4 comments about A Girl's Life Online.

1. I read the earlier version of this book, "Katie.com." The book starts off slowly and I was getting bored with it for a while. I just couldn't relate to this teenage girl from an upper middle class family. In my opinion, she was too obsessed with designer clothes and with her swimming team. The book eventually gained my interest when she started talking to a guy that she met online who was going by the name of Mark. Their relationship and the legal case that followed are the only things that piqued my interest. I'm glad that I read the entire story, but I'm very glad that I spent so little to buy it. This book is well worth the few bucks that I payed for it. I found it to be very mild. I do recommend it--even for other teens.



2. I do not recomend this book to a preteen. There are parts in this book that are explicit ie: talking about oral sex (but not using the term oral sex!) along with other things that a preteen doesn't need to be subjected too at such a young age. The less prude person may say parts of this book boarder on soft porn. If you want to read about a girl getting mixed up with a 41 year old man, than read this book. I hope that this book does not end up in libraries at our schools.



3. I loved this book and think that every parent, preteen and teenage person online should read it. It was well written and gives you insight into what she was thinking and feeling in her world around her. Highly recommended and well written.



4. The story, at times, drags on but you want to keep reading it just incase something happens. Its a book yous should read if you have alot of time on your hands.

5 comments about Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American.

1. Restavec is an excellent look into Haiti's secret slavery. It's an honest look at what is sadly going on in Haiti today, even though the author is writing about his past. The author is to be commended for writing this autobiography, for exposing and expressing the senseless, brutal and humiliating acts towards him. Reading this book, grabbed my heart and attention and has made me want to do something to help the children in Haiti that are currently oppressed. It was a really quick and easy read. A page-turner and I'm glad I read it.



2. I loved this book. I thought it was excellent, touching, compelling, and educational. The tales in Mr. Cadet's life are certaintly unforgetable. I cried, laughed, and lived with this book as I traveled with Mr. Cadet and his life experiences.
   
   This book is a must read.



3. I got this book in the mail on 7/12 at 6:00 pm. I could not stop reading it, even though I had a social to attend (took it with me) and finally fell asleep around 12:30 am. Woke up at 4 to finish it. I could not put it down. To think that what I read is all true is just overwhelming. I am encouraged by his triumph over his life struggles, but still understanding of his daily battle to fight feeling of insecurity and inferiority.
   
   If you need a new appreciation for life or a reason to strive for more, read this book. Someone who has suffered greatly has had enough victory to encourage you to do better.



4. After hearing Mr. Cadet on Oprah, I didn't stop until I ordered his book. I could not put this book down once I started reading it... it was truly a book filled with so many graphic details and the emotions that were evoked were feelings of anger, pity, empahty and sympathy that I never knew existed within me. While, I am not from Haiti I just couldn't help feeling such empathy for the children and people of Haiti who were/are exposed to this type of existence. In 2007 it amazes me that slavery, in any form, exists in the world. This book haunts at the reader to examine him/herself and see what can he/she contribute towards the world whereby the end result will be equality for all mankind. My heart goes out to all of the Jean Robert-Cadets in the world. At the same time I wonder how could his father have loved his mother so much that he would allow such treatment of his child, especially, once he was made aware of his circumstances. As for the people who contributed towards the hell of a life that Mr. Cadet experienced as a child and took that luggage into adulthood...they should know that Karma is alive, well and active.
   This book, touches any and all emotions of the reader, it enlightens and paints a vivid picture of what some children have to endure on a daily basis. This book is definitely a wake up call for all people of the world to come to our senses and treat people with dignity. It brings home the fact that we are all products of our environment and we must cherish our most prized possessions, our children of the world. We, as adults, must realize that they are innocent and it should be a reasonable expectation of them to think that at the very least we will provide and protect them. I applaud the steps that Mr.Cadet with the assistance of God and his wife is taking to conquer the strong holds that his childhood put upon him.
   Keep the faith Mr. Cadet and break the cycle. Life is too precious to not live it to the fullest. Continue to look towards the hills from which cometh your help...
   
