3 comments about A Natural History of Conifers.

1. This book has a lot going for it. The author has been most recently head of the herbarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and has had a front-row seat as a conifer taxonomist during the development of three key disciplines of the last few decades: molecular genetics, cladistic analysis, and earth history. Unlike many taxonomists he glories in making extensive field trips throughout the conifer world, for business and pleasure. His writing style is generally clear and engaging, and occasionally hits some very high notes. And he is a good photographer and a talented botanical artist. Thus he has created a modern treatment of the conifers that would have been impossible just a few years ago, and he has imbued it with deep concern for the biodiversity of the order Coniferales and the preservation of rare and endangered species. He interprets "natural history" broadly and is free to inquire into any aspect of conifer lore, from evolution to forest products. Surely this book will accomplish the author's goal of bringing more respect to these tribes of trees that are major parts of the silva in both hemispheres.
   There is a wealth of fascinating information here, and the author is an affable guide taking us along on numerous exciting quests. The stories of discovery of new-to-science conifers like Wollemia and Xanthocyparis add spice to the overall conifer story, as do travels to New Caledonia and other venues of remarkable trees. But not everything is equally well done. Some chapters are densely academic, heavy going for amateurs lacking technical credentials. A preoccupation with numerical measures of diversity, and an emphasis on extinct groups may not appeal to many.
   Mistakes or faux pas are fairly common, and range from the trivial to the profound. A few examples: use of the term "appendices" where American English would use "appendages" (with neither term in the too-skimpy glossary)adds puzzlement to an already dense anatomical discussion of cone structure; reference to a 3600+ year-old Utah juniper known since 1956 to be less than half that age; numerous fine botanical drawings whose plant parts are unlabeled and lack scales (i.e. "X 2"); a dismissal of the possible evolutionary importance of hybridization in conifers despite its commonness in pines and firs; an equally abrupt dismissal of the idea of reticulate evolution, an area of active research; a weak treatment of mycorrhizae which does not mention the profoundly different types found in Pinaceae vs. Cupressaceae -- surprising for a taxonomist; a description of the mutualism of nutcrackers and white pines with several material factual errors; a statement that bark beetles invade the cambium, while they actually invade the phloem; omitting windborne soil particles from the ingredients of "canopy soil", which accumulates in branch crotches and sustains epiphytes; attributing clones of Pinus pumila to shoots sprouting from the roots whereas it is due to rooting of branches in contact with the ground. The author is often on shaky ground writing about wood. For example, he errs in stating that Great Basin bristlecone pine "has some of the densest and hardest of all woods", or that sugar pine and western white pines are "nonresinous", or that wood of Cupressaceae is "more fibrous" than that of Pinaceae (he must mean finer-grained), or that hollow trees grow new wood on the inside as well as the outside of the trunk. The fleshy fruits of Torreya are labeled as "seeds" in a photograph. Though geography seems one of his strong suits, the author writes incorrectly that Port-Orford-Cedar "is restricted to mountains on the border between California and Oregon". He states twice that California's only Taxaceae species is Torreya californica, overlooking Taxus brevifolia. In cataloging that state's biodiversity he claims 22 pines. In my book Conifers of CaliforniaConifers of California, I list 18 pines (including P. washoensis, around which there is some controversy)plus one pinyon pine hybrid. I cannot quite see where 4 more species have immigrated to this state.
   The book's index is not as lengthy and inclusive as a book of this scope deserves. You will not find cambium, seeds, rust diseases, roots, or many other terms to take you to useful information.
   Even more grievous, however, is the very skimpy bibliography. The purpose of this book is to make available much of what has been learned about conifers in recent decades, and a reader should be able to follow up some of the many leads provided here.Yet the bibliography lists a mere 52 items. Ten of these are the author's own previous works and 16 are on paleobotanical topics. Nine are general biological works or are about other plants than conifers. Why does this matter?
   Well, take for example the author's statement that drooping pine needles may be an adaptation to protect them from dwarfmistletoe infection. He gives no indication whether this is his idea, or the result of someone's research. If you want more on this, you cannot get help from the literature list. This is true of many speculations, possible matters-of-fact, and arguments made throughout the text. The feeble bibliography not only leaves much of the text unsupported, but impedes readers from further pursuit. Besides, it would have been a simple matter to list the most useful 100 conifer books as a special feature, tying this new volume to the historical development of conifer science.



2. As we have become accustomed to from Timber Press, this is a very well-printed book, on glossy paper, with an immaculate layout. Illustrations are excellent and are of three kinds: mainly 1) color photographs and 2) line-drawings but with the occasional 3) SEM B&W photograph. Most of the illustrations were made by the author, but some have been contributed by other experts (for instance, some of the line-drawings have been borrowed from van Pelt's book).
   
   Obviously, the author is THE acknowledged expert on conifers and the text well reflects that, taking the grand view.
   
   Two points that bothered me are the writing style, which, although accessible enough, strikes me as peculiar (at least in some spots); also the chapter on wood is clearly written by the conifer expert making notes, without a real understanding of this rather different topic or a feel for it.
   
   Nevertheless, this is book is great value for money.



3. I'm not sure how to review this book without resorting to tired clichés like "a masterpiece" or "the bible of conifer natural histories." This book just happens to be the prefect example of everything popular science writing should be.
   
