5 comments about Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate.

1. As a Pennsylvania independent, I really enjoyed reading Specter's story on his trials and tribulations in the Senate while facing Stage IVB Hodgkin's lymphoma (the WORST stage there is, folks). He is feisty, ambitious, and, frankly, a braver person than many, in going forward and taking the chairmanship of the Judiciary committee, undoubtedly his life-long dream, while facing the ugliness of cancer. Reading this, you learn, this diagnosis is not the end, that life can go on and that, as Mr. Specter states many times, attitude is everything. However, this optimism is helped by his luck. Not all cancer survivors have a tumor that readily goes into remission. Inspiring for all and great insights into the Washington political process, including the surprising support and humanity with which he was treated during his personal crisis. If only all employers allowed naps during chemo and allowed you to come back to your job! Specter gets my vote!



2. I applaud Specter for his hard-fought battle with Hodgkins disease. This book is marketed as an account of his journey through his illness. However, it is 80% focused on his senate career and the bills he worked to pass while serving on Judiciary and 20% focused on his battle with cancer.



3. really inspiring. after reading this book, I have no doubt that Specter will be able to overcome his recurrence on Hodgkin's with flying colors. probably take names along the way.



4. I am neither a Democrat or Republican. I saw Senator Spector interviewed on a late night program and was fascinated by his demeanor. He was charming, witty , and spoke freely of his battle with cancer. He had many foes in his political career, but none as strong as this one. Some of his 'good friends' offered synthetic sympathy, but he kept smilin through the rain and the pain. I bought the book the same night and, although it ddin't keep me glued to it throughout, it was well worth the time spent reading. With the way things are going today, we could certainly use him on the Presidential ticket in November.



5. As a former intern for Sen. Specter, I can say that working in his office and watching him work was fascinating and inspiring. The more I observed him on the floor and as ranking member on the Judiciary committee, the more I respected him. Senator Specter is an icon for Republicans and Democrats alike, and his thinking transcends party lines. This book is a wonderful read, and I couldn't recommend it more. His dry sense of humor and great anecdotes are unmatched.

1 comments about The Reluctant Innkeeper.

1. This is not an unbiased review, as I helped Gerry create this wonderful book. That said, I love this book and can surely see it in your beach bag this summer and in someone's stocking at Christmas, because after you read it you will certainly want to share it with others! While you are at it, read Gerry's first book, WINDY HILL, to become better acquainted with many of Gerry's friends and family who make THE RELUCTANT INNKEEPER such a fun read.

5 comments about Point to Point Navigation: A Memoir (Vintage).

1. Ok, so I read palimsest nearly..yes it could be a decade ago as a student. I bought Point when I wa scasually shopping last year. Vidal amazes in his clarity and liberal views. A true independent in all spheres!



2. A poignant, if somewhat rambling, stroll through the latter half of Gore Vidal's extrodinary life.



3. D. In listening to Gore Vidal's second memoir, POINT TO POINT
   NAVIGATION, I was immediately struck by how much
   name-dropping seems to be taking place . . . his list of friends
   and acquaintances reads like a Who's Who of important people
   in the 20th century . . . it includes such notables as Tennessee Williams,
   Johnny Carson, Rudolph Nuryev, Eleanor Roosevelt,
   Paul Newman, Orson Welles, JFK, Princess Grace, Amelia Earhart,
   and Gretta Garbo, just to name a few.
   
   Many of these individuals he liked . . . in listening to this book, which he
   also narrated, you get to know them better . . . if he didn't like
   you (think Truman Capote), watch out . . . he wrote about him and even
   his own mother in quite unpleasant terms.
   
   I generally tend to prefer a book that follows a more linear
   fashion . . . POINT TO POINT skipped around a bit too much
   to my liking, though Vidal explains his reasoning for doing so
   by mentioning the fact that he was forced to utilize this means
   of navigation whenever compasses failed when he was in the
   navy during World War II.
   
   Vidal has written some 46 books, as well as numerous
   essays . . . you'll get a better feel for his life by reading
   this memoir, though it was actually his moving account
   of his companion-for more than half a century--Howard Auster--that
   I found most interesting.
   
   They met on Labor Day in 1950 . . . years later, Auster told
   Vidal "that he thought he was just passing through my life and was
   surprised as the decades began to stack up and we were still together.
   But then it is easy to sustain a relationship when sex plays no part and
   impossible, I have observed, when it does. Each had a sex life apart from
   the other: all else including our sovereign, time, was shared."



