5 comments about Off the Deep End.

1. When I ordered this book, I was expecting sort of a literary reflection on swimming, discussing the experience of endless laps in ponderous prose. Of course, I forgot my experience of champion swimmers (driven, sometimes eccentric, sometimes manic, but not usually introspective). Actually, the book is more like a series of short stories about some interesting events in the course of the author's life over the last few years.
   
   In the course of reading, you get some nice introductions to modern thinking about swimming training and technique and some introductions to personalities in masters swimming and Olympians. Like the author, my only image of Mark Spitz growing up was the golden boy. Quite an eye-opener here!
   
   If you've enjoyed competitive swimming in your own past but have not kept up with the swimming world, I can say with certainty that you will like this book. If you haven't been a swimmer before, you can still enjoy it, as you don't need a lot of technical understanding to follow the stories.
   
   The fact that the book is written for and was released at just the right time to make a financial windfall in case the author qualifies for the 2008 Beijing Olympic trials is a little off-putting, but it doesn't really detract from the quality or the inherent interest of the vignettes.
   
   BTW, my sense is that the reviewer Geezerjock below just skimmed the book and missed the more important stories about the author beating his previous best times set when he was decades younger. In the future, when they have made more anti-aging technological breakthroughs, I think this book will be able to seen as a chronicle of someone living on the cusp of human transformation. The book does not make you cringe at every turn.



2. The book was fun and interesting to read; by the end you feel like W. Hodding Carter is one of your friends or team mates. I would suggest it for any Masters swimmer or for anyone for that matter who is striving for athletic goals against the odds.



3. Author Hodding Carter, sunk in the middle ages, takes up the quixotic quest to regain his old collegiate swimming form and qualify for the 2008 Olympics. To do so, he puts much of his life on hold to chase his dream and regain the speed he had as a collegiate at Kenyon College. This is either an act or audacious bravery or audacious selfishness. With four kids and a working wife, Carter's preoccupation is on none of them but rather on his long-shot quest. He pulls in very little money as a freelance writer but battles with age to regain his swimming form.
   
   In the end, you do not know whether he succeeded or not in qualifying for the Olympic team. (I doubt it...) Viewing his story is like rubbernecking after a car wreck. You don't want to look but you just can't help yourself.
   
   Is he swimming toward the Olympics or simply swimming away from the realization that we get older and certain physical limitations are imposed, limitations that can be minimized and managed but not totally transcended. Is he swimming against the notion of death and seeking some fountain of youth to regain lost youth through swimming? One wit once said, "The older I get, the better I was."
   
   Anyone who has set - or thought about setting - big hairy audacious goals will enjoy Carter's book and the self-revelatory candor that he packs inside. I'm rooting for his wife, his kids and his family. They don't give gold medals for devotion to family, but the achievement doesn't lose its luster.



4. I am a masters swimmer with four kids so I can really relate to him trying to get out of the house on a daily basis to train for the Olympics. I was more interested in the types of training that he was doing to prepare for the trials and less interested in his family problems but it was very enjoyable. I had trouble putting it down.



5. I am a twenty something, professional woman and I have little in common with W. Hodding Carter. Despite this fact, I found Off the Deep End to be charming and inspirational. Although it is no great work of literature, Off the Deep End brings back fond memories of being on a swim team as a kid. I warmly remember the aroma of chlorine and the silky cool water gliding across my skin. Although I didn't have Olympic potential as a kid and I could care less about the Summer Olympics today, I can certainly relate to Carter's desire to beat the odds and make the cut for the Olympics. I am pullin` for ya Hoddo - make your readers proud!

5 comments about A Piece of Cake: A Memoir.

1. This was a good book and some of things that happened to Cupcake just broke my heart. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes as a child or an adult. However, half way through the book I began to get very bored with the drug use that was described. It just seemed as if she was in the same slump for a long time. I got almost to the end and put the book down - I was just tired of it. I would recommend this book because it is truly inspiring. Cupcake came a long way and it is almost unbelievable that she landed on her feet.
   
   ... and I have to agree with some of the other comments. Some of the stuff that Cupcake talked about just didn't seem 100% true.



2. This book could could be categorized as fiction and it still would sell.
   Does it remind you of A Thousand Little Pieces? Yes, too much does not sound believable. Why? She claimed to have lied on her resumes to get hired in law firms and for several office jobs. How did she managed to stay employed as long as she claimed when she came to work high? How did she manage to be competent at work while being high? And no one checked her references and checked out her background? How does she recall so much detail when she was using drugs, pills and alcohol? Her friends she claimed also helped with memories. But many of her friends were getting high with her. The times when she wrote about experiences they were written as if she was alone and she claimed to be high. So, how does she recall so much, while claiming to be so high and no one was with her to recall the incidents as she claimed to remember?



