5 comments about Lost in America: A Journey with My Father.

1. This is the story of a father and a son and four other close family living in one small apartment in the Bronx. The lives of these Russian Jewish immigrants spanning the early to late 20th century. The story is razor blade truthful. It must have been very difficult to write but beautiful. The book begins with the quote by Philo of Alexandria "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle". How true!



2. Trying to understand the multiple stars this book received by others.
   An ungrateful son berates an immigrant father and in spite of his self-hating persona perseveres to become a physician. All ego, and lacking compassion, this is not my type of writer or physician.



3. WHAT A GREAT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL PIECE. I WAS ALMOST THERE WIN YOUNG SHERWIN AND FAMILY. HOW DIFFICULT IT AL MUST HAVE BEEN!
   I LOVE NULAND'S BOOKS AND IF HE IS AS GOOD A SURGEON AS HE IS A WRITER I ENVY HIS PATIENTS. I would consult him any time



4. This powerful and moving memoir tells the story of the childhood and growing- up years of the physician- author Sherwin Nuland. While the greatest emphasis is on the author's relation to his father, his relationships with other family members that shared the same household, his mother, his Bubbe, his Aunt Rose, his older brother are also described.
   The book opens with Nuland's description of himself in total depression, and about to receive a lobotomy, when a young psychiatric student prevents this, and instead prescribes an alternate treatment. Nuland receives twenty shock treatments and they take him out of his depression.
   He then by implication relates the depression to the story of his difficult childhood, and relation with his father. His father Max who worked as a tailor , was completely alone in America aside from his wife's family. He was a difficult suffering hypersensitive easily humiliated, easily outraged parent. Nuland tells the story of life in a home where his Bubbe and aunt did not speak with his father, and in which his beloved mother was the center until she passed away. Nuland tells of the years in which he accompanied his father,supported him as he limped along, and was ashamed of him. He quotes at length his father's Yiddishized English, a language which appears somehow grotesque and awkward without redeeming humor.
   Nuland also tells in a most moving way of dramatic moments in the family's life. The day his father comes home broken and weeping, carrying with him a Jewish Forward account of how in his native city the entire population had been murdered, machine gunned to death by the Nazis.
   Another moving tragic day is the day of Nuland's mother's death.
   One beautiful moment is the one in which Nuland is told that he has been made Chief Surgical Resident at Yale Presbyterian. He races to his father's hospital bed and tells him the news. And he feels his father's sense of triumph and justification.The older immigrant generation, his father, his mother, his Bubbe, his aunt had lived for the 'hope' of what the younger generation might become in America. And Nuland's success as a doctor justifies the father's life to himself. The person who had always felt insulted, humiliated comes a short time before his death to feel that it all has been worthwhile.
   This is once again a tremendously moving story. What I missed and what I have questions about are the other aspects of Nuland's life which are not written about. For instance it must have taken him an incredible amount of work and dedication to arrive at where he arrived in his studies. Nothing is said of that.



5. Dr. Nuland thought his immigrant father was simply weird or peculiar or just never adjusted to life in America until he was well into medical school, and diagnosed his father's tertiary syphilis by reading about it in a textbook. It explained everything, and in the tradition of the day, his father was never told the truth - not that anything could have been done. By the time he received treatment, his nervous system was already permanently damaged.
   
   Interwoven are colorful stories of his own growing-up years (my personal favorite: learning the F word from older boys in the neighborhood), and the tragedy of his mother's death from cancer when he was 11. The type was never specified in the book; I had come to a conclusion that it was cervical or uterine cancer, and a Google search revealed that it was colon cancer. Either way, the results were the same. His father never remarried, but lived a platonic existence with two older female relatives (I read it a while back so don't recall the exact nature of their relation).
   
   He kicks off the book with his own episode with mental illness and the resulting institutionalization which destroyed his first marriage. I first heard about that in a Book TV interview where I learned about this book as well. How much of this might have been precipitated by his childhood experiences is unknown.
   
   It's a roller coaster ride of a story.

5 comments about Adventures in Larryland!: Life in Professional Wrestling.

1. Larry Zbyszko is one of the most well traveled wrestlers of any generation, having worked for nearly ever major promotion during his glorious career.
   
   Larry sheds just enough light on his suburban upbringing, and speaks with awe and affection about his mentor and hero, Bruno Sammartino. Throughout the book Bruno's influence is obvious on Larry, and he applied it to carve out a legendary career of his own.
   