   I have been educated and taught a lesson that will never be forgotten simply from reading this book. This lesson that one will get from this book crosses all color lines. We as a people have to raise up and do to others as we would want done to us and our love ones.



5. reader will find it difficult to read parts of this book describing the authors childhood as a slave in Haiti. Hopefully your awareness of the real situation for children in countries other than the US wil prompt you to try to help change their situation. inspiring story of overcoming in the face of huge obstacles.

5 comments about On the Wild Edge: In Search of a Natural Life.

1. This has got to be one of my favorite books of all time. Dave Petersen seems to have figured out early on how to get his priorities in order. That money and 'things' are fleeting and empty acquisitions. That what really matters are great relationships with those you love, be it your spouse, friends or even your dog, and that being debt free is a power all it's own. Dave freely admits that he doesn't have a lot of money, but, he is most definitely the captain of his own ship, truly able to call his time and what he does with it his own. How many of us can say that? It is a great wake up call and definitely motivates you to get your own priorities in order. Dave finds more value in the treasures of nature, the wild animals that call it home and the ability to know how to appreciate it than in 'filthy money' as he so rightly puts it. I happen to love his political rants about the state of our world, he is dead on most of the time, and thank goodness doesn't sugarcoat it one iota!! This is a must read if you love the mountains, snow, wildlife, and unlike so many Americans who seem to only be able to follow the herd, have the ability to think for yourself.



2. I read Dave's book, along with several other good reads, during the dead of winter this season. Time well spent. I found myself consuming the book each evening, and it was finsihed in short order. Following Dave from season to season, reading about his everyday experiences and thoughts, mulling over his political views, sharing his pains, exultations, celebrations of life, and observations of his natural world, I finished the book feeling quite satisfied. This should be required reading for any environmentally-aware hunter-naturalist, or anyone else who loves the outdoors, for that matter. I like it.



3. David Peterson writes very well and has a great ability to engage the reader and make them feel as if they are part of the forest where David writes. I am only about half finished with the book and have enjoyed his views on simple living and self sufficiency. However, his subtle and not-so-subtle interjections about politics totally distract from the beautiful writings about nature. If I wanted political commentary, I would read a book about politics, not a book about nature and simple living.



4. Mr. Petersen is a far left liberal hippie. Throughout the book (I actually only made it about halfway through before I could no longer force myself to read anymore) he is always interjecting his misinformed political views, always saying how bad the humans are compared to the animal kingdom, (especially American humans), but yet he seems to enjoy his car (which he says it always smokes a lot when it is running), electricity to run a few house hold items, (radio, well pump, hot water heater), and the gas to run his chainsaw and his car. He is not too divorced from the "evil civilization", considering he does have a road that goes to his cabin.



5. What a treat! I bought this from Amazon back when it first came out in hardcover, and it has resided on my to-be-read shelf all this time. We now have snow here and, in a wintry mood, I was prompted to pick this one up after finishing Vardis Fisher's excellent THE MOUNTAIN MAN and watching the Robert Redford movie based upon that book.
   
   What a dustjacket! It says here that Caroline Peterson, the author's "permanent wife," took that photo. If the gorgeous, dustjacket art especially appeals to you--as it does to me--then you might also enjoy looking inside at these marvelous tales of David and Caroline Peterson in their natural surroundings.
   
   This author will resonate to those who love the nature writings of Emerson and Thoreau, Doug Peacock and Edward Abbey. Peterson writes with the practical common sense of Wendell Berry mixed with an almost mystical be-here-now sense of wonder. He sees the Great Spirit in things.
   
   We found this a delightful, gorgeous edition to our personal library of naturalism. This author edited A. B. Guthrie's enviromental essays and wrote the afterward to Guthrie's marvelous autobiography. I can't say if this is Peterson's best book because I've yet to read several of his others. They are now moving up on my list.

4 comments about Traversa: A Solo Walk Across Africa, from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean.

