5 comments about A Man Named Dave.

1. I loved this book. I already read A child called it & The Lost Boy. I was touched by all three. However A Man named Dave brought tears to my eyes and made me very emotional. I applaud David Pelzer for sharing his life. He seems to be a re-markable man.



2. I have read the trilogy of this book and believe it to be uplifting and just truly amazing. It makes you strive to be all you can be and to treat others in the way you want to be treated. He is a true inspiration to anyone.



3. Very well written book. It is very inspiring. Once you start reading you cant put it down. This man has been through so much and triumphed.



4. this is the third sequel to a child called it! i like the part where dave pelzer's mom talks about his father dying, and asks, don't you have something for me? didn't he give you anything before he passed away? and dave says no! father didn't give me a thing! then his mom says you're lying! and slaps him and makes his nose bleed! read it if you like dave pelzer as much as me!



5. I'm glad Dave wrote this book. It made his story come full circle and now the world can read how one man can truly make a difference and move on with his life.

5 comments about My Life in France.

1. A delightful book for foodies and Francophiles. At last a story of a happy marriage of two successful people.



2. This was a wonderful memoir about Julia Child. I especially found it interesting that she fell into cooking at the age of forty. Her passion to learn about cooking and gastronomy, as well as, her love for good food and wine were contagious. It made me want to get in the kitchen and whip something up. I think what Julia said at the end of the book, sums up what I learned by reading My Life in France, "Learn how to cook-try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!".
   
   While I was reading My Life in France, I watched the video "Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef". I found it to be a good compliment to the book. It was like a visual summary of everything I had read.



3. "My Life in France" by Julia Child w/ Alex Prudhomme, ©2006
   
   I love how this book reminds me of Julia, from seeing her on television. You can just hear her expressing herself, in person, about something, just that way.
   She had a love of life and her husband. Of course she was a bit privileged and her husband earned a good salary with the fringe benefit of living in foreign countries, like France and Norway. But the privilege and life she led seems to be less important than her attitude: she truly was having fun.
   This book is not limited to her life in France. She describes her childhood, how she met her husband, her parents, where they lived in Washington, her politics, etc. It is more her memoir. A more fun memoir can not be imagined. It is wonderful she and her great-nephew got this done.



4. It all began with a new bride wanting to learn to cook and progressed to owning a share in a cooking school, writing classic cookbooks that will be in print for many years, and becoming a television celebrity.
   
   During her last years, Julia Child and her husband's grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme, met frequently to record her memories. The heart of the narrative is her first years in France, where she arrived in 1948 as a newly wed whose cooking repertoire was comprised of a bad job of boiling water. The serious home cook, who has dabbled in a variety of cuisines (and most certainly French), may reap the most enjoyment, yet her story is intensely interesting, on a personal and public level, and very well written. There were moments when I wished I had a French dictionary at my side, but those moments weren't frequent enough to spoil a good read.
   
   Considering her age at the time of the writing, Prud'homme most certainly would have been responsible for the organization and undoubtedly did the bulk of the writing. But his contribution and his great aunt's voice are seamlessly interwoven. As I read, I could hear her warbling, high-pitched voice and was reminded of her wit from her television cooking shows.
   
   I read the last page with a smile, shut the book, and felt as satisfied as if I had just finished making her recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup and found it to be perfect in every respect. I get the feeling that Julia looked back on her life with that same sense of satisfaction. She doesn't apologize for her privileged background, and she doesn't complain about being a somewhat homely, well-educated, quite bright, six-foot-two-inch woman who didn't marry until she was well into her thirties and never had the children she and her husband wished for. She mentions her sadness at not being able to share a close relationship, or even a viewpoint, with her father, but she doesn't wallow in it. She incorporates names, but never drops them. She is unpretentious, natural, and disarmingly honest.
   
   So many people look back with harrowing tales of disappointment and unhappiness; Julia gave us her joys and successes to share. I liked her before I knew anything about her life; now I like her a lot more.



5. I love this woman, and this book! Viva Julia! It made me want to cook again.

5 comments about Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag.

1. This book is a fun, quick read. Very amusing and 'in the know' and light enough to have at the beach. I found it quite entertaining.



2. I read this book right after reading Trophies: A Novel - coincidentally, both were published by the same company - but unlike with Trophies, I found myself completely charmed by Michael Tonello and his world. If you don't know what a Birkin is, maybe you accidentally clicked on this link while searching for Birkenstocks. For the rest of you, this brings the mythic bag down to earth and potentially into your very hands!!
   
