No comments about Where Fate Leads (Charnwood Large Print Library Series).

No comments about The Village of My Childhood (Reminiscence).

3 comments about The Diary of a Superfluous Man.

1. The narrator of this book, the "author" of the diary is a man anticipating death within a week. Chulkaturin is alone - only an old woman caring for him - facing death without family or friends. He begins writing a diary, an accounting of his life. What begins as a biography beginning with his childhood, becomes the narration of a single event, an event he believes illustrates beyond all doubt that he is a "superfluous man". This event is a one-sided love for a girl just becoming a woman. In this story Turgenev presents us with alienation - 1850's Russian style. For those of us raised on existential alienation, this book is an excellent reminder that alienation is a far more universal literary theme - a theme well executed in this book.



2. This early work (published when he was 32) presents an author who is already a master of metaphor and simile as well as a great story-teller. It is a short book, not quite a novel one could say, but an excellent exhibition of the young Turgenev's skill and artistic sensibilities.

   The story itself is in the framework of a diary of a dying man. More than an actual diary, it is actually an account of a desperate man, hopelessly in love with a young girl. It is the story of his unhappiness and jealousy, which make him a superfluous man without use and objective.




3. Turgenev's novella about a dying 'superfluous' man . In a way, it's an update of Lermantov's "A Hero of Our Time" (without the tricky narrative structure) or Goethe's "Werther." Turgenev's story is notable for its more humane perspective; he truly was the "greatest French novelist writing in Russian."

   The only downside to this volume is its length: "Superfluous Man" is more of a long story or novella than a book in and of itself. Look instead for a collection.

No comments about Van Diemen Desperados.

5 comments about Seven Years in Tibet (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. An amazing true story about the escape of a German from a POW camp in India during the second world war. Somehow he and his friend beat the odds and were allowed to stay in Tibet. I haven't seen the movie, but just cannot imagine that Brad Pitt could be convincing in this role.



2. 'Seven Years in Tibet' is a classic, to place it into historical context here is a "Brief History of Tibetan Travel Literature":
   
   Prior to 1783, the only Westerners to travel to and write about Tibet were a few Jesuit priests and adventurers [[two early narratives are collected in Clements Markham, ed. Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet and of the Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa (1876)]]. These accounts were enough to spark European interest in the region but were too whimsical for ambitious colonialists who had grander designs in need of more specific information. Thus it is not surprising Tibet in 1792 closed its borders to Westerners: a 1783 British East India Company expedition had raised suspicions of Englands imperial intentions. Tibet became "The Forbidden Land", and for the entire 19th century - although many tried - only 3 Westerners reached the capital Lhasa, thus furthering its mystique. By 1904 the British - intending to finally establish diplomatic relations - sent an armed expedition under Francis Younghusband to Lhasa. It was successful, but bloody, causing international outrage [[newspaper reporter Edmund Chandler was there and wrote an account The Unveiling of Lhasa (1905), as were a number of other books by participants. Travel writer Peter Fleming wrote a "full account" in Bayonets to Lhasa: The First Full Account of the British Invasion of the Tibet in 1904) (1961)]]. Kipling's novel Kim (1901) was popular at the time, and it includes a romantic portrayal of a Tibetan lama which fueled imaginations of all-wise spiritual beings, but instead Younghusband found a reality of poverty and "feudal" backwardness.
   
   After Younghusband's 1904 "gunboat" diplomatic mission, Tibet did allow a few British representatives in, but a steady tide of western trespassers kept coming [[as described in Peter Hopkirk's Trespassers on the Roof of the World The Secret Exploration of Tibet (1983)]]. Some of the more notable include Frenchwoman Alexandra David-Neel who in 1923 disguised herself as a beggar and reached Lhasa [[ My Journey to Lhasa (1927)]] - in the same year American William Montgomery McGovern also made it to Lhasa using the same trick [[ To Lhasa in Disguise (1924)]]. By the 1930s modernity had started to make inroads, Tibet's aristocracy began to look outward, the borders were more fluid, and more well known personalities were writing about it in less Shangri-La cliches, notably Robert Byron [[ First Russia, Then Tibet (1933)]], Marco Palli [[ Peaks and Lamas (1939)]], and Fosoco Maraini [[ Secret Tibet (1952)]]. By the time Heinrich Harrer arrived in 1944 Tibet had only 6 years left before the Chinese Communists would invade and a new type of curtain would fall over The Forbidden Land. Harrer's 'Seven Years in Tibet' marks the end of "Old Tibet" (as a nation, and a western "secret land" literary tradition), and the start of a new contemporary era more focused on human rights, indigenous peoples and post-colonialism.
   