   Larry shares insights on doing business with both Vince McMahon Sr. and Jr., and the chessgame between the McMahons against himself and Bruno that almost led to the dropping of the Sammartino/Zbyszko angle, to this day IMO the best angle ever done.
   
   Larry glosses over his time in the NWA territories, which is understandable since he didn't spend a great deal of time in either area, but does give insight into why his blackmail angle with Dusty Rhodes and Baby Doll never happened.
   
   Larry's stories of dealing with father-in-law Verne Gagne in the AWA are entertaining, as are his stories of the territory in general, such as the story behind his ninjas, and his wrestler vs. boxer feud with Scott LeDoux.
   
   You'll hear Larry talk about the end of his in-ring career and his commentary career in WCW. He talks about business dealings with Jim Herd, Kip Frye, Bill Watts, and Eric Bischoff, why a program with Ric Flair never materialized, how his comeback feud with Lord Steven Regal came about and produces stellar matches, and caps it off with his stand against the New World Order, while talking about backstage dealings with the members, including Hulk Hogan.
   
   You wish he'd have gone into a little more detail, but his writing of his time in the WWWF alone make it well worth the buy.



2. This a must read whether you are a fan of wrestling or not! It may be a short book, but the entertainment value more than makes up for the large font everyone seems to be concerned about. You get an insiders view of the way wrestling used to be instead of the new hyped up matches. Larry takes you on his journey into the world of wrestling from his beginnings. He allows you into his inner circle and shares some very colorful and entertaining experiences through the ups and downs of his career. It is well worth the journey and I would highly recommend this book to anyone!
   The only reason you would not like this book is if you work for Vince McMahon!!



3. This book was a fast read, with much humor, which provided an excellent review of professional wrestling from the 1970s up through the 1990s when World Championship Wrestling was locked in a television rating war against the World Wrestling Federation (later changed to World Wrestling Entertainment)in an attempt to win over the hearts and souls of the fans. This book should be picked up by serious fans of pro wrestling. There are nuggets of solid information into the workings of pro wrestling which can be picked up from Larry's stories. One of the unique stories presented in the book is the relationship between Larry and his mentor, the great Bruno Sammartino, wrestling's original Living Legend. The story of their dealings with the McMahons, Vince Sr. and Jr. is the stuff of legend. Wrestling fans throughout the world will truly enjoy Adventures in Larryland!



4. I read this book in two short sittings...not because I couldn't put it down, but because it was so short. This is more like someone jotting down notes than an autobiography. Years would pass in one sentence. Nothing particularly groundbreaking at all, more like a few interesting anecdotes.
   
   His matches with Eric Bischoff and Scott Hall set records? Uhhhh...maybe that's because the Bischoff match was on the undercard of Hogan/Sting? That's like Koko B. Ware saying his match with Butch Reed at WrestleMania III broke all kinds of records.
   
   Go buy Jericho or Bret Hart's autobiographies instead. Pass on this one.



5. Here's what you will not learn:
   
   -You will not learn anything about Larry Zbyszko's personal life. Although he mentions a crazy girlfriend, three wives, and pictures of children, you will not learn anything about them much less that he is married to Kathy Gagne!
   -You will not learn where he got the name Zbyszko from.
   -You will not learn anything about his professional career from 1981 - 1984 as he goes from WWF to AWA with just a bare mention of Georgia later in the book. The fact that he was rumored to be blackballed for two years and was stuck doing outlaw/indy shows headlining with David Sammartino is never mentioned. This could have been the most interesting part of the book.
   -You will not learn much about his WWF/WWWF tenure except for the feud with Bruno which does make for very entertaining reading.
   
   I got through this book in a couple of hours as it is less than 200 pages although Amazon is saying 240. Just not true even with pictures.
   
   Some stories are definitely entertaining but so much was left out it was ridiculous and a slap in the face to any reader. His exaggerations were ridiculous too. While he has every claim to the Shea Stadium gate with Bruno, he also claims that he and Saito sold out the Tokyo Dome and that his 2 PPV matches in 1997/1998 for WCW set PPV buy-rate records. He even tried to say he wrestled in front of a sold out crowd when he won the title. He didn't even say he won it in a battle royal in the Minneapolis Auditorium in front of less than 2,000 fans.
   
   I was really looking forward to this as I thought he would fill in the blanks but this was a very lazy effort with large print and small margins to boot.
   
