consider Klien a true insider, he is more like a vulture picking at scraps already chewed over by many, many other gossip columnists, writers, and fans like myself.
   This book is really just a re-hashing of many things that have already been published and little of it is new. I must add that most of the details in this book on her illness and treatment h were widely published in tabloids like "Enquirer" and "Star" when she died 10 years ago. The chapters on Jackie's private moments during the last months of her life-when she is in church, in the doctor's office, with her children, and even on her deathbed are hard to believe, if only because we know Jackie would not have allowed Klien within a block of her presence. Most of his sources for these are a "secret" and I really have to wonder if anyone that Mrs Onassis truly considered a friend would speak with Mr. Klien.
   
   This book, I hate to admit, is a guilty pleasure but one that I regret indulging in, knowing disgusted the subject would have been with it.



3. I enjoy reading books about the Kennedys and Jackie Onassis, but this book, which was supposed to give a chronicle of sorts of the last 10-11 years of Jackie's life, did not do a very good job of that. It was a cut-and-paste biography from previous books and interviews. I didn't learn anything new from this book, and that's the biggest disappointment. It will be a nice addition to my extensive library, but it won't be the first one I pull off the shelf for anyone who wants a good narrative of her life and on who Jackie really was. This is an "okay to read if you're lonely" kind of book.



4. I think that this book was a well writen portrail of Jackie's final days, with a moderate vocabulary it well conveys the beliefs of the author



5. Edward Klein needs to find a new family to write recycled books about. After peddling such ghastly books as "The Kennedy Curse" and "Just Jackie," Klein engages in literary graverobbing with the putrid "Farewell Jackie: A Portrait of Her Final Days."

   His primary focus is the final illness and death of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, of non-lymphoma cancer that seemed easily treatable. By this time, Ms. Onassis had transcended her tabloid-speckled former lives and had a good job, a man she loved, and grandchildren she adored. But when her cancer spread, Onassis tried to die with the illusion of dignity she had maintained in her life.

   Reading "Farewell Jackie" is a bit like watching someone break open a grave to frisk the bones of the dead. Padding the story of Jackie's illness and death are stories of her earlier life -- primarily her second marriage, and various love affairs she had (one of which has been denied by the man involved). Dirt-dishing, anyone?

   Jackie Kennedy Onassis is portrayed as downright saintly in this book; Klein glosses over the hypocrises and flaws in her personality, such as being "religious" yet ignoring tenets of that religion. Even the volatile nature of her relationship with her second husband. Oddly enough, this adoration doesn't extend far enough, especially at the end. Any semblance of dignity is shredded when Klein goes into grotesque detail about Onassis's final mental and physical deterioration.

   What's more, Klein's writing is deplorable. He transcribes private conversations and moments when Onassis was alone -- all obviously faked. Not to mention that Klein is in desperate need of an editor for this book's many errors. On one page, Klein informs us, "Jackie a wreck." Verbs? We don't need no stinkin' verbs.

   Farewell, Jackie. Too bad Klein had to write this book and peddle it as a memorial volume for you. "Farewell Jackie," thankfully, is clearly destined to sink into the mire of obsequious, poorly-written Kennedy books.

5 comments about Living History.

1. it was in perfect condition and was delivered fast
   thanks so much.
   stina langstrup



2. The skies were clear and blue on the morning of September 11th, 2001 and yet there was something in the air. Hillary Clinton's descriptions of important events are akin to looking at a painting that has been edited by photoshop. Her bloodless image of America and her life experiences in it over the last fifty years will leave you yawning. There is no emotion in her prose, only clean typeface absent of any distinguishing personality. If you wonder why she lost the 2008 Primary to Barack Obama, this work of carefully chosen memories is a good indication. If there is a real Hillary Clinton, she is so hard to find that even her editor struggled to craft the semblence of a real person. It's a shame really. For a woman who has done so much for the country, she really should find the courage to admit her flaws without faking it.



3. Hillary Clinton is a fascinating person in contemporary American politics. In a way, she is all of us who grew up in the 50s and 60s and rode into our personal power on the coat tails of the women's movement and the self-help movement.
   
   This book seems a very thorough account of her life up until her run for the U.S. Senate. I found myself wanting to know more about her childhood, because this section, at least for me, seemed the most dynamic.
   
   My only hesitation in recommending this book whole-heartedly, is that at times it seems a vehicle to "set the record straight" on the Clinton years in the White House. There are lots of details, probably a bit too many, on the unrelenting Ken Starr investigation and her health care program. And not enough details on the Monica Lewinsky fiasco. Other sections read like a travelogue at times, but I actually enjoyed these parts.
   
   All in all, I found this book a fascinating read. I walk away from it wondering: What would her life have been like if she had never met and fell in love with Bill Clinton?