   However, this isn't just a step-by-step guide to getting your own Birkin, though Tonello thoughtfully provides that as well as a categorical breakdown of Hermes sales associates. This is also a travelogue through most of Europe and parts of Asia and South America. Basically, wherever Hermes went so did Tonello. I know of groupies who've chased rock stars around the world, but this is the first I've heard of a bag groupie, though I'm sure the Birkin could put Mick Jagger to shame with the lengths women would go to get their hands around it. Moreover, the Birkin has aged much better.
   
   Tonello describes his travels with the enthusiasm of a Food Network host, the travel knowledge of Rick Steves, and the fashion knowledge of Andre Leon Talley (minus the Jennifer Hudson Oscar disaster). He morphs from apprehensive expat to neophyte scarf seller to Hermes insider, all by happenstance. This story starts because he makes a leap of faith and chooses to follow his heart to Barcelona from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He isn't following a man, just his own desire to live in the world in a place where he feels an unique connection to the culture and the people. The job he has lined up once he gets to Barcelona doesn't pan out, which leads him to the world's biggest pawn shop - eBay. One thing leads to another and he ends up entering the World of Hermes and finding a calling. Along the way, he lives an episode of House Hunters International, falls in love, and loses someone close to him. Tonello takes us along on his ride through the joys, trials, and tribulations of life - charmingly illustrated by Muntsa Vicente - and I didn't want to get off...I read the book in one night.
   
   Bringing Home the Birkin is a testament to entrepreneurship and the adventures that come from taking chances in life. It's actually quite inspirational. He slayed the all-powerful dragon, or in this case, orange horse. Oprah would be proud...and taking notes!



3. I really liked this book because it wasn't selling the Birkin--just the Birkin story. It was witty and entertaining--there was an actual story line. I loved how he described the first time he walked into an Hermes store, it's exactly the way I felt before I got sucked into the Hermes cult. It's not a happily ever after story which made it more real. Honest and hilarious, I enjoyed every page of it.



4. This book is great fun for those of us who COLLECT, or wish we could. It's told by a guy who worked his way up on ebay from selling his old cashmere sweaters to finding and selling $20,000+ Hermes Birkin handbags. He's no artiste when it comes to writing style, but the story has good pacing, amusing anecdotes, and the always necessary side love interest. Plus you'll learn a lot about those ever desirable Birkin bags that most of us can only moon at from the other side of the Hermes shop window. Note: the waiting list is a crock - read this book to find out why. Grade: B



5. I casually picked up a copy after seeing a review in WSJ - and could not put the book down. Michael Tonello's taut narrative held my attention from the first page to the last. I am not a 'fashion person' and would not know a Birkin bag from a sow's ear. What gripped me was the story of how one man constructed his life - moving acress the ocean, creating a business, and enjoying life in the process. I have been recommending this book to my friends.

5 comments about Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?.

1. This is another hilarious novel by Lancaster! I loved her first one and this one did not disappoint as well! I laughed out loud so many times, even when I brought the book to Jury Duty! Jennifer Lancaster sure knows how to bring a smile to your face. I most definitely recommend this one and I can't wait to get started on her third, Such a Pretty Fat. She is witty, straight-forward, and tells it like it is, but you love her anyway!



2. As always Jen had me laughing out loud! So much so, the tears from laughing cause me to not be able to continue reading!! I look forward to reading more from her ............ I can totallt relate to her on a million levels!!!



3. I absolutely loved Bitter is the New Black. It was Laugh Out Loud good. I was anxiouly anticipating the release of this second book only to come away a bit disappointed. The book is still funny and a great poolside read, but it does not pack the punch of Bitter. This book was a bit on the whiney side. I smiled, but did not laugh out loud. I did not find myself wanting to read excerpts to everyone around me as I had with Bitter.
   
   I did love the Target, IKEA, and Trader Joe's stories. The paper gown incident is also a big favorite. Overall there just are not the stories as in Bitter. This second book is mostly just a collection of incidences which do not seemed to be as well connected as the previous.
   
   I am still a huge Jen fan and will certainly read the next book due out soon.



4. This book was a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT!!!!! Bitter wasn't bad; it at least had a plot. But this book was about a whiny, ignorant, overweight girl that moves .....in Chicago. She can't deal with it, either.
   