1. I have to admit firstly that I'm English, and secondly that I loved Africa as an inhabitant for over 20+ years. Consequently, the description for this book on Amazon seemed like the ultimate indulgence. It was. However, unlike many indulgences throughout my life - and throughout Mr Sandham's journey - this was immensely memorable... for all the right reasons. Mr Sandham expertly describes, with infinite humility, his traversa from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean 5000 km away. I allowed myself the pleasure of only a chapter a day as I wanted to really savor the pleasure of devouring this memoir for as long as I possibly could. Sandham never truly reveals, in fact I'm not entirely sure he knows, the reasons why he really undertook this trek - but I am immensely glad he did. His pinpoint almost staccato descriptions of people he meets leaves a lasting impression and visual image of those people. I don't think I will ever look at a man named Dan quite the same way again! During his 50km a day walks through Africa he discourses on such idiocies as where do flies go at night? I found myself laughing out loud, smiling, grimacing, shaking my head and even empathising at..... and with... Mr Sandham and the people, insects, flora and fauna he comes in contact with during this amazing journey. He expertly weaves history and the stories of the great explorers into this memoir providing a multi-layered view of human idiocy, kindness, ignorance, arrogance and humour in such a way that I learned much about the continent that I love. This book is ideal for people who enjoy the sardonic, understated part of English humour; those who love a story of myopic refusal to veer from the goal; voyeurs of human nature and those who overall appreciate the indomintable spirit of an individual who is driven by the need to do something that noone has quite done before - and lived to tell the tale. I was genuinely sorry that Mr Sandham hadn't decided to cross another continent so that I could vicariously continue his journey.



2. Incredible story of trekking from Namibia's Atlantic Coast to the Indian Ocean (ending up at Zanzibar). Although the author's attacked by neither man nor beast (just insects aplenty), he has his share of troubles, starting with recalitrant wild donkeys, and finishing up with a week of malaria treatment (apologies if that proves a spoiler). Terrific writing skills and a great sense of humor make this book one of my top books for the year. Highly recommended.



3. It's hard to read many travel books without a sense of 'Why? Why are you putting yourself through all this?' and Traversa is no exception. Those who sit at home may not understand what drives some people to these lengths, but that doesn't stop us lapping it up and asking for more.
   
   In this enthralling book, Sandham brings his solo walk from the aptly-named Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean to life. He comes across, variously, as courageous, determined, bloody-minded, and completely insane. By the end of the book, it's easy to feel, as he does, that he has earned his right to be in Africa, even among people so poor that a man who has scrimped, saved and given up chocolate biscuits to be there, is immeasurably rich.
   
   Throughout, Sandham places his experiences in a historical context, evoking the horror of being preserved from shipwreck only to die of thirst, the shame and waste of the slave trade, and butchery in wars over territory that match anything Europe has achieved in that line. As his traversa progresses, he moves from a theoretical understanding of Africa to a genuine affection for the place and its people.
   
   The book is filled with dry self-deprecation and humour--there's a disastrous donkey, and we can only imagine Sandham's problems with his mule, as he declines to go into details--and some of the characters he meets are portrayed as so much larger than life that there's a temptation to believe they're imaginary. Perhaps the best example of the man's courage is when, having invested time, effort and money in a donkey (diseased), a donkey-cart (beautifully painted), and a mule (disobedient), he's able to walk away from all three. Many people would have persisted even in the face of so much discouragement, but Sandham knows when to cut his losses. He probably wouldn't have made it across Africa without that knowledge.
   
   Apart from the not-so-tame domestic animals, there's lions. Real, live, traveller-eating lions. Fortunately, the threat they pose is more perceived than actual; some people have been eaten, but Sandham gets through. There's also explosive diarrhea, a very unpleasant, if probably inevitable, attack of malaria, and, of course, blisters. Yet day after day, he gets up, and gets going. Even after side trips to investigate mules or donkeys, he insists on being driven back to the point where he stopped walking, so he can start again. He knows when he's idled somewhere too long, and somehow gets himself going. There's no cheating on this journey, even though the temptations must have been enormous.
   
   This book entertained and saddened me by turns, and I heartily recommend it--reading what Sandham has to say is the only way even partially to answer the question, 'Why?'.
   