   His timelines are also all over the place as he says that WCW brought in Hulk Hogan for purposes of Nitro.
   
   Really poor effort overall.
   
   Just like his wrestling technique, he stalled right through this effort and I fell for it hook, line, and sinker with my wallet.

No comments about The Last Man Across the Atlantic.

5 comments about First There Is a Mountain: A Yoga Romance.

1. Many 10 to 15 year practitioners of Iyengar Yoga categorize themselves as "rank beginners." What many Western students have to learn is that the practice of Yoga demands humility. There are cultural distinctions so foreign to the way in which we learn in the West, that one has to be open. Under a gifted and disciplined teacher, requirements include a deep surrender of the self. Kadetsky's study of the Iyengar's and her effort to delve into the richly complex background of Yoga in India are hampered by her own obstacles regarding self-understanding, humility and a surrender to discipline. She has skills of research, of following leads toward interesting discoveries in the evolution of Iyengar Yoga and the gradual refinement of the Iyengar family's present school and method. But, one reads this text feeling that she fails to see (or partially perceives) what some can gather from what she does not finish, from where she does not go. Her written experience is like watching someone encounter a breathlessly beautiful rose, which holds up the whole universe, inside and out, to the viewer. You can feel that she is drawn, entranced, yet torn by conflicting, unresolved problems of the self. She loves the beauty she experiences - even though eyes may be color-blind and the fragrance is barely registered. She knows this and exposes her limitations to all: as Iyengar pushes this realization into her, fully extending her into pashimotanasana - "the pose of the West."



2. I will most likely never travel to India. But, as a student of yoga, I was able to catch a glimpse of what a western yoga practitioner might expect and ultimately experience in India. Having read and studied about Iyengar, Krishnamacharya and Pattabhi Jois as yoga icons, it was fascinating to read of them as humans and sometimes tyrrants/rivals. Kadetsky's personal story lingered in the background...oozed out as honey from between the printed lines. I enjoyed the imagery and the human quality that Kadetsky imparted the reader.
   
   Surprisingly, after the read, I felt new inspiration for my personal yoga practice. I am so grateful for the masters that have given us a sense of history, but am overjoyed that the practice ultimately becomes our own. Kadetsky illustrated that wonderfully.



3. excellent exploration of the history of hatha yoga, with emphasis on the 20th century, and the author's own experiences. Fascinating - I could not put it down.



4. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in yoga. A wonderful memoir which includes some interesting highlights of the history of physical yoga.



5. First There is a Mountain, by Elizabeth Kandetsky,
   Reviewed by Malcolm McLean, RYT
   
   Here is a powerful tale of a yogi's quest for truth - the truth of her own life, revealed in her own body, accessed and then uplifted though yoga. The truth of her guru BKS Iyengar, clouded in legend and rivalries, and here pierced with the eye of a conscientious journalist. She has woven a rich tapestry from the threads of her own life, her yoga practice and experience with Iyengar, and the story of yoga.
   
   Kandetsky paints an intimate and candid portrait of life at the Iyengar school in Pune. She describes the tremendous power of yoga practice in this setting, as it worked on her own life at every level. She does not flinch from showing the tyrannical, often capricious attitudes of Iyengar and his daughter Geeta, and son Prashant. She shines light on the petty rivalries between Iyengar and other great yoga masters, on their roots in nationalism and other struggles for patronage and prestige. She investigates the origins of yoga, and raises sincere doubts about the legends of its antiquity.
   
   From this clarity of unrelenting objectivity combined with the understanding in her own cells, she offers a powerful validation of yoga. Despite the contradictions and falsehoods around yoga, she shows how it meets her needs -- and the different needs in India and the West, as it continues to grow, mutate, and reach millions of people.
   
   Towards the end of the book, she describes her last class with the master -- after she had admitted learning another system - the Ashtanga system of Pattabhi Jois, his lifelong rival. She was challenged to perform the scorned series in front of Iyengar, who nevertheless could not resist, as she went along through the despised "jumpings", teaching it to her as he saw it might be done. She described the experience as a great healing of her own sense of fragmentation, as a child of divorce and family rivalry, knowing that her great teacher still loved her even though she had, as one person put it "danced with another and then told him he liked it."
   
   I remembered the highly criticized error of placing my hand alongside the foot in triangle (Iyengar style) rather than grasping the big toe in Ashtanga class. Or breathing ujjayi in good Asthanga style, to the complaint of an imperious workshop leader, about "this business of breathing like a horse!"
   
