5 comments about Here If You Need Me: A True Story.

1. When an out-of-control vehicle took the life of Drew, her Maine state trooper husband, Kate Braestrup's life also headed in a wildly different direction. At the time of his death, Drew was planning to attend seminary to become a Unitarian minister. After Drew's death, a grieving Kate reflected that, like so many other plans and dreams shared by married couples, "when we discussed his plan for the future...we had actually been discussing our plan." And so Kate, who had long struggled with an ambivalence toward organized religion, enrolled in divinity school, saying "'I'm here because Drew isn't.'"
   
   Proving that God does indeed work in mysterious ways, following her ordination this wilderness novice homebody received a calling to serve as chaplain to the Maine Warden Service, ministering to those men and women who respond to the call of a child lost in the north woods, who investigate poaching allegations, who work with dive teams and dogs and ATVs and snowmobiles to rescue lost hikers or recover snowmobilers who have gone through thin ice. What's more, loquacious Braestrup found that her calling required her, more than anything, to just stay and listen, to just be there for whomever needed her: "to just show up, shut my mouth, and be."
   
   Although Braestrup acknowledges that her inspiring "plucky widow" story has made her a regional media darling, many of the stories she shares in HERE IF YOU NEED ME are anything but uplifting. From the agonizing yet cathartic process of caring for her dead husband's body to the discovery of a suicidal young mother's body to the retrieval of a drowned child, she acknowledges the grim, often harrowing work conducted by the Maine game wardens, and by extension, by Braestrup herself.
   
   Not surprisingly, Braestrup finds --- and conveys --- comfort and peace through her conception of the divine. As a Unitarian, she understands God as love, as the generous quiet spirit that enables people like the game wardens whose stories she shares to search tirelessly through dark woods for a possible survivor, that encourages people to show up on the doorstep of a grieving family bearing baked goods, that allows Braestrup and her four children to survive and thrive in the wake of great loss.
   
   Although Braestrup's book is ostensibly a memoir, most of the individual chapters read more like well-crafted essays, meditations on aspects of recovery, questions of faith and everyday expressions of bravery. Relying on the perspective afforded by her unusual background, Braestrup addresses some of the big questions here: What is a miracle? What happens after we die? What is the role of forgiveness? These are, of course, questions that have been explored countless times by countless others. There in the Maine woods, though, surrounded by courageous people who might not even believe in any sort of God, Braestrup uncovers unexpected truths, exploring these age-old questions in new ways and finding answers in the most surprising places, situations, and most of all, people.
   
   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl



2. This was a wonderful book. I think it represents well some of the basic tenets of the Unitarian Church.



3. I found this book to be a lovely affirmation of moving through a devastating loss to contentment and new life. If our lives and our luck depend on an optimistic and grateful attitude, Kate Braestrup guides us to simple and rewarding acceptance of day-to-day ups and downs. All things come to those who wait--what a novel idea in our society that craves instant gratification!



4. Author Kate Braestrup is pastor with the Maine Department of Natural Resources. She is there to minister to friends, family, etc. when a loved one has been involved in some type of misadventure - drowning, accident in the woods, missing child, etc. Her journey is interesting and compelling. Her husband - a policeman -- was killed in a random car accident. Suddenly widowed with four children, she decides to carry forward her husband's dream of attending seminary. She does so in the Universalist Unitarian faith.
   
   Bastrop offers vignettes of how she attempts to give comfort and aid to those in difficult situations. At the same time, she tries to cope with her sense of loss, juggling the demands of single parenthood with her own unusual ministry. Tragedies in the great outdoors confront us often with questions of, "How could a merciful God allow this?"
   
   Braestrup offers no pat answers and struggles with the question as well. Part of the answer she sees in the redemptive communities that coalesce to express support to those who have suffered due to accident and calamity.



5. This was a really great read! Although not outwardly religious, I find it exciting to read about those who live their lives trying to follow God's plan. For Ms. Braestrup, that involves working as the chaplain for a group of Wildlife Search and Rescue Operatives.
   
   This book isn't just about religion -- it's about the author's desire to both follow her heart and honor her deceased husband's dream, and about helping others in the only way she knew how.
   