   [review written by Debbie Moorhouse of GUD Magazine]



4. There are many things to admire about Mr. Sandham's book: the fact that he underwent great hardship at times in order to write it; the way in which he has unveiled some little-known parts of Africa to a wider audience; or his eloquent turn of phrase and sometimes biting self-deprecating humour. But what stands out for me is in the way which he stuck to his task and wasn't seduced by the touristic, bombastic way to travel through a country. I don't mean that he didn't occasionally stay in a hostel,(after hundreds of kilometres across lion country you might too), or that he didn't occasionally eat Western-style foods in souless supermarkets. What I mean is that he stuck to the task at hand and didn't go to see something or attempt to do something just because a guidebook said he should. It is extremely hard sometimes to resist the pull of the mass-market. I myself have been to countries where I thought I had been to every 'must-see' site in an area and then found that to my disappointment there was one I had missed. But those were not the real experiences and stories which will stay with me. Real meaning can be found in the tapestry of human interactions and the beat of a way of life different to your own. In an era of travel being accessible to so many more people, how refreshing to hear an account of someone who decided to tread a more personal path.
   
   Mr. Sandham did things 'his way' and I am sure his mentors Messrs. Livingstone, Stanley et al, would be proud.

No comments about Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress.

5 comments about In My Skin: A Memoir.

1. I knew nothing about heroin addition before reading this book. Why on earth would anyone try it? Why don't the junkies just stop? Who cares about them anyway?
   
   In a clear, well written story Holden answers these questions and more. She goes from a bored uni-student from a happy home, to hanging out with "the wrong crowd", and sinks slowly, inevitably into heroin addiction. Her days become obssessed with a single goal - "Do I have enough money for a fix?" Most heartbreaking of all is her repeated abandonment of her family, whose agony she sometimes mentions, but is never important enough to make her stop. Eventually, penniless, she turns to prostitution. The contrast between the dangerous, dirty world of streetwalking compared to the safe clean environment of a legal brothel is striking.
   
   As a Melbourne resident it felt chilling to think that I walked the same streets of St. Kilda as Holden did. I occasionaly glimpsed street walkers with amusement, but knew nothing of who they were, or why there were there. This book taught me a lot.



2. I found it sad that an obviously bright young woman could derive self-esteem from a) being "brave" enough to shoot heroin and b) being "adored" by men who were paying her for sex. It seems rather backwards. Why not derive your self-esteem from your education, intelligence, talents and loyal family? Apparently these things are what drove her into the seedy world of drugs and prostitution? The writing style got tedious - how many times can she refer to the light as thin??? Or shooting up as a "taste?" I also felt like the book lacked credibility. How much of the details can be authentic if she was using heroin four to six times a day? I imagine she would have been more like a zombie than the energizer sex bunny she portrays herself to be.



3. I am in two minds about this book. On one hand, I absolutely loved it. On the other, I felt it was lacking.
   
   Bad news first: The memoir seemed to lack in emotion. Surely with long term heroin addiction and prostitution there would be more... hard hitting pain. It sounds insensitive, but when I was reading, it seemed as though the author drifted into this world and drifted out. I found it hard to understand the desperation of her situation. When I read, I felt detached. Perhaps this was deliberate? I could certainly understand the author isolating her feelings from her memories. It must have been a difficult period in her life, and difficult to write about. What I'm trying to say is that I felt disconnected. I couldn't get into the story.
   
   Now for the good stuff: I absolutely adore Kate Holden's writing style. It seems so melodic and lyrical. It was so easy to read and understand. Without being simplistic. Her writing is so beautiful, almost serene. I would be very happy if I were able to write so eloquently. I found her memoir somewhat frightening. The way she described herself before she became an addict, is very similar to how I see myself. Her descent into addiction and prostitution seems understandable. I could see myself in that situation, and it did frighten me a bit.
   
   All in all, I found it to be a good memoir. Definately not the best I've read, but certainly not the worst. I think that Holden's writing style may be better suited to a novel, rather than a memoir. After all her columns in 'The Age' newspaper are always interesting to read. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.