   Yoga, like every other human endeavour, shares the human attribute of yawning political divides, insufficiency of otherness.
   
   Though I have never met him, I thought of how BKS Iyengar had cast his light and his attitudes into my life, since 1986, through teachers who learned from him directly, or indirectly. Now, thanks to this lucid and powerful book, I feel privileged to know Iyengar more deeply than I ever thought possible.

5 comments about Ruse: Undercover with FBI Counterintelligence.

1. An incredibly good read. In intelligence work, one of the most valuable talents is the ability to "think and act outside the box," which is often near impossible in rigid bureaucracies. This accounting shows there are no limits to achieving goals when imagination and creativity are given room to grow. In such an environment, the seemingly impossible comes to fruition and this book of factual intelligence events is proof. It will rank among the classics of good intelligence work. Moreover, a healthy sense of humor is an essential ingredient in success. There are valuable lessons to be learned here for those interested in spycraft.



2. Ruse is fascinating! A page turner to the end. The author's keen intellect and abundant patience in setting up and orchestrating the various scenarios is intriguing and enlightening. There are several amusing, irreverent and even laugh-out-loud moments in the book. It is interesting to note that I have known the author personally for 7 years and knew very little about this part of his life. He lives the mystery that he is so practiced at masterminding.



3. A fun and faced past narrative of an unbelievable series of characters, places and events. Mr. Eringer retains a sense of humor while recounting the, at times far fetched, cases which keeps this book from falling simply in line with all the other non fiction spy books out there.
   
   While this is a quick read, have some time set aside for you will not be able to put it down!



4. It's a first person narrative of the author's various stings and counterintelligence gambits working with, but outside of, the FBI. An interesting and worthwhile story in most respects.
   
   It's a quick, easy read, and it is immediately clear the author doesn't take himself too seriously. When it comes to the task at hand, however, the sting, or ruse, is pursued with a serious, inward diligence as he sets up the likes of Edward Lee Howard, Vladimir Kryuchkov and others without diplomatic immunity.
   
   I have a hard time not liking anyone who refers to Vladimir Kryuchkov as "Uncle Vlad"--wry, irreverent and metaphorically accurate.
   
   For readers of the intelligence/espionage genre, there are several takeaways.
   
   1. It contains new information, if not in huge quantities, certainly from the original perspective as a freelancer outside of (but loyal to) the U.S. and its intelligence community. It begs the question of the future role of commercial intelligence providers. Give me Stratfor or give me death.
   
   2. The author's anecdotes sum up the adage: "Counter-intelligence with penetration is like shooting fish in a barrel; counter-intelligence without it is like knife fighting in the dark." -JJA.
   
   3. The onset of paralyzing, initiative and spirit crushing bureaucracy in the FBI's middle management is fatal. One hopes a copy of the book is sent to Robert Mueller, his Directors and Deputy Directors on down through the ranks of Division Five. And maybe a senator or three.
   
   Two last points.
   
   The story, by its nature, is hard to corroborate. The man whose cover and lure was a book publisher now publishes his own book...a last ruse? The editors can help by including a foreword or pithy endorsement on the jacket, perhaps by Former Spymaster or some such. Something to vouchsafe character and credibility. Trust but verify.
   
   Sadly, there is no index.
   
   - Note to Editors: it was Russian journalist Artyom Borovik, not Borovin, that died under suspicious circumstances (referenced in the epilogue). RIP.



5. Fighting the good fight, writer warrior Robert Eringer has served his country well not only pursuing and gaining the confidence of the CIA traitor, Edward Lee Howard, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1985 giving up important US secrets to the KGB, but Eringer also managed to wind his way through the tangled bureaucracy of the FBI , to bring to American justice psychopath Ira Einhorn, who had been hiding out in a small town in France after murdering his wife,Holly Maddux, and, on top of that, to achieve his goals in his own wry way which included traveling first class,staying in the finest hotels, enjoying great wines and good food and laughs no matter that he sometimes faced the devil himself. His book RUSE, due out in April is a great read with a couple of laugh out loud moments and it proves once again that truth can be stranger than fiction.

5 comments about Between Panic and Desire (American Lives).