   Very encouraging and uplifting, this is basically just an all-around good read.

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 The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance.

1. I aim to emulate a lot of the practices described in this book. It's a fast and entertaining read, but I plan to go back and take notes on some of the recommendation sections. I recommend it to anyone in pursuit of excellence or who needs to overcome a major obstacle.



2. This book presents a very eloquent and rigorous examination of the learning process. Despite a handful of critical reviewers, I find the principles translate very well to other disciplines if you put a little thought into it. The principles are most easily adapted to performance-based disciplines, such as music, dance, any kind of public speaking, and, of course, competitive fields such as sports and chess. However, the principles also apply to any discipline that requires mastery of fundamental skills leading to an ability to use these skills to deal creatively with new problems. Yes, this should include science and language learning. The book doesn't tell you specifically how to learn the fundamentals of any particular discipline. Nor could it--this is something that really requires either the guidance of a teacher or a rigorous process of self-exploration. Rather, Mr. Waitzkin attempts (quite successfully, I think) to drive home the point that progress comes when we slow down the material we are learning to the point that the nuances of the subject open up to us. The secret is to love this process and not get thrown off course by impatience or lack of concentration. Mr. Waitzkin's passionate discussions of his fields do much to illustrate the feeling that you must try to access in your own field. This has apparently gone over the head of some reviewers (who don't appear to have made much of an effort to understand the book), but the number of positive reviews should tell you that there are at least a few profound insights in this book.
   
   Also, a few reviewers complain that this book is only useful for someone with the time and money to spend devoting themselves to their hobbies. It's true, most of us could not afford to spend all our time practicing Tai Chi, as Mr. Waitzkin apparently does. The book does not offer shortcuts. However, if you have a job at which you want to excel, you will certainly have enough time to take advantage of the principles. Further, even if you want to excel at your hobby and only have an hour a week to spend on it, your time will still be better spent practicing slowly and immersing yourself in the details, as Mr. Waitzkin advises. The process will be longer, but if you love what you're doing, that shouldn't matter.



3. Josh Waitzkin is an eight time National Chess Champion by the age of 20 - who then moved on to become a martial arts champion - holding several world championship titles. This book is worthy of reading simply to gain an insight into what it takes to be a world class competitor (and winner) - the focus, the incredible concentration, the physical and mental discipline, the grit and determination - and the access to the best coaches and opponents. However, there was little translation from the "What" he accomplished to the "HOW" - as the learning techniques were were not spelled out. If you expect to pick up this book to learn how to get to the top as a world champion, you'll be sorely disappointed.
   
   This passage on page 88 captured the essence of his message to me:
   
   "To my mind, the fields of learning and performance are an exploration of greyness - of the in-between. There is the careful balance of pushing yourself relentlessly, but no so hard that you melt down. Muscles and mind need to stretch to grow, but if stretched too thin, they will snap. A competitor needs to be process-oriented, always looking for strong opponents to spur growth, but it is also important to keep on winning enough to maintain confidence. We have to release our current ideas to soak in new material, but not so much that we lose touch with our unique nature talents. Vibrant, creative idealism needs to be tempered by a practical, technical awareness."



4. I would suggest that most American's know Josh from the movie made about his early years: "Searching for Bobby Fisher." As Paul Harvey says, "Here is the rest of the story." And it is a great story. But it is more than that, it is a owners' manual of sorts for those seeking to increase their effectiveness. In business? For sure. But it is more than that, it is a guide to overcoming each and every roadblock that one might face. Yes, in life. And business.
   
   The part about creating triggers for better performance is great insight.
   
   -ski



5. Good book, well-written and a usable message. The techniques discussed can benefit everyone. I see this as the practical field guide to Mihaly's 'Flow'. The author's experience with the mental game of chess and phsyical game of Push Hands helps bridge the overall message of flow, focus and ideal mental states to deal with challenge.

5 comments about Lucky: A Memoir.

1. From the opening pages, Sebold tells the reader a truly horrifying story of her rape in accurate and quite graphic detail. And whilst horrified at what she has endured, you want to read more - to see how someone survives an attack like that, and what life is like for a rape victim in the hours, days and week afterwards. I couldn't put this book down - a combination of great writing and admiration for the author, made this a compelling read.