   Farjon doesn't dumb down the science and doesn't apologize for it (excepting a brief mea culpa in the preface, which also includes Farjon's philosophy on the craft of writing popular science, so don't skip the preface!) Any botanist will enjoy this book just as much as an amateur ecologist, weekend hiker, or little old lady in suburbia with pine trees in her yard. The scientists will find many morsels to whet the appetite for further study while the amateur will walk through a door to the wonders of conifer natural history, perhaps referring back to the book after every new hike through the woods.
   
   There are 34 chapters - some of them as short as just a couple pages. This brevity makes the text an easy, casual read. Each chapter is headed with an anecdote from the author's life or human history. The first 20 or so chapters deal with the typical science common to any natural history - evolution, physiology, systematic, ecology. There follows a section on geography (often lacking in popular works), then several chapters about human interaction with conifers which segues nicely into the final section about conservation. A glossary and a reference section close the book. As I desperately try to find something negative to say here, I guess I wished only that the references would have been more numerous, but that is truly a nit-picky complaint.
   
   Timber Press did their usual bang-up job of production with gr eat binding and paper, beautiful jacket, and stunning photos. The two-page spreads introducing the main sections are the stuff of a coffee table book. The rest of the book is not cluttered, yet hardly a page goes by without a color photo or some sort of eye candy. It really does seem like a coffee table book, but with meat instead of the usual fluff in the text.
   
   Enough gushing! Buy the book and see for yourself!

3 comments about Atavismo!: My Home in Italy.

1. I've read several books on personal memories of Italy but this is the best that I've found! It reminded me of the happy childhood days I spent in my Italian Grandma's kitchen watching her cook while she told me stories of the old country. It is the perfect blend of "feel good" family stories and descriptions of food that make you want to run out to your local Italian restaurant--or even better, try the family recipes that Ann lists at the end. I admit that I'd love to have an experience like this. Read it and you'll understand! It definitely appeals to all of your senses!
   It's written as though the author were right there telling you her story in her own words without a lot of other stuff that you don't care about.
   Anyone with Italian roots or wanted to be Italian should read this book.



2. Such an interesting story and because it is a true adventure, all the more meaningful. Could relate to so many thoughts of the author. One just hasn't lived until experiencing a visit to Italy or to Sicily. Having done both, I suggest that everyone try it just once; you will never be the same! I found this book to be a great read and I know that all book lovers will enjoy it, too .
   G. Villalba,
   Idaho



3. I initially met the author in the Rome airport struggling to find change to pay for parking. Realizing she was speaking English, we had a small discussion and she handed me her card as she told me she had just published a book about Italy and my husband and I and my sister and her husband were just beginning our trek through much of Italy. I purchased her book and enjoyed reading about her ancestors, home, and her little corner of Italy. I have since returned to Italy and my next trip will definitely include a stop in Anna Maria's corner....of Italy.

5 comments about Do You See What I See?: Memoirs of a Blind Biker.

1. Targ has ventured where no scientists have ventured into. His story is woven into a fabric of CIA intrigue, Lasers, ESP, Love, and the meaning of life.
   
   Targ is an accomplished writter and author, scientist, and futurist. He provides convincing scientific evidence for a spiritual component to our world and existence. I have been interested in healing the rift between science and spirituality for over 25 years, and Targ's contributions provide tangible examples of the spiritual from rigorous scientific experiments.



2. I expected this book to deal more with the author's work than it did. His very interesting work life was glossed over and the book mainly delt with his personal life, which I did not find that interesting. So if you what to know what Russell did, read one of his other works. If you want to know about his life, read this one. Overall, I was very disappointed with this story.



3. There are memoirs that inspire and biographies that make you question common perception. Do You See What I See? is something more than both of these things.
   
   In this book, the author shares his life, his exploits, and his insights. Here is a man born with very limited sight and prosopagnosia (a condition which causes face-blindness or the inability to recognize faces). That he learns to read, studies physics, becomes a top researcher in laser technology is fascinating. That his journey also leads him to an interest in ESP, working on remote viewing for the CIA, and a study of common perception versus illusion is beyond anything I could have expected. Oh, his brother-in-law was the late Bobby Fischer and he legally rides a motorcycle.
   
   Do You See What I See? made me feel like I was having an extended personal conversation with the author. The work isn't set up chronologically but I think in this case that works to this story's advantage. It gives the work a casual feeling while at the same time gradually opening up the reader to a different perspective, perhaps even an entirely different way of thinking.



4. This story covers in an autobiographical manner a contemporary of mine who has accomplished many things in science....lasers, remote viewing, psi....There are a few things I knew about people that I did not know about...He is instructive as well as entertaining...A bit of a scientific background might be helpful as he courses from the physical to the non-physical world...



5. I bought this book on the advice from a friend. It is very well written, informative and not a dry book at all. The writer gives a very informative synopsis of his life and how ge began as a remote viewer and does lead the reader into the practice if they choose to give it a try. This is a book that I will keep for reference and further reading.Do You See What I See?: Memoirs of a Blind Biker

5 comments about Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir.