4. I have read the few reviews on this book, and I have to say, I disagree. I absolutely loved this book. This woman has turned her life around from heroin and prostitution. It demonstates how easy it is to become addicted to drugs (heroin), and how difficult it is to come off it, no matter how intelligent you are, or how determined you think you are. And the depths you go to (prostitution) to get more money to buy drugs. Kate is very lucky to have the support of her family. I would definitely recommend this book.



5. On a superficial level I did expect this book to be about heroin and prostitution. However, I was really hoping for a deeper insight into the process of acknowledging, confronting and overcoming one's personal demons. The latter is a process to which we can all relate whereas the former is a process which would be foreign to many of the readers. Without wanting to belittle the content of the book, the author's description of becoming an addict and then rehabilitating herself is almost jarring in its brevity.
   
   In no way am I attempting to trivialise the experience, which is amongst the more harrowing that I have read. However I feel that the author has constrained herself by providing mainly a chronological description of the events of her life rather than trying to dip beneath the surface and sharing some of the more piercing insights that we as readers feel that she is capable of making.
   
   The writing style is plain yet very readable. Overall I cannot recommend the purchase of this book.

4 comments about Concrete, Bulletproof, Invisible and Fried: My Life As A Revolting Cock.

1. Connelly is articulate, surprisingly humble and filled with anecdotes. From that standpoint, it's an excellent book for anyone who wanted to know what was really going on in the WaxTrax scene of the late 80's and early 90's. He pulls no punches, nobody is painted as perfect, there's little hero worship, and yet all the major players are humanized to a degree that, despite many flaws, they still seem sympathetic. Al Jourgainsen particularly - he gets ridiculed for his affectations and self-involvement, lambasted for his spiralling drug problems and fondness for sycophants, and yet it still seems that Connelly regards him with a bit of genuine affection (even if they haven't spoken for years).
   
   What's particualrly refreshing is his candor about his own problems and career trajectory. It could've easily slumped into a sex/drugs/rocknroll hardcore aggrandizement, or a paen to now-clean living, but it manages to avoid either boasting or becoming maudlin, no easy feat. Connelly tells it like it was - chasing the highs, chasing the booze, chasing the girls while fully realizing the ridiculousness of the situations, and he doesn't preach about how he's cleaned up his life.
   
   His writing style, though could've used an editor. It reads more like a blog, complete with bursts of all-caps, the occasional dangling sentence fragment, and the sort of onomotopoeia one doesn't usually find in a memoir. Not that this is bad, mind you, but it can be a little distracting to be reading a detailed narrative of a Pigface show and have to stop and go back to parse out a sentence that didn't seem to make sense.
   
   All told, though, it's a fun, quick read. Dodgy stylistic choices aside, it is a fascinating no-holds-barred look into a side of alternative music that most only have a passing familiarity with. If you grew up in the suburbs, you at least knew of Ministry, and probably had at least one black-clad friend who owned all their albums. Ministry, RevCo, Pigface, etc though, were enough on the fringes that they never generated the kind of press mythology that many of their alterna-rock contemporaries did, so this is a look into a story that has largely remained untold until now.



2. Having been a big fan of the industrial screaming of Chris Connelly in the late eighties when I saw this book for sale I had to give it a read. Some of the stories are familiar, having been touched upon in various interviews etc...but Chris gives them a first hand perspective and writes in a conversational manner that keeps it entertaining page to page. His honest and often hilarious look at the industrial machine that was Al Jourgenson and the Wax Trax circus makes this book a must for anyone who thought Ministry, The Revolting Cocks, etc...were the thinking man's keyboard and drum machine driven answer to metal only to discover in the 90's that Jourgenson had burned up all his talent with his addictions and became just another metal band. Fascinating and funny, a must for all industrial music fans...I haven't stopped listening to the Damage Manual since I finished this book.