3. This book could have been 120 pages but with all the lies she make it over 400 pages. If you can get this book from the library or a friend please do so. I had to read it for my bookclub but was very disspointed. She repeated a lot of stuff and it was hard to beleive most of it.



4. This book is a great read for anyone who likes memoirs. This book is as good as it gets. Cupcake's struggles through her life will make anyone feel for her. She has a way of telling her stories that just completely draws you in. As soon as I received the book, I picked it up to read a chapter and could NOT put it down! I read the whole thing straight. I put the book down for a moment to take my dog outside and my sister picked it up in that brief time period. When I returned to resume my reading, my sister was already on the fifth chapter and did NOT want to put it down either. She let me continue ONLY on the condition that as soon as I am done that I let her finish. Well, that was easy! I had it for her the next day :) Cupcake is an inspiration and her story makes you feel like if the fact that if she has overcome the obstacles that she had been challenged with, anyone can! The best part is that now she is an prominent lawyer as well as a motivational speaker. You can't get a better deal in my mind. A spell-binding memoir read that you can not stop reading that ends up with such a feel good ending that most tales like this cease to have. I think the title is very clever as well. Anyway, as you can tell I can not say enough good things about this book. After reading it, I wished I had bought it right when it came out when she was on tour for her book signing because she is someone that you makes you wish you had the chance to meet and just talk to even if only for a brief moment! 5 stars!



5. Well, Well, Well, What can I say that other reviews haven't. It's a truly inspirational story and it show that if you have the drive the determination you can get whatever it is you want. I thought the line that was most profound for me " I decided the type of seclusion provided by the dumpster would be an ideal place to get high, especially since no one looks for anyone in the trash" This goes to show you the state of mind she was in but once you get to the end of the book you can see how she brought herself up, and she didn't do it alone... She had so many angels that God sent to watch over her and guide her along the way. Cupcake Brown really got it together, the graduation at the end brought me to tears! It just an amazing story that she lived to tell because it's many places in her life that Cupcake could have died. But, God had a plan for her. If you ever think you can't do anything read this book it will give you hope and guidance.

5 comments about Her Last Death: A Memoir.

1. Reading this book, the story of Susanna's upbringing and early years of marriage and motherhood, was like reading someone's diary. Her Last Death is the intimate purging of an extraordinary life with Mummy--perhaps one of the most unfit and reckless characters ever to raise children. What's remarkable is that Susanna not only lived to tell the tale, but also ultimately seems to have turned out to be quite "normal." She has certainly realized her potential as an educated and talented writer.
   
   It's the good writing that got me through this quick read. It certainly wasn't the subject matter. I kept asking myself, uh--WHY am I reading this? It had a definite Mommie Dearest revenge factor thing going for it, but the author's love for her mother came through as well, as she struggled to find herself while standing in an overwhelming shadow. I think it made me appreciate my own childhood, and marvel at the power we have over our children in mapping out the world for them.
   
   The mother she names "Daphne," (the author makes it clear in the front notes that all names but her own have been changed), is in a word, outrageous. Living a sexy, single-girl life with two baby girls in tow, she consistently puts herself, along with her drug and sex addictions, ahead of the responsibilities of motherhood. From a daughter's eyes, the reader senses Susanna's conflict of love and betrayal as she bestows the horrendous details of her childhood. Namely, her mother's constant offerings of cocaine and alcohol to the adolescent Susanna, parading an endless line of lovers through their apartments and hotel rooms, her need to seduce each and every one of Susanna's friends (particularly the boyfriends), and explaining orgasm and introducing birth control when her daughter was hardly beyond puberty. It made me feel both sick and very sad.
   
   Susanna divulges several of her own poor choices on the way to her life, as well as her initial struggles with motherhood. She may not be the most likable character walking the roads of Montana; however, due to the way she was raised, she has evoked this reader's sympathy. Overall, I found this to be an interesting and unique memoir and would enjoy reading future work by Susanna Sonnenberg.
   
   From the author of The Things I Wish I'd Said.



2. excellent book, keeps you wanting to stay up all night long just to finish it.



3. Pffft! How does this get to be published? Try Walls's Glass Castle or Taylor's Rules for Saying Goodbye for a MUCH better young woman's memoir.