4. It sounds funny to say this about a writer who has had as long and successful a career as Gore Vidal, but there are times I suspect that he is the most under/rated of our writers: He is quite simply a master novelist and the finest writer of essays of the last half century. Point To Point Navigation is a lovely, understated summing up of a long and varied life. If one cares about effortless prose- and a clear-eyed overview of the last few deacdes, you owe it to yourself to read P To P Navigation.



5. Yes there's the charm, the wit, the astonishing offhand stories about his friendships with a diverse crowd of 20th century legends, but in a nutshell: read Palimpsest instead! He actually repeats a couple stories from that book here. A few good new stories, but not many. If you have already read Palimpsest, this is something of an addendum.

5 comments about Life among the Savages.

1. I got my mother this book for her birthday, but she was still lost in the story of a certain boy wizard long after I finished with him so I read this first instead. This book may have been written in the 1950's but the sentiments and trials of motherhood are timeless.
   
   The only thing that really brought home to me that this book was written in a different era were the amounts of money. But even that only serves to reinforce for me just how pertinent this book is today, yesterday and for many tomorrows.
   
   There is a scene where she ends up raiding her children's piggy bank that keeps me in stitches while reading it and makes me smile whenever I think about it. Whether it's 5 cents or $5, it doesn't matter why you raided your children's piggy bank , it only matters that bread and milk were on the table, the kids got to school (eventually) and that no matter what it takes, you got the job of mothering done.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. As a stay at home, I enjoyed reading this book. It is very funny. It is also interesting to see the change in times. This book was written in the 1940s. Especially of interest is the author's description of her two week hospital stay for child birth. These days it is pracically a drive by procedure :) I felt the book dragged at times, but all in all this is an enjoyable read and certainly one I would recommend to other moms.



3. Yes! This book was so funny, I actually laughed out loud at times! Her descriptions of family life really hit home with me, and I wish she had written more...



4. I grew up reading and rereading this book, as did all the five children in my family. It's one of the very funniest books I know on the subject of families and their foibles. Shirley Jackson is so well known for her more macabre and adult writing that people are usually skeptical when I recommend this for its outstandingly intelligent humor. Once you read this you must also read Raising Demons, which is the sequel, and every bit as good, although much harder to find.



5. This is Shirley Jackson's hilarious account of her struggles raising an expanding family of children. She is delightfully unsentimental in her account of family life, and any harassed parent will recognise the situations she finds herself in. For instance, what parent hasn't suffered the anguish of trying to eat in a restaurant with young children, how well Shirely Jackson sums of the sheer horror of that situation, among many others. I didn't think there could ever be a book about child-raising as funny as Jean Kerr's 'Please Don't Eat the Daisies' but this one runs it a very close second.

3 comments about The Girl I Left Behind: A Narrative History of the Sixties.

1. [[ASIN:1590303644 The Return of Desire: A Guide to Rediscovering Your Sexual Passion]
   Living and working in Washington DC as a speechwriter for the men (sic) who famously made government policy during the Vietnam years gave Judith Nies a fascinating life story through which she shows history unfolding that is trenchantly relevant to Iraq-era politics today. As she gradually leaves behind the "girl" who is trained to wear white gloves and ask few questions, she confronts inequities of gender and race, demonstrating how far we've come in the last 40 years--and how far we still have to go. If you've ever wondered if bras were really burned at the Miss America pageant in 1968, how women first got to become news reporters, or how war and peace actually proliferate, read this book--and be sure to discuss it with ten friends.



2. In "The Girl I Left Behind" Judith Nies' tells us the history behind the feminist movement of the 1960's. The book could not be more timely, coming as it does on the heels of the contentious Democratic Primary season when for the first time in history we had a woman as a serious presidential candidate. Much has been written about Hillary Clinton's supporters, her most ardent being older white women. The constituencies of Hillary and Obama have put the spotlight on a feminist divide. Women who supported Obama or Edwards felt they were being assailed for not being "true" feminists. And there were those who discredited Hillary's candidacy on the "Evita" basis; that is, a woman taking over after her husband had left office to perpetuate his reign, so to speak. Hillary's older women supporters seemed to feel that younger women took things for granted after all the good fights they had fought.
   Judith accesses for us the history of the modern feminist movement as it was initially led by older women who still had connections to the suffrage movement; the civil rights struggle and the anti-Vietnam war movement. Thus the book provides a point of departure to expand the current discussion of what it means to be a feminist in 2008 by reminding all of us, young and old alike, or indeed telling us for the first time that the Boomers, however many advances they helped to make for women, did not create the modern feminist movement.