   'Seven Years in Tibet' is foremost a great adventure story, National Geographic ranks it #20 in its list of all time best Outdoor/Adventure Literature. Some of the works mentioned in this review are also great adventure tales (David-Neel's book ranks at #55), but what sets Seven Years apart is that Harrer had a personal relationship with the Dalai Lama, the first Westerner to ever do so. The Dalai Lama is now a world figure but it was Harrer who first introduced him to the outside as his personal tutor. They remained close friends for life and it is probably no accident that after Harrer died in 2006 the Dalai Lama announced his "retirement" in 2007, a sort of symbolic closure with the West. In any case, although Harrer was not the first Westerner to reach or write about Lhasa, his war-time adventure and friendship with the Dalai Lama sets this account apart as not only great exploration/travel literature, but an important record of Tibet just before its fall to the Communists, and a history of the early life of the still living Dalai Lama.



3. Don't let the fact that Seven Years in Tibet has been made into a movie stop you from picking up a copy of Heinrich Harrer's classic, real-life adventure. Whatever the movie's merits, or lack thereof, by most accounts the original story--the book--remains the best-told version of an incredible journey. Originally published in German in 1953, Harrer's Tibetan travelogue did not appear in English until the 1980s or become widely read until the 1990s. Harrer's tale provides the amazing details of his escapes, survival, evasion, and physical challenge. Beyond the reward of finally arriving in Tibet, Harrer experiences the greater victory of actually creating an enjoyable life for himself in Lhasa and eventually serving the Dalai Lama himself.
   
   Born in Carinthia, Austria, Harrer spent his youth skiing and hiking in the alps. In 1936, the author secured a place on the Austrian Olympic Ski Team and became the winner of the World Students' Championship Downhill race. Reluctant to make ski movies as a follow-up career, Harrer strove to win a place on a Himalayan climbing expedition. In 1943, the author was invited to join a German-Austrian team on the Nanga Parbat Expedition, which was led by Peter Aufschnaiter. After this second thrill of a lifetime, the young mountaineer found himself facing yet another unusual life challenge. After the expedition, while waiting in Karachi, India (which was then British territory) for return transportation to the West, World War II broke out. The climbers were arrested and taken to an internment camp at Dehra Dun, near the border of Tibet.
   After two years and two failed attempts, Harrer and Aufschnaiter finally succeeded in escaping. Their subsequent struggle to reach Tibet, and eventually Lhasa, required them to draw on every skill they knew as mountaineers and athletes, as well as their college educations and general handy man know-how. They faced obstacles and dangers--rugged terrain, the altitude, winter weather, diminishing supplies, lack of funds, injury, roving bands of thieves, and the hazards of traveling without documentation--that only the truly determined could overcome.
   As though a gift to reward their efforts, when the two men finally did reach the "forbidden city" of Lhasa in January of 1946, after nearly two years enroute, they were not turned away. In their isolation from the rest of the world, the Tibetans were just as curious about these two Europeans as Harrer and Aufschnaiter were about the citizens on "the rooftop of the world." In addition, the Tibetans in and around Lhasa assumed that any foreigner who had made it this far must posses proper paperwork. Once in Lhasa, the Tibetans actually found it quite amusing that these two men had managed to make it into the mystical city without passes. It was truly a feat, considering the measures Tibet's leaders undertook to keep out foreigners--in fact, Harrer notes that he met no more than seven other foreigners during his five years in Lhasa.
   While the first half of the book deals with the two mountaineers' struggles to reach the holy city, the second half of the book concerns the fascinating details of how Harrer and Aufschnaiter managed to ingratiate themselves with the locals, eventually becoming respected members of the community. Harrer presents his understanding of Tibetan daily life, culture, and society, and details how he established himself as a citizen. Harrer finds his first job when he builds a fountain in a friend's yard--which leads to more work as a landscape architect. He is commissioned to conduct a geographical survey, and later to construct a dam. He even serves as an ice skating instructor to the locals. Eventually his work leads the Dalai Lama's family to befriend him. As a result, he becomes a tutor to the young holy man. One of the more interesting duties he had was to make films of various ceremonies and festivals for His Holiness, and he is even asked to construct for him what might be the first home cinema. He managed to take advantage of his status as royal film maker and shoot his own photos whenever possible. They must be invaluable today!
   For many readers, the most valuable part of this book is that which concerns Harrer's interactions with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and his resulting observations. As an outsider and non-Buddhist, Harrer reports that the Dalai Lama was impressively intellectually curious and intelligent, hard working and full of initiative. Despite his youth, the boy king had already established a highly developed sense of diplomacy and vision for his country. As he helped this famous young man learn as much as possible about the wide world beyond, Harrer laments that Tibet's desire to remain neutral in world affairs and her resulting political isolation made her an easy target. If only this boy had had a chance to rule, he notes, Tibet may have met with a different fate.
   Unfortunately, both Harrer and the His Holiness' good intentions were foiled in 1950, when the country was invaded. Harrer knew his time had come to leave his adopted country, but he has remained a life-long champion for his beloved second home.
   Few places on earth conjure up as many images of tantalizing mystery as Tibet. Fortunately, Seven Years in Tibet offers us a unique glimpse, from a what is truly an insider's view, into the untouched culture of Tibet. Harrer's book is often regarded as the best account of the "real" Tibet, as it once was, and as many hope it will some day return.