4. Reading Hillary's book has given me a sense of the determination, courage, strengths AND faults of this strong woman.
   
   From her early days growing up in the Midwest, to her quest for leadership roles in Wellesley college and Yale law school, and her role in the Watergate impeachment investigation, as well as her days as first lady of Arkansas and the country, up until her role as senator in New York... this woman has been through a lot and has a lot of insight into this world.
   
   The only problem I had with reading this book is that you see that she did live (somewhat) in the shadow of her husband. I mean, he was the President; she was just the first lady. But you see that she tried to get involved in the issues she cared about, namely healthcare, which she continues to talk about in the 2008 election season.
   
   Hillary is an amazing woman. And her book is a great read too.



5. A very real, open look into the life of Hillary Rodham Clinton. She dares to be vulnerable in many areas of the book, while maintaining the class and dignity she is known for by her fans. A great read...I couldn't put it down.

5 comments about Copy This!: Lessons from a Hyperactive Dyslexic Who Turned a Bright Idea into One of America's Best Companies (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)).

1. BUT...
   
   "...you can't take care of your customers unless you take care of your people." (- Paul Orfalea)
   
   "Copy This!" is a book that illustrates the enduring idealism and sincerity of Paul Orfalea. Orfalea's enthusiasm is infectious. His optimism and energy vibrate through the narrative as he explains how his values were challenged over the years by various partnerships, a corporate reorganization and the eventual decision to leave the company he built and guided for over 30 years.
   
   Those of us who lived the "Kinko's experience" can vouch for the effectiveness of Paul's leadership and his approach to team management.
   
   Long ago, I took a job at my local Kinko's working the overnight shift as a machine operator. On my first day of work, my branch manager handed me a wallet-sized, white plastic card with something called "The Kinko's Philosophy" printed on one side. Up to that point in my life, working for a company was all about punching a clock and biding your time until you could punch it again and get on with your real life. I assumed this card, talking about things like "The coworkers are the foundation of our success" and "we trust and care for one another" were just marketing lip service by some faceless corporate human resource office.
   
   But my manager took time with me, said that he wanted me to keep the card with me explaining, "We really believe in these things here. I can't force anyone to be anything more than a clock-puncher, but we can do everything we can to support how you want to work out your days with this company. Your only real job here is to take care of the customer."
   
   Over the next several years I moved up in the company and dealt with dozens of coworkers. I worked with and for the kind of employees you've encountered of heard about who contribute to a miserable experience as well as those who stopped everything to solve your emergency and save the day for you. Paul's philosophy (his "commitment to communication") made it easier to manage the daily operation of a store of 15-20 people on three non-stop, busy shifts
   
   As Paul pointed out on more than one occasion, each coworker -- regardless of their aspirations, ambition or approach to the job -- deserved to be treated with respect and gratitude ...because their performance was the only true measure of my own success. Discipline was to be bundled with coaching and retraining. Even in an "at-will" employment environment, Paul was dedicated to making sure we did all we could to help every coworker succeed.
   
   Understanding and providing for your customer requires understanding your employees and their own needs. While they carry out the necessary tasks to get the job done, your job as a manager is to make that job fun, safe and efficient. The challenge of the organization is to create an environment where managers can do their job. In the case of Kinko's, that meant great opportunities for advancement, solid training programs, profit sharing and excellent wages. Many of those values (and benefits) changed with Paul's departure, but there are still hundreds if not thousands of team members who maintain that positive, supportive attitude toward their most valuable resource on the sales floor.
   
   Most businesses treat their employees (human assets, labor force, whatever form they take) like a herd of sheep to be managed as though they have neither the skill nor experience to contribute to the business process. This book explains how each member of your working team is not just a salary on a P&L chart, but the REASON your operation is successful. It explains that you can have your heart firmly invested in taking care of your customers, but if you don't have the drive to take care of your own PEOPLE, you will be hard-pressed to achieve that goal consistently or at all.
   
   Small business owners, department heads, and CEOs could learn much from Paul's dedication to his team members and perhaps begin to understand that their own success isn't tied to a few lines on a spreadsheet and the demands of a board of MBAs, it begins and ends with the people who run the cash registers, take care of the daily operation and make it possible for executives to spend time pondering "bigger picture" issues for their organization.



2. Paul Orfalea is the type of boss we call a "Crazy-Maker." Type triple-A. In your face. A new idea every minute. Little or no boundaries between personal time and work time. I suspect he was an exhausting (if occasionally) exhilarating boss to have.
   
   This business autobiography offers a revealing portrait of an unlikely business tycoon. Orfalea overcame dyslexia to found Kinko's, which he grew into a multi-billion dollar business before selling it off. It is now an American icon.
   
   The section on how games - especially poker, Monopoly and Risk - are better predictors of business success than grades is interesting.
   
   Otherwise, Orfalea at times seems to make it all about Me. Me. Me. See me the generous philanthropist! See me creatively teaching business classes to students at UC Santa Barbara! See me lament what the new corporate suits have done to Kinko's. Of course, he has multi-millions to assuage his pain. Dude - when you sell it off, you relinquish that right to call all the shots!
   