1. This is simply an amazing book: funny, accessible, poignant, avant garde, and silly all at the same time. It is an easy read, as it is organized in short, punchy chapters. If you were born in the 1950s or 60s, the book will be even more meaningful for you. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



2. This really isn't a memoir in the conventional sense--and thank God for that. This sad-yet-funny montage provides a number of poignant glimpses into the life of a writer and a country: whether he's writing about Irish-Americana, 9/11, dropping acid, or dysfunctional fathers, Dinty Moore is poignant, honest and ultimately hopeful. No matter how much you think your country is screwed up, or how much you think you've screwed up, or how much you think your family screwed you up, read Panic and Desire. By the time you finish it you'll realize life is better than you thought.



3. Moore's fine sense of rhythm and wit carries us through this brief memoir. Under a stylish veil of humor and irony, Moore explores the universal human search for balance between panic and desire.



4. Or perhaps that should be "a gorgeously surprising memoir." Inventive in form, carefully beautiful in language, funny, unexpected, heartbreaking, amusing, filial, universal... this is not just a good read but a terrific choice for book groups or just sharing with a friend. If you've had a father, if you haven't had a father, if you are a father, or if you just know what it's like to be stuck between Panic and Desire (the real towns, or just the states of being), this is a book for you. Unreservedly recommended.



5. Early in his completely original and frequently hilarious memoir Between Panic & Desire, writer Dinty W. Moore learns that he has double vision. As a boy, he had just seen two of everything pretty much all of the time. That was his normal. Lucky for us, because Moore's singular way of looking back on his world--from families and marijuana, to Richard Nixon and the number nine (my personal favorite, number and chapter)--lets us witness more than just his personal history. Somehow Moore seems to see, simultaneously, what is funny and sad, momentous and fleeting, then and now. Between Panic & Desire is a trip worth taking. And I'd highly recommend letting Dinty W. Moore drive.

2 comments about The Year of Magical Thinking: The Play.

1. The Year of Magical Thinking possesses hauntingly concise prose. It is a one-woman show that reads like having a conversation with Didion. The telling is intimate enough to make it feel as if it is an older and wiser sister telling you what you may likely confront in your lifetime. It is detailed enough to make tangible for theatergoers in New York City and Los Angeles face what one wishes was unimaginable. It is phenomenal enough to show why Didion is one of the best writers of our times and that there is seemingly nothing that she fails to find the words for.
   
   That there will be a moment in time when you feel unquestionably safe--and the moment following, one of the most important people in your life may pass on. She tells the reader about how she handled the passing of her husband as a journey--from being the cool, methodical thinker, as his passage from this life was confirmed, to being unable to give away his shoes because he would need them when he came back, to being able to come to terms with his absence.
   
   Her daughter fell ill before her husband passed. While her daughter is in the hospital in California, Joan Didion faces more than treading on doctors' toes and doing everything possible to pull her daughter through the illness. She also faces streets full of memories ready to take her away into magical thinking. In order to keep away from the memories, she takes well-planned routes from her hotel room to her daughter's hospital room. Didion tells the story of seeing her daughter come out of illness, and then being unable to protect her from falling ill again, and her passage from this life.
   
   The play is not filled with an overwhelming sense of hope, but hope still finds a home in the play. While reading it I couldn't help but think of those I know who have passed on and how I would handle it if my own husband and daughter were to pass out of this life before me. I imagined the unbearable grief as I read. By the end of the play I could feel how to make it through, to survive something that one would rather not.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: It is that quiet, affirming hope that Didion's play possesses.



2. The Year of Magical Thinking a Play by Joan Didion is based on her memoir. This play gives you a voyeuristic journey inside a woman's grief. Ms. Didion, a noted author and playwright lost her husband in 2003. Within a short period of time, less than two years later, she would also lose her daughter. That kind of loss is unimaginable to most people. We all have experiences with losing loved-ones, but rarely two in such a short span of time. Ms. Didion's prose is written quite sparely and almost from a distance but it is no less wrenching. She appears to view her pain from a distance while feeling the full impact of it.
   
   The play starts out with this passage; This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago but it won't when it happens to you. And it will happen to you. The details will be different, but it will happen to you. That's what I am here to tell you. I felt those words down in my very being. Though the words were simple, they were poignant, heartfelt and oh so true. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will feel the impact of her prose.
   
   After her husband John Dunne passes, Joan appears to be in a state of suspended expectation. The most difficult thing for her to accept is that he is not coming home. In fact for many weeks she expects him to return. It's sad to read how hard it is to accept her lost.
   