   It was a very stupid waste of paper, and I can't believe that people even publish nonsense like this.
   
   Why not use your talent for some good? Instead of admiring yourself in the mirror all day, why not do something useful. Like get over your fear of the gyno. Grow up. I WANT MY MONEY BACK.
   
   TOTALLY LAME.



5. This is a another geat book from Jen. I can so relate to her stories. I highly recommend this. Can't wait for the next one.

5 comments about Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism.

1. Like another reviewer of this book, I am compelled to give my first review on Amazon. However, UNLIKE the other reviewer, I give this book a resounding five stars, and would give it more if I could.
   
   My three year old daughter does not have classic autism, but instead has infantile spasms (a form of epilepsy) and is developing autistic like behaviors. Whether it progresses into autism remains to be seen. There is a close link between infantile spasms and epilepsy, and as a result I've been hyperaware of watching for behaviors and symptoms.
   
   I read this book in one sitting. I was riveted, and felt like I was reading about MY life and MY journey with my daughter and epilepsy. Like McCarthy, I *DID* experience (and continue to experience) the hysteria and absolute disgust and frustration with doctors and medical professionals who shrug us off and have no clue what they're dealing with. Like McCarthy, I *DID* experience a sudden, immediate life change when the seizures started for my daughter. There was no gradual, easing into this life of a disabled child. One day she was fine, the next day...not fine.
   
   I APPRECIATED reading a book by a mother who wasn't fine with the status quo. Who pushed, and pushed, and pushed until she got an accurate diagnosis. Who didn't calmly & peacefully say "Oh, everythign happens for a reason", someone who got angry and demanded the best for their child.
   
   Am I a celebrity of means like McCarthy? I wish! I'm just a regular, average parent who got therapy through Early Intervention, and soon through the School District. Not once did I feel put down by McCarthy or my choices for the therapies we choose for our daughter.
   
   Instead, I felt EMPOWERED to demand research; demand justification for medications used on my daughter. I felt EMPOWERED to find doctors who would work with my DAUGHTER, not just her symptoms. My daughter is a unique individual with unique medical needs. A one-size-fits-all approach won't work for her or for us, and more than anything, I felt affirmed with the knowledge that by advocating for our daughter, I was doing right by her.
   
   I cherish this book almost above any others I've read about disabled children, and encourage any parent who can tolerate and understand the cussing when it comes to their child.
   
   Keep advocating, Jenny! You are appreciated and admired!



2. I was intrigued by this book when my son started to develop autistic characteristics. I think when you are faced with a life altering issue, you're forced to find solace, enlightenment and a certain sense of similarity with others. You want to know that there's hope out there. And it's easy to do that with a celebrity. They're celebrities, we're supposed to look up to them to a certain extent. I don't get the appeal. They're just another person, that puts their pants on, one leg at a time, like everyone else. But if they can help others, then it's not entirely a bad thing.
   
   That said, I wasn't really that impressed with this book. It is very one track minded. It seemed to be one big venting session. The swearing doesn't bother me as I tend to have a foul mouth myself when I get going, and if that's how you blow off steam, then have at it. This is just her journey. Some are going to benefit, others aren't, it's that simple. In combination with this book, and her interviews, she seems extremely standoffish in regards to her son and his treatment (which is very different from her early non-serious funny days). Maybe that's as a result of a lot of people taking issue with alternative medicine. I don't know. She seems to have her heart in the right place, fighting for greener vaccines, and realizing your potential to not just take your doctor's word as the end all. Being your own advocate.
   
   This book isn't rocket science. It's simple reading from a comedienne and tv personality. I would have appreciated more of a look at her perception of him prior to that fateful morning.
   
   Bottom line, is there are a lot of really great books out there about other everyday people's experiences that are better put together. Buy a bunch of books, take what works from each and discard the rest. There's no one way of doing things. And you'll find as you go on, that your beliefs change.



3. Ms. McCarthy's "Louder Than Words" is a candid and courageous memoir of her journey with helping her son heal from Autism. Her story was horrifying at times and made me laugh out loud at others; told with honesty and humor, Ms. McCarthy tirelessly advocates for her son's well-being and recovery. As a parent of a son with "mild autism", I have searched extensively for current and progressive information to treat my son, biomedically. Similarly to Ms. McCarthy's experience, we have not received useful guidance from the traditional pediatricians that we have consulted with and I completely understand her frustration. However, I am also grateful to a great number of biomedical researchers, alternative health practitioners, and authors who have made complex but useful information available to the public. I also wish to thank Ms McCarthy for bringing awareness to the product Threelac which, as with her own son, has made a significant difference in our son's digestive health, language, focus, and behavior. Our son is recovering from Autism.
   