1. Journalist Neely Tucker doesn't sugar coat anything about his experiences working in an African orphanage and the gut wrenching, heart rending story of how he (a white American)and his wife (African American) struggle to adopt Chipo (a black African infant girl)in a country not keen on Americans or journalists. This book is a study in contrasts of race, culture, gender, nationality, and personality how they all affect Tucker's family. Wonderful story told from the heart but not sappy or sentimental. This is gritty but inspiring reading.



2. This was fantastic! I was routing for them the entire book. Moving & emotional - I felt like I was experiencing their pain and frustration and then joy - what an experience!



3. Fabulous from the start. So much intermingles in this book - history, politics, personal struggle, life in Africa, bi-racial familes, adoption - that to narrow it down to a memoir wouldn't be doing it justice.
   Following the writer as he pushes you through each page, you find yourself involved in the world through the eyes of this family. It's one of those books that you rush to get through and then you regret what you've done once you see there's only a few pages left.
   When I find an author of this caliber, I stick with them. And Neely Tucker sure can write.



4. This memoir goes to show on how faith and love can conquer all odds. It has opened my eyes on the issue of AIDS and the politically unstable country of Zimbawiae. A very touching love story of father and daughter.



5. In dealing with their personal frustrations, the author shows us the hurdles and challenges of wanting to help in nations that need it the most. It is a good read, heartwarming. But unlike most books, it left me in search of an organization that can break through and really offer help to children touched by AIDS.

5 comments about Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1).

1. Was purchased due to a requirement by my childs school. He has informed me it is a good book.



2. Homer Hickam grew up in a rural isolated mountain town but went on to win the National Science Fair.
   
   This book is his story and how he was successful.
   
   I bought 24 copies of this book to inspire my advanced 6th grade Reading class. They loved the book. In our discussions they mentioned never giving up. Homer and his friends kept trying until they had success.
   
   Thank you for sharing your life with us, Mr. Hickam.



3. ... "On June 4, 1960, the Big Creek Missile Agency, fresh from its medal winning performance at the National Science Fair, is sponsoring a day of rocket launches at its Cape Coalwood range. Everyone reading these words is invited..." This quote can be found on page 356-357 of a book called Rocket Boys; this statement showed me that the success of the main characters was a result of personal hard work and teamwork.
   
   "Rocket Boys" by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. is a nonfiction account of a group of friends from Coalwood, West Virginia in the early 1960's who have a fetish for making rockets. Homer and his friends have a dream to shoot a rocket up into the clouds. This story gives the reader a message that dreams really can come true.
   
   Rocket Boys is one of the strongest books I have ever read. The author accomplished his goals to tell people that team work is one of the most important things to know in your life. This book is recommended for people that like space and rockets and who want a hopeful book to read. Reading Rocket Boys really gets you thinking about team work and how far you can get with it.



4. I was a little disappointed by the ending and the fact that Homer Hickam gave John Kennedy the idea to go to the Moon but other than that I couldn't help but root for the band of misfits.



5. I bought this book and the audio tapes and my son and I listened and read this amazing book together. Our plan was to read for 30 minutes a night...however it was sooooooo good we listened and read for 5 hours!
   
   We are now going to rent the movie that was made from the film! All systems go....we enjoyed the adventure!

5 comments about Oh the Glory of It All.

1. I came to THE GLORY OF IT ALL via Pat Montandon's slightly over-the-top memoir, WHISPERS FROM GOD (formerly THE HELL OF IT ALL, a take-off on the title of this book). I listened to this book on CD and it was well-performed by the reader.
   
   I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and dimly remembered Ms. Montandon, who lived and was famous/infamous here from the early 60's to approx. the 1990's. That was why I picked up her memoir. I was unaware of her contentious divorce from Al Wilsey, or more accurately his divorce from her - "for her best friend" - back in the 80's. The divorce is central to her story and to this one.
   
   Though the Montandon book was a "guilty pleasure" sort of read, Sean Wilsey's book is well written, engaging and even fascinating.
   
   Basically, Sean's is the story of an only child with two older parents, both very successful in their own fields, both extremely self-involved. Neither seemed to have been a particularly capable parent before the divorce - but when the divorce comes (he's about 10,) Sean gets completely lost in the shuffle - with the able assistance of his new step-mom. Little did step-mom know as she was doing her cruel best to hurt Sean and distance him from his dad that he would grow up to write a scathing memoir one day! And the timing of its publication fairly coincided with the reopening of San Francisco's esteemed DeYoung Museum - a project for which the step-mom prominently fundraised and received much press. Talk about raining on someone's parade...however, if this tale is only half true step-mom was asking for it. Meanwhile, Sean's own mom was lost wallowing in her own rage, humiliation and self-pity at being dumped for a lesser woman (Pat was known for her looks, step-mom seems not to have been) who posed as her friend and stole her man. Mom then goes off the New Age deep end in globetrotting pursuit of world peace (?!?). Sean's dad, Al - well, he had other children of earlier marriages and seems to have moved with relative ease from family to family on his way to great wealth and social prominence.
   
   Sean's personal tale of family rejection, floundering in the world, failing at a variety of schools, and ultimately resurrecting himself is well worth reading/listening to. I'm sure his story has much in common with that of any child who's been the pawn in a messy divorce, been neglected by parents, or the target of a malevolent step-parent - whether rich, middle-class or poor.
   