4. This is a great book and I did not want to put it down. The details that she remembers in this book are amazing. It tore at my heart strings as a mother. Highly recommend this book to any mother, or anyone with addiction in their family.



5. ...but not in the way you might think. Unlike some of the other less-than-positive reviews, I'm not offended or shocked by the book, and didn't have any issues with the so-called "morality" of the author's actions. Nevertheless, with every page I turned, I believed more and more that Ms. Sonnenberg is not a nice human being. By about 2/3 of the way through the book, I decided that while her mother was indeed toxic, she herself was much worse, as she went on and on about how awful "mummy" is, while at the same time using people, lying and cheating in the exact same self-absorbed way. I found myself laughing towards the end as I was starting to hope the author would be the "death" mentioned in the title.
   
   Strangely, as the book goes on, she doesn't even elaborate on her mother's antics, but basically uses the structure of "I was wary of meeting with my mother, and I warned my latest boyfriend about her, and then my mother said something very sexually inappropriate to my boyfriend!! Can you believe it, reader??!" Well, yes I can, as she's been doing that through the whole book, and in fact am getting quite bored with the broken record. I also found it a very annoying tic of the author to use the "I've changed all names" approach, but then drop lots of teasing hints as to who the so-called famous people in the book are. She's not shy about bragging that she lived next door to Bob Dylan and Henry Fonda, but then drops all sorts of details about "The Famous Lyricist" who her mother had a fling with. I guess she doesn't want to get sued for an inaccurate portrayal (if not an outright lie).
   
   I also don't understand why many people seem to think this is well written. The sentences are often jagged and can read like a telegram. The flow of the words was a bit limp as well. Everyone was written about so shabbily and dismissively, that at times I was left trying to remember whether "Penelope" or "Daphne" was the mother or daughter. Additionally, her many boyfriends just drop in and out, with very little exposition or closure. Does she like any of these men for other than superficial reasons (i.e. they're good in bed)? Luckily, I got my copy out of the library, so at least I'm not out $20 for this.
   
   On a somewhat more positive note, I will say that the book was interesting, in that I think it's the first time that I've read a book where the characters that I initially viewed as tormentor/victim were completely reversed by the end. It's not exactly the most wonderful kind of "interesting", but it is the only positive thing I can say about the book as a whole.

5 comments about Assisted Loving: True Tales of Double Dating with My Dad.

1. What a fun book!! I loved reading the story of a man's relationship with his father. It's all about love--and pain, and disappointment, and frustration, and everything. Finding love, good, not perfect love is what this book is all about. It's also about hope and never giving up trying to find the "right one." This book will linger in my mind for a good long time.



2. I heard Bob Morris being interviewed on NPR and immediately bought this book. It's an interesting and true story which must have been fun to live through.



3. Others have suggested the title for the beach, I agree. A sweet and poignant story of a familiar theme---a father and son so much alike they get on each other's nerves. Good story, if a little campy---but that's the definition of a good beach book. Recommended.



4. Get past the campy dust cover and you will enjoy a good summer read. Morris takes senior citizen and gay love out of the closet. He shows how all people really want the same things from love. Bob Morris grows up and his dad, Joe, grows younger in this true tale. A delightful book. Take it to the beach.



5. The author, Bob Morris's mother died in 2002 after suffering for ten years with a rare, debilitating blood condition. His Father Joe, is a seventy-nine-year-old retired lawyer and administrative law judge for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. He is also a little too slovenly for Bob's taste. Joe's house has bills, brochures, magazines, and toothpicks everywhere you look, along with rotting food in the refrigerator, and his car is a nuclear waste site, with everything from half-eaten sandwiches, old socks and who knows what else on the seats. Bob still carries inner anguish at the way his Dad would go about his normal life playing tennis, playing bridge, etc., while leaving his two sons with most of the "heavy-lifting" during his Mother's final years of suffering.
   
   About a month after his Mother's passing, Bob and Joe go to visit his Mother's grave. The following single sentence is an absolute literary powerhouse: "WE SHIFT ON OUR FEET, A FATHER AND SON WITH EVERYTHING TO TALK ABOUT AND NOTHING TO SAY TO EACH OTHER." Sometime after, Joe tells his son he wants to start dating again. Bob is incredulous. After fifty years of marriage, with his Mom only gone for a little over a month, his seventy-nine year old Father wants to start dating? This activates and sets in motion all the uneasiness that Bob has internalized about his Father for years. AND THEN... his Dad asks him to help him pick out women. This might be the time to mention to potential readers that Bob is a forty-four-year-old gay man who has never had a successful relationship himself. Bob surmises that his Dad basically wants him to become a pimp for him! The author thinks about his Father to himself: "So how can he just go dismissing all of it now-all of that-after fifty years of marriage? Who knows? But the old man seems to need a mate again, and I guess, now that Mom is gone, the only question at hand is, who would love a poorly dressed, irascible, but sweet and well-meaning suburban Republican like him? I don't know. But I guess I should try to help him out. Because if he's happy, then I don't have to worry about his being lonely, and then I can have some peace and be left alone to my life."
   