   Shortly thereafter when her daughter becomes ill, she has something else to be concerned with. She immerses herself in research about her daughter's illness to try to fill the void in her life. It is wrenching yet dispassionate in so many ways reading about her daughter's illness and ultimate demise. Ms. Didion has exposed her love and pain in an amazing way.
   
   In sixty-two pages this play takes us through a roller coaster of feelings. What impacted me so was how the words were never overwrought, but so strongly felt. I loved the way she evaluated the relationship she had with both her husband and her daughter. The simple what-if-onlys. The Year of Magical Thinking allowed me to realize there is no set way to grieve and that we all react differently. I recommend this play and the aforementioned memoir to Joan Didion fans and to anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one.
   Angelia Menchan
   [...]

5 comments about What Is Life Worth?: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Fund and Its Effort to Compensate the Victims of September 11th.

1. In a book in which he assesses the worth and effectiveness of his own role in implementing a post 9/11 policy to compensate those whose loved ones died in the tragedy, it's not hard to see how Feinberg judges the job done to be an excellent one. Between patting himself on the back for how charming he is in a variety of social settings to the condescending way he looks at the worth assigned to the lives of those who died, this book resembles an extended version of a job interview more than it does a soul searching account of his role in a highly emotional process or a serious analysis of government policy. In short, don't believe the hype and don't waste your time.



2. I thought this book functioned as a "report to the taxpayers", perhaps a counterpart to Kenneth Feinberg's report to the president, on his administration of the compensation fund for victims of 9/11 created by Congressional statute immediately after the 9/11 attacks. The writing is clear and very articulate. Mr. Feinberg does not seem to me to be self-promoting, as another reader commented, but simply reiterating his qualifications and his rationale for the way he administered this fund. For purposes of this review, I am attempting to keep my feelings about the creation of the fund itself separate from Mr. Feinberg's administration of it and his account of that process. His account of it is a very engrossing read - something that came as a surprise to me. I read it twice, once to myself and once aloud to the family. I think this should be required reading in high schools and colleges because it is an extremely important facet of the whole event (which we are still in the throes of) that we speak of as "9/11". There are ethical, philosophical, political, legal and undoubtedly many other positions from which to view the fund and its administration vis a vis history, precedent, and so on. This book is an extremely important report to the taxpayers. I only wish there could be a countervailing report FROM the taxpayers! I do think Mr. Feinberg performed good service to Congress' wishes expressed in the statute creating the fund. However, to refer to the fund as reflective of the great generosity of American taxpayers is a bit disingenuous since American taxpayers did not have a say in the creation or any other aspect of the fund. It was created very quickly after 9/11 and was completely open-ended, an unprecedented action. Its creation raises far more questions than are answered and the implication that it was used to squelch asking many questions still haunts the whole process. However, that was not Mr. Feinberg's issue; he had the statute and the fund and the victims to deal with and his report covers his purview with excellent clarity. I highly recommend this book to every American and would like to see it on bestseller lists, ahead of Ms. Coulter's recently published rant. Mr. Feinberg is obviously an intelligent, dedicated, conscientious, fair-minded man whose very thoughtful account of this particular facet of 09/11 warrants widespread attention.



3. It is clear from reading this account of the 9/11 Victim's Compensation Fund that Kenneth Feinberg is a compassionate man who bore a tremendous burden in administering the Fund. It is less clear why he alone could have done it.
   
   This is because there is not much in this book about the legal aspects of the Fund. For example, the statute passed by Congress is Feinberg's contant response to criticism about the "economic loss" criteria for awards, but he does not quote it or even use it in the appendix. I would also have liked to read more about how the Fund differed from past compensation funds that Feinberg had worked with, such as the Agent Orange fund. Finally, for a person with such great discretion over awards, I would have liked to hear about how that discretion was exercised in some difficult or unusual cases -- not just that it was used to narrow the range of total awards.
   
   This criticism probably all comes from my legal background, and What is Life Worth? is not a book for lawyers. In place of the technical details is a measured and sympathetic description of the reaction of the victims' families to the 9/11 tragedy -- from a person who may have spend more time talking to more different families than anyone else. This is a very valuable contribution to the history of 9/11 from a unique perspective.
   
   While the book is a quick read at 190 pages, its emotional weight is much greater and is really its focus. Perhaps Feinberg or one of his colleagues will one day write a more academic assessment of the Fund that will satisfy the desire to understand some of the day-to-day decisions that the administrators had to make.