3. In "The Girl I Left Behind, Nies personalizes the agonies that America was going through in the turbulent 60s. Her book is a very informative and entertaining chronicle of that troubled era, told with wit and a keen understanding of history. I couldn't put it down!

5 comments about Wife in the North.

1. Judith O'Reilly's debut "Wife in the North" is an inspiration for modern mothers grappling with the monumental task of raising offspring in a wholesome environment while mourning for the action-packed life of pre-kid career and city excitement. Expanding her original blog posts, Judith packs up the London house and embarks upon an adventurous family relocation experiment in the coastal wilds of Northumberland. What we don't ever really discover is why SO far north, when Harrogate or York might have been enough of a stretch for most! I suspect Judith's husband may hail from these Northern-most parts, but she manages to keep him pretty much under the radar of her warm and endearingly self-deprecating invitation into her daily life. Particularly of interest to fellow bloggers - Judith raises some intriguing questions as to where to draw the line in posting rants about community figures and institutions. Just when she thinks that no one cares, it seems the whole world is reading her blog.



2. I received an advance copy of "Wife in the North" and regret that it took so long for me to finish it. As a mother myself I found her story to be refreshingly honest. At times it felt I wasn't just reading a book but looking in a mirror and seeing myself. There is hilarity, pain and triumph between these covers and I truly enjoyed every word. I would recommend this to those who are looking for their way in whatever strange place they may find themselves.



3. RATING: 4.5 of 5
   
   The subtitle of this book is three young children, two aging parents, and one absentee husband 350 miles from home, but it should end with `one very funny woman'.
   
   As I started reading this book, I got out my little sticky tabs because there were so many funny, sarcastic sometimes but very funny, comments. After a while the edge of my book looked like it had been sprinkled with a heavy dose of confetti.
   
   The honest feelings, sometimes bordering on blatant, that Ms. O'Reilly uses to describe her life as it unfolds during her transplant from London to Northumberland can resonate with many women. Every time you think she has run out of expressions or comparisons up pops another one. Her definition of a "health visitor" and then soon to follow the description of her body in a surfing wet suit had me practically rolling on the floor.
   
   However, the book has a touching side to it as well. There were times when I wanted to pick up the phone and call her husband and tell him that he would later regret it if he did not go home and help his wife with their children during such a trying time and for Gosh sakes, at least pump the petrol. For someone who wanted to have his family raised in such a rural location, he was spending way too much time in London.
   
   But when I came to the August 4, 2007 entry, and she described what the loss of child meant for her new friend, The Yorkshire Mother, I was very surprised that she was able to see it so clearly. I lost my only son and I have only found a kinship in that pain with other women that have lost a child. No matter what anyone says, it is loss very different from the loss of a parent, spouse, or sibling. And so it is.
   
   I recommend this book to anyone who needs to appreciate their present station in life, anyone who wants to laugh their way through a book for a change, and to let them know that the best part is once you finish the book, you can continue the story by visiting her blog, [...]. I have waited until I finished the book to make my first visit, so I would not read any spoilers. :>)



4. In 2005, journalist Judith O'Reilly agrees to move to the north of England with her husband and three young children to sample life in the country. Judith loves London, is a successful journalist and has many friends. Not only is living in the country like being a fish out of water for her, her husband's job takes him frequently back to London for days and weeks at a time, leaving her alone to cope with this strange new life.
   
   O'Reilly brilliantly captures the experience and her reaction to it with exquisite imagery. Every woman will identify with her frustration, confusion, anger, sadness and, yes, happiness as they experience the adventure right along with her. At times I laughed out loud and sometimes, I cried or was angry. The book is written in a diary or memo format, so at times, it was difficult to follow. Also, if you aren't British, it is a little confusing figuring our what she's talking about when she uses British phrases. These drawbacks do not take away from the pleasure of immersing yourself in this adventure. Strongly recommended.



5. This book was nothing like I thought it would be. I was expecting a light-hearted memoir, but instead got a moving, poignant tale of motherhood.
   
   This author has a writing style unlike anything I've read before, and it took me awhile to get used to the cadence and tone of her writing. I struggled with it at first. But once I got attuned to her style, it became a much easier read.
   