   There are many many excellent books on the topics of biomedical treatments, digestive enzymes, vaccine toxicity, gluten and casein free (GF/CF) diets, advocacy, behavioral, sensory, auditory, and traditional therapies for Autism that are well-reviewed on Amazon, so I won't reiterate a huge list here. However, here are a few books that stay on my nightstand: "Say Goodbye to Allergy-Related Autism", by Devi S. Nambudripad; "Changing the Course of Autism: A Scientific Approach for Parents and Physicians", by Bryan Jepson; and "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders", by Kenneth Bock. The book that prompted us to consult our state's Early Intervention Program (every state has one) when our son was 18 months of age was "The Late Talker: What to Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet" by Marilyn C. Agin.
   
   The one book that I wholeheartedly DO NOT RECOMMEND is "The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late", by Thomas Sowell, time will tell us about the aptitude of our kids and Sowell's book should not be used as an excuse to delay crucial early intervention.



4. I am a proud Mom of an autistic child this book was outstanding. I feel everyone that has an ASD child/adult in their life in any way should read this book to help the child and and the family. Jenny gave so much insight to parents and caretakers everywhere. Most of all she gave hope.



5. My son has autism and we never considered medicating him. Jenny's book gives alot of great alternative ideas to help.

5 comments about My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir.

1. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas' life story is interesting for two reasons: because it doesn't have a word of self-aggrandizement in it, and because it so clearly contrasts the fallacies of the victim culture with the rewards of a constant effort at self-improvement. The author is very candid about his personal shortcomings, some of which, especially in his youth, are glaring and obvious. To me, the major contribution of this book is to provide incontrovertible evidence that America still is one of the best places on the planet to grow up in as what is termed a `disadvantaged child'. Justice Thomas is living proof of this fact. At the same time, his autobiography contains an implicit warning against moving down the road that Europe has been on for the past sixty years: that of a culture government dependency, personal irresponsability, and rampant nepotism in all aspects of society. A thought-provoking book.



2. My Grandfather's Son
   
   I read Clarence Thomas's autobiographical My Grandfather's Son some months after the first flush of publicity. The book is well worth reading, which is not to say that it won me over to Thomas's political views, or made me an admirer of his tenure in government. The early chapters provide a moving account of growing up impoverished in rural Georgia, subject to the pathological Jim Crow laws and customs of the time, which is as authentic as any other that has appeared in print. The book does establish that Thomas is a complex human being, a unique individual, as are we all. That is important. Nothing is more infuriating than being critiqued for something you are not, rather than for a life and a set of principles that one is proud of, even if others sharply disagree.
   
   Thomas is absolutely correct that he has a right to be his own self, not to conform to any expected orthodoxy based on his race, his sex, or any other irrelevant characteristic. In this, he is merely living up to Jesse B. Semple's defiant statement to his employer ("my boss is a white man") who asks him "What does The Negro want now?" Simple responds, many times over, "I am not The Negro. I am this Negro. I represent my own self." (Taken from Langston Hughes's, Coffee Break. Thomas's rejection of a brand of so-called liberalism based on cheap stereotypes is a breath of fresh air. But his critique is missing a good deal of history, and his own account makes clear that, to those he adopted as his closest political allies, he was merely a convenient pawn, thrust into jobs he might indeed not have been well qualified to fill.
   
   Thomas knew that most of the inner circle in the Reagan administration were uninterested in offering anything to advance civil rights. "By the end of my first year at the Department of Education, I took a dim view of the prospects for blacks in America. I no longer thought that the Reagan administration could do anything that would be of any help to them... Those of us who had chosen to work for President Reagan found it hard to shake the nagging feeling that this aides didn't trust us... Too many political appointees appeared to me to be too preoccupied with celebrating their own ideological credentials to pay attention to the needs of blacks. We hadn't voted for him, so why should they bother with us?" Ronald Reagan's plaintive phone call asking Thomas why African Americans considered him racist, and his protest that he personally had never been racist in his life, were no doubt sincere. But Reagan's administration, and his party, highlighted in Thomas's own words, provided the plain answer to the president's question.
   