   What follows is a touching and humorous journey with a Father and son learning about each other, bothering each other, and periodically surprising each other, with how deeply they truly care about each other, in ways they never thought possible. The search for love ranges from Bob making calls for his Father from personal ads in Jewish magazines to calling people who respond to a newspaper article Bob wrote. This "mission-of-love" engulfs New York, New Jersey and Florida. Periodically Father and Son have debriefings to see if they agree before any hasty decisions are made: "RITA IS A DISAPPOINTMENT TO HIM BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T SMILE ENOUGH. SHE'S NO DINAH SHORE, HE SAYS. IF I CAN'T GET A SMILE OUT OF HER, THERE'S NO POINT IN MOVING FORWARD. SELMA, WHO IS A LITTLE PLUMP FOR HIS TASTE, WANTS TO TALK ABOUT THE KAMA SUTRA AND GET HIM TO TAKE A WORKSHOP IN THE POCONOS. ATTRACTIVE BUT A NUT, A JEWISH SHIRLEY MACLAINE, HE SAYS. LORNA USED TO BE A SOCIALIST. WHEN SHE TOLD ME THAT, I ASKED FOR THE CHECK AND SENT HER HOME."
   
   With the graying of America continuing as "Baby-Boomers" get older, this is a story that should be of interest to more people every day. For those of you who enjoy "FATHER AND SON" stories this is a very unique perspective.

5 comments about It's Only Temporary: The Good News and the Bad News of Being Alive.

1. ....to gain an understanding of what Evan went through. I wrote an extensive review of his first book on Amazon in 1998, and received a lovely email from Mr. Handler thanking him for my kind words. The review was later deleted (not sure why) but I wrote another short one back in 2000 to make up for it. And here is why: it's a phenomenal story about what it is like to be young and on the cusp of success before it is snatched away from you. Make no mistake - this man should be dead. The survival rates for his type of leukemia in the 1980's were dismal at best. His navigation through treatment and all it's emotions is striking, and made this nurse think twice about how healthcare is delivered.
   So what happens when you beat the odds and have to live? You press on. And so he has, and has gained success again in the process - although not nearly what he should have. It should be noted that Evan was on his way to a major acting career when he was young. Matthew Broderick and a host of other young 1980's actors have basically had better careers because he had to drop out of the business for treatment. He should have won his Tony by now...if not his Oscar.
   So - the new book. Of course, it's not about his time on Sex and the City. That's only a small portion of what he's been doing since his recovery. So those looking for some insight into that character should read something else. It's about trying to gain self-identity as something other that a patient. Living a life you weren't expecting to have. It's anecdotal (most good writing is) and funny. The story of selling his engagement ring back to Sotheby's made me cry, because beating cancer doesn't preclude you from failed relationships.
   As a new mom, I love that he has embraced fatherhood - he's lucky he could have kids after all his treatment. And it was nice to catch up with his progress after all these years. I loved it.



2. Getting a catastrophic illness at a young adult age is like an earthquake: its most dramatic and obvious effects are felt during it, but the more subtle, and largely psychological, aftershocks that follow can be just as far-reaching and dramatic. And they often persist for a lifetime.
   
   As a fellow leukemia and bone marrow transplant survivor, I understand the life-questions and dilemmas that confront this author. We surface from the rubble not knowing how to approach falling in love, our professions, our family, marriage, and having kids, among other things. Issues that aren't a big deal to most of our peers become huge, profound, moral, or spiritual as we grapple with our considerably more uncertain futures.
   
   This theme nuances every story, and in instances where it is more obvious, Mr. Handler plays it out with impressive honesty and grace. You won't find behind-the-scenes "Sex and the City' anecdotes here. What you will find -- elegant reflections on finding love, connecting with other people, and investing in one's life in spite of its uncertainties -- is so much better.