   Orfalea took a quirky, albeit courageous, path to his fortune. Whether many others can "copy this" as a template for success is debatable. Like him or love him, the Kinko's founder has written an engaging autobiography.



3. I found this book to hold my interest. It provides an intriguing and inspirational view inside the start-up of a business, as well as honest, personal revelations.



4. Orfalea opened his first copy shop while still a student in college. Over the next 30 years, he built the world's premier copyshop business, then cashed out for $1.5 billion. Not a bad run, especially for a kid who was so dyslexic that he was virtually illiterate.
   
   He says he got the idea for the business while working on a term paper with a team of fellow college students. He was unable to contribute any research or writing skills to the team, so he offered to do the photocopying. The lines at the school's photocopier were so long that he realized that there was money to be made in copying. In short order he scouted a location, borrowed $5K from his father, and launched his business.
   
   He makes the point that, as a functionally illiterate person, he was extremely dependent on other people. He argues that this forced him from a very early age to assess people accurately and find ways to make use of them. As a youngster, this meant choosing someone to sit next to whose work he could copy. As an adult, it meant choosing people who could help him run his business.
   
   He says that straight-A students tend not to develop the ability to read people the way a dyslexic can. He says further that straight-A students tend to do what's safe and what's asked of them, whereas a dyslexic tends to be highly creative in getting things done or at least convincing authorities that things have been done.
   
   In short, he feels that his dyslexia was a critical ingredient in his success.
   
   This gives him an interesting perspective on school. He feels that no assignment is so valuable as to be worth extinguishing a student's spark of self-confidence and excitement about learning. He points out that, in school, most students are made to feel like failures in something. By contrast, in adulthood we are allowed to specialize. If math explodes in our heads, we can seek work that requires little or no math. Students aren't so lucky, and some of them are so handicapped that their spirits are entirely crushed by the experience of going through school.
   
   The Orfalea family had a long tradition of entrepreneurship, and Paul grew up believing that one should earn one's way through life by the sweat of one's brow only long enough to accumulate some savings and then, by investing wisely, gradually transition to a point where one's way is financed entirely by rent and dividends.
   
   Today Orfalea teaches at the University of California and one of the questions he asks his students is, "What's more important: good grades or saving money?" The correct answer is saving money.



5. This is a spectacular book.
   
   Orfalea opened his first copy shop while still a student in college. Over the next 30 years, he built the world's premier copyshop business, then cashed out for $1.5 billion. Not a bad run, especially for a kid who was so dyslexic that he was virtually illiterate.
   
   He says he got the idea for the business while working on a term paper with a team of fellow college students. He was unable to contribute any research or writing skills to the team, so he offered to do the photocopying. The lines at the school's photocopier were so long that he realized that there was money to be made in copying. In short order he scouted a location, borrowed $5K from his father, and launched his business.
   
   He makes the point that, as a functionally illiterate person, he was extremely dependent on other people. He argues that this forced him from a very early age to assess people accurately and find ways to make use of them. As a youngster, this meant choosing someone to sit next to whose work he could copy. As an adult, it meant choosing people who could help him run his business.
   
   He says that straight-A students tend not to develop the ability to read people the way a dyslexic can. He says further that straight-A students tend to do what's safe and what's asked of them, whereas a dyslexic tends to be highly creative in getting things done or at least convincing authorities that things have been done.
   
   In short, he feels that his dyslexia was a critical ingredient in his success.
   
   This gives him an interesting perspective on school. He feels that no assignment is so valuable as to be worth extinguishing a student's spark of self-confidence and excitement about learing. He points out that, in school, most students are made to feel like failures in something. By contrast, in adulthood we are allowed to specialize. If math explodes in our heads, we can seek work that requires little or no math. Students aren't so lucky, and some of them are so handicapped that their spirits are entirely crushed by the experience of going through school.
   
   The Orfalea family had a long tradition of entrepreneurship, and Paul grew up believing that one should earn one's way through life by the sweat of one's brow only long enough to accumulate some savings and then, by investing wisely, gradually transition to a point where one's way is financed entirely by rent and dividends.
   
   Today Orfalea teaches at the University of California and one of the questions he asks his students is, "What's more important: good grades or saving money?" The answer is saving money.
   
   He's quite a guy. You'll enjoy reading about his success.

5 comments about Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me.

1. If one wants to read trash about this great actor's life, then read the Manso book but if you want an honest account of his life, then read this book. Brando is brutally honest about his life almost to the subject of his shortcomings that one admires his tenacity for survival in the cruel world of Hollywood. Like he stated in the book, we are all "polka-dotted" in terms of our behavior and surely he was no exception. You'll come away still in awe of his artistry as an actor even though he admits it's just a craft and way to make a living.