   Thomas relates that he was shocked by Coretta Scott King's dismissal of Ronald Reagan, "Well, he IS a Republican." What did the Republican Party mean in 1980 for African Americans? As early as 1960, the limited-federal-government wing of the northern and western Republican Party had been finding common ground with the states' rights Dixiecrats still embedded in the Democratic Party. Between 1964 and 1980, the Republican Party had made an open bid to all racists dissatisfied with Democratic sponsorship of civil rights laws and federal intervention to change parties. Thomas may not have noticed that, because by his own description, it occured during a time when he was less than interested in electoral politics. But it was bitter history to most African Americans who observed it.
   
   Yes, there were Republicans who were instrumental in passing civil rights legislation. Considering the size of the southern Democratic bloc in congress, passage would have been impossible without those Republican votes. But, those Republicans were increasingly marginalized in their own party. There is no doubt that the Democratic Party took black votes for granted, had a very limited vision of what to offer black voters, and took their cue from an aging civil rights leadership, which could not fully recognize the changing needs of both "black" and "white" citizens in a nation transformed by their own earlier victories. When Thomas finds the liberal assumptions he encountered to be demeaning and patronizing, it is a point worth listening to. I know many African Americans who have never voted Republican, never been nominated to the Supreme Court, never even asked their opinion by the local mayor, who share many of the same concerns.
   
   But reading between the lines, it is quite obvious that Thomas was himself being cynically used. I'm not talking about Senator Danforth of Missouri, who knew Thomas personally, hired him, stuck by him through thick and thin, sincerely believed in his abilities and sense of principle. I'm not even talking about Ronald Reagan, who appointed him to a position in the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. I may be talking about George Herbert Walker Bush, a more cynical if more capable politician than Ronald Reagan -- but I can't tell from the slim public record. I am talking about the Republican Party establishment generally, those who ran the government for Reagan and Bush, many of whom came back for George W. Bush's disastrous Saturnalia.
   
   It is obvious from Thomas's own account that his nomination to the United States Court of Appeals, and to the Supreme Court, were a cynical manipulation based on his race and his political loyalty, having nothing to do with his experience or ability. By his own standards, frequently and eloquently presented in his own book, he should have been insulted. When Thomas was first nominated to the Court of Appeals, it seems that everyone in Washington knew, except for Thomas himself, that the Bush administration was grooming him for nomination to the Supreme Court. He had never held a federal judicial position before, but for some reason he was the prime candidate the Bushies wanted to push, and they didn't even tell him about it. He found out when Senator Joseph Biden happened to mention it!
   
   Thomas becomes almost petulant in complaining about the questions asked in formal confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I was asked... I did not know..." If there was good cause to vote against confirmation, that was probably the appropriate reason to do so. He didn't know his material. The entire Anita Hill episode, whether her testimony was true, warped, a series of simple misunderstandings, or plain lies, certainly didn't rate the attention it got.
   
   This reader does not find it credible that Thomas simply had no opinions about Roe v. Wade until after he was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. I had an opinion about Roe v. Wade from the day the court's 7-2 decision was announced. I have never been to law school, never been a lawyer, certainly never served as a judge. I read about it in the New York Post. After reading the article, my opinion was, first trimester, the state has no authority to intervene, leave it up to the mother, third trimester, this is close to a fully formed baby that could survive outside the womb, the state may intervene to protect this new life as a distinct person, in between, honestly recognize that it is a grey zone, allow the state to regulate, but not absolutely prohibit. Very thoughtful and well balanced.
   
   Many years later, I read the actual words of the court's opinion. I found it a well-reasoned, admirably conservative opinion, which rested on enduring constitutional principles, applied appropriately to a specific question. There are some matters The State has no business intervening in: the first trimester of pregnancy is one of them. Further, The State has no business compelling a pregnant woman to risk her own life, if her life is in danger, in order to deliver a baby. (Neither does The State have any business requiring a woman to have an abortion, no matter how socially compelling the argument that she should.) Why should I believe that while I, an unremarkable, well-informed, average citizen, have a firm opinion on Roe v. Wade, a federal appellate judge nominated to the Supreme Court had just never thought about it? Like Thomas, I have never had an abortion, and for the some reason. We're both male. Neither of us is ever going to be pregnant.
   