3. I read Evan Handler's new book the week it came out (MySpace was abuzz with it's empending release for a while). It was wonderful. I was expecting a self important, "this is me after cancer, pity me!" type of book, but was pleasently surprised. It is full of humorously self depricating, truly hysterical essays that draw you in to the book. They are not presented in a "first this happened and then this happened" progression. Like the author explains in the intro, he wants it to be like getting to know someone, you find out things about them randomly and out of order. My favorite moment in the book was, after describing some truly terrible behavior, Mr Handler reminds the reader that he had had cancer. Sounds odd? You have to read it to fully appreciate why I had to set the book down for a few moments to laugh myself silly. I also had my eyes opened to the fact that Americans have dirty butts. We do, and the authors wife knows this. I haven't been the same since! Mr Handler is a remarkable writer and this book shows off his talents beautifully. I was drawn into his mind and was pleased with what was presented to me there. Honest, raw emotions and dark humor. Each essay brings you further to what I see as his point: Life is not easy, even if you're supposed to appreciate it a little more than others. I firmly suggest anyone read this book. It is like talking to a really good friend you haven't seen in years. Catching up on all you've missed. Being entertained by his self expression. This book is worth the price and then some. Read it!! You'll thank me!



4. I read Time on Fire when a colleague was dying of lymphoma. I found the book extraordinary, and it hit me hard--and the situation, and especially his anger, though frightening, were riveting.. Sadly, this new book is anything but on fire--it's boring as he goes from relationship to relationship. I liked him better when he was angry--he had more interesting things to say. Yet I'm glad he has survived, thrived, and is finally happy.



5. I must have enjoyed this book because I picked it back up every moment I could until I finished it. It is very disjointed, not an autobiography as much as a series of personal, very introspective essays, mostly about dating and why he couldn't make any relationships work. Then pow, he meets this Italian woman and it's instant. Then there's an abortion. I don't like abortions under any circumstances, so this put me off at the end. It doesn't talk about acting as much as I would have hoped. He has very little...in fact, nothing...to say about the acting process or his roles. He mentions Harry Goldblatt from Sex and the City only because it was his breakthrough role that made him experience fame for the first time, and it happened about the same time he met his wife. I look forward to finding his leukemia survival book at a discount and reading that now.

5 comments about Anything Goes.

1. When I first read others' comments about this book (as I waited...and waited...and waited for Amazon to send it) I just figured the negative ones came from a bunch of John and/or gay haters. I now have to concede that they had some valid points. At times, I wonder if the John I've seen in interviews is the same guy as the one in this book! I'd already listened to the audio version, and there were times when he came off as a bit of a d*** in it, but hearing the anecdotes in his own voice softened the bite. In print, he does not come off well. He comes off as a brat. Where's the guy who helped those two ladies after one of his shows? (A cute anecdote about some fans who were stranded after a thief nabbed a purse.) Where's the guy who got so irritated at the protesters at London Pride that he told the crowd that "THEY'RE the ones who need saving, not me"? THAT man has more passion and integrity than the one I've seen so far here. Save your money - watch and buy some Torchwood and Who instead. And watch his interview from Heaven and Earth. I think you'll see Another - and better - Side of John.
   All that said, some of the photos are absolutely gorgeous!!!!!!!!!



2. I am a huge fan of Torchwood and John Barrowman (discovered both recently)and was waiting eagerly for this book to learn more about him and his life. But I'm sorry to say this highly anticipated book was a disappointment -- the incidents portrayed are so arbitrary and without depth. I get no sense of his deepest feelings, fears, dreams. Has his whole life been wonderful, or did he and sister just decide to stress the positive and funny things? What was it like when he first came to NY? How did he survive the bad times or were they all good? What about some REAL gossip? What's the real scoop on the Will and Grace audition?
   
   I remember reading Tennessee Williams' autobiography and Christopher Isherwood's Christopher and His Kind and wondering how such great writers could write such juvenile autobiographies, but at least it showed them flaws and all including a lot of sordid sexual encounters.
   
   This is probably written mostly by Carole Barrowman and is too slick and surface like a magazine article. Yes there are a some well-adjusted positive totally happy people in the world (none of them live in NYC I suspect) I'm sure he's a good natured "bloke" but no one's life is that smooth. It makes for superficial reading. The pictures are great!
   
   Bess in the Big Apple



3. john talks about the love he has for his partner Scott, family, and all of humanity it is funny and sad at times. all in all well worth the read feel rather sorry for some of these reviewers.