   Though much of this story is sad, Wilsey writes with wry humor, irony and even compassion and avoids self-pity. In the end Sean not only survives but flourishes and comes to terms with the past.



2. Just when you think this memoir thing has played out...Sean Wilsey comes along and jazzes it up several notches. Almost as much fun as actually hurling fruit bombs off the penthouse deck at passing cars (a scene of Wilsey's veritable mispent youth), and as rousing as a song & dance number from Pippin, this book is relentlessly funny/poignant in the way that it takes no prisoners and puts everyone, especially Wilsey, under the psychic microscope. Like an imaginary blend of Salman Rushdie, Philip Roth and Tobias Wolf, this book kept me up several nights in a row just to see how Wilsey would get through the awful emotional pin-ball game of his youth. If for no other reason, I had to see if he might actually realize his fantasy of following in his father's footsteps, and bedding the villainous step-mom Dede -- the new gold-standard for narcissism and cruelty. I won't tell you what happens. Just buy the damn thing! Read it! Have a blast! This one will be hard to top.



3. Like Sean Wilsey's life, this book is full of ups and downs. The book moves in waves, and at the risk of being too metaphorical, it literally is like the ocean. The chapters crescendo, hitting the reader hard. This book brought forth so many emotions for me. I laughed, I almost cried (like some of the main characters, I was medicated during my reading), I was angered, I was annoyed. The author does not present his life story in order for the reader to judge him or his family/acquaintances. Therefore, it is unfair to review this book for its character development. Wilsey presents the characters warts and all, including himself. I do not think he wants the reader to feel sorry for him. I didn't. As he says throughout the book, this was just the way his life is and he was doing his best to get through it, year by year. Going back to the wave metaphor, this book definitely has its low tide moments. There are certain passages and in fact whole chapters I wanted to be over. However, he strikes back right away to keep you moving through the book. Other reviewers of this book have complained about its length and its need for substantive edits. I disagree. It is not the readers place to suggest edits for one's memoir. The reader needs to invest in Wilsey's writing by trusting him to convey his story at his own pace. I did. It was worth it. Sean Wilsey's memoir is a great read, brilliantly put together, and the best memoir I have read. If you are willing to trust the author and set aside a few weeks to get through it, "Oh the Glory of it All" is a fantastically, engaging book.



4. I did not actually read the book but I listened to it in the CD version. Being a New Yorker, I must be a bit insulated because I have never heard of the Wilsey family. As such, I spent the first 75% of the listening time thinking it was fictional. Spoke to a friend in San Fran to suggest the book and he made me realize these were real people.
   
   My first reaction was shock and rage at Dede who is Sean's step mother for the horrible things she said to Sean as a child during some very tender years. I saw it as a cruel form of abuse and if it were physical, she would have been put in jail. What a horrible woman. When she dies, she will surely occupy one of the warmer parts of hell.
   
   I found the book itself to be great. A wonderful story that made me cringe. They say the rich are different. Perhaps that is right but at the bottom line, I would not have traded my life of street pizza and stick ball in Brooklyn for one day of Sean's money or childhood.
   
   Read this book. I highly recommended it. You will not be sorry that you read this book. As far as Sean is concerned, I think he is well and living in NYC. I hope he has put it behind him and is enjoying life in that most magical city.



5. I have always wanted to become filthy rich. Like many, I have succeeeded on occasion in the former but never in the latter. Sean Wilsey, author of "Oh the Glory of It All," wants to become filthy rich too, and he has a much better shot at it than I do. In fact, the life he desires is so close, so within his reach, that it is happening mere blocks from his home and is being lived by his father (along with Dad's new wife and his two Stepford stepsons) while Sean and his mother fester and scheme in their duplex penthouse atop Russian Hill.
   
   In the wake of her apparently well-plotted abandonment, Sean's mom -- Pat Montandon -- wants him to commit suicide with her, or maybe she'll just die of cancer. Pat's not sure but methods of revenge are discussed. The means of manipulation she employs are not lost on Sean. They frighten and enlighten him. Al Wilsey has left Pat, a society columnist, for, well, society. And Sean is left out. (In the movie version, Pat Montandon should be played by Sharon Stone. She'd be perfect. I can see her now rapping with the Black Panthers at one of her post-divorce roundtable discussions in the '70s.)
   
   DeDe, Sean's new stepmom, is a real piece of, uh, work. DeDe holds the key to admittance into the charmed life Sean's father is now leading without him. Sean fawns over DeDe on the rare occasions he sees her, fantasizes about her in his bedroom, but he can't break in, until he breaks in literally, ripping the door off his father's mansion and stealing some of his possessions. He makes his point. But he doesn't stop there. When his aggressive, angry nature surfaces, the reader doesn't see it coming. He has portrayed himself, up to this point, as a passive personality.
   
   Something must be done before Sean kills someone. (He has taken to tossing fruit off the penthouse balcony, barely missing pedestrians 800 feet below.) Sean's a druggie drinker with a skateboard and no use for studying. This is his long-aborning cry for help, but it leaves his family confused. Now both his mother and father are fed up with him. Instead of acknowledging his intelligence and creativity, Dad sends him to various "lock-down schools," as DeDe calls them, even escorting him to a couple.
   