2. Lucky is a thought provoking book that helps readers understand rape from the victim's perspective. Written in an honest manner, it explores the rational and sometimes irrational reactions of everyone involved - whether victim, friend, or family member.
   
   Seabold opens the book with a vivid description of her brutal rape. Initially, this makes it a difficult read because it forces readers to live through a brutal act. However, it also helps to expose a reader's preconceived notions and biases. Seabold describes her struggles to return to a normal life and she honestly discusses societal issues that favor the criminal and penalize the victim. This is a good read for anyone looking for some insight into a difficult issue.



3. 
   I don't recommend this book to anyone who enjoys prose or literature. Sebold's use of a stripped down, matter-of-fact tone desensitizes her story. Though her rape was a traumatic event, I couldn't feel for her. Perhaps it was her intent not to draw out feeling to avoid pity but personally, I think it was uneffective in conveying her complete story because a memoir needs an emotional plot as well.
   
   I wanted to put down this book before I was even half way though there were still many unfinished subplots like the conviction of her rapist.
   
   I would expect this book in the children's/ preteen section if it weren't for the detailed account of the rape.



4. Lovely Bones led me to this book. I really didn't want to read a book about rape, but I'm glad I did because it is so much more. The story is delivered masterfully and written with skill. Read this book for the writing.



5. This book is powerful. I think every high school student should read it, boys and girls. The topic of rape needs to be discussed and understood by young and old people alike. This book really portrays all parties in a "human" light and it's truth is what makes it so powerful. I can't say enough good things about the writing style and the ease of reading, all the while, it draws you in and keeps you interested. Fantastic book!

5 comments about Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

1. i don't know what more i can say, book more than worth reading, if you love music, RUSH, adventure, bikes, just to name a few and i you can appreciate what it takes for soul to lose everything an want to keep moving forward this is a worth wild read for you.
   
   i personally love it for all that and the way he speaks so painfully honest of eventing, himself included. not to mention his amazing ability to be perfectly descript and yet it inst my method of choice to fall asleep, if you have ever read those kind of books im sure you can relate. and as you go you will see more and more of who Niel Peart is, much of it being hi sense of humor, all be it subtle r dark at times always there. all i can say is buy it and read it, i did it on a whim simply cuz i love Rush and always like to hear what fellow drummers have to say.



2. This book was inspirational! It provides a good reality check when you feel like life is handling you more than you can deal with.



3. Fred and Chris' review is shockingly disturbing. I read this book 3 times and wept uncontrollably at Neil's losses. I cannot believe that you would complain that he is shallow, and complained about the number of pages it took to tell of the events. How much more does he need to tell? Selena lost control of her vehicle, flipped it, and it killed her. It was a terrible accident without cause. Jackie fell into the worst depths of a depressive state and it killed her along with the terminal cancer. A disease I battled personally for 2 years but actually ended up in remission.
   
   To complain that this book reads like a Mapsco means neither one of you understand or care about how most readers like myself want to know everything, every description, every detail of what he is seeing and feeling. Neil writes so that you feel you are right there with him and that is what I love about his writing style.
   To say that he cares more about his friend who is in jail for marijuana possession, (not HARD DRUGS) instead of Selena and Jackie is very callous. If he cared about his friend over his family, he never would have been in seclusion for so long and would have probably returned to drumming a lot sooner. HE LOVED HIS LITTLE GIRL MORE THAN ANYTHING!!! Look at the way he talks about her in all of his books. He was a very doting father and very involved in her life.
   The fact that he did not just take a bottle of pills and end it all after those tragic events shows how much courage and strong character he really has. And just because he can handle his liquor does not mean he is teetering on the brink of alcoholism. Sounds like something a member of the infamous AA would say.
   Saying that he has a diminishing respect for humans individually and as a whole just means that you don't like the way he looks at some people and situations. After reading all his books I realize that I think and feel the exact same way as he does. You just don't like his observations because he tells the truth and tells it like it really is, and no one ever wants to hear the real truth.
   He can't help it if he does not really like being famous, nor can he help it that he is pretty much the best damn lyricist and drummer ever!! Its a little nerve racking to have people running after you all the time.
   
