5 comments about Backcast: Fatherhood, Fly-fishing, and a River Journey Through the Heart of Alaska.

1. I liked this book. I heard Lou on NPR and decided his book sounded interesting enough to read. While I was drawn to it for its tales of rafting in Alaska, what I found most interesting were his tales of growing up. His father abandoned the family when he was 7 and his mom moved he and his brother around to many different houses and apartments. Many of his anecdotes made me relect on situations in my own past. Once, another kid's dad spanked him for some minor infraction. When he told his mom, a hot-tempered person, she decided to do nothing, since she rented her shop from the man. This made me furious. The book also made me sad as he described the breakup of his marriage and his strained relations with his grown son. The Alaska adventure is enjoyable too, though it seems in retrospect to take up only a fraction of the book.



2. A most enjoyable read. When first picking it up I thought I was going to be exposed to a boys own adventure tale of a floating & fishing trip in remote Alaska. The book certainly delivers this but even moreso it descibes the complexity of family relationships as seen through Lou's own experiences as a son and father.
   As an aussie it provided me with some insight to what it was like growing up in middle america in the 50's and 60's. I found Lou's accounts of his own childhood and his interpretation of relationships with his mother, & father figures, as rewarding as the descriptions of he & his son hooking monster sock-eye salmon.



3. I truly enjoyed this book, since it was real, involved father son relationships, and included fishing in Alaska. As a father of 4 sons, I related reasonably well to the struggles the father and son encountered during this trip. I have been to Alaska on a similar trip with both friends and a son and the descriptions of the float and wildlife were very accurate. I thought the hostility of the son toward his father, who was the leader of the trip, cook, fishing guide, fly tier and financier was a little overdone. Having never been through a divorce, maybe I don't relate to this part of the relationship. The father did more than his share to bridge the gap with what appeared to be little or no effort or reciprocity by the son. They had spent many hours together before the trip, so this seemed a little over done.



4. The author invites you to come along on a rafting / fly fishing trip down Alaska's Kanektok River. There's excitement in the air in the opening chapter as the author and his teenage son hop planes from Philly to Anchorage then to Dillingham and finally dropped by bush-plane into the Alaskan wilderness - ON THEIR OWN. To dial up the adventure meter here, the East coast duo decides to cover the 100 plus mile float by themselves. Add to that a shoe-string budget for equipment and a first time ever trip to the wilds of Alaska, and well, I sensed it would be interesting.
   
   And yes, these guys experience the thrills and dangers of the untamed Alaskan wilderness first-hand. But the greater adventure Lou Ureneck has in mind for us in Backcast isn't catching wild silver salmon on a fly-rod, but the adventure of growing up, becoming a man, and the demands of being a good father.
   
   Backcast alternates settings between Alaskan wilderness and Ureneck's various homes which range from South Jersey up north to Maine. At least a third to a half of the book tells Ureneck's life story. How he grew up. The importance he places on fishing as an escape from an unstable family life and as a common bond with his step-father. And lastly, living through the stress and anguish of a crumbling marriage.
   
   Ureneck vows to not repeat the mistakes of his natural father and his step-father. As the story closes, we are presented with a father who has made tough choices but refuses to throw in the towel on his son. The struggle here to maintain the love and respect of his college-bound son, is no less in scope to what it takes to survive the raw, Alaskan wilderness. At the end of Backcast, I'm left feeling that his father is certainly up to the task.
   
   Ureneck delivers a well-told, and extremely personal story of a man's journey to confront a childhood filled with temporary homes and temporary father figures. The struggle against the Alaskan elements sometimes pale in comparison.



5. I had heard Ureneck interviewed on NPR and the book sounded like an outdoor adventure during which the author/father and his son took a trip to Alaska and had the opportunity to work on their relationship. Having taken my own teenage son on a fishing trip in Alaska, I was looking forward to an outdoor adventure and insight on a father/son relationship. More than half of this book, however, was the author's discussion of his own largely fatherless childhood in Newark, NJ. (I guess titling the book "Backcast: a miserable, divorced father analyzes his dysfunctional childhood in Newark" wouldn't sell as many books.
   
   I found it interesting that even when there were "teachable moments" with his son in Alaska when he could have shed light on the depths of care and concern that he had for his son, Ureneck seemed to miss them entirely and only let out the anger instead of the fear behind it so that the two could actually understand each other better. This served only to further isolate them from each other. The lesson, however, was not lost on me.