   We don't understand the disconnect between father and son. Mirror images, we see they love each other. They have a touching closeness, literally and figuratively. Is it just the appearance of DeDe in their lives, or is it Sean? Probably a combo deal - Dad's got a cute little heiress, and even though he's rich, she's richer and he'll do just about anything she says to keep her. She'd prefer not to have a reminder of the woman she stabbed in the back to get her husband. Bye bye Sean.
   
   Unfortunately, the book lags as we follow Sean on his revolving-door boarding school escapades. This is not good because it takes us away from DeDe. Just like Sean, we want DeDe also. But we want her in a different way. Her malevolent presence enlivens the narrative of this book. Without her, we don't care as much. Without DeDe, this book is just another memoir about a teenager finding himself. Take a walk past any high school and you'll see the same story played out right there in your neighborhood. In fact, I'd venture a guess that many of these neighborhood memoirists might have a better tale to tell.
   
   Of course the props are better in "Oh the Glory of It All." Sean can name them all, and does, lustily. He has taken early to the glimpse of wealth he was raised with and furious when it is taken away. At the end, he even mentions the hearse carrying Dad to his final rest is a "late model." (Like his dad?)
   
   We already know that there's no money for Sean or his siblings in the will, and one suspects this is why he wrote the book. He blames DeDe when he realizes the money is all going to charity, and that he will not have a hand in the charity selected.
   
   DeDe knows that Al Wilsey wants his name on something in San Francisco, and she knows how to do it. Wilsey Court is the first thing you see at the DeYoung Museum.
   
   If you have ever lived with an especially toxic stepparent, you will ache for Sean Wilsey as he tries to find himself and connect with his father. Al Wilsey, though, can't help but like women better than he likes his own offspring. He doesn't care if they're rich or poor as long as they're hot. When Sean is bringing his father to life, he does a great job.
   
   As another reviewer says, "[Wilsey] often seems to be writing with an open heart, and out of an open wound. If only a fraction of the stories he relates are true--he tells us that Dede routinely berated him for being a "faggot" when he was a boy--you will want to give him a hug."
   
   And maybe suggest he get a job. Ahhh, but apparently he doesn't have to. While he is not as rich rich as Dad was, he's well-off himself, even without having written the hit job on his folks. You won't find this in the book, however.
   
   Three stars. Great read.

5 comments about Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich.

1. Following the success of the book and TV series Band of Brothers, several autobiographies of surviving members have come out enabling the men to tell their own stories.
   Arranged on a book shelf they make very good reading, but David Webster's Parachute Infantry should stand out because of when it was written in the 1950's, decades before Stephen Ambrose made E company, 506 PIR of the 101st Airborne Division famous.
   
   Later books enlarge upon or correct what Ambrose wrote or what was shown in the TV series, but Webster, who died in 1961, had none of that. He was just telling his story. He also wrote it less than 20 years after the events happened when he was still in the prime of life and years had less time to cloud memories.
   
   As do all the autobiographies he enlarges upon some details that others have mentioned and gives further details of some members who are not around to tell their own tale. Such as more examples of Liebgott really not being trustworthy around German prisoners,exactly WHY Lt. Peacock was theo fficer everyone was gad to be rid of and probably the best description of captain Nixon's behavior when other books describe him as either a rude drunk or fearless under fire depending on how the author knew him.
   
   As a soldier, Webster was, by his own admission, a slacker. In a company of men who famously apologized for being wounded or broke out of hospitals while still wounded, to rejoin their mates, Webster reports he proudly did the least required of him to get by. To his credit he admits this. He tells it to you in his story and that before Easy Company he had served in Fox Company, where his attitude got him thrown out.
   
   This probably explains why he had trouble selling the book in his lifetime. Webster wrote his book during the 1950's in the golden age of American grandeur. People did not want to read about some guy who hated the army, officers and fate. They wanted glory and heroism. Had Webster lived another 10 years his book might well have been a best seller as veterans of Vietnam could learn their experiences with the Army were not unique but an on going issues an early generation of Americans had gone through. This did not happen, but luckily for us, Webster's book does survive for us to enjoy and learn from.



2. I liked this book. It was not the best reading ever, but it fills out more fully the story of the `Band of Brothers", the WWII exploits of E Company of the 101st Airborne division. It is one of several books that came out after the success of "Band of Brothers".
   
   To read "Parachute Infantry" is to look at the flip side of the story of E Company.
   
   David Kenyon Webster, a Harvard student, was not an original member of E Company at Toccoa, jumping on D-Day as a member of the HQ Company.
   
   He later joined and became a completely unaccomplished member of E Company, and had a very limited role in its storied successes during WWII. He was a self-admitted "goldbrick", and refused to volunteer for anything. He was not a coward but did have a strong sense of self-preservation which served to severely limit his opportunities for doing anything heroic.
   
   Webster barely seems to have even gotten to know Major Dick Winters, the central character of E Company in the BoB story. Throughout his time with E Company, Webster was so good at keeping his head down that he rarely was able to see the bigger picture of what his unit was trying to accomplish beyond a very tightly focused small objective.
   