   This book takes you through his private hell and emotional wreckage that feels like he will never come out of, and in a lot of ways he never really will. Yes he has found a new soul mate and has a renewed zest for life, but one never gets over the loss of their baby and you can see it in his eyes in recent pictures, he is not completely the same person he was before and never will be again and to say he is in need of some personal work makes me feel the both of you need personal work a lot more than he ever did!! Let's see how you handle it when you loose your loved ones.
   I have more respect and admiration for Neil Peart than a lot of peope I personally know and I am glad that he was able to find the will to live.



4. 
   I had high hopes of this book when I first heard about. I thought we would get deep insight into the mind of the Ghost Rider and how he would deal with the tragic loss of his family. Perhaps in a certain way, we did, he road his bike thousands of miles, which is fine, but there is so much missing from it. The author is a very private man who chooses only to give us an edited version of his pain, misery and redemption. The book is simply a traveling manuscript that lists places where the Ghost Rider cruised to and where he stayed and dined. It deviates at times to more intimate settings such as with his wife's family and friends but they are so few and are never given ample room.
   There is also a bizarre array of letters to the Ghost Rider's friend Brutus that is filled with inside jokes and highlights that the reader never connects with and is left out of. The editing of the book was also poor - examples include the letters (perhaps they should have been deleted altogether) and the conclusion was done too loosely. There were too many events that were hurried over.
   I do not see how others could rate the book so high - perhaps they are fans or they enjoyed it as a travel book. I did leave with a deeper appreciation of traveling after reading it and noting the sound wisdom of "keep moving," in order to stay focused at the task at hand, which was to...finish the ride?



5. Thought provoking and insightful, this truly comes from the heart. It is difficult to imagine someone having to go through the tragedies suffered by Mr. Peart but he is able to put together a riveting account of the turmoil he suffers while grieving over the loss of loved ones. If this book does not cause you to shed a tear, you aren't paying close enough attention.

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.

3 comments about The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars.

1. Sometimes a reader is privileged enough to read a book in which the words, sentences, and stories just wash over and envelop you, like a gentle beach wave. This is such a book. I enjoyed Pham's earlier "Catfish" so much that I awaited this latest book of family stories with great anticipation; and I was rewarded. Whether I read this on the subway, a bench, or at home, I was immediately transported to Vietnam, where Pham skillfully describes the villages and cities, the triumphs, pains, tastes, loves, corruptions, kindnesses, terrors and fears of his father's early life (or perhaps lives.) Along the way, I learned more about Vietnamese history and village life than I ever knew before. Pham orders the chapters so that the reader moves back and forth between the decades of his father's childhood and adulthood, all the while progressing to the point we all expect, the fall of Saigon to the VC.
   
   As his grandmother taught, the eaves of heaven dealt good and bad in cycles. Devastating floods brought death but fertile harvests, childbirths brought the risks of a mother's death, and lovely days brought future storms. The lyrical sentences allow you to nearly taste the peach melba ice cream eaten during a courtship, but also let you live the terror of re-education and being pinned down by VC troops in a life or death firefight. The pure childhood enjoyment of eating treats and having cricket fights is a pleasure to read. But one will never again care for the fabled glory of the French Foreign Legion after finishing this book. I finished the final chapter just as NBC began to telecast the Miss Universe pageant from a colorful and cosmopolitan Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang, and all I could do is ponder the tribulations of this memoir and the amnesia of the telecast. Luckily this book captures a forgotten past with all the aspects that the eaves leave in shadows.



2. From 1940 to1976, Viet Nam was in a constant state of war that impacted the people. Andrew X. Pham provides the biography of his father Thong Van Pham, who lived through the three plus decades of war starting with the Japanese invasion of the French occupied region during WW II through the fight for independent from the French and finally the war over the South against the United States. As a child Thong lived an upper crust life being born to a wealthy family. Over the years of war, famine and abuse, the family fortune vanished and consequently the life style.
   