4. Adventurous, curious. The books reads like a biography, a travel book, a cultural study. Little by little, slowly, the culture of the distant mountains seeps into the reader's mind to open a welcome window on spirituality.



5. Before I start the review, let me point out, that Heinrich Harrer was a Nazi and did leave his wife behind to go mountain climbing in Asia. Now that is dealt with, this book focuses on Tibet. From when he escaped the English to when he fled Chinese invasion he tells a tale of surviving in a strange land, a strange culture and a strange language. His book is about Tibet, the people, places and life. About the brief period of time before the land of Lamaism was turned into just a part of China.

2 comments about A Passion for Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. I really enjoyed this book by Donald Spoto. He went extremely in-depth regarding the life of Elizabeth Taylor. He tells about her childhood to her many marriages and movies. If you would like to get a good look into the life of Elizabeth Taylor, this biography is a excellent choice.



2. Being very good at what he does, Donald Spoto, manages to provide readers with an accurate, in depth, and yet entertaining look at the life of Elizabeth Taylor, both on and off screen. Naturally, he starts with the early childhood, because at the age of nine Taylor was already bona fide child-actor. Then, as a heroine, i.e. Talyor, grows up, the discussion focuses mainly on men in her life, her first love (Monty Cliff) and her first marriage...and then, another marriage... and then another marriage, and another... It is hard to keep track at times! However, Spoto also shows Taylor's ability to stay true to her friends, inspite of many-many traumas and ugly gossips that have always surrounded her public persona. The only downside of this book is that narration stops somehere in a "Taylor/Jackson" period. Since Spoto already opened up a candid discussion of Taylor's health and other life problems, I think readers would like to know more about the on-going life battles, that their favorite female star presently has to fight. Also, it would be nice, if he mentioned Taylor's contribution to the fight with AIDS more extensively. In other words, Spoto should be planning on another revised edition of this otherwise lovely book.

5 comments about What Zizi Gave Honeyboy: A True Story About Love, Wisdom, and the Soul of America.

1. In this book, Gerald Celente pays tribute to his remarkable Aunt Zizi. In a series of conversations, the two make important points about our world today and the challenges of living in it. If you've wondered if the "good old days" really are better, read WHAT ZIZI GAVE HONEYBOY, and you'll not only be armed with information, but you'll be ready to do something about it. I buy up remaindered copies of the book and give them to my friends, who share my opinion of it once they've read it. It's a real "find" and a provocative and often very amusing read.



2. OK, that may be a little exagerated, but I couldn't put the book down - and thoughts of "The Prophet" DID cross my mind at times. I only bought it for an easy read - it was that and more. It's a book that I expect to re-read and (selfishly) I won't loan it out - not for a long time. However, at the current price, I might buy extra copies to give away. Unlike one reviewer, I appreciated the author's commentary (and the statistics) using real life examples to illustrate ZiZi's wisdom. ZiZi (and the author) put into simple words what many of us have thought many times while observing present day events and then, the author's commentary and statistics, add new perspectives. I'm not Italian - and this book didn't make me wish to me. Plain & simple - it's a delightful book who's author (and his aunt) just happen to be Americans of Italian descent- and the book wouldn't be the same if they weren't. I'll definitely try out ZiZi's Anise Cookies recipe - maybe today!



3. I liked the book! I had heard the author interviewed on NPR and was so impressed and intrigued by the premise of the book that I decided to order it here.I appreciated the semi autobiographical way in which Celente presented the conversations he had with his aunt. And, not being Italian myself, I found the insights into Italian-American culture of the thirties throuh the present very interesting.Zizi is presented as neither omnisciently wiser than anyone else, nor as a caricature. Her life experiences are presented from the viewpoint of a typical person of her era, living, learning, and doing the best she can throughout her long life. I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in sociological history, or just warm conversation with an older, wiser relative.