   Webster would end his autobiography of his WWII experience with this lament: "I have accomplished nothing, achieved no rank, seen almost no action".
   
   Why would anybody interested in WWII, in the story of E Company, be interested in this book? Why would Stephen Ambrose be so interested in it that he would help get it published in 1994, after it had been initially rejected in the 1950's, when it was first written?
   
   For BoB aficionados, it does fill out some more details about several members of E Company, such as Joe Liebgott, Donald Hoobler, Burton Christenson, George Luz, John Janovek, Ronald Speir, Lieutenant Thomas Peacock, and the Camera Killer Lieutenant.
   
   The other books about E Company concentrate on the most active members of E Company, the "heroes", the "killers" (Dick Winters's term). This book is about the other guys in the company, the faceless GIs of E Company who were only trying to get by and survive the war. And to that extent, this book is full of the rich details of the daily grind and trivia of Army life during WWII. We get abundant details about food and Army rations out in the field, about the cooks, about the looting, about the sex, about the civilians in the countryside.
   
   We find out additional details such as the fact that towards the end of the war, George Luz had left E Company to go to the HQ Company.
   
   From this book came the scene of German prisoners being shot by the roadside by a French soldier (Webster's account is much more striking than the movie version - you'll have to read it), as well as the scene of Webster chatting with the German MP at the roadside checkpoint from the HBO series.
   
   Other scenes from the HBO series involving David Webster are not in this book, and so it remains unclear whether these came only from the imagination of the writers. These include the conversations between Webster and Joe Liebgott in the truck (where Liebgott talks about his dreams after the war is over), Webster's rant at the passing columns of surrendering German soldiers, the scene at the concentration camp involving Webster and Liebgott, and Webster's involvement in the Last Patrol (he actually stayed in one of the outposts to cover the patrol while Liebgott went as the translator - Webster's account does have a more detailed description of what happened to the dying German soldier left behind by the American raiding party). The HBO depiction of Webster getting snubbed by E Company members when he rejoins them is completely contrary to his account of a warm reception by E Company in this book.
   
   It was good to read this book to find out more about what was true and what was Hollywood in the scenes involving Webster, and to get such a different viewpoint of "Band of Brothers" beside the ones focusing on the heroes of E Company.
   
   This was a book written well before its time. The ethos of the 1950s simply could not handle its raw honesty about life in the military. It is not unlike "Jarhead", a book about the first Iraq War, and it also is similar to many other Vietnam era and post-Vietnam era war autobiographies.
   
   The only part that's really different, that has changed completely, is that this book describes a time when students at elite universities like Harvard would volunteer to serve with military, with the paratroopers of the U.S. Army.



3. Its a good book, far from the best, but it covers all the issues a paratrooper had to deal with, both physically and mentally. Combat is not the main focus in this book, but rather the entire situation he was in.



4. This book is the best autobiography written by a member of the "Band of Brothers." If you have seen the mini-series, then you are undoubtedly familiar with David Kenyon Webster, the Harvard English-lit major who could have probably been an officer or at minimum, a clerk but who chose to join the Paratroopers so he could fight the war first hand and write about it.
   
   What is great about this book, as opposed to the others written by the members of this famed unit is the fact that it was still written during his youth without a lifetime of, well, life to diminish the memories. He speaks frankly about what he felt and admits to the fear, boredom and camaraderie from fighting in war.
   
   When reading, one will notice several differences between his experiences and what was on the Band of Brothers mini-series and one that comes to mind was in the mini-series when a bunch of troopers crossed a river to get a prisoner. In the movie, Webster was there but in the book, he states that he didn't go (mainly because he didn't volunteer to do it!)
   
   He speaks frankly and honestly about this disdain for officers (how Generals don't know how to speak on an enlisted-man's level and how they associate their speeches to football) and even mentions how Nixon was kind of bragging about going to Yale but he kept his mouth shut but could have told him that he went to Harvard.
   
   I would rate this book up there with the other "must read" from an airborne's perspective, that being Curahee by Donald Burgett--a book also written soon after the war's end.
   
   Please get this book immediately--you will not regret it.



5. I was interested in this book because it was written long before the fanfare and pop culture status that Easy Company gained from the Band of Brothers movies. This book gives a fresh and down to earth view of what it must have been like to be a member of the 506 PIR. It is a great first person account of life on the front and really conveys the turmoil that Weber experienced. If you are looking for a story about the 506th that is far and apart from the contempory accounts, this is a book for you.

5 comments about Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania.

1. As someone that does not suffer from BiPolar Disorder, I was hoping to gain some insight into the mind of someone that suffers from this illness. I never felt that from this book, I could not understand how his compulsive actions actually stemmed from his illness. He seemed to me to be suffering from a huge case of narcissism.



2. I really hate to rate any book with only one star. I give the author credit for writing a book that got published. Otherwise, I couldn't finish this one. I bought it largely due to the fact that the author was present at a DBSAlliance conference outside Chicago that I also attended, and I wanted to show support to another person with Bipolar...there the loyalty ends.
   