5 comments about A Vulgar Display Of Power: Courage and Carnage At The Alrosa Villa.

1. I bought this book last september. And I still read it.
   It made me cry that someone so cold could take someone who is loved by everyone. It made me think to. darrell was so loved by millions of people whether they were fans friends or family. He will be truly missed by me and my family and I cant wait to get my dimebag tattoo.
   
   we miss you dime keep on rockin w/ hendrix and joplin.



2. A great book about the events leading up to Dimebag's demise. Good detail and well written. A definate read for any hard core dimebag fan out there. Getcha Pull!!



3. This book was read in like 6 hours, it is not a big book but i got to say that i was hooked from the 1st page to the last one !! Im a big metal fan, so for sure im a fan of Pantera & Dimebag and im happy to say i saw them live at least 5 times in the 90's. I will always remember that day when my friend called me at 6ham to give me the bad news, this book tells you everything about that day and more. Get it now !



4. I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK IN A LONG TIME THAT I LITERALLY COULD NOT PUT DOWN. I HAVE NOT READ A BOOK IN A LONG TIME THAT MADE ME CRY THAT HARD. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYONE THAT DIED THAT NIGHT....(GOD BLESS THEIR FAMILIES) AS WELL AS DIMEBAG. MY 15 YEAR OLD IS AN AVID GUITAR PLAYER AND THIS IS HIS HERO. I HAD TO READ IT BECAUSE THAT IS ALL WE EVER HEARD/AND STILL HEAR ABOUT IS DIMEBAG. WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY. I AM SO SADDENED THAT I CAN NEVER SEND MY SON TO ONE OF HIS CONCERTS. I BELIEVE HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON IN MY SON THOUGH BECAUSE HE PLAYS LIKE DIME VERY MUCH. HE OWNS 6 ELECTICS AND OF COURSE HAD TO GET A DEAN!!!!! THE ONE WE GOT HIM FOR XMAS WAS DIMEBAGS TRIBUTE GUITAR. AN AWESOME BOOK IS ALL I CAN SAY AND YOU JUST HAVE TO READ IT!!!!



5. The book has a dual thesis; one being the victim's lives and the second the nightclub rampage and police shooting. What I did not realize while reading the book is that the author did a splendid job of weaving Thompson's, Bray's, Halk's and Abbott's seemingly unintersecting lives into the tragic end. I felt this book was in-depth and gripping.
   
   There is no shortage of research done by the author. He has credited numerous people for contributions of photos, interviews and documents. Given the subject matter, it may have been easy to invoke a morbid fascination from the reader for the sake of selling books but, he tastefully used hundreds of crime scene photos. He obviously established a repor with CPD Officer J. Neggemeyer as well as other investigators. He did a fine job of delving into the lives of the victims and articulated what good people they really were, which made the occurrence that much more disturbing and tragic.
   
   I thought the book was accurate for the most part, save for a few mistakes in municipalities. The only reason I didn't give the book 5 stars was I felt that referring to Nathan Gale as "the beast" was childish. Although he slowly changed into a beast given his mental illness, changing the moniker does not change the fact that Gale was single-handedly responsible for immeasurable pain and damage.

5 comments about My Life as a Traitor: An Iranian Memoir.

1. This searing, moving account of torture and imprisonment, as Patrick Clawson wrote in the Middle East Quarterly, could come from any totalitarian country where secret police meticulously record the activities of even the most innocent dissidents, apolitical people who simply want a little free space in their lives. Ghahramani's account of her interrogation in Tehran's Evin Prison is deeply personal and not particularly political in a grand philosophical sense. She comes across as someone who wants to be able to live her life to the fullest, not as a determined democrat burning to overthrow the tyrannical rule of the Islamist thugs who control Iran. Indeed, in her approach to life she seems very much like an average American university student.
   
   The contrast between Ghahramani and her prison interrogators could not be more extreme. She is thoroughly Westernized, fully committed to such Enlightenment values as individual self-worth and the inalienability of human freedom. Her interrogators are traditional Middle Easterners, valuing faith above reason, blind devotion above thought, conspiracy theories above facts, personal ties above the law, and groveling before authority figures above asserting their individuality. My Life as a Traitor lays bare the deep cultural divide running through Iranian society.
   