4. This is a quick read, but a heartwarming one, sure to spark memories in many Italian-Americans about life the way it used to be, in the days when several generations often lived together under one roof, when life was hard but laughter somehow came easy anyway. The photos which accompany the text will touch your heart.
   But this isn't just a trip down memory lane but an examination and critique of modern life, as seen through the eyes of Zizi, a wise and loving Italian aunt. She happens to be author Gerald Celente's aunt and it is clear that she has been a pivotal figure in his life, offering support and comfort as he went through a traumatic divorce, dispensing wisdom and love as needed. In the hours Celente spends with his aunt, talking and enjoying the meals she prepares (some of the recipes are included in the book), he begins to think about life past and life present and takes the reader along for the ride.
   After reading this book, you may find yourself thinking about the pitfalls of modern life and what has been sacrified in the pursuit of progress. You may also think about what the future holds for each of us.



5. This book is a must read for anyone that grew up as an american italian and cares about our future. It reminded me of what we are missing today and what is really important.

No comments about America's Mom: The Life, Lessons, and Legacy of Ann Landers.

5 comments about Oprah Winfrey: The Real Story.

1. An informative, tell-all book about superstar Oprah Winfrey. It was hard to put it down because it was so interesting. It gives a good deal of trivia about her life, especially her humble beginnings. Did you know that she was raised in Mississippi on a pig farm by her grandmother? And her name was meant to be Orpah, a biblical name, but was misspelled on her birth records?
   This book gives these types of facts and more!



2. What I love about this book is how it shares the painful years of Oprah's life, and how she used her spirit of courage, optimism, faith, and passion to create the life she now has. This book is a tremendous inspiration for anyone who feels that life's so-called obstacles CAN be overcome, once you realize that you are bigger than any obstacle you may face. Oprah is an example of this life lesson. It is about turning your tragedy into triumphs, speaking out, having the guts to face and deal with the circumstances facing you, rather than crumble in the face of adversity. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a real-life example of a human being that CAN triumph, no matter wht they have been through.
   Barbara Rose, author of, `Individual Power' and `If God Was Like Man'



3. This is a good book from two points:
   One, it explains indepth teh business strategy behind Harpo Studios and those who helped Oprah not only attain her vision but expand it.
   Two, the earliest chapters have good information that she has publicly revealed herself about her beginnings in both life and business.
   Other than that, I think it's sleazy to write these kinds of books without someone's at the least tacit cooperation. Though this doesn't approach some of the sniping of say a Tamborelli book, there are still visble comments that one could attribute to a jealous/envious/salacious writer....



4. I just finished reading this Oprah book, and I have to be honest. I love Oprah to death and I admire her greatly, but I think this book was poorly written and organized. There were many events in Oprah's life, but in reading this biography, I was confused often as to the exact particulars of many incidents. An incredible book could be written about Oprah's life, but I don't think this book does a very good job at it. I guess I will just have to wait for the day Oprah comes out with her own autobiography!



5. I listened to the audiotape with great interest, right about the time I was writing the chapter on Depression in my own book. This clearly shows how even under the most adverse and seemingly hopeless circumstances, personal belief and confidence count for everything and can accomplish anything!! Should be a stirring wake up for those who suffer depression and feel they can't pull themselves out. In "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain" I talk about the various treatments for depression. Once the cycle is started, medical treatment is required. However among my own patients, it is usually something like an example showing "how it is possible" to get them to believe that the feelings of worthlessness are destructive lies from the inside. Once a person has this "proof of example" they acquire the inner strength to the corner with new found belief in themselves and their capabilities. Oprah has battled many adverse circumstances, and even after acheiving what society would term "phenomenal success". She comes through each disaster like a phoenix-bird up from the ashes. Say what you want about her various reputations for being tough and mean...people its a tough world, and it takes a confident and driving woman to concretize her personal dreams! This book has a simple plot: this one amazing woman faces enough bad luck from her truly humble beginnings for any "self-pitier" to write volumes on "my excuse for failure: how the world screwed me". She then consistently and gracefully flies through each challenge carrying seemingly inexhaustible inner strength and the focus of a laser-beam. She ignores all obvious outward indicators of hopelessness,impending doom, and instead of quitting each time when most of us would, she follows her own instincts. Like her or not, her life is an amazing story of what any American is capable of by shedding the shroud of excuses and tales of woe.....All the best to Ms. Winfrey and to Mr. Mair...though she may not be totally pleased with his candid depiction, and even if the stories are not completely accurate, this tome paints a very admirable picture of our greatest contemporary American success story...Kenneth Giuffre MD, author "The Care and Feeding of Your Brain"

1 comments about Autobiography of Colonel Richard Malcolm Johnston.

1. Amazon shipping is amazing. I received this book in 2 days. The book is easy to read with larger type. It would be most interesting to those who are interested in the history of Georgia. I've read several books by Colonel Richard Johnston so to read his autobiography was really great. The language is hard to follow at times since it is written in an old english style but I do recommend it for history buffs.