3. 
   I always felt Chris Connelly was one of the more articulate, interesting, and diversified members of the cyber-biker 'industrial rock' circus swirling around Ministry's Al Jourgensen, and so I'm excited that he was able to get a book-length bio of that band's most interesting years into print before Jourgensen did. When THAT happens, this will surely provide a valuable alternate history to the inevitable grand-standing and historical revisionism coming from Ministry's overlord of aggro (and hair extensions, which Connelly describes in a hilarious manner that I won't give away).
   
   I have a very tangential but still kind of intimate connection to this scene, so the nostalgic effect I get from reading a litany of hallowed Chicago nightlife institutions like Smart Bar, ChicagoTrax, Cabaret Metro etc. will not be replicated in every reader. Closeness to this culture has increased the "page-turner" quality of this book for me, but only by a little- it's still an eminently great read in a literary world swamped with boring paint-by-numbers rock confessionals written by, say, someone who was Bowie's keyboard tech for 3 shows in 1981. There's often nothing more tedious than listening to someone else's 'drug' stories, or even someone else's detailed descriptions of their soundchecks and daily road routines, but Connelly re-animates this age-old format with wit, conviction, and even healthy doses of humility. Some of the pharmaceutical hijinks are actually laugh-out-loud funny, and there's an exhausting scorecard of such described: even one experience outlined in this book would be a life-defining event that you warn your grandchildren about, for the Revolting Cocks it's just what happened to them on that particular, er, Wednesday evening.
   
   
   Connelly also never lets us forget just how varied the individual personalities were that made up Revolting Cocks and Ministry in their heyday: there's the cool and professional Bill Rieflin and Paul Barker, the belligerent Martin Atkins, the dark and elusive Ogre, and of course the endlessly yelling and exaggerating man-child Jourgensen. Any one of these characters (besides dozens more profiled in this book) could have their own tragicomic book or documentary film, and it's a testament to Connelly's discipline that he doesn't linger on any one person for too long...of course that is my primary complaint about this book, too, that it's just TOO SHORT to perfectly illustrate the epic-scale psychosis and trouble that the RevCo/Ministry axis seems to welcome with open arms. I would welcome at least 50 more pages; while the 'tour' sections are fleshed out admirably enough there seems to be less attention paid to Connelly's actual creative process while writing and recording music. I think he is selling himself short in this regard- the man is an incredible lyricist, and I also would have welcomed some reproduced lyrics from the records in question (although there might be legal hurdles to clear in order to do this).
   
   The Ministry machine was never quite as intriguing without Connelly; perhaps one reason why 'Uncle Al' is hanging up his Stetson hat after one final tour and one last middling album of industrial metal. Do yourself a favor- pass on the ticket for the next Ministry show and buy this instead, it's cheaper AND more inspiring.



4. Chris Connelly (ex-Fini Tribe, Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Pigface, Murder Inc., The Damage Manual) gives a vivid, fascinating behind-the-scenes account of his experiences in the Chicago industrial music scene between the years 1987 - 1995, and his roller coaster relationship with Ministry's Al Jourgensen. For fans of the above-listed bands and anything released on Wax Trax! Records in the late 80's, there is an invaluable amount of information detailing the creation of several songs from The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste, Beers Steers & Queers, Linger Ficken' Good, and more. Chris recounts his relationships on and off the road with a who's who of industrial/alternative musicians, from such bands as Skinny Puppy, Killing Joke, and Cabaret Voltaire.
   
   The book details rampant drug/alcohol abuse on tours and in the studio, wild post-concert parties, damaged relationships, personal tragedies, musical highlights and lowlights, written to make the reader feel like he/she was re-living the whole experience with him. Chris paints a very fair, but disturbing picture of a drug-addicted, out-of-control tyrant in Al Jourgensen, whose unpredictable personality makes for unlimited tension many times throughout the book. The book is not all 'doom and gloom', however, and boasts several funny stories that at times will have you laughing. Chris gives detailed tour journals for Ministry's Mind tour in 89-90 and Psalm 69 tour in '92, the Pigface tours for Gub and Fook in '91/'92, and RevCo's Beers Steers & Queers Tour in 90-91. There are also details from band rehearsals and 'one-off' shows that were performed. Popular Chicago clubs Medusa, Exit, and The Metro/Smart Bar (among others) get plenty of mention.
   