   The book also fleshes out why "totalitarian" is such an apt adjective for Iran's Islamic Republic. Ghahramani shows how the regime is determined to control even the smallest aspects of each person's life. She is shown pictures of her entering and leaving a male student's apartment--a grave offense against the state even though they were simply friends studying together. Comments she made in class that were implicitly critical of the regime were carefully recorded. And of course, partying is an unpardonable crime: Western music would be sin enough, let alone that the women may have been unveiled; people may have danced (even worse, possibly even as couples), and alcohol may have been served.
   
   In such a society, the very concept of liberty is subversive. Ghahramani's account makes clear the striking similarities between Iran's Islamic Republic and fascist Germany or the communist Soviet Union. The obvious differences in the ruling ideology in these three cases is in many ways less what makes them different from the West than the totalitarian control that the three share.



2. This is a story of a woman's ordeal of humiliation and torture for no reason other than she desired some small freedoms in her life and the lives of her people.
   With much of what we see in the news daily, it is easy to see Iran and its entire people as our enemy. This is not the case and we should never forget the people there who long to just be allowed to wear pink shoes and feel the sun on their hair.
   Well done Zarah, great book, I hope everyone reads it and I am happy to know that you have found freedom and peace. I pray that the country of Iran will also find freedom and that it's people will know the joy of pink shoes and sunshine.



3. This is an excellent, touching and mesmerizing story of courage and suffering. Ghahramani reveals her innemorst feelings throughout in a disarming way. Well written and interesting from the first to the last page. Brutality and torture are described vividly, yet not in a crude or brutal way. A good read and a must for everyone.



4. There are a number of good books out there on the atrocities that have gone on in the prisons of Iran and Iraq. What makes this book unique is that it explores in a very personal way the mind set of the tortured prisoner. The author does an excellent job of explaining her thoughts and feelings while incarcerated. She gives the torture she endured a very personal quality by explaining how even the smallest of psychological details were used to advantage by her captors, e.g., endless waiting and uncertainty, use of details about family to extract confessions, restricted personal hygiene, appeals to her vanity, etc. While the physical torture that she was subjected to was not as severe as that chronicled in some other books, it is clear that the psychogical component was inescapably devastating. A very open and honest recounting of human fraility and exploration of self. It will have you asking "What indeed is courage?"



5. The book is well-written and its a story that needs to be told---to help us understand oppression and the violation of human rights in today's Iran, and the dangerous conclusions arrived at by religious extremists who cause a inordinate amount of suffering in the world. However, it troubles me to know that this author, now safe in Australia, told details that could result in suffering for family and friends remaining in Iran. Zarah Ghahraman knows that the current regime tortures perceived ideological "enemies".
   
   Meanwhile, the Iranian government goes after adolescents who engage in age-appropriate teenage rebellions against authority. This is both ridiculous and dangerous and shows they are not fit to lead! The government's abuse is a far greater threat to their leadership than any student protests.

5 comments about Wife in the North.

1. This book is journalist Judith O'Reilly's account of her family's move from London to the Northumberland countryside. A devoted city girl, O'Reilly is married to a Northumberland man who dreams of going back, so she decided to grant his wish; she agreed to move north for two years. But for O'Reilly life in the north is hardly a dream. She misses her London life, lacks close friends in her new home, and finds that everything, from her neighbors's dress to local pastimes is a world apart from what she knew in London. Culture-shocked, O'Reilly begins writing a blog about her experiences. Those blog entries comprise this book. I'd never read a book comprised of blog entries, but I found that the format worked surprisingly well. Blog entries give the reader a sense that he or she is jumping into the middle of someone else's life, much more so than just about any other format could. And the reader does get a sense of the ins and outs of O'Reilly's life. We read about her relationship with her husband, her son's troubles at school, and O'Reilly's deepest fears about being a good parent. Lest this sound like too much of a downer, I assure you it is not. O'Reilly is humorous, and she's willing to bare her soul on her blog in a pleasantly self-deprecating fashion. Her story is interesting, and I couldn't wait to get to the end to see what they would decide to do at the end of two years (she won't tell you until the epilogue!) Ultimately, this book combines some of the best features of the memoir and the travel narrative, as O'Reilly clearly approaches Northumberland as an outsider, and it's interesting to see how she interprets her experience through the lens of place. The book offers an intimate picture of a family and a marriage, and shows the ways in which people define home. When I got to the epilogue the final decision was what I had anticipated, and it's interesting that O'Reilly's words illustrate the direction the family is headed, even if she could not see so at the time she was writing the blog. Overall, a very enjoyable read.