   Thomas's subsequent written opinions show how poorly he understands the United States Constitution. His formal written analysis is that "a state may permit abortion, but it is not required to do so." That betrays a profound ignorance of The Federalist Papers, and poses the framework of constitutional law exactly backwards. All powers not expressly granted to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, were reserved "to the states and to the people." The constitution does not "permit" the states to do anything. It may restrict the powers of state government, either because there is a pre-emptive federal authority, or because certain rights are reserved to "the people." The question is not whether a state must permit abortion, but whether and at what point in pregnancy a state may regulate or may prohibit the procedure.
   
   Thomas's confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court was an unconstitutional travesty, which should have resulted in all participants, those who groomed and advanced him, and those who bitterly opposed him, being impeached and removed from office for violating their oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States of America. They were ALL engaged in an unforgivable tug of war to "sway" the Supreme Court, and thereby to "sway" the fundamental law of the land, rather than allowing it to BE the fundamental law of the land, the unchanging bedrock upon which all other law must rest. It is true, as Justice Scalia has written, that the constitution means what it says, not what we think it ought to mean. If it has any enduring meaning at all, then there is little that should be changed by judicial nomination. Thomas's opponents were blinded by their own ideology to very good reasons to vote down his nomination. Thomas's advocates perpetrated a worse crime: they knew exactly what they were doing.
   
   Clarence Thomas has made an interesting contribution to understanding America's continuing fixation with race, and the debate about how we put behind us, once and for all, the legacy that most of us wish had never happened. This reader comes away from My Grandfather's Son with the sense that Thomas has not come close to The Truth, but has deflated some hot air balloons that are getting us nowhere, contributed a few misunderstandings of his own, and opened some doors to find better ground for progress and reconciliation than either his friends or his harshest critics have been willing to lead us into.



3. My Grandfather's son was a very inspirational book and well written by the author. It gave me insight into our justice and his backgroud and how anyone can rise in the USA from the depths of poverty. Justice Thomas is very candid and revealing about his life, and it enables one to grasp the workings of his mind and feelings in his heart. I am very satified with the book and grateful for the chance to read it. I have suggested it to my friends as well. Virginia Bronga



4. In the best autobiography I have ever read, Clarence Thomas gives an account of his life from growing up in the Deep South with segregation and being raised by his hard-working and stern grandfather (which makes for the title of the book), to his appointment at the EEOC and his nomination for the Supreme Court.
   
   Thomas gives a touching account of a life characterized by the battles faced by anyone with a desire to make something of them self. His feelings and insight into his experiences not only give the reader a first-hand experience of his struggles to achieve (despite discrimination), giving readers from all backgrounds- black or white, male or female, liberal or conservative- invaluable wisdom.



5. Just what America needs to know. All are created equal and any person can succeed if you want. Be educated, don't lie to yourself and above all don't blame others for what your life, you made it by what you did and the effort you put into what you have. If you depend on others then except what they give you, thats all you are going to receive, you have no person to blame but yourself. Become educated and you will never have to depend on others, you have made yourself the equal of others. Want to be a succees read this book.

5 comments about The Hiding Place.

1. This is an absolutely extraordinary book. Never have I read a book in which the spiritual beauty of the author so resonated throughout the story. The purity of heart that manifests itself in this inspiring saga of a heroic, Dutch family in Nazi occupied Holland during World War II is stunningly beautiful.
   
   This is the true story of the Ten Boom family who, during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands, upon seeing what was happening to their Jewish neighbors and friends, asked themselves this age old question "If not us,...who; if not now,...when?" They answered it, ultimately at great cost.
   
   The Ten Booms were devoutly Christian and lived a simple life. The patriarch of the family ran a watch shop that had been in his family for a century. Some of the family members, the author among them, worked there, selling and repairing clocks and watches. They also lived in the house in which the shop was located.
   
   When the Nazis occupied their country, the reality of what it meant slowly dawned upon them, as they saw the treatment given to their fellow Dutch citizens of the Jewish faith. Moved by their plight, the author at the age of fifty, together with other members of her family, including their father who was nearly eighty, became active in the Dutch underground.
   
   When it became clear to the Ten Booms that Jews were being targeted for deportation and death, they had a false wall constructed in the author's bedroom, thereby creating a secret room. There, they would hide the terrified Jews who were staying with them, in the event of a Nazi raid upon their home.
   