2. This book is an opportunity to "hear" Brando, in his own words, on his life and loves, his relationships with his siblings and parents. It sweeps away some of the mystery that surrounded him because he was portrayed by the media as reclusive and difficult. And perhaps he was BUT the book shows gentle humor and deep and abiding friendships as well as strong opinions that sometimes left jaws dropping. However, not may people are willing to put their reputation on the line for something they believe in. Brando was more than willing to be controversial to make a point.



3. I am a die hard Marlon Brando fan. So I had to get this book. Oh, it is an incredible autobiography. Mr. Brando shares his life story with his fans. I enjoyed hearing his opinions on everything. And he shares his wonderful views on everything. But, out of respect for his children and ex-wives he doesn't mention them. I respect him even more for that. If you love Marlon Brando you should most definitely get his autobiography.



4. This is terrific book!
   
   What an interesting fellow Marlon Brando was!
   
   The only thing about this book that I wish was different is that it's one of those celebrity autobiographies that is written "with" someone.
   In this case, the cover of the book indicates the title and then below it: "With Robert Lindsey."
   
   It's not that Lindsey isn't a good writer; he's a very good writer. It's just that it would be great to read a book actually written by Brando himself, that is to say, without anyone assisting him. It's always hard to know how much the "with-author" contributes to an autobiography. Was Lindsey's contribution minimal or significant? Did he work from a written-out narrative Brando gave him; or perhaps only an outline? Or did Lindsey work with no words but rather tapes of conversation with Brando?
   
   Lest anyone think that Brando wasn't a good writer, the book quotes various letters Brando wrote during his life, many of them to one or both of his parents. In these letters, we see that Brando is, if not a professionally polished writer, certainly an extremely interesting, quick-witter, engaging writer. Enough so that he could have carried the writing of this book on his own.
   
   Another clue as to Brando's "way with words" can be seen in a 1991 book called "Conversations With Brando." This is a series of interviews Brando did with Playboy interviewer Lawrence Grobel back in the late 1970s, early 1980s. What we see, *in Brando's own words,* is, again, a very witty, vert insightful, very erudite communicator.
   
   Lindsey, however, as talented a writer as he is, can't reproduce Brando's communicative energy. It would be inappropriate if he even tried: such energy being unique to the person who possesses it.
   
   It would therefore behoove any reader seriously interested, or even casually interested, in this fascinating individual, Marlon Brando, to read "Songs My Mother Taught Me" in conjunction with the aforementioned "Conversations With Brando."
   
   What a life! What a talent! What a view of the world! I would have enjoyed writing to Brando, telling him how valuable his work has been to all of us.
   
   For an interesting and insightful obituary of Marlon Brando, see http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/bran-j03.shtml
   
   The obituary begins with these words: "Perhaps the greatest American actor of his generation ..." and ends as follows: "He will be remembered as a charismatic performer, an independent and uncompromising figure and a genuine rebel."
   
   Hopefully, our collective future will keep Marlon Brando's joy for living alive & well and as uncompromising as ever.



5. Marlon Brando was the greatest and most versatile actor ever to grace the stage or screen, but he was also a great human being whose heaviness of heart over the suffering of others in the world drove him to do what he could to alleviate that suffering and to shed light on inhumanity and social injustice.
   
   In reading "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Marlon Brando (with Robert Lindsey), my emotions ran the gamut. I laughed. I cried. I longed for Marlon's presence among us once again. I felt some anger that this person - this wonderful man who gave us so much - this man who stood by the convictions of his heart to help others and who changed the lives of many for the better was scorned and criticized for his activities on behalf of those living in misery and despairing among us in the world. People called him "radical" and otherwise labeled him. And, he felt their contempt and was affected by it. How unfair it was. While so many people merely paid lip service to such causes, Marlon actually did something to bring about positive change and peoples' lives were changed positively as a direct result of this. So, if this was "radical," then I would wish to be so honorably labeled, myself.
   
   Marlon's seemed a painful and lonely childhood filled with abandonment, insecurity, and heartache. He was a prankster - a fact that reminds me of something I learned years ago when I was in nursing school about children whose needs are not met in life - that they are the "clowns" or pranksters in a group, laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside. Marlon said he had difficulty trusting women until very late in his life and that this was the reason he had multiple relationships simultaneously. If one woman left or rejected him, the pain would be more bearable, knowing there were still others. He would not have to feel so alone and abandoned and rejected as he had at times during his childhood like when his nanny left him and when his mother whom he loved so much was not emotionally available to him due to her dependence on alcohol.
   