4. A FANTASTICALLY fun read! It would be worth it for the hilarious footnotes and pictures alone, but his stories of a life well lived are what make you want to hear more. I highly recommend the audiobook as well, even though it is abridged. After hearing him tell his own story, it just makes the unabriged book that much more enjoyable!
   
   Yes, Mr. Barrowman has an ego, and rightfully so. Why shouldn't he? He won the gene pool lottery hands down! He's an exceptional entertainer, which by definition requires a larger than life personality and he's boldly breaking all the stereotypes. The whole point of an autobiography is to give the reader the unvarnished truth and this book accomplishes that with great warmth and humor.
   
   Like he says. . . his ending is not yet written. I'm most definitely staying in my seat for the second act!



5. This autobiography makes him appear trite, petty and self-obsessed. Too bad since he's an enjoyable performer. Maybe that's all there is. By the end of the book, I thought, "Who cares?"

5 comments about Girl, Interrupted.

1. "Girl, Interrupted", probably known better by the film adaptation, is a memoir of a woman recounting the two years she spent in a mental institution in the 1960s when she was a teenager. Some liken it to a "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" but from a woman's perspective. But this analogy doesn't work for me. Firstly, the institution in question is not some barbaric hell hole. While decidedly not a country club, it is an institution for the mentally disturbed with lots of financial backing. Secondly, "Girl, Interrupted" is a memoir, not a novel. The author recounts everything from her perspective, and therefore delves heavily into introspection ... perhaps a bit too much. Ultimately all the self-analysis, especially when taken from the longer view many years after leaving the institution, grows tiresome. In the end I really didn't know if the author deserved to be institutionalized and, sadly, I sort of didn't care. Royalties from this book and the film probably helped ease the rotten memories of her lost two teenage years.
   
   
   Bottom line: while very readable and often thought-provoking, I think this book might be of most interest to those involved/interested in psychiatric care.



2. A great read! "Girl, Interrupted" is not one of those wildly popular memoirs on mental illness in which the author exposes his/her most intimate feelings and sufferings. I think a lot of the people who reviewed this book and disliked it were expecting a heart-breaking memoir on how a person feels when she's "insane". Instead, I got the impression that the author was poking fun at the ridiculousness of some of the procedures in the Mental Health field, how a lot of people were (and still are) diagnosed with a mental illness more readily if they were women, and how psychiatric hospitals are so very regimented that they stop making sense. Susanna Kaysen criticizes a growing obsession with sanity and insanity, in a nation where pills are giving freely and "defects of character" are quickly diagnosed as "personality disorders".



3. Girl, Interrupted is a pretty basic book. The author did not delve too deeply into her own depression or accompanying emotions. The writing seemed very basic, and it did not force me to think. I think that the author left a lot of things out-too many things out. I loved the movie, though.



4. This memoir, I must admit is quite a boring read. I watched the movie first, which some say is a travesty, but honestly, I believe if I had read the book first, I would not have wanted to watch the movie. The book is dull and lifeless and jumps around too much.
   
   Although, this is a mimick of the illness she faced during her stay, it can be annoying to the reader. There is no indication of how close she was to any of the girls she befriended during her stay, although at the end you witness some closeness between Susanna and one of the girls that managed to get out, there is not a powerful pull here.
   
   This is not a very englightening read. I suggest you skip reading this book and read something like Prozac Nation instead. Or, just watch the movie for this book, it's definitely better even if the events are not true.



5. I don't knwo what all the fuss is about this book. I read it as an assignment and forced myself to finish it despite the overwhelming dullness present in this book. Funny parts? One. Cruelty the author is subject to? being forced to take pills. Maybe this book would be more interesting to a psychology student or such, but to an average reader it's a 160 page essay on mental illness. Boring, overinflated and melodramatic was how this book came through to me.

5 comments about My Family and Other Animals.

1. All of Gerald Durell's writings are terrific, but the ones about his family are truly laugh-out-loud wonderful! This is a book I have enjoyed over and over, and have given as a gift many times.



2. Ever wonder what kind of person takes such an interest in every form of flora or fauna there is? One who is hyperobservant, apparently. And when Gerald Durrell turns that eye on the eccentric characters in his family and around him on the island of Corfu, you'll absolutely love reading his words.



3. This book, ironically, was on one of those horrible "summer reading" lists so many of us are forced to do in high school. It's the only one I was ever forced to read that I truly, genuinely loved. I laughed out loud literally every two or three pages, and though I have no natural interest in animals (especially insects), Durell makes his descriptions of the nature on Corfu as gripping and as touching as his descriptions of his family.
   