   Eventually denounced by someone to the Nazis, the Ten Booms were arrested and their home raided and torn apart by the Gestapo, in their search for the Jews they believed to be hiding there. At the time of the raid, the Ten Boom home was filled to capacity with Jews in hiding. So well concealed was the hidden room that had been created by the erection of the false wall, that these poor, terrified Jews managed to escape detection.
   
   The Ten Boom family did not fare so well. It was upon their arrest that they learned first hand of man's inhumanity to man, and their faith was put to a test that they had never dreamt possible. It was faith, however, that sustained the author in what was to be her darkest hour of deepest despair. To find out what happened to the Ten Booms, read this book. It is the story of an incredible family, who had the courage to put their convictions to the test.
   
   This book is a masterpiece. The reader is sure to be captivated by the goodness and spiritual beauty contained within its pages.



2. This is a wonderful story and it begs the question: Could I have been that brave and compassionate? A story of true Christians.



3. Great, great book. Inspiring, heart wrenching. Great message about God's faithfulness, but should in no way be boxed in as Christian literature. A great historical book no matter what your faith. Loved it.



4. The Hiding Place is the moving true-life account of Corrie ten Boom and her family who sheltered persecuted Jews in Nazi-oocupied Holland during World War Two. They did this at great personal risk, but they did it because of their unwavering faith in God, and because it was the right thing to do.
   
   Unfortunately, they are arrested and deported to the camps for their acts of resistance against the Nazis. It is a testament to their faith and nobility that they retain their belief in God despite all the travails that await them in the camps.
   
   "No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still" - as Corrie ten Boom believes despite all the horrors that she has endured. A testament to the power of belief in God, and to the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary and horrific times.



5. Let me start out by saying that this is a very powerful book. There is such an awesome message of hope, courage, and faith. If you love God, family, and believe that God can do powerful things then this is the book for you. Corrie Ten Boom is living with her family during the time when Nazi soldiers are taking Jews to concretion camps. Her family wants to help the Jews and keep them safe, by hiding them in their home. Corrie is working for a secret organization that helps protect the Jewish people. She and her family soon find that they are in the same situation as the Jews. Corrie stays strong in her faith and good things start to happen in the concretion camp that she and her family are put into. Like eventually she and her sister are finally put together, and other members of her family are let free. I strongly recommend this book for anyone sixth grade and up. The Hiding Place By: Corrie Ten Book is a very well written book and has two thumbs up.

1 comments about The Two Kinds of Decay: A Memoir.

1. Ms. Manguso has written a medically graphic but affecting account of her battle with an auto-immune disease. Written in brief paragraphs with short chapters, the author is clealy recalling a bad dream that she rather not recall. A poet, her writing is lyrical and conversational. Once the reader starts her story, you will not put it down and it is easily read in one sitting. But it is a book that you will come back to.

5 comments about Dry: A Memoir.

1. The fact that I finished this book in one day *probably* indicates that I enjoyed it. Indeed, the only novels that I recall where I truly laughed my head off were from chick-lits, trivial as that may sound. But, really, Burroughs has managed to be disarmingly droll while being frightfully honest and self-deprecating. I can't attest if that's from being gay, the result of coming from a dysfunctional family, or perhaps from working in advertising (in New York, no less).
   
   What made this story interesting for me was the way he narrated his excruciating battle with alcoholism, that even someone who doesn't suffer from that ailment can actually empathize with him. Definitely he refrained from being too long-winded about it, avoiding the pitfall of letting his story become boring or monotonous--his cracks about himself, his fellow addicts, down to the closet case that is his boss, openly drew chuckles from me. There was enough balance of falling into bouts of introspection as well as allowing the story to progress via the lively dialogues with the equally captivating secondary characters--the tragedy that is Pighead, the complexity and apparent exceptionality that is Foster, and the oddity namely Greer, among others. A guilty enjoyment for me as well was the encounter with the German advertising client who unwittingly provokes the imagination of Augusten to spout Nazi stereotypes.
   
   Unexpected, though, was the striking insight into repressed emotions and the ability of a person to love another despite seemingly insurmountable flaws. Augusten's relationships perfectly capture what I think is a quintessentially urban tendency of people nowadays to tirelessly compensate for what they think they are missing in life. In a way, this novel shows how cheerless that condition is, and, at the same time, be unafraid of what is, after all, a price for being human.
   