   Yes, there are moments of hilarity. But there are also many more moments of despair, love, sadness, fear, happiness, belonging. As a mother of 3 boys very near in ages to the author's children, I could completely relate to the author's feelings of frustration, hopelessness, tiredness and yet deep, unending love for her children. The shock near the end was heart-wrenching (despite the fact that it had been hinted at, and I was half-expecting it), and I had real tears falling as I read it. I was quite moved.
   
   The descriptions of the northern English countryside and way of life were also very entertaining. I love British books, but so often they are set in London, and so I had never really read about this part of the country. It was a refreshing change.
   
   If you are looking for a fluffy, light read, this is not it. But this book is so definitely worth reading - especially if you are a mother - do give it a try. :)

5 comments about Seeking Enlightenment... Hat by Hat: A Skeptic's Guide to Religion.

1. I've read all Nevada Barr's books not so much for their stories/plots but because I love Ms. Barr's, and her protagonist Anna Pigeon's, attitudes and views on life. I first took it out of the library, read it twice, and then decided I wanted my own copy so I could reread it whenever I wanted.
   
   For me, this book is about Ms. Barr's journey to reconcile and integrate spirituality, without becoming a religious fanatic, with her down-to-earth psyche and firm footing in physical reality. This is something I've been working on for most of my life, and I'm astonished how similar my thoughts have been to Ms. Barr's. The thought paths she takes you through in this book, and the clarity of her conclusions, helped me focus on who I am and how to make the best of my time here. I am so glad I found this book.



2. Having read all of Nevada's novels, I didn't expect to be surprised by her spiritual journey, but I was. It was interesting to find out how much of Anna Pidgeon's personality and personal history was based on Nevada's own and how much was very different. Her insights are very real, down to earth and unlike most spiritual guides. I didn't always agree, but she made me examine some assumptions from a new viewpoint.



3. This book touches deeply and lovingly on many of today's spiritual issues. I bought copies of this book for all the people in my life that I care about.



4. I found Nevada's book to be honest, well written, with a subtle sense of humor so needed in works dealing with religion and enlightenment. One of my favorite lines: "... I would occasionally run across someone who seemed to truly know God, and I realized that religion, like a bad toupee or a face-lift gone sour, is only obvious when it's done badly." This book did not do well commercially because honest well-written books dealing with things that really matter don't sell. But this book is very good, very important. It helped me on my return journey to God.



5. In this collection of short essays, Ms. Barr shares her spiritual experiences which are sometimes witty and sometimes thought-provoking. Some of the stories may even inspire readers to do some soul searching of their own, as they relate to some of the deeper issues Ms. Barr shares. These issues include social conciousness and responsibility to the global community; the importance of keeping commitments to others as well as to oneself; and striving to be a good person, not only for the hope of redemption of one's soul in the hereafter, but for the benefits received during one's lifetime.
   
   Ms. Barr shares some unusual thoughts regarding spirituality that other seekers might also find enlightening. Those readers who are already on a well-defined spiritual path may not agree with some or many of the ideas Ms Barr presents, but reading this book is still a good opportunity to explore the musings of a fellow traveler on the spiritual journey of life.

5 comments about Why I Wore Lipstick: To My Mastectomy.

1. I loved this book. I am a breast cancer survivor, and I can relate to everything she is saying. It is also so hilarious! I gave this book to my mom and my best friend to help them understand my world. It really helped.



2. I had to have a bi-laterial mastectomy last year and this book was recommended to me by my oncologist. I found it very inspirational and have decided to pass it on to anyone that I know that has battled breast cancer. It was funny at times and sad at times, just like my own experience with this devastating disease that affects so many women.



3. I agree wholeheartedly with most of the positive reviews here. This lady faced her dark hours with a sense of humor about herself as well as those around her who couldn't know what it exactly felt like to be in her shoes. The path of cancer or any serious condition is fraught with faux pas of medical staff as well as loved ones and acquaintances. There is no set script for anyone to follow. The author meets these issues and her illness with a fighting spirit. Well-written,funny and a stark view of cancer victim reality with a empowering edge.



4. please see, "Goddesses Don't Buy Green Bananas" THis is a photographic story about more than one person with cancer... read about their bravery and courage and fear.