2. I should start by confessing that after reading several "blog-to-books", I've decided I don't care for the genre overall. Anecdotes that I might find funny, quirky and insightful in a day-to-day or weekly format don't seem to translate well into books. I find they often come off as too self-absorbed (how could they not?), too whiny and just plain trying too hard to pull a story out of an everyday, non-linear life. What works in small doses becomes hard to swallow in a tome.
   
   After reading about a third of Wife in the North, I'd resigned myself to the same experience with this book. It seemed like it was going to be a combination of two themes: first, "long suffering wife gives up high power, glamorous career to raise children while husband keeps his career"; and second, "city girl unwillingly uproots herself to the country and through her own determination and fortitude, learns to appreciate the charms of its bumpkin people and character".
   
   Of course, the book does cover that ground, as the author, her husband and three children move from London to the far northern English countryside of Northumberland. Having lived in England for two years, I concur that the two places are worlds apart culturally. O'Reilly's chronicles of her angst and foibles trying to craft a new life for herself and her family in a rural setting are funny without being condescending toward her new neighbors and village folk.
   
   What really surprised me about the book, however, and why I gave it four stars, was O'Reilly's ability to capture the emotional highs and extreme lows of motherhood, and the fierce, unrelenting love of a mother for her children. As we learn more about her, she reveals a depth that I didn't expect based on the beginning of the book. Her writing is sumptuous -- in turns hilarious and heart-wrenching, and very, very accurate when it comes to describing the complexity of everyday life and the precarious balancing act required to keep self, marriage and children intact when much of the time, one or another (or all) are teetering on the brink.
   
   O'Reilly has a talent for bringing forth emotion in small moments through descriptive passages, such as the one recounting her relationship with the view of the lighthouse from her bedroom window and another when she notices the birdsong heralding the onset of spring. I cried a face full of tears at the end over an unexpected revelation (I won't hint, so as not to create a spoiler). After that, I understood her story and felt like I'd bonded with her at last.
   
   Gorgeous book.



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



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



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

5 comments about Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.

1. I picked up this book out of curiosity and wasn't sure what to expect. It reads easily, but there is actually quite a bit going on in these pages. I was pleasantly surprised to get so much out of one book. Nafisi effortlessly weaves her personal history and that of her girls into the larger story of the revolution in Iran. Not knowing much at all about the Middle East, it was a huge help to have the larger cultural/historical landscape explained. As if these threads were not enough, Nafisi decides to weave in one more - the relationship between literature, the Iranian revolution, and the personal lives of the girls. Best of all, I got the itch to revisit many of the classics mentioned in this book.



2. I'll be honest with you. I couldn't finish this book. It's though refreshing and draws a great deal of westerners' attention to the oppressive Iranian society and regime but hey the author has written a very boring book. Maybe because I know the Iranian society pretty well and therefore the book is boring to me. I am not sure but I have heard three of my friends (Canadians and Americans) who read this telling me that they had a hard time understanding this book or how boring it was. But all in all, this book was/is a necessary one to shed light on the problems of the Iranian society. 3 out of 5 stars



3. The delivery time was excellent. I gave this as a gift, so I can't comment on the product.



4. It took forever for me to start this book because I didn't think I would like it. However, It was extremely well-written...I thought that the weaving of the history of Tehran with the story of the girls/women in the book club with the review of the books (the great gatsby, Lolita, and Daisy Miller) was done so seemingly effortlessly. I felt like I was learning so much about all three topics and was fascinated by each.
   
   When I read this book, I was going through a very tough time at work...undergoing alot of institutional injustice. This was the perfect book to read during that trying time...I think it helped me to see that people can live inside of a world of injustice and ridiculous, illogical rules and still find art and beauty and love and friendship and that in some ways these things are cultivated more fully by repression and tragedy.



5. Reading Lolita in Tehran is one of the most beautifully written books I have read. Full of lines such as "Life in the Islamic Republic was as capricious as the month of April, when short periods of sunshine would suddenly give way to showers and storms."
   
   Another one I liked is: "A novel is not an allegory... It is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter the world, hold your breath with the characters and become involved in their destiny, you won't be able to empathize, and empathy is the heart of a novel. This is how you read a novel: you inhale the experience. So start breathing."
   