   This was, to me, almost unreadable. I felt it was too narcissistic, too poorly written, too...well, manic. I mean, I really appreciate reading books by people who focus on themselves when they have a lucid story to relate, but this book was painfully lacking in any lucidity. It is always uncomfortable to me to read or listen to someone who is in the throes of mania - after a certain point you just want to leave to room. Too many words with nothing to say but aren't I interesting, grand, wildly amusing, and don't I live the life. Well, no, you aren't and you don't. A real turn-off. I had absolutely no sympathy, empathy, or ability to relate to this person, and no time to waste finishing this ode to Andy. I mean, in the big scheme of things, who cares?



3. The best book on manic depressive episodes with light towards the end of the tunnel. If you or a close relative or friend is in the throes of this terrible predicament, almost a life sentence of sorts, you should read this book. Its not an undertone of pessimism or another will-bring-tears type of book, rather a delightfully readable surmise of manic episodes. The speed of narration speeds up in the beginning with the pace of racing thoughts and then slows down with the downs of depression. A not so thrilling roller coaster ride for the protagonist, but for you, maybe, or even entertaining if you like reading books on psychology. This is not a book about the disease per-se or even electricity or any neurological disorder associated with the term, but a memoir of struggle, perhaps an active and electrical experience of the manic episodes, and the title does justice. The electro-convulsive therapy blends in the title towards the end, although to no avail, another modern snake oil for the refractive nature of the beast. Read it and you will like it, and if you are worried, it is not heavy to lift with hand or mind.



4. I work with the mentally ill and have a particularly difficult client who has multiple mental illness diagnoses and a personality disorder. In my opinion, his bipolar diagnosis is the one that has wreaked the most havoc in his life and in the lives of his caregivers and loved ones. Prior to reading Electroboy, I wrote to the Andy, the author, who answered immediately, saying he was very busy, but would write more in a few days, when he was back home. He wrote again, as he said he would and though he was not able to provide a lot of help or insight, he offered what he could, in the way of advice. I much appreciated the author taking time to respond to me. I bought and read Andy's book later (mostly out of appreciation for his help, as the reviews had not been great). After all this, I'm sorry to say that my review of the book is "just OK". It is sort of a diary of events, without much insight into the mind of a bi-polar. In fairness to Andy, he may just not realize how very difficult it is for the average reader, who is not bipolar, to understand the workings of the mind, or the rationalizations of someone who is bipolar.



5. A previous reviewer (El Lagarto) hit the nail almost exactly except, to me, the narcissism here fails to dazzle. While the the author's prose style does uncannily mimic his condition (bipolar disorder, here for some reason referred to by its prior designation of manic depression, making each specific reference to it seem like a literary device), that's part of the problem, really. The helter skelter style allows for no real reflection, and it's the literary equivalent of a sore throat--irritating and hard to swallow in places, especially, for one example, when Behrman relates very specifically his dreams, which blend way too seamlessly with the context of his life at given points, making their content seem invented.
   
   While parts are very affecting--particulary the author's need to apologize for his condition to his parents, and his shame at having failed them--on the whole, this is more of a celebration of a meaningless lifestyle than it is an honest look at a disease. The author seems almost to want to be envied. Behrman is non-self-judgemental to the degree that he cannot even see his own complicity in his condition--the boozing and drugging (ad nauseum, page after page after page, in excruciating detail) can exacerbate greatly the effects of the disease yet it is not until nearly the book's last pages that he sees fit to mention the fact after one of his l-o-n-g line of therapists points it out to him.
   
   That long line of psychologists and psychiatrists points up another fact: Behrman was lucky indeed to be able to afford top-notch healthcare, and it is in part because he takes that for granted that, perhaps, he kept on (and on, and ON) with the self-treatment (liquor, drugs, sex) even while he was receiving what on the whole sounds like excellent treatment--spoiled and rich, he gains no real rapport with a general audience by taking such things for granted and continuing, in his breezy manner (the book IS well-written in spite of its wrongheaded tone and over-aggressive, snarky style, and interesting--I enjoyed the tour of the art world and descriptions of its denizens well enough), to recount his art sales, drug deals, liquor intake, and sexual conquests.
   
   His conviction for having sold at great profit a number of forged Kostabi paintings is dealt with as if he thinks he did nothing wrong except get caught. True, Kostabi's work was itself manufactured, but this does not mitigate for a minute Behrman's own crime--knowingly defrauding buyers and profiting greatly by doing so. We're expected to applaud his dishonesty and to feel fortunate to accompany him abroad while he does his deals; the reader is expected to nod knowingly when a rental car, paid for by a canceled credit card, is blithely left in airport parking because "someone will find it." That's nudge-wink tosh. I came to this book with an open mind and left it with one accordingly padlocked--the great post-punk band Magazine's line "My mind ain't so open / That anything can crawl right in" fits this book to a 'T.'
   
   Being bipolar myself and having struggled mightily with the condition--albeit on a lower-middle-class income sans health insurance--of course I feel for Behrman and his struggles, but his off-putting prose style and unreflective take on the disease in question, PARTICULARLY his failure to acknowledge any blame for the massive exacerbation of his condition via the overwhelming (and preening) accounts of his wretched excesses, renders this book as glib and thus almost as meaningless as the author's lifestyle--not to mention his lack of gratitude for being to the manor born and thus being able to afford top treatment. One does hope he continues this treatment because, based on his prose style and the book's false message, he's far from out of the dark shadow of his disease.