   As for Marlon's relationship with the public, it is apparent that society held Marlon Brando to its own unattainable expectations. This is a shameful societal legacy. No person on earth remains who they were at twenty years old when they are fifty or seventy or eighty. People praised Marlon when he was meeting their personal expectations of him. But, then, when he did what was natural by growing older (and wiser, more seasoned, and more socially responsible) and some people felt he was no longer meeting their personal expectations, they became contemptuous or indifferent toward and about him. Marlon discussed this with Lawrence Grobel in Grobel's book, "Conversations With Brando." Marlon talked about how he was received when he had a new hit film out compared to when he did not. He said something to the effect that he could "see it in the eyes of the airline hostesses" and other people how, when he had a new hit film out, he received a "full thirty-two teeth" greeting and that when he did not have a new hit film out, they would talk to him like he was a has-been. This is so ridiculous to me. It seems the memories of some are as short as the last breath they took - either that or perhaps they have not actually reviewed the incomparable and timeless work of Marlon Brando. Moreover, he worked up until the end of his life and still played his roles to an exemplary standard.
   
   Having said that, there is definitely no shortage of love, respect, and admiration for Marlon Brando in the world of movies and among other artists, among his fans, and among those whose lives he helped bring improvement to over the years through his activism, his kindness, and his friendship. This is not to mention the love for him expressed by his children in interviews since his passing.
   
   There was no better actor that ever lived and no film better than those Marlon made - and there were so many: "On The Waterfront" and "The Godfather" both bringing Marlon Brando Academy Awards, "One-Eyed Jacks," a masterpiece in which Marlon acted and which he directed, "Mutiny On The Bounty," among the best films of all time, in my opinion; "Last Tango In Paris" in which Marlon allowed us into his private pain and thoughts and which contained a gutwrenching monologue by Marlon over the body of his character's dead wife; "Apocalypse Now," a film in which Marlon performs a beautiful recitation of T.S. Eliot's, "The Hollow Men," and in which he plays a role that is truly heart-stopping; "A Streetcar Named Desire," in the role of Stanley Kowalski which he acted in such a way that there would be no other that came after him that could come close to matching his performance; "Burn," a film whose subject became somewhat a reality on the set, causing Marlon to take a stand, "The Young Lions" a dramatic and moving film and one of my favorites, "Julius Caesar" in which Marlon proved himself a consummate Shakespearean actor; "The Men," "The Fugitive Kind," "The Wild One," "The Appaloosa," and, so many others.
   
   People seemed obsessed with Marlon's weight in his later years. I remember seeing him in "The Freshman" and thinking how good it would feel to be hugged by him then. I also remember thinking that he was such a handsome man with the same beautiful eyes, smile, and sense of humor. He was still Marlon - a sexy, beautiful, inspiring, sensitive man with a wonderfully expressive face and a brilliant mind - a beautiful soul - and among the most interesting people in the world, in my opinion. I would have loved to know him and to have spent time with him - listening to his ideas and theories about life and working with him on projects. I always thought his ideas and projects were inventive, creative, and often workable. One of the things that I was absolutely amazed to hear in a documentary about Marlon was someone talking about Marlon's idea to use the very cold sea water hundreds of feet below sea level and pumping it up to cool buildings above sea level. The person being interviewed said that this idea was actually put into use to air condition hotels in tropical places - and with an approximate energy savings of two-thirds. It amazes me every time I think about it.
   
   Regarding "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," Marlon chose not to write about his children. I respect that. I think it would have been fine if he had written about his children, but I think that his love and his protective nature when it came to his children precluded his succumbing to any public pressure to subject his children to such scrutiny and exposure. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about Marlon as a father that he stood by his children, anguished deeply over them, and made all of the sacrifices that a father whose children mean everything to him would make whenever his children were in crisis. In a documentary I once saw, Marlon's children spoke of him. Their love for their father was obvious and his love for them was obvious in their words as they spoke about the kind of father he was. Marlon, who had endured a difficult relationship with his own father obviously wanted to be a different kind of father to his own children - a gentler, more emotionally connected, and loving father - also a father with a great sense of humor and a playfulness about him.
   
   Marlon writes about his father, his mother, and his sisters in this book. And, this book's title is so fitting when one reads how, despite his mother's struggles with her alcoholism, she still gave him so much, including his love of nature and his love of music and theatre. Marlon loved his mother beyond her problems and he took care of her as best he could, even during his younger years when he should have been the one being taken care of. He loved deeply and he grieved deeply and this was evident when he lost his mother, a woman he said "taught me how to die." Marlon also speaks lovingly of his sisters who seemed to have somehow given him a little of the approval, acceptance, and reassurances about himself that he was not receiving elsewhere in his childhood. In particular, in this book, he includes an inscription on the back of a photograph of him written by one of his sisters that said, "Bud - and is he a grand boy! Sweet and funny, idealistic and oh, so young." As for Marlon's relationship with his father, it seemed Marlon spent much of his life seeking his father's approval because his father was always so disapproving and critical of him. I was so pleased to realize through Marlon's words that he had come to terms with regard to he and his father's relationship and that there seemed to be some healing, forgiveness, and understanding on Marlon's part, not only of his father, but also of himself, in the latter part of his life.
   
   Mere words are inadequate to express the way I feel about Marlon Brando. I love him. I miss him. My heart was broken when I learned of his passing and I still feel it now. If, but for the certainty I feel that Marlon is now in a place of complete peace and wholeness, I would wish for his presence back here among us again.
   
