5 comments about Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography (with CD).

1. MILES GONE BY is a compilation of William F. Buckley essays, columns and anecdotes which tell the story of his life. His writings are so prolific that the better parts of his life had already been chronicled, by himself no less, prior to his death.
   
   I began reading National Review in 1978 as a young liberal college student. Buckley was my cure for liberalism along with the practical demise of liberal theology under Carter. He was also a mentor and hero, of sorts, as the Reagan Era was ushered in and the world changed. I dug deep into Buckley's lore reading the Blackford Oakes novels, his journal at the United Nations, and his sailboat chronicles (AirBorne and Racing Through Paradise).
   
   WFB was a classic conservative voice at a time when conservatism had few national voices. Goldwater, Reagan, Milton Friedman, Gingrich and others would emerge as leaders but Buckley was always the apologist for the right. His bully pulpits were the National Review and Firing Line television program. At times I wondered if he befriended people like John Kenneth Galbraith to keep them busy while conservatives were busily furthering their agenda.
   
   Besides being the voice and conscience of the conservative movement in America, Buckley will be remembered for his civility. He was a gifted host and debater who confronted and entreated opponents with grace, tact, and utmost civility. He raised the national debate to a higher level of discourse.
   
   America is poorer for his passing.



2. When I was a kid, William F Buckley was a hero of my weekend TV, always the wordsmith, always clear, learned, and completely vicious in his rhetoric. This book compiles (mostly short) writings on a variety of topics, many quite personal, that show a loving son/husband/father, a wine aficionado, and a very warm human being. The writing is great: it is a joy to see those un-split infinitives, those real latin-rooted words, those well-crafted sentences. What comes across is a genuine man, one of towering intellectual power, who also worried about what his dad would do when he found out that he had bought a plane at college. If for no other reason, buy this book to enjoy (and inspire) great writing.
   By the way, I do not agree with him on any topic, perhaps excepting wine (buy cheaply, drink with friends).



3. William F. Buckley Jr. is now in his 80's and visibly winding up his affairs of this world. National Review, the magazine of conservative opinion that he founded and led for half a century, has been turned over to newer hands. Blackford Oakes, hero of a series of spy novels, has been heroically killed off. His production of public commentary is down to a few columns per month. 2004's "Miles Gone By", subtitled "a literary autobriography", is of a piece with this process. It is a collection of essays from his writing lifetime, with items about his childhood, his education at Yale, his time in the Army, his adventures as a sailor, portraits of colleagues and friends, and a sampling of other topics.
   
   Buckley has lived a fairly public life as an advocate for the Conservative point of view. "Miles Gone By" may therefore have no surprises for any future biographer. What the reader does find is William F. Buckley Jr at his finest, an educated and often witty observer of his world, pondering the moment and its meaning, finding delight in the skillful use of the English language. Also on display is Buckley's irreverance for the stuffy and the unsound. Highlights include a thoughtful essay on the 50th reunion of his Yale Class, a rueful account of an extended rail trip through Siberia, and brief sketches of his friendships with David Niven and Whittaker Chambers. An extended piece on "God and Man at Yale" recalls the book that started it all.
   
   This book is highly recommended to fans of Mr. Buckley, who will enjoy this fine sampling of his work, perhaps the last to be put out by his own hand.



4. Miles Gone By is an account of the life of William Buckley, whom many see as a conservative icon. Buckley shares many facets of his interesting life, particularly the following:
   
   1. Early childhood and close-knit family (I believe he was one of 10 children).
   2. Memories of his father and mother both of who he loved dearly.
   3. His years at Yale University and how the liberal bias drove him to write his book "God and Man at Yale".
   4. Memories of the 1950 class at Yale.
   5. His deep sea expedition to see the wreck of the Titanic.
   6. His sailing and skiing trips with various celebrities.
   7. Starting the National Review.
   8. Relationships with 10 special people of various backgrounds and poltical persuasions (David Niven, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, Tom Wolfe, Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Moore, Alistair Cooke, Princess Grace, and John Kenneth Galbraith). I particularly enjoyed this section.
   
   The areas mentioned above are just a few mentioned. While Buckley undeniably comes from a rather refined background, his writing style is not arrogant. Indeed, he often thanks his Creator for the life he has lived and gives credit to other people when due.
   
   Read and enjoy the book and learn more about one of our country's great conservative icons. Recommended.



5. "Miles Gone By" seems to be a near complete biography and one that allows the reader to see how the puzzle fits together. It would be easy to overlook the uniqueness of this life by labeling the author as mostly reflecting a political point of view. He has shown in many of his other books his diversity of interests and his ability to inform his readers about activities and the events taking place in the world at the same time. I remember in his book "Racing Through Paradise how much I learned about sailing and how interesting it was to consider his political points of view presented as a part of each days activities. Miles Gone By seems to show the many sides and interests of his life as pieces of puzzle that reveal more of who he really is. The story is not in his point of view but is more so in whom he really is.
   
   A favorite chapter (2) was "God and Man at Yale" which was about his first book. I like to underline in red what stands out as I read and this chapter is mostly "red" in my book. In 1950 it was controversial to defend individualism, religion and capitalism. His education seemed to be, somewhat like his early life, one full of advantage and opportunity. Considering that it was even more of a surprise when he questioned the very mission of the institution he had been privileged to attend. He replied to his critics saying "a very recent graduate is not only supremely qualified, but uniquely qualified, to write about the ideological impact of an education he has experienced."
   
   Later in the book he says that as a senior citizen his faith has never left him. Through out his life we find in this biography that he has held tight to his religious convictions. Considering the years his life has spanned in the political arena this willingness to proclaim his own faith is made even clearer in this book.
   
   Both Buckley and Nixon have written about world leaders in a way that really adds to ones understanding of events. In many of Nixon's books