   It's been ten years since I first read this book, and when I get together with my old friends, we STILL argue about our favorite scenes, the best character, the most troublesome pet. This is a book you won't be able to put down the first time you read it, and will want to re-read the moment you finish it.



4. Not many adults ever reminisce about their childhood dreams. Those who do, generally label these as wishful thinking and sigh them away. Rarer are those who live lives of fulfilled dreams. Gerald Durrell, an eminent author, naturalist and expeditionist, was one of those uncommon individuals whose life's entirety was one long childhood dream come true. "My Family & Other Animals" is his most famous work, and is the first of his Corfu Trilogy.
   
   The kid Gerald Durrell, or Gerry, was eight years old when his family moved from England to the Greek island of Corfu. Through the eyes of the young, fauna-loving and ever-inquisitive Gerry, Corfu seems to be the strangest place on Earth, and all humans, whether inhabitants of Corfu or not, appear to be strange people. The book describes Gerry's meticulous observations and detailed experiences in Corfu amongst dogs, cats, toads, snakes, scorpions, owls, magpies, gulls and other creatures he keeps as pets in his house, and his family members who are bemused as well as troubled by Gerry's love for these animals and insects. Young Gerry's mother and siblings stay engrossed in their own worlds, leaving Gerry alone to spend his days as he wishes, free from burdens such as going to school and being nagged by elders. Thus begins Gerry's exploration of Corfu, starting with the garden in his villa, and eventually his domain of knowledge crosses over to the neighboring islands.
   
   The book will make you roar with laughter right from the preface itself. Descriptions of animals are unconventionally funny. Humans also are not spared. Imagine an entire family changing residence from one villa to another, just because one of them foolishly invited his friends so many that they would not fit in the current villa. After animals and humans, the third elaborately portrayed element is nature. Detailed descriptions of fig trees and setting suns create a Wordsworthian aura. Once Gerry sets on describing some of these, he can be drawn back only by some exquisitely crafted squirrel or a raucously howling dog.
   
   The best way to savor the book is to read it over several sittings, by allowing the excessive laughter to brighten many a dull day. An enlightening perspective of the work can be seen through Gerry's eyes. Animals, unlike humans, know exactly what they want. They are easier to please and easier to be understood. Most importantly, animals are easily befriended and are almost always loyal. When the book ends, it feels as if an intimate and jocular friend has left you forever.
   
   "My Family & Other Animals" is a beautiful comedy, and is highly recommendable for reading by people of all ages.
   
   http://readsafe.blogspot.com



5. This book is very funny and enjoyable. It tells of the author's years as a boy spent on the Greek island Corfu. I love the stories of his adventures raising and studying the wildlife on the island. It is also funny because he recounts tales of his strange family. At some parts I found myself laughing out loud. You should read this book along with Birds, Beasts, and Other Relatives.

5 comments about Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.

1. I loved Persepolis, so when I realized there was a Persepolis 2, I quickly bought a used copy from Amazon. When I received it, I was very disappointed to learn that I had already read it! Although my first book was entitled Persepolis, it contained both stories. Check your copy of Persepolis before you buy the sequel; you may have read it!



2. The first novel in this series succeeded because its childlike graphics and gee-whiz storytelling matched perfectly with this subject matter. We could imagine the infant/child author telling her story in exactly these terms.
   This sequel fails because the issues of growing up and dealing with the disillusionment with one's own culture are much more subtle. The story and the graphics remind us constantly of the nuances that are left out, of the issues of women's rights and humanity that are sentimentalized, of the real conflicts that this child/woman is undergoing that are completely unexplored.
   There are a few quibbles to be explored: the view of vienna is odd and the little vignette of the narrator peeing standing up seems forced. But most importantly, the mismatch between the story and the way in which it is told ends up making for a read that turns boring quickly.



3. I call myself a history buff but in reality I really only know American history with a little knowledge of King Henry VIII. I was 18 when Iranian crisis started. This book gave me a better insight to the overall issues behind this area than any other reading I had done, which I admit is not vast. The difference here was this book laid things out in such an engaging way I was totally engrossed. The author was both straight foward and insightful, along with quite humorous.



4. This is the only book that I have manged to read the entire of it in one day!
   It is a comic book, supper easy read and very educational in terms of knowing different culture.
   I like Persepolis 2 better than 1.
   U may wanna watch the movie, as well. It won and nominated for many awards in 2007.