   As for "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," I highly recommend this book. It is a book I literally could not put down once I started reading it. It is a very well written and poignant story of the life of a beautiful person who left his mark on the art of acting and on the world in so many ways.

5 comments about Onions in the Stew.

1. I first met Betty McDonald when I read The Egg and I, back in high school in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1960s, and I was completely enthralled. First of all: she writes extremely well. Her sentences are terse and well-formed, and she has a knack for shaping quips of all kinds: the quick laugh, the sudden surprise laugh line, and the careful set-up gag. Most of all, though, I find myself laughing aloud (she's one of the few authors who makes me laugh aloud while reading) at the perfection of a sentence which is at the same time witty, perfectly balanced, completely appropriate, and completely unexpected.
   
   You will find all this - in spades - in Onions in the Stew. It is a mellower book than the others, for many reasons; she was older when she wrote it - and, I think, happier in her second marriage; also, her already considerable skill at writing had grown. Her descriptions of Vashon Island in the 1940s are utterly perfect: beautiful, clever, and bittersweet all at once. Her descriptions of her husband and daughters - and others in her family - are full of warmth, and are at the same time completely clear-eyed and unsentimental.
   
   Frankly, comparing Betty to Erma Bombeck is like comparing Julia Child to Rachael Ray. They can both cook - but, oh boy, I know whose house I'd like to visit for lunch . . .



2. I first read Onions in the Stew almost thirty years ago, in a Reader's Digest Condensed Books version, and I never forgot it. What a JOY to receive the complete version as a gift years later, along with The Plague and I, and Anybody Can Do Anything, when they were reissued by The Common Reader. I absolutely devoured them, passed them around among my friends & loved ones (keeping track of who had them, very uncharacteristic but they're the kind of books you never want to lose!!!!) and agree with every five-star reviewer here, especially "pony-express," that Betty is the best friend you never met. Also enjoyed the comment about how much fun heaven will be, to drink strong coffee & yak with Betty MacDonald. She is still as witty today as when she wrote her books, utterly classic and fresh, laugh-out-loud and tremendously endearing without EVER being cloying. Such a cut above. Her other books are equally wonderful, and I just wish more people were exposed to her; she's a tonic for stress, an antidote to depression. So glad there are others out there who love her as I do!



3. I've just finished the fourth Betty MacDonald memoir. Thank you Amazon for the access to all these out of print books!
   I now know what's going to be fun in Heaven - chatting with Betty over strong cups of coffee.
   These books were like discovering a new best friend. I've never been so entertained by reading. What a gal!



4. "The Egg and I." As I said in my review of the earlier book, although I found parts of "Egg" charming, the chapter on Indians made my part-Cherokee blood boil, and that other parts seemed rather mean-spirited as well.
   
   There is none of the mean-spiritedness in "Onions", probably because, in spite of the various toils and tribulations of life on the island, Betty was basically happy there, as opposed to "Egg" where she was mostly miserable.
   
   I loved the part about the small woman who loved to curl up on soft, comfy places like sofas, armchairs, and other women's husbands' laps. I wondered, though, why Betty didn't just ask her to step out into the garden and then drop-kick her across the straight to Seattle? I'm sure she could have gotten some of the other women in their circle of friends to help.
   
   Many of the events she tells of show us that teenage girls have always been a handful, whatever they say. However, in spite of all the complaining and whining, the girls were willing to pich in; how many girls their age nowadays would have something like stuffed pork chops waiting when their parents came home from work?
   
   While "Egg" left me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to run a chicken farm in the middle of a howling wilderness, "Onions" made me wonder if living on an island might not be fun.



5. Having finished my previous book and waiting for Amazon's free shipping promo to buy more, I picked up this book collecting dust in my book closet. I was pleasantly surprised.

   It is smart and funny and so down-to-earth that you have to instantly like Betty as your best friend. Althouhg I am not a big fan of women titles (those seems to dominate the New York Times bestsellers list these days), I laughed out loud on a plane from Washington DC to Houston on a business trip. Who knew that everyday domestic issues can be so light and funny?

   Anyway, just try it. You will find it more enjoyable than you want to admit.

5 comments about Duty: A Father, His Son, And the Man Who Won the War.

1. This was absolutely a wonderful read. The author, through the time he spent with his dying father AND the time he spent with Paul Tibbets, brings to the reader two remarkable stories in one. It is a great book historically, and , I think, enables some of us to understand our own WWII fathers better. In any case, you will love this one!



2. Great book, I have grown to really like Bob Greene. I have bought many of his books and and reading them as fast as I can. This book brings the people who fought WWII for us and why they did it and makes them real. I am learning to really appreciate their sacrifices.