4. Overall i felt the book accomplished most of what it was after. after seeing mr feinberg on television i was moved by him and how the experience made him more "humanistic" but upon reading the novel i felt it missed the point
   
   It gave a very raw reason unto why the fund was established.
   
   It offered great insight into how difficult a task it was
   
   His background wasn't that bad to read about
   
   but what it did lack was the answer to his title "What is life worth?"
   
   It didnt answer that question and meerly glazed over it in like 3 sentences in the last 10 pages of the book.
   
   i bought the book hoping i would see 2 books, the Victims compensation fund how he handled that and why, and peoples' reactions and i wanted the second book to be about what he has learned about the human condition, about what makes a person a person about why he feels they do the things they do, seeing so much grief one has to notice a pattern somewhere.
   
   so in that aspect I'am dissapointed because the book failed to deliver on that, if someone wants to read about the Victims compensation fund, they are at the right place, if you want to study humanity from a person who spent 2 and a half years living and breathing peoples' lives, hopes, dreams and sorrows then you need to go somewhere else.



5. Feinberg gives the reader two experiences in one book. First he explaind the rationale behind the compensation fund and provides thoughtful anlaysis and criticism of the fund legislation. This is a useful exercise even for persons experienced in alternate forms of dispute resolution.
   Second, and to my mind more importantly, he gives us a vivid perspective on how the victims of 9/11 reacted to their extraordinary loss. He does so in a factual, non-voyeuristic way, but his account is nonetheless very moving.
   It's a good book and it's an important book. That's not a combo you see often.

5 comments about The Discomfort Zone: A Personal History.

1. I love Jonathan Franzen and have bought all of his books from Amazon without any problems, until this one. The book arrived and I immediately tore into it. I had just built up some momentum and was really turning the pages when, halfway through the first chapter I turned the page and the sentence just didn't carry over. I'd had some wine so I checked myself a couple times but it turns out I wasn't loaded. Instead, my copy is missing 33 pages and, when I flipped through, I found pages 55-eightsomething were repeated later in the book. I don't know if the publisher is just moving seconds over Amazon figuring they're less likely to be returned of if Amazon has made a terrible business decision. Regardless, I've now had two of these problems in a row when ordering from Amazon. The lesson being, keep the shipping box.



2. Mr. Franzen clearly is a gifted writer. His ruminations about his parents, friends, interests and silly pranks were highly entertaining and his psychoanalytical observations were thought-provoking. This helped tremendously in convincing me to wade through a few small sections of the book which I found about as compelling as watching paint dry. I could have done without most of the chapter about his learning German. But, heh, it's his life. Who am I to tell him what to highlight from his past? The memoir gives you a good idea of what makes Mr. Franzen tick. An intelligent, honest and somewhat enjoyable read.



3. The whimsical cover art and design of this book gave me the impression that it might have a humorous tone, and perhaps a certain self-effacing charm. However, while Franzen is a very capable wordsmith, and he is at times quite modest and introspective, there is a certain lack of humor and warmth here that is disappointing and even troubling. I would even go so far as to say that there is a certain Germanic coldness to Franzen's memoir (and not surprisingly, Franzen's pronunciation of German quotes in the audiobook version are impeccable). He describes his mother's long list of ailments with a strange detachment that I found almost chilling, and his references to adolescent interactions with the opposite sex are oddly listless and devoid of passion. It seems he would rather blather on for pages with the ponderous details of his bird-watching adventures, listing every species he has ever observed, than devote that space to the nuances of his interpersonal relationships. I was left with the impression of Franzen as a rather cold, soulless individual with some serious issues with his Mom and perhaps with women in general. My other main criticism is that there seems to be no particular direction to the narrative thread. I was almost left with the suspicion that they paid Franzen by the word, and he was trying to fill up space with irrelevant trifles, rather than look too deeply into himself for any truly meaty material. Lastly, his use of random SAT words at the oddest times ("infungible" is an example) put the final nail in whatever bit of humanity or life this pointless tome might have possessed. I now feel the urge to read some Ernest Hemingway or Jack London, in other words the writings of men who actually perspired and got callouses on their hands at some time in their lives, after subjecting myself to the tepid musings of this semi-likable, pampered, obessive-compulsive geek.