   She uses this logic with her own writing, drawing you in to revolutionary Iran. Deftly comparing and contrasting nightmarish, totalitarian scenes of the Islamic Republic's `morality guards' that feel like something straight out of 1984 with scenes and analysis from novels as diverse as Lolita and The Great Gatsby.
   
   A very enjoyable and one of a kind book.

5 comments about Leaves of Elvis' Garden: The Song of His Soul.

1. I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and it says just as much about another side of Elvis as it does about Larry Geller. This book gives insight into Larry's perception of Elvis and the relationship that they had. The realationship they had was different to any other relationship in Elvis' life. As an Elvis fan it openned up my spiritual side and it made me ask questions of my own journey - through someone I can relate to - Elvis Presley. Thank you Larry.



2. To me, a good Elvis book accomplishes two things: first, it at least attempts to describe the man behind the legend (I say "attempts" because after reading several books I come to the conclusion that no single person is able to describe Elvis Presley in an all-inclusive way; there is just too much to him) and secondly, it expresses the connection the writer has with Elvis in a sincere, respectful and caring way. If a story allows the reader's mind to easily paint mental pictures which give the illusion of real a life experience, then that's a bonus. Larry Geller's book achieved all of the above.
   
   It's almost impossible to "fall out of love" with Elvis Presley. Like his daughter said, he was "the real thing". "Leaves of Elvis' Garden" underlines just how unique this man was.
   
   With the help of friends like Larry Geller Elvis will live on for many years to come. A big Thank-You to him for sharing his memories!



3. I bought this book and also Larry Geller's previous book, "If I Can Dream." I thought Leaves of Elvis' Garden would give further insight into Elvis and his quest. But, alas, 85-90% of this book was already covered in his previous book. Buy the first book, it has more anecdotes and information.



4. As a life long fan I have read many fascinating books on Elvis, however, most just touch the surface of Elvis' spirtual side and inner thoughts, and to be honest, most cover Elvis' life as a history lesson or chronology of events without deep analysis or penetration into the mind and spirit and soul behind the icon. "Leaves of Elvis' Garden" takes the reader into the inner sanctum of Elvis' deepest feelings on topics such as religion, stardom, life and death, and it builds the backstory and sets the stage in a way that explains not only the "what", but the "Why" in Elvis' search for meaning and purpose and understanding of who he was.
   
   I think most of the passionate Elvis Fans know Elvis was fascinated with the study of different religions, numerology and a search for a deeper meaning of his life, but many cannot explain the "why". I think Larry does an excellent job in explaining the why...from his persective, and he really gets to the point in quick order in his writing style. This book covers much ground in a very clear, complete and concise manner and actually covers more material and insight into Elvis the person than other much longer books.
   
   One amazing thing I found about Larry Geller's book was his ability to step back and understand and relate not only his and Elvis' relationship, but the relationship with others toward him and his closeness with Elvis. Many Elvis books have been written in a style where the author obviously has an ax to grind toward someone else that knew Elvis and never goes out of the way to try and understand different viewpoints and feelings, however, Larry not only accepts different viewpoints by those that where around Elvis at the time, but he has the ability to step back and understand the perceptions and views of others. After reading 'Leaves of Elvis Garden' I don't have any lesser view of any of the other "guys" in Elvis entourage, or Priscilla, or anyone else that knew Elvis, and instead have a better understanding of their position on certain topics, especially relating to Elvis search for God and his own spirituality and close relationship with Larry. I think that in itself speaks volumes about Larry Geller and is very refreshing.
   
   Larry's love and reverence for Elvis Presley shines throughout this book, and have to say it has affected me on many levels. This book was an emotional roller coaster ride for me and don't mind admitting that when I read through the 'Unchained Melody' chapter near the end I was a pool of tears. This book drew me into the heart and soul of Elvis, the one person that has touched the lives of millions including myself, and I highly recommend this one for anyone that is ready to explore the human side of Elvis and understand the love and the passion of one of the most extraordinary men to walk the planet.



5. This beautifully written book introduced me to the Elvis I never knew. Larry Geller reveals a sensitive, inquisitive and deeply human side to his close friend and spiritual disciple. I couldn't put it down and neither could my Mother-in-law. I loved this book and I recomend it highly to everyone.
   
   david brandes writer/producer

5 comments about Burro Genio.