5 comments about Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove.

1. What a life this gentleman has led, and what a brilliant effort he's put forth here telling his tale. Well-written, totally gripping, and an inspiration. I hadn't heard his story prior to reading the book, which made it that much better.



2. This was a wonderful, quick read. I appreciated the honesty for the lure of the lifestyle that Chef Henderson describes in the book. I respect his recounts of his respect for his mentors, willingness to learn and work hard at his passion. I wish that there were more ways to exploit the passions of our young girls and boys BEFORE they end up in jail, though that's where he was saved. But how many of us are given the keys to success and don't work as hard as Chef Jeff? This book inspired me to work harder at my passions.



3. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. In real life we learn as we grow. This book shows that growth in a way that seems nearly super human. A person who once saw only a tiny piece of the world and no positive ways to display his genius, found a big world and a path for genius. I wish this were mandatory reading in the 9th grade.(there is bad language, but what 9th grader hasn't heard it all before) This is a man to admire. when's the movie coming out???



4. In 'Cooked,' Jeff Henderson recounts his unlikely rise from a crack dealer in San Diego to a well-respected chef in a prestigious Las Vegas restaurant. His ambitions and inspiration came to him while serving a drug-related sentence in federal prison, and upon his release he put 100% of his efforts into educating himself, gaining experience, and convincing influential people in the restaurant business to take a chance on him.
   
   Jeff's gritty memoir was fascinating to me, someone to whom most of his life experiences are completely foreign, and I had a difficult time putting it down between sittings. One can't help but admire his strength and resolve in making his dreams come true despite a past he wasn't proud of.



5. This book has it all: the druggie street scene, cash and sex, prison from the inside, redemption of a drug dealer, and the highest echelons of haute cuisine. It's very well written and thoughtful, too. The reader really feels a part of every vividly described scene. This book also makes you think about how people end up dealing drugs and that with the right motivation and influences drug dealers -- and perhaps other accused criminals -- can turn their lives around. But not all incarcerated felons have the insight, guts, leadership, strength and intelligence to pull themselves up and out. More attention should be paid to helping along inmates with potential to do good for themselves and for the world.

5 comments about Jumping Fire: A Smokejumper's Memoir of Fighting Wildfire.

1. A poorly written, testosterone drenched missive about fighting fires in Alaska. The writer fills the book with lots of macho interchanges between himself and other smokejumpers, acronyms, procedures and buzzwords. However, when all is said and done, the reader is left with insight into what it is like to be a smokejumper that equals the knowledge they would receive listening to a nun trying to explain an orgasam.
   The author spends considerible amounts of time feeling sorry for himself because he can't begin or maintain a relationship because of the life he leads. I thought the book was going to be about smokejumpers, yet large parts of it read like a 15 year old boy's diary.
   Completely unsatisfying. I'm truly glad I didn't pay full price for the book. Do yourself a favor and give it a miss.



2. Murray creates a beautifully written piece of wild land fire fighting history. With sometimes disturbing detail of tragedy and intimate personal accounts,he truly captures the ups and downs of smoke jumping. As well as the beauty of the Alaskan territories. Being a wild land fire fighter myself Jumping Fire was both entertaining and educational. A first hand documentary of fire fighting techniques and strategies, as they occurred. Absolutely a great learning tool for firefighters with an entertaining quality as well.



3. Bar none, Murry Taylor's book does the best job I've ever read of capturing the essence of the smokejumper's job... the chaos, adventure, awe-inspiring sights, sounds, smells, and emotions, physical and mental demands, comradeship, and routine brushes with near-disaster.
   
   I was a wildland fire fighter for the first half of my nearly 35-year Forest Service career and was even a smokejumper for one fire season way back in 1974. Through the years I've read many pieces about fire fighting and smokejumping only to be disappointed by their shallowness, falsehoods, and lack of essential realities. In my opinion, Taylor's writing does the finest job ever of capturing the essence of the endeavor. Want to get a taste of what smokejumping and wildland fire fighting are like, and the kind of people who zealously do it for a whole working career? Read this book and find out... get a genuine feel for the people who parachute from planes to contain and control wildland fire!
   
   Furthermore, while wildland fire fighting, and smokejumping in particular, can be harrowing and exciting anywhere they occur, nearly all of Taylor's stories are from the edgy, rugged frontiers of Alaska where nearly every day brings an encounter with at least one "near death" experience, avoided only by varying proportions of astute situational awareness, professionalism, grit, and good luck. Paying close attention, Taylor's writing can evoke adrenaline releases from the reader, providing vivid glimpses into the workday life of a smokejumper.
   
   Taylor's stories are readably told in the colloquial vernacular of a very well seasoned and aged smokejumper. He thoroughly conveys the realities of the job and puts the reader inside the head of one whose entire working life has been spent doing one of the most adventurous, if not dangerous, civilian jobs today.



4. I bought the book mostly to get some technical details about smokejumper's work and obviously did not expect author to be high-skilled writer. I was surprised to find it a very engaging read and better quality than many novels written by a professional writers.



5. This is most definitely a must have for anyone in the fire service. Although I have not been a jumper, I do have a long career in wildland firefighting. This book is RIGHT ON THE MONEY, and brings back many fond memories on the line.