5. Geralyn Lucas was 27 years old when doctors diagnosed her with breast cancer. Her career was in high gear. Her marriage to a young physician was solid. Her hopes of one day having a baby were ever-present. The last thing she expected to hear was that she had a diagnosis that she equated with only older women--breast cancer.
   
   The 27 year old was a graduate from Columbia University School of Journalism and had secured a position as the editorial producer for ABC News' popular 20/20 show. She hadn't bargained for breast cancer to threaten her career, her hopes of becoming a mother, or her life. But that is exactly what happened.
   
   In her poignant and refreshingly honest book, Lucas shares her emotional rollercoaster, her physical ups and downs and her walk through the treatment phases of her disease. Complete with the issues of chemotherapy side effects, reconstructive surgery, and marital strains, this book is gut-wrenchingly honest in its portrayal of a life turned upside down and inside out at the pronouncement of a life-threatening disease. It is also a totally life-affirming reflection on how one woman faced down the monster that is called breast cancer.
   
   From 'victim' to 'survivor' to 'advocate' Geralyn Lucas walks us through the maze of a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. While her focus is on the younger population with this diagnosis, this book is a healthy and honest glimpse into the real world of any woman who is dealing with the disease--and for anyone who is helping her deal with it--at any stage. Newly diagnosed women will be inspired, those going through treatment will nod in agreement, those who are disease free will applaud her work with survivors' groups, and family members will thank her for allowing them to peek into what might be going on inside their own loved one's head during the whole process. Geralyn voices for all women what most women do not dare to admit--their own fear, their vulnerability, their ambivilence.
   
   Readers will cheer when she defiantly yet confidently swipes her lips with lipstick as she prepares to enter the operating room. They will continue to cheer as she returns time and time again to her source of feminine power and courage--her lipstick--to remind her of the hope and promise she carries deep within.
   
   This is a must read for anyone whose life has been touched by breast cancer. Having read many books on the topic, I can honestly say that this is by far, one of the most candid and uplifting. Geralyn has become my heroine for she is a champion of the feminine powers in all of us!
   
   After seven years as the editorial producer for 20/20, Geralyn became the director of original programming for Lifetime Television. She is a member of Lifetime's Stop Breast Cancer for Life initiative. She, her husband Tyler and daughter Skye (born after her cancer treatments) live in New York City. She is said to never leave home without her lipstick.
   
   As if the wonderfully inspiring story is not reason enough to go out and purchase the book for yourself or someone you love, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are donated to the Young Survival Coalition.
   
   by Lee Ambrose
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women

5 comments about My Dog Tulip (New York Review Books Classics).

1. This book was exactly as other reviewers described it; some hated it and others loved it. I was hesitant at first but decided I had to experience it. It is charming and a big reminder of how people viewed dogs in the not so distant past. Tulip's loving owner did not think of using doggie poop bags and struggled for years with where and when she eliminated. He wouldn't hear of spaying her and struggled for years with her coming in season, even having a litter of puppies he didn't want and couldn't find good homes for. All this was delightfully described in a mercifully brief book. I'm glad I read it, although I've read many other books on dogs that were more amusing and more enlightening. It is a wonderful reminder of what things were like in the 1940s and should be on the shelf of every dog lover who also loves books.



2. Who is Kerry Fried, and why is s/he reviewing this classic? I read this book several years ago. As a story of a female shepherd and her owner, it is brutally honest, to the detail. Ackerley as a dog person, seems so indulgent and feeble. While reading, one must be mindful that the events took place in the 40's and in Briton. Perhaps he never had a dog before, and knew no better. Pups, off leash adventures, pooping issues. As subject matter, who but another shepherd lover would care. Who but a post modern dog lover would be appalled at the old fashioned beliefs and attitudes. But, and this is critical, but, the language is beautiful, the sentiment expressed is pure. And the final chapter, and final paragraph, are exquisite. I feel the passing of her life from his own, his long life stretching out so far beyond her sweet existence within it. I love my dog Olk as dearly, and dread his eventual loss.

   Nancy




3. Being a dog lover but not a dog owner who believes that it is cruel to keep most dogs in an urban environment, and especially a large dog in a flat as the author did, I found this memoir not to be my cup of tea. Humans are portrayed in it as curious, rather unsympathetic creatures, whilst the dog at the center of his love, is romanticised despite the loving detail with which the author describes the bodily functions of the animal. I can understand though, its appeal to those with an obsession with their dog who find humans too argumentative, contrary or difficult. An instance of "horses for courses" so to speak.