   This is a fascinating biography that also serves as a deep look at the history of Viet Nam. The author rotates his father's life with recent events that brings a harrowing feel as the reader gains a sense of the outcome resulting from the years of turbulence. Well written, readers will marvel at Mr. Pham's capture of the impact of power struggles on everyday people.
   
   Harriet Klausner



3. The Eaves of Heaven is about Thong Pham's life. His son, Andrew Pham, writes in the first person as if it were his father telling his story. In the introduction Andrew writes "I have lent his [Thong Pham's] life stories my words...The perspectives and sentiments within are his." Hence this book is Thing Pham's memoir, distilled as stories he told his son, and further distilled as Andrew Pham recounts them again.
   
   Thong Pham witnessed the French occupation of Vietnam, the Japanese occupation during World War II and the American war after World War II ended. His story is one of migration that those displaced by war experience. First he moved from his ancestral land in the Red River Delta (North Vietnam) to Hanoi, and later to Saigon. Recounted are also times when work demands pulled him away from his home and family.
   
   Each chapter recounts an event that as a collection bring out the idyllic life of a Vietnamese child born into aristocracy, the horrors of armed conflict, the helplessness of forced migration, the plight of serving in the armed forces, and the hardships of being captured by the enemy. With these backdrops, the narrative interweaves human actions (both base and noble) that give this book its soul. As a collection of family stories, this book is a treasure trove for the Pham family.
   
   Pham's attention to detail effectively transports the reader "on location" so one can truly feel the rain, see the sunrise and appreciate the events are they unfold. The chapters are not in chronological order, and I found myself constantly referring to prior chapters and prior events to get a better understanding of which events had transpired, and which ones were to come. When I re-read the book, I'll read the chapters so the events narrated are in chronological order.
   
   For those not familiar with Vietnamese history, Pham provides adequate background to help follow the political events that transpire in Thong's life. The Eaves of Heaven is more about human feelings and emotion than about the political turmoil that serves as its backdrop. One realizes that armed conflict and forced migration bring out the best and worst in all of us.
   
   Armchair Interviews agrees.

5 comments about The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom.

1. After reading snippets of this book for years, I finally got it. The story was interesting and entertaining from the initial captivity in the European prisoner camp, through the trek to the Siberian camp, until the end of the long walk that led from Siberia to freedom.



2. This book was impossible to put down. If I hadn't known it was a true story, I would have thought it fiction. The human spirit and longing for freedom is truly the basis for their endeavor.



3. "The Long Walk" is Polish Army officer Slavomir Rawicz's gripping account of an escape from a Soviet labor camp in Siberia in 1941. According to his story, Rawicz and his comrades walked South across the interior of Asia to freedom in British India. This journey across a winter landscape in Siberia, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and the mountains of western China and Tibet, is, if true, an unparalleled acount of suffering and human endurance. The BBC claims to have found records indicating that Rawicz was in fact released by the Soviets to a refugee camp in Iran during the Second World War. If these records are accurate, the main event of "The Long Walk" is an enthralling work of fiction. Readers will have to make their own judgement.
   
   Rawicz was a young Polish Cavalry officer taken prisoner by the Soviets when Hitler and Stalin divided Poland in 1939. He is tortured by the Soviets and sentenced as a spy to 25 years in a labor camp in Siberia. The suffering of the winter journey to the labor camp is bad enough, but once there, Rawicz and six of his fellow prisoners hatch an escape plan. One night, they slip away, carrying a small amount of food, a hand axe, and an improvised knife. They will travel cross-country South to Mongolia, along the way picking up a young Polish female who has also escaped from detention. The eight will dare unbelievable hazards, including a chronic lack of food, water, and shelter, to steer more or less South toward India. Only four people will reach safety in India.
   
   Rawicz's narrative is rather bare bones, possibly the result of translation from his native Polish. Traveling by the sun, the small group never has much more than a general sense of where they are or what is in front of them. Their survival is the incredible result of ingenuity and pluck, as the travelers plumb the absolute limits of human endurance and receive timely help from strangers along the way. The reader cannot help but be caught up in the terrible suspense of the story.
   