3. This is a good work. As one disgruntled reviewer pointed out, this is not a history book, but rather a memoir and tribute from a son to his father and to one of the many heros of WWII. Having been raised by a father from that era, it is quite apparent to me that my relationship with my father was my no means isolated, but somewhat the norm. This work struck pretty close to home. Having spent over twenty years in the military myself, I can understand some of their thoughts, but even that cannot bridge the entire gap. Those guys looked at life differently than my generation. The author has approached the subject with great sensitivity and through his conversations with these men, I feel, has been able to understand not only them, but himself. I highly recommend this one to any father and any son. Well done Mr Greene.



4. Bob Greene has written a touching and emotion-filled book about two men who influenced the outcome of World War II; his own father and Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay. Greene's father served as an infantry soldier in Italy, while Tibbets was training his men in Wendover, Utah for a mission which would hopefully end the war.

   Tibbets and Robert Greene, Sr. lived in the same town in Ohio, but had never met. Bob jr. writes about how his father would speak of Tibbets and call him "the man who won the war". While Bob jr. was back in Ohio to be with his dying father, he drew on his memories of Tibbets. Finally, Bob went to meet Tibbets. What occured was the beginning of an unlikely friendship that spanned a generation and allowed Bob to discover things about his father and his father's generation that he never understood before.

   Bob found Tibbets to be a very honest and straight-forward man. There was no nonsense from him; everything was in plain terms. Tibbets talked frequently about his mission to Hiroshima on that fateful day in August, 1945. He said several times that he had no regrets for what he did and he always slept easy at night. Tibbets' stories enabled Bob to see that his father and many other men just like him also played large parts in winning the war. Tibbets never liked the phrase "the man who won the war". He was always quick to give credit to the soldiers as the real heroes, just like Robert sr.

   Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the several chapters which deal with the trip to Branson, Missouri. Bob, Tibbets, Tom Ferebee (bombardier), and "Dutch" Van Kirk (navigator) took a trip to Branson over Memorial Day weekend and they were treated like conquering heroes by the public. But what impressed me was the candor and openness that these men spoke with. I learned a lot about the Hiroshima mission that I never knew before.

   I found this book a little slow at the beginning, but it definitely picks up over the second half. Read this book and learn about the generation of men who won the war.




5. A great book about a true hero and other's worthy of the same label. A very easy and engaging read. I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Two Under the Indian Sun (Isis Large Print Nonfiction).

1. I loved this book. Its written from the memories of the authors childhoods. Moving with their parents, aunt and younger sibling they tell of the experince of growing up in India during the 1910`s. It is written as a novel, but with a childlike understanding. In the preface the authors explain its written from their memories as children and therefore their understanding and interputation is as it was from young eyes and minds, but i think this makes it more interesting to read, since children can be very perceptive, but also lacking in knowledge. There is love and hate, life and death. Cultural diffrences and tradition. The area they lived in is now another country. The two sisters tell an interesting story that you may not hear often for the time it was written about.
   Having visited India and Bangladesh myself I found the book familiar and had no problems understanding it. I lent the book to a friend who did`nt understand all of it as easy, I think perhaps this was because of the cultural and religious issues and occasional 'indian' words used without explaination of meanings. Dont let that put you off though, it dosent happen much.

5 comments about When Character was King.

1. Noonan writes as only Noonan can. When friends ask me what book to read about Reagan, this is always my first reco.
   
   Hopefully our newly elected President and his team will make sure to do all they can to again make "Character King."



2. Peggy Noonan's "When Character Was King," examines the remarkable life and Presidency of Ronald Reagan. Ms. Noonan, a speech writer for President Reagan from 1984 to 1986, builds on her time with the President to paint a close, intimate portrait of the man so loved by millions of his fellow Americans.
   
   Mainly through interviews, rather than historical documents, Ms. Noonan chronicles Reagan's life. She begins in Reagan's early years growing up in a poor family, but with a mother who passed her strong faith on to her son. She details Reagan's formative years in Hollywood where he learned firsthand of the existential threat posed to America by the Communist Party - including death threats against Reagan and his family.
   
   Reagan's jump from film to politics seems more like a hop through the pages of Noonan's book, since she makes it plain that Reagan's passion for politics and doing the right thing made his final profession seem only natural.
   
   Most of all, Noonan, in an account more personal than historical, provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at Reagan, the man. The resulting work makes you appreciate Reagan as a deep-thinking, passionately patriotic American with a strong sense of self and a love of people.
   
   Reviewer: Chuck DeVore is a California State Assemblyman, he served as a Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs in the Department of Defense from 1986 to 1988, retired from the Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel, and is the co-author of "China Attacks."



3. I thought I knew and understood Reagan. After reading this incredibly moving biography, I know now I did not but do now.
   
   Despite the bizarre comments of one recent reviewer, this is not a starry-eyed biography. This is a "warts and all" biography, with a frank assessment of "Iran Contra" and how Reagan was to blame and why. The comments to the contrary by the aforementioned reviewer are proof that he did not read that chapter or worse yet did not comprehend it.
   