4. If you want to be immersed in a definitely 1960's I'm-obsessed-with-Freud take on dog ownership from someone who should never have been allowed to own a dog ... if you're dying to discover in ad nauseum detail the fecal and urinary habits of an animal whose owner lacks the least understanding of training a dog ... if you yearn for all the details of the miseries this animal goes through whenever she's in heat, this is the book for you.

   One has to wonder at the dark workings of Ackerley's psyche. There's a strident and distressing pornographical note that sounds throughout the book as he writes of his beloved Tulip. Here he is, writing of the first time she goes into heat: "I was enchanted. That small dark bud, her vulva, became gradually swollen and more noticeable amid the light gray fur of her thighs as she walked ahead of me, and sometimes it would set up, I supposed, a tickle or a trickle or some other sensation, for she would suddenly squat down in the road and fall to licking it. At such moments I could see how much lager it had grown and the pretty pink of its lining ... I felt very sweet toward her. She also felt very sweet towards me." He goes on to describe in great detail how she mounts his leg and what that's like for the 2 of them. And it's not as if this is a one-time thing.

   No, folks, the ENTIRE book is a treatise detailing such events: "Now, squatting here and there upon other dogs' droppings... like some famous chef adding to a prepared dish the final exquisite flavor, the crowning touch, she left behind her in the snow as she flew a series of sorbets, and her crazed attendants were so often and so long delayed in licking them up that they eventually fell far behind."

   This is not exactly the kind of thing I care to discover about an animal, however charming the dog herself might be. But what REALLY disturbed me was the misery Ackerley put this poor animal through in his obsession to find her "a husband." Worse still, once she finally managed to produce a litter, Ackerley's inclination, was to kill all the pups. "In the bathroom ... I prepared a bucket of water and a flour sack weighted with such heavy objects as I could lay my hands on ... How could I distract proud Tulip's attention while I carried out my dark deed? Soon, no doubt, she would wish to relieve nature and my chance would come."

   If this is the kind of a boy-and-his-dog relationship you want to know more about, go for it. Personally, I was left feeling I'd exposed myself to the dark workings of a pretty twisted mind, and I wish I hadn't learned there are people of relate to animals the way Ackereley does.




5. I liked this book, although as a dog owner I found myself shaking my head and shocked at many of the things that were done with this dog... I do think this is a great book for anyone who is thinking of breeding their dog as it gives a good account of the trials of breeding, raising puppies, and the problems that can occur for the pups and mother.

5 comments about She Had No Enemies: A Memoir.

1. Dennis Fleming's She Had No Enemies tells the story of the author's younger sister, who was murdered by a serial rapist/killer when she was 18 years old. The killer was apprehended two weeks later and eventually executed, but the murder had a devastating impact on the author and his family. The memoir tells about coming to terms with Mickey's death, speaking with her killer, and attending his excecution. A page-turner, this memoir tells the author's story during the decades he survived his sister. This is a compelling narrative that pays beautiful tribute to his sister and her long-term effects on his life.



2. Anthony Joe Larette Jr. was a serial killer as prolific as Gacy, Bundy, and Gein. Experts say that the only reason he hadn't killed by age 8 was that he lacked the physical strength to do so. He professed to have killed hundreds, and raped thousands. While on death row he attempted to cheat death by confession to many heinous murders.
   Amnesty International has used his case to highlight injustice in executing the mentally insane. He claimed that epilepsy made him kill in a blacked out rage, however his confessions were as vivid and graphic as the worst horror movies.
   She Had No Enemies goes beyond the genre of true crime as only John Walsh has done before. This was voiced as only a victim in the wake of the crime can write it. This addresses the Authors evolution between vengeance, and closure. The story is free of the obvious literary embellishments of many crime novels. The author does not write this to sensationalize the killer, but rather to remember the victim, and honor her memory.
   Mary (Mickey) Fleming, did not die in vain. Her last acts provided police with enough information to hunt and convict a serial killer. Her sacrifice, provided confessions to close to 20 murders (and several more eluded to), and could have closed the books on many more rapes. There are many victims out there whos lives have been made better as a result.
   I have never met Denis Fleming, however I was another victim of the same killer. As his book has helped me, it can help many other victims look at this in a slightly different light. My only recommendation is; BUY THIS BOOK!