   Other reviewers have commented that Rawicz's story seems a little too good to be true. Certainly the hazards of the journey would have killed many parties far better prepared; Rawicz and his comrades seem to enjoy astonishingly good luck. "Mr. Smith", the Russian-speaking American in the group, seems especially mysterious and preternaturally self-possessed in the face of their many obstacles. The alleged encounter with two Yeti in the Himalayas strains credibility. Perhaps the best advice for readers is to put aside their skepticism and enjoy the story as presented.



4. I bought this book with great anticipation, having read and enjoyed other survival tales such as "Endurance" and "In the Heart of the Sea." I've been slogging through the uninspired language for the past month with great difficulty. The lack of passion Rawicz brings to his writing is perhaps a clue that this is not a true story, as some have attested. Or maybe it's a problem with the translation. Either way, I don't find this to be the gripping tale it could have been.
   
   I should add that I have been reading this under the assumption that it was true. So discovering now that it may not be true has not in any way affected my review; I thought it was boring before then. I wish I had known about the controversy and had picked a different book. Other reviewers have stated that it is an exciting and remarkable story, true or not. I disagree. If it is true it is a dull and lifeless transcription of a remarkable feat. If it is fiction than the author has not only lied but written a boring book.



5. Sunday, March 26, 2006
   "The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz, © 1956
   This is an amazing story. It is incredible that the torturers in the U.S. Army did not read this or take lessons from the KGB, because some of their tortures are very similar to what is described in this book. But that is only in the first two chapters. The rest of the book is the story of Mr. Rawicz's walk with his cohorts from United Soviet Socialist Republic labor camp in Siberia to India. The walk starts with advise to walk south, not east, to avoid the obvious route and, therefore, obvious pursuit.
   The oddest part of this story is that one of the particpants is known only as Mr. Smith. He is an American of unknown origins. No one on this trek is cognizant of the reason of their incarceration, but Mr. Smith is so unknown that even his Christian name is never known. The next oddest part of this story is in the preface. It was supposed to be a story about people who have encountered Yeti. These fellows saw some on their walk through the Himalayas, so the assistant to the author, Ronald Downing, reseaching for a story about the Yeti, came across this amazing story.

5 comments about The Tender Bar.

1. I loved this book! It is always entertaining, at times heartbreakingly poignant, and very difficult to put down.
   
   This book beautifully marries form and content. The book is J.R. Moehringer's autobiographical memoir, spanning from his elementary school years into young adulthood. Much of the book revolves around the hours Moehringer spent in a neighborhood bar on Long Island, trading stories and having friendly but impassioned arguments with the other barroom regulars. As you read the book, you almost feel like you're in the bar listening to the conversation. Each chapter is really a barroom story in itself; you can almost hear Moehringer, lubricated by a few drinks, sharing yet another anecdote from his life history.
   
   Some of the stories Moehringer recounts seem too good to be true. Perhaps, like any good barroom raconteur, Moehringer embellishes a little for dramatic or comic effect. At first I wondered if the stories really were factual. By the end, I decided that I enjoyed the book even more for not being sure.
   
   I don't drink much, have rarely been in bars, and have spent little time on Long Island. Nonetheless, I had no trouble inhabiting Moehringer's world.
   
   I highly recommend this excellent memoir!



2. As someone who primarily reads fiction--and much of it adolescent lit due to my career--I found this memoir fascinating to read and thoroughly engaging. The men in JR's life are quite the collection of characters (as are his many family members), and their stories kept me entertained as much as--or even more so--than some of the fiction I've recently read. I cared about JR and his conflicts, and not once was I bored or let down by his storytelling. This was a great book, one that could be put down and picked up again easily, and one that left me thinking about the author and the course his life has taken. I definitely recommend this!



3. Unbeleivably honest and extremely inspiring. Despite of what he has been through, he is now a successful journalist and a Pulitzer Prize winner. What is ironic is that his book ended up on the NY Times bestseller list. It is as if Moehringer is sticking his tongue out to the senior editors who previously declared him as "non NY Times material". It is a lesson in perseverance and endurance. One should always keep trying and never give up.