4. These autobiographical essays teeter between personal revelation and keeping the reader at arm's length and the discussion at an intellectual level. Franzen describes in unforgiving detail how he chose the wrong realtor to sell his mother's house. We see him fall for the flirtatious sales pitch of the woman in tight jeans but not the reaction of his brothers once the error is discovered. He describes his attraction to his future wife because she is a precise, brilliant reader, but he seems incapable of explaining why that's not enough to make the marriage work. The failure of the marriage and reaction of his brothers remain just off stage. Franzen as an adult isn't far removed from the child who told his mother that he didn't hear the fight between his brother and father the night before -- everyone is safer if we carry on as if nothing happened.
   
   The result is carefully crafted tension between Franzen's reticence to talk about intense messy feelings (except perhaps by allusion to Kafka) and meticulous cataloguing of everything incidental to those feelings. Trapped between the contradictory desires to be known and to remain distant, Franzen is at his thoughtful, ambivalent best.



5. Jonathen Franzen's personal history is more a short collection of slightly disorganized life happenings than what one would usually expect in a memoir. He begins with the story of the sale of his mother's house after her death, located in "just right" Webster Groves, Missouri, where he grew up. His goal to obtain the highest possible price doesn't work out entirely as planned. Chapter Two, My Ponies, concerns Snoopy, with whom he felt a certain "kinship," and Peanuts comic strip creator Charles Schultz. Joy Breaks Through follows the antics of his teen youth group members, of which he shares some great words of wisdom (p 113): "Adolescence is best enjoyed without self-consciousness, but self-consciousness, unfortunately, is its leading symptom," and "You're miserable and ashamed if you don't believe your adolescent troubles matter, but you're stupid if you do." More on his teens follows in Centrally Located, especially the details of some high school pranks (complete with sketches). Learning German abroad is main subject of The Foreign Language. My Bird Problem contains a bit on romance and marriage, his changing awareness of and concern about the environment, and, likely the favorite part for birders, funny anecdotes about bird sightings at the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge as well as his experiences as a bird watcher on Hat Island. Good as is, but fans will likely be left wanting more. Similarly satisfying: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

3 comments about The Wow Factor: How I Turned One Idea and My Unbridled Enthusiasm Into a Golf Revolution.

1. As one reviewer already noted, the message regarding the WOW factor is simple, but too often overlooked. Anyone in sales or product development should ask themselves what their WOW factor is. Answer that question and you'll increase your market share, as Adams did.
   
   Beyond the business case, the book was a fun and interesting read. I'm a little biased, as I was an early adopter of the Tight Lies club, so I immediately knew what Adams was referring to when I saw the title of the book.



2. Always nice to read about the golfindustry. Not just instruction or history is interesting so a nice read for all those who are interested in stuff like this.



3. "The WOW Factor" is a well-designed business book that tells the story of how Barney Adams, the creator of the Tight Lies fairway wood and the founder of Adams Golf, turned a career of missteps and disappointment into a stunning success.
   
   I call it "well-designed" because it's not too long, not too serious, not too heavy and remarkably, if discreetly, candid.
   
   Adams ties his experiences, starting with his unremarkable years as a manager for Corning and ending with the realization that his executive leadership was not what his own company needed to be able to prosper, together with his WOW factor theory. Simply stated, he says hard work and a good product is not enough to crack into an established industry. The essential ingredients, he maintains, are the ability for your product to cause consumers to say, "WOW!" and the marketing technique to get that product into consumers' hands.
   
   While this may not be earth-shaking, he does offer it as caution to all those would-be entrepreneurs who believe they can make it in the fickle, trendy but inbred golf business.
   
   It's refreshing to hear a successful executive recount how he helped run a small company into the ground by taking too high-altitude a view of its operations. And it's intriguing to read how he desperately searched for a way to get golfers to try his innovative Tight Lies fairway woods.
   
   For business purposes, what the book lacks is analytical detail. Adams can tell you what, in hindsight, he did wrong and what turned out to be right. He really can't tell you why, except as a matter of empirical result.
   
   For insight purposes, Adams reveals little about his personal life, except for his obvious passion for his work. While the development of his golf businesses apparently cost him a great deal in his personal and family relationships, he touches on that issue only a bit.
   
   Still, it's a remarkably pleasant, quick read. Adams may be a seat-of-the-pants contrast to the standard modern MBA, but he seems right on target in the fashioning the kind of book that golf fanatics would enjoy.