   Augusten's narration of what his childhood was, the blatant abandonment he experienced from his parents, the perversion done to him as a teenager, makes the reader in turns awed and morbidly fascinated with the man that he has become. There were times our protagonist was readily aware of his shortcomings--from keeping up with the AA meetings to juggling his relationships with Pighead and Foster--and if those weren't uncomfortable enough, the reader is also made cognizant of his glaring denials about how he was living his life, pre- and post-rehab.
   
   I highly recommend this novel. Whether one is seeking an understanding of alcoholism, or simply in want of a refreshing, entertaining read--granted it's peeking into the "memoirs" of a self-confessed mess--this story will take you from laughs to sadness, hope to sorrow. (and back again). Without a doubt, this work proves that Burroughs is an Original.



2. This was a great book. Augusten Burroughs has such a great narrative style and you immediately feel like you know him, as if you're friends. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two days (would have in one if I didn't have to stop for meals and work!). Highly recommended!



3. Quirky isn't exactly the right word for this book. Insightful maybe. Heartbreakingly honest. Gut bustingly funny.
   
   I cried, laughed, sighed and nodded my head in recognition and/or agreement...sometimes all within the same page. Sometimes in the same sentence. He's a gifted writer and after three reads, and almost 7 years, this book remains at the top of my favorites list. (Plus, I think its way better than Running With Scissors.)



4. This book is one of those that you won't put down until it is finished. He writes with wit, clarity and honesty.



5. Dry was one of the most amazing books I have read. I really enjoyed Running with Scissors but this was a much more powerful book -- and astonishingly Dry kept its humor more consistently than Running with Scissors despite such heavy materials.

5 comments about Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.

1. Although mostly well-written, this memoir is very depressing. I was expecting more about Africa from this NF book, but it's largely the tale of a highly dysfunctional family that suffers blow after blow, bringing much of it on itself. And no one seems to learn anything from their mistakes. The Book of Job is uplifting reading by comparison.



2. I found this in audio at an audio rental store. The front intrigued me so I read the back and decided to give it a go. I liked it so much that my husband decided he wanted to listen to it too! What an interesting life to have lead at such a young age!



3. This family is composed mainly of fighters, people who decided to forsake the clotted cream comfort of their native England for the thorny bush country of, what was then known as, Rhodesia.
   
   In poetic prose that the reader occasionally stumbles over, Fuller takes us on a dense tour of her life in Africa, thesaurus in hand, and describes the stunning beauty and hopeless squalor of the land with a series of adjectives and adverbs that occasionally seem shoehorned in but rarely off-the-mark. This makes for an occasionally jarring, though still beautiful, journey, much like what the young author must have experienced perched on the spare tire of her family's bucking Land Rover. Some of Fuller's descriptive metaphors, however, are quite luminous; they stay with you.
   
   Still, she hits home with her prose more often than not, and produces a thoroughly readable if somewhat detached report on the life of her family, and how they bear up as trauma eclipses joy after a series of dismal events, including the deaths of small children and runs for the border of several African nations as things (i.e., the political landscape, war) shift and change. These things would loom large in anyone's life, and they are told here with an air of inevitability and acceptance . . . even excitement.
   
   Here's a family who thrives on adventure.
   
   There were several times Fuller had me right there in the back of the Land Rover with her. I was unsettled and awed by what we saw together. She's an amazing writer when she gets going.
   
   Great read.



4. Okay, now as a former and recovering English major I'm going to admit that Ms. Fuller is actually a decent writer, But I do want to point out a few things the other reviews don't cover.
   First, Ms. Fuller is stridently politically correct and distorts the historical facts of the former Rhodesia in an effort to demonize the whites. The distortion does border on reverse racism, however much I hate to trot out the r-word.
   Secondly, this woman is absolutely obsessed with toilet functions and other bodily things and takes any opportunity to describe them--particularly her own. She takes an almost narciscisstic delight in describing herself in these terms.



5. This is not a book is fascinating, though not the best pick for those with a weak stomach. It's painfully honest and that's why I loved it. The author has a really rich yet simple way of writing, so you feel, smell, see, taste the entire experience they had growing up in Africa. It's far from a comfortable way of life, and it's downright depressing in some parts, but that's part of its honesty and richness. I really respect someone who is able to write about their own life without glamorizing it nor condemning it.