4. The less than 5 star reviewers are not understanding this story. JR's memoir is not about a bar, not about avoiding a life of achoholism, not about whining over misfortune, and not about overcomming childhood challenges. The real story here is sharing boldly and courageously what it is like to grow up fatherless. JR speaks for all of us men who grew up without fathers and his medium is great storytelling. While "growing up" we really were always searching for the right templates for manhood. We would grab ahold of anyone who paid attention! That could be good and that could be bad, but fortunatly for our author, the men at the bar were ultimately a good influence, not all of them as career path role models, but certainly as "man models" and that is what was needed. It is impossible (no criticism) for individuals who grew up with a father to empathize. This is not whining, it is just plain being honest and sharing what it is like. JR's memoir resonates with all of us "fatherless boys" and he must be reviewed from that perspective. For those of you who would like to know what goes through our minds and our orientation to the world, this is great primer/story. BRAVO JR.



5. I enjoyed reading this book, especially when J.R. talks about the book he wanted to write, especially the chapter in which J.R. includes a number of anecdotes & jokes he meant to include in the book he imagined. I enjoyed the process aspect of this book--the process through which we see Moehringer realize his insecurities and identify his alcoholism, problems with women, and the role the bar plays in his life. It's a little bit like watching someone you care about grow up.

5 comments about Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Them.

1. An epic story of hopes, dreams, and the nightmare of survival when things go bad that cannot be forgotten. The device of seeing events through Jeanne then John's eyes forces you to realize athough it's a story of a family, each is an individual with their own vision. All of us dream (I suspect) of chucking all the things we feel we cannot exist without and that trap us in our formatted existences, but this family did it all, and like a phoenix burning in the flames rose and were reborn, stronger and with more behind them than they can imagine.
   The description of this family's trials bring to mind the old commercials listing one by one the cost for specific items, then describing a certain unique experience as "priceless". Every moment described, the good, the bad, the losses, and the miracles of survival fit that category "priceless".
   Cheers!! for the Silverwood family for taking the jump, surviving and for letting us live through their eyes the candid tale of their amazing real-life adventures. This book is a vividly described experience. It forces me to relook at what is possible to do with life, if you just decide to do it.
   A Movie, I'll buy tickets now!



2. I found the writing vivid and at times poetic. The contrast of writing style and perspective between Jean and John contributes to the reader's imagery and understanding. I enjoyed reading about each new port and island along the way. The candid impressions and experiences of each family member to the different locales added to the richness of the story. Cudos to the family for surviving and staying together through it all. Great summer read!



3. This book was great from page one to the last final word.
   
   I read it all in less than two days because I could not put it down. The perspective from the wife was absolutely a must read for any woman that is considering living on a boat or cruising the world with their mate and children. Hard to believe she is not an accomplished author of many books. The way she weaved the tragic end of the voyage in clear detail with the total two year journey throughout her part of the book was masterful. She was open and genuine in sharing her most personal thoughts.
   
   As for the husband's part, I really enjoyed the history of a previous wreck that parralleled their's on the same reef 150 years ago. It gives the historical context that transfers a feeling of timelessness to the sea and sailing. The man has a heart as big as the Pacific. These six people are everyday heros to all who dream of adventure and being brave enough to save those they truly love.
   
   In the end, the experience for them as a family was something that cannot be duplicated or would anyone want to go through that ordeal. Still, the joy of seeing the kids both live real life outside of our comfortble California life style and then raise to the occation when called upon was very inspiring. My two sons have it on their summer reading list next. Definitly 5 STARS!!!!!



4. As a San Diego native I knew the story and the fantastic ending and still could not stop reading. I too am the mother of four children and cannot imagine attempting such a trip. Jean's account of their extraordinary family and adventure was perfect. Not only do you become part of the Emerald Jean family through her great writing but you relate to their strengths, emotions and troubles as a family to your own life. I found myself living the story with my husband and children and wondering if we all could have been so strong and loving. John's storytelling is not only educational it's laced with some fun humor and emotion. Truly a must read not only for adults but for young adults who could learn a lot from these amazing children. Would love to hug Camille and have cookies and milk with her! The movie will be great!!!!!



5. After not being to put this book down, I realize what a boring life i have led. This is a must read for any landlubber or sailor alike.