3. 28 years ago today, on July 25, 1980, Mary Fleming was killed. It took her brother, Dennis Fleming, many wrong turns in life and a quarter of a century to tell the story of her brutal murder in his memoir, "She Had No Enemies."
   
   The facts are, as often, deceptively simple. On a warm summer day, Mary, the youngest of the Fleming children, affectionately nicknamed "Mickey," is followed home from a walk to the corner market where she had purchased lunch items. The man who followed her was Anthony J. LaRette, a serial killer, who slashed her throat and stabbed her in the heart while the lettuce for her luncheon salad sat on the kitchen counter.
   
   When I look at Mickey's picture, a beautiful girl at age 18 with the full promise of life ahead of her, I can imagine how difficult it must have been for the author to tell a story so close to the bone. But when you read his book you'll know that he had to find a way to talk about this most personal tragedy, or let it destroy him. And destroy him it almost did by way of drugs, alcohol, depression, attempted suicide, and failed marriages.
   
   "She Had No Enemies" is more than a crime story of how LaRette was caught, tried, and eventually executed. The blue-collar Flemings, like Frank McCourt`s family in "Angela's Ashes," have tragedy written all over them right from the get-go. Fleming's mother and brother were abandoned by their parents, raised by a grandma "who'd smack your hands with her sausage fingers." No wonder the mom ran as fast as she could from "Big Grandma" right into the arms of an alcoholic who beat her and the children, which the two somehow managed to produce between the fighting and the beatings. She had eight of them before she found the strength to leave him. "Whenever I think back on my childhood, I recall those ugly images," Fleming writes.
   
   The father was a bully and a conman who couldn`t hold down a job. Fleming nails him, reads him like a book. He does it so well you must wonder if he sees something of himself in the old man. But unlike the dad, when Fleming blunders he catches himself, mostly, like the time with Christopher McQuarrie at a writer`s conference, or when he says he`s rarely passed an opportunity to make a fool of himself. At other times I question his self-awareness. Why did he really move back home and why is he disappointed that the family hasn't changed? Did he believe time and distance would transform them into a model family? Yet, my heart breaks for him when he says, "seeing Mickey again was my homecoming."
   
   Fleming says, "Although most of us were broken in some way growing up in the chaos of our family, Mickey emerged intact." When he thinks of Mickey's death one hopes that this is a comfort to him, just like Mickey's innocent drawings he used to tuck into his footlocker as a Marine. In the end, for Dennis Fleming to emerge intact he had to write "She had to Enemies."



4. I have read other books where the author describes the murder of a relative and the consequences to the lives of the surviving family. I have also stated that it tends to make the book more difficult to read because the author responds strongly to minor details and the presentation degenerates into a set of their reactions to insignificant events. That is not the case here.
   The author's younger and beloved sister is brutally murdered when she was eighteen by a man that was a serial killer. Despite his natural and understandable rage and desire to see the perpetrator punished, Fleming manages to maintain a civilized approach to the situation. He learns that the killer was heavily abused as a child and comes to the belief that at least some measure of understanding needs to be extended to the killer. This is not to say that he forgives the man, he never goes that far and he is a spectator when the man is executed.
   Fleming's approach to the problem is one of general social good. He believes that if serial killers are studied rather than executed, it may be possible to learn what goes wrong in their minds to make them someone who extracts great joy from death. Fleming also points out that the longer the serial killer is in jail, the more crimes they confess to and the more the survivors of their victims can learn the truth.
   When I first opened this book, I expected a somewhat monotonous recapitulation of intense feelings over a murder and consequently a story that grew tedious to read. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to discover an honest and intelligent rendition of the belief that criminals should be studied as much as possible. This is in the hope that a level of understanding can be achieved that will allow society to prevent the development of serial killers in the future.



5. Even though this review is by his wife and I find it difficult to be objective, I believe I can vouch for the writing and the intent of this work. The writing is nice and tight - it reads very quickly. Also, the story and the way Dennis tells it, is very compelling. The serial killer in this memoir was probably one of the nation's worst - but at a time when there wasn't as much known about serial killers, DNA evidence was not refined, and the power of communication (the internet wasn't widely available) didn't bring it to national attention. I believe Dennis needed to tell his story, which involved the death and mutilation of a very dear sister, and how it affected his life irrevocably. His ability to come to terms with the event - the years it took to sort through all the emotions, the fallout, and psychological stress eventually lead him to an understanding about the death penalty and the killer himself. Read this story - you won't regret it.