   At 223 pages, it's a fairly quick read. I spent a weekend enjoying this book, and found myself captivated by the seemingly non-stop wild stories, and rewarded with a goldmine of information on Ministry, RevCo, and real life in the Wax Trax circle of musicians. The price listed is a bargain for this book, and I can only hope that other musicians from this circle, such as Paul Barker and Bill Rieflin, someday decide to share their memoirs as well. Highly recommended.

4 comments about Change in the Weather: Life After Stroke.

1. I had a cerebellar stroke in March, which caused this communications major and ex-Micrsoft college recruiter to become a disabled person who couldn't talk --overnight and very unexpectely, just like Mark..Mark's book is a good chronolgy of what that feels like and a good inspiration for recovery as he made a 100% comeback.
   
   While I don't have his connections with Bill Cosby or presidents (and admire his newfound verve to use those contacts to get the word out about stoke), I share and admire his drive to recover - and that of his wife to support him...Stroke is not well known, we hear so often about cancer and heart attacks but it is the number one disabler - 455,000 americans will be struck by it this year, or one every 15 seconds...I had none of the prediposing symptoms (high blood pressure/smoker/family history/overweight) yet I still had a stroke and it has changed my life - just like it changed Mark's life into a recovering disabled person who had to learn to slow down and value a second chance at everything..we did not die and there is a distinct silver lining to stroke, which Mark's upbeat book chronicles...it was an easy read and a good boost...a profile in a different kind of courage for friends, family and Mark himself...Unlike many afflications, you CAN recover from stroke...it takes time and oomph.



2. CHANGE IN THE WEATHER: LIFE AFTER STROKE tells of a news anchorman at the peak of his life - and enjoying it - when he suffered a stroke. Mistreatment and misdiagnosis nearly cost him his life - and this memoir documents these issues, also following his rehabilitation from a massive stroke in which he lost some of his greatest gifts. A powerful account of triumph over harrowing physical issues evolves.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. 
   
   MarkMcEwen has written an excellent book for those who have had a stroke or are caring for someone who has had one. His positive message is one of hope for all.



4. I found Mark's book very informative. I am living with a father that had a stroke last year and it was interesting to compare the stroke and recovery process. The major differences between the stories is that my father is 81 and I found him within five minutes of the stroke so he was able to benefit from the clot busting medication. Many of the rehab exercises for my father are similar to Mark's. Until I read this book I had not been able to get this information from someone that had experienced stroke or was caregiver for a stroke patient. All too often when I spoke to someone that had a loved one suffer a stroke their story usually ended with a death shortly after the stroke. I'm thankful I found him so quickly and that he survived the clot busting medicine. They let you know when you sign the consent that your loved one might not survive it. That is an awesome responsibility for anyone. I've encouraged everyone I know to talk to their loved ones so they will know how you feel should they every have to make that decision for you.

2 comments about Callas Kissed Me...Lenny Too!: A Critic's Memoir.

1. I just finished reading" Callas Kissed Me ...Lenny Did Too, back to back with James Lipton's " Inside Inside" - the Actor's Studio. Both books are about the two authors relationships with very famous people but there is a stark contrast between the strictly name-dropping in Gruen's book and the depth of knowledge and exploration of feelings in Lipton's book.
   gruen's book reads more like a xerox of his calender or engagement book; first I met him and then I met her, etc. In spite of his often-proclaimed devoted to his more famous wife (and frequent financial provider), Gruen never opens the door a crack into what she must have been thinking while he was off seducing and being seduced. The book would also have been more meaningful if Gruen had probed more into the character of the artists whose attention he so avidly sought. Lipton's book is hands down the better read.



2. John Gruen, European refuge, composer, arts critic, husband, father, bi-sexual, has written a very fine and open story of his life. The problem, sometimes, with autobiographies, is that they are often self-serving and concealing, and so end up being dreadfully boring. (See: Clinton, William Jefferson's autobiography). The only other autobiography I can think of that's so revealing was written by Katherine Graham of the Washington Post.
   