   This is the only book I have ever read that repeatedly had me laughing out loud and then, in the next paragraph, weeping. This is a deeply moving book, whether you liked Reagan or not.
   
   Finally, I challenge anyone to read this book and not conclude that it is one of the five best biographies of anyone you have ever read. It is that good. Reagan was an American original. Peggy Noonan is possibly the most gifted writer of our era.
   
   Jack Thompson, Attorney, Miami, Florida



4. Product arrived on time , the book is a very good look at what shaped President Reagen. Recommended reading, great addition. Given that it's from an insider, admirer of the President, still very insightful.



5. Peggy Noonan clearly idolizes Ronald Reagan. She was, after all, his speech-writer, and it seems that she contunues to write his speeches even after his demise. So I didn't expect a "balanced" biography in this book. I looked at it only to get a grasp on the image of Reagan that seems likely to play a role in the upcoming presidential election. If you are interested in a balanced, judicious assessment, I strongly recommend the brief biography of Reagan by Jules Tygiel.
   
   Meanwhile, with the election in mind, I've also been reading "Hard Call" by Senator John McCain, the longest chapter of which eulogizes Reagan for his "foresight." It's no secret that Sen. McCain hopes to identify himself in people's eyes as a leader in the mold of Reagan; his whole book is an obvious imitation of JFK's "Profiles in Courage", a book that helped the young Kennedy reach the White House. Curiously, though McCain attributes every wisdom short of the Deity to Pres. Reagan, it's really Gorbachev whom he identifies as the visionary, the man who had the courage and craft to change the course of his country's future. Reagan, according to McCain, had nuclear disarmament in his grasp, in Iceland, yet threw the chance away by clinging to a naive and totally unforesightful notion of a science fiction shield against missiles, SDI, which McCain grudgingly acknowledges to have been "unrealistic." Reagan meant to be an agent of change - what Prof. Tygiel calls the Triumph of American Conservatism - while McCain clearly intends to be an agent of nostalgia for the days of the Great Communicator. Reagan made clear what he hoped for. Can anyone say the same of John McCain?
   
   The one major blotch on Reagan's Presidency was the Iran-Contra scandal. (Again the term comes from McCain.) And forthright discussion of that situation is the major weakness of Ms Noonan's portrayal of Pres. Reagan's character. She was an insider; perhaps it's too much to expect for an insider to tell the whole candid truth, but isn't that what most people would like to hear?

2 comments about Bing Crosby (Isis Large Print Nonfiction).

1. This is the same review I gave the book in it's original edition. The larger type hasn't changed anything!..............
   In this book, we learn that, among other things, Bing's partner in the Rhythm Boys was named Harry "Berris"...... That Bing made "4000 different recordings"....... That Bing's famous singing rivalry known as the "Battle Of The Baritones" was with Rudy Vallee..... That another popular singer of the early days was Russ "Colombo"..... That Bing's mother was born in Canada..... That Bing's lung operation in 1974 was due to cancer..... That Bing's appearances on the "Hollywood Palace" TV show consisted of hosting "once a month, between 1968 and 1970 ...., sharing the role with George Burns, Martha Raye, and Judy Garland"........ That in 1962, Bing recorded "Let's Not Be Sensible" for a film soundtrack, "...but for reasons no one could adequately explain, the last word of the song, 'love', was mangled on tape...." and that Bing refused to re-record it because he was a "star", so .."Michael Holliday, a Crosby sound-alike, was brought in to finish the line for him......" This book further reveals that all of Al Jolson's legendary 1940s radio appearances with Bing were on Bing's series, "The Kraft Music Hall", and that Bing's very first TV appearance was "...as the guest of Jack Benny's first special in 1953...." WHEW!!!! What a bunch of junk! Folks, every single fact I've just related comes randomely from the pages of this half-baked un-researched hatchet-job, and is totally wrong!! What's more, These are just errors I picked at the last minute, thumbing through the book as I was composing this review: there are so many more! I've read hundreds of entertainment bios in my life (including others by Freedland), and NEVER have I encountered such a lame work with so many blatant errors of fact, chronology, and spelling (the spelling errors listed above for "Berris" and "Colombo", are not random typos, but are mis-spelled every time the names appear in the text!) How did this get published? Of course, the piece is also a hatchet-job, featuring alusions and conclusions re: Crosby's behavior that have absolutely no basis in fact. You want Crosby? Order Gary Giddins' new masterpiece "Bing Crosby- A Pocketful Of Dreams - The Early Years", and you'll get the REAL Bing, in a scholarly, analytical epic that makes this howler look like the misbegotten little essay that it is.



2. This book is a great read for all those interested in Bing Crosby. It states a truthful but fair opinion of the crooners life, works, personality, and his family life. It is also easy to read and enjoyable too. The pictures in it are also great and soom I have never seen before. I t is truly a great buy!

No comments about The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft (Large Print Edition).