1. I bought this book a year ago, I enjoyed it tremendously, great story,many parts of the book reminded me of the time I spent in the Catholic school system of my youth. I bought three copies to give out at Christmas time. All who received a copy, also enjoyed it.
   This is a great read .People have told me that I resembled the kid on the running board of the car on the book cover.



2. I was under the impression that this book would focus on the author's triumphs over adversity (i.e. dyslexia, racism, etc.). Although the book did touch on the aforementioned themes to a certain degree, I felt that its central focus was steeped in some of the most prosaic, banal details of Villasenor's childhood. The author's writing has a way of making the most tragic experiences of Villasenor's life seem incidental. The majority of children have stories about growing up but I am not sure that they are all noteworthy enough to be chronicled in a memoir. Likewise, I think that Villasenora could have broadened his work's appeal if he would have omitted several lackluster childhood experiences. I started the book with an open mind and with each page I hoped that it would get better. Regrettably, the book did not meet my expectations.



3. I've read "Rain of Gold"(which I also recommend) and found "Burro Genius" to be just as wonderful. I recommend this book to everyone. Especially anyone of Mexican/American descent. If you've never read a book of Victor's, now's the time!



4. Excellency is the only word that describes this amazing tale! It is not Victor's fantasy but Victor's life in light of his dreams and struggles to be who he is. The Villaseñor's story is still the story of many inmmigrants, from many countries and many races. It is a redemptive experience that helps us to to keep on with life, no matter how hard it might be or turn. In a world where everything is "made" and taken for granted, Victor's creativity and desire to suceed over its limitations, emerges as a clear example for those who want to give up. It is simply remarkable! It is possible!



5. Victor's storytelling magic lies in his very natural ability to make you feel as if you are 'right there' as an observor or silent participant in the experiences and adventures he is describing. His stories are treasures because they take his Latino readers back to their own lives in this country AND they offer non-Latino readers a golden opportunity to experience life as seen through the eyes of an immigrant. This particular book, BURRO GENIUS, is just such a story. The key to understanding and feeling what Victor writes about is to try and 'check your cultural baggage at the door' and experience the stories with a clean canvas.

No comments about The Road to Rescue: The Untold Story of Schindler's List.

3 comments about Big Man on Campus: A University President Speaks Out on Higher Education.

1. I can't wait to read this book. With the imprimatur of Doris Kearns Goodwin and Alan Dershowitz, it's a can't-miss!



2. What do Cal Ripken, Houdini, Edison, J. Pierpont Morgan, Churchill, Bismarck and Job have in common? Their qualities, combined, are what Steve Trachtenberg tells us are essential equipment for a university president. He shows why this is so in a book filled with wisdom, humor and numerous ideas about what university education means, needs, and gives back to students, their parents, and society. It's a graceful and fascinating work about one of our greatest American institutions.
   
   Particularly enjoyable are the autobiographical elements of Trachtenberg's upbringing and experiences, which are skillfully interwoven with his discussion of the figures and problems, joys and perplexities of university life and governance. His candor about himself, and his insights into the basic issues faced by universities, give this book an authenticity and reach that will make reading it a valuable and memorable experience.
   
   For parents who want to know for what they're paying a university, for students who want to know why they should spend important years of their lives there, and for everyone who wants an authentic view of what a university is like from the inside, and also to learn from and be amused by encounters of an interesting person with the world, this is a splendid book.
   
   Katharyn and Stanley Reiser



3. This is one of the most outstanding volumes on higher education I have read in quite some time. Dr. Trachtenberg's perspectives from his years in the business are quite enlightening. I highly recommend this highly readable and entertaining book.

1 comments about The Warrior: A Mother's Story of a Son at War.

1. They're truthful, and they express what was really happening for me at home imagining what might be happening for him over there, and it was an observation of what we were going through but from a very deep place inside me."
   
   That was Frances Richey's voice on NPR a couple of months ago. She read a few lines from "One Week Before Deployment", and the cadences, the substance, the emotion, all caught my imagination.
   
   I've been reading these poems to myself and aloud for the past month, ever since the collection arrived here. The cadences are just as strong in my voice as they were in Richey's. The stories she tells are powerful and compelling.
   
   Most of all, she expresses her love for her son and her helplessness at being unable to help him while he was in danger.
   
   I found these poems deeply moving. Richey said during the show that writing these poems changed her life. I understand why they did. Wonderful stuff, even if you don't like poetry.
   
   
   Robert C. Ross 2008