   Gruen's book doesn't stint in naming names and, sometimes the actions of these "names". But, there's no meanness in Gruen's writing. I felt that even with those people he clearly didn't like, he was restrained in his comments. He was also "open", in a non-sensational way, about his same-sex experiences.
   
   The book is marvelous reading.

5 comments about Maggie's American Dream: The Life and Times of a Black Family.

1. I read this book for a college class this past semester and was truely amazed at how well this book was written. This book is basically broken down into three parts, all equally intersesting. The first part is based in Maggies story, her life, struggles and amazing accomplishments. The second part is all about the author, James, who is also Maggies son. The story of "Maggie's American Dream" is an excellent representation of a family that went through tough times and prevailed through a combination of church, education as well as being "taught and strongly encouraged to develop the needed social skills and personal controls." Maggie raises her family during a time when it was difficult to be a black person in America. Maggie was ridiculed and pushed away from any opportunities simply because of the color of her skin. Maggie became a wonderful mother, which I feel is the most important part of this story. Her son James tells the stories of how he was raised. These are stories of a mother that attended all sporting events, assisting her children in becoming talented at several different activities ranging from playing the piano to playing sports. Maggie was always there for her family. She taught them right from wrong as well as a strong sense of that "never give up" attitude. These children continue to strive to do their best in anything they did, even during a time when they were held back from doing just that. This is an example of how a family can make it through most adversities as long as they all stick together and work towards their goals and dreams.
   
   Wonderful book Mr. Comer and thank you for opening my eyes to a great story.



2. Comer tells the story of his family by focusing on the remarkable life of his mother, Maggie Comer, whose determination helped her survive poverty and segregation in the South and discrimination in the North to raise of family of successful children. The first half of the book is told in Maggie's own words. The second half is in Comer's. An excellent example of the broader social migration of black families from the South to the North following Reconstruction.



3. I did a research study on American Dream in America during the 20s-30s decade. I've read a lot of books concerning the subject; literary works, forming the main portion of my resources. These ranged from Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatzby' to Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath', from Dreiser's 'An American Tragedy' to Lewis's 'Main Street'. In addition to these quite old literary works, I collected statistical, analytical information about the particular decades, to verify what I've acquired from the novels. It was a hard study, but I managed to write a reasonably concise thesis, with the help of not the sources I listed, but with this book, 'Maggie's American Dream' instead. Why?

   Almost all of the books I've read were productions of imagination. Even Dreiser, who was inspired from a real account, did not stick to facts in his book, but altered them to create a fiction. However, 'Maggie's American Dream' is a true story. It is told from James Comer's point of view, in a very poetical fashion. The second part of the book is his mother's story, which is again expressed by James. The book also contains a nice section of pictures of the Comer family, which are quite interesting after reading about the family.

   James P. Comer had a very hard childhood, as it could be expected during the years of never-ending racism issues. Comer beautifully expresses how they managed to stand tall, and get their share in the competition of living. Mr. Comer is now working as a psychiatrist in New Haven, after having completed his doctoral work in Yale University. It is a dream that is realised, indeed.

   This book will provide you with a lot of insights about the lives of black families, American societal norms, family relations during the 20s and 30s, which you cannot find easily in any other source this clearly and truely.




4. What a wonderful book. Very easy to read with lots of short chapters so that even the busiest of us can get through it quickly. And of course Maggie and her family are so real that you find you can't put the book down...you just have to find out what happens to them all next.
   It's a great story, and worth reading from that angle alone. But all the way through this book also gives you plenty to ponder - whether you are someone with an interest in education (and doesn't that include all parents?), someone who wishes that all people had an equal opportunity to realise their potential, or someone who really wants to know what life is like for others from different backgrounds and countries. The author also inspires us to think about how we can make a difference, in some small way, wherever and whoever we are.



5. This book I have read is the best book I have ever read. It has inspired me by not being mad ever time someone gets in my face and be racis toward me. I really like this aurthor he is a very insperational writter. I would tell everbody who is going through something very hard, reconmemd this book to any and every one