5. A strong sequel to Satrapi's original autobiography, Persepolis, also told in graphic novel format. In part 2, Satrapi relates her time in Vienna and her return to Iran. She grows up, in short, and grapples with her exile, her nationality and universal coming-of-age struggles -- from experimenting with drugs, to finding love. As in the first novel, Satrapi's black-and-white illustrations contrast with the multi-hued complexity of the political and religious backdrop of Iranian culture.

5 comments about The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood.

1. You know, as one escalates in age, but in particularly, in maturity with a little dose of wisdom and a touch of discernment, you begin to look at your parents as multi dimensional people. You realize, no they were not put on this earth to make your life miserable and without even consciously realizing it, the life lessons they taught you, the pitfalls they tried to keep you from falling into, become your reality. Ta-Nehisi Coates has penned a memoir for the hip hop( the ORIGINAL hip hop) generation. What I appreciated about Mr. Coates recollection of his childhood and coming of age tale was the fact that he didn't try to explain, defend or deny his father. He simply opened the door to the portals of ones mind, so that we can see the trials and triumphs of an american family. I appreciate Mr. Coates forth rightness about his father's inability to me faithful to any one woman, and how that may or may not have affected him. One of the most humorous passages of the book is when the elder Coates has enlisted Ta-Nehisi to go through the labyrinth of books and pamphlets in the garage and he proceeds to write line by line what Ta-Nehisi did or didn't do even down to Ta-Nehisi playing with his younger brother! That was classic! A heart wrenching passage is when the younger Mr. Coates shares with the reader his fathers utter disappointment and advising him of how he has shamed the Coates name. I will never forget, Ta-Nehisi advising the reader that no matter what you have heard about black men/boys, they do not want to fail or be deemed as a failure. This to me is one of the best memoirs for our generation and generations to come. I look forward to hearing more from this man.



2. While the author is a talented writer -- and his blog is a must read daily -- his total lack of personal insight mars an interesting story. Much of his life with his father is not amusing, but abusive, and it is shocking how much Mr. Coates does not see this. It is to be appreciated that he does see the contradictions within his father (a man who is known in Baltimore to be a total rip-off artist for writers wishing to self-publish), but a reader is left wondering if he ever got the point. Instead, one could see his son repeating many of the father's mistakes. Isn't the point of a memoir to show personal growth?



3. I've never read a memoir quite like this one. Ta-Nehisi talks about his parents' patented "look of Not Playing" and calls the bullies from rival neighborhoods "orcs," immediately evoking faceless, hooded menaces, as chilling on the page as they likely were as he tried to outrun them, growing up. He calls Howard University "Mecca." Street smarts are The Knowledge. Tribal rites of passage you usually only read about in books on African History or see on documentaries take place on the streets DC and Northern Virginia.
   
   The Beautiful Struggle is like an urban Pilgrim's Progress, a hip-hop infused allegory about how to survive Baltimorean boyhood, about how to overcome academic mediocrity, about how to stop acting as your own eclipse and finding some way--any way--to shine.
   
   It feels nonlinear and random at turns, but even at its most tangential, it holds your attention and nearly every page contains a sentence so lush or confessional you can't help but envy its construction.
   
   Dude's the real deal. Read it.



4. Ta-Nehisi Coates introduces readers to a new and intriguing coming-of-age story, The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and An Unlikely Road to Manhood that takes place in Baltimore during the height of the Hip-Hop and Drug era. Paul Coates was a Vietnam Veteran who returned to the chaotic streets of Baltimore and became a leader in the city's Black Panther Party. Armed with determination, Paul Coates was a disciplinarian that strived for success and knowledge. Ta-Nehisi discusses his father's emphasis on knowledge and understanding your history in order to succeed. Ta-Nehisi admits to struggling in school as he attempted to find his way; yet he maintained the teachings of his father. He also discusses the path chosen by an older brother that teetered on self-destruction and then recovery.
   
   Paul Coates' story is very refreshing. It is not the story of a former Black Panther but of a father's determination to raise his sons. Armed with knowledge, consciousness, common sense and self-worth, Ta-Nehisi Coates tells of his failures and triumphs into man-hood that were guided by his father and aided by his mother and teachers. Though his father was strict, you could feel the love in all of his actions. Ta-Nehisi Coates' writing style is simplistic and engaging. Each page encourages you to continue to the next. Everyone that reads it will appreciate this story but it is especially recommended for young men and those raising young men.
   
   Reviewed by: Priscilla C. Johnson
   APOOO BookClub



5. This is a very good book. This young man is an awesome writer. As a person who loves books and good stories by African American authors, I was very pleased with this book and highly recommend it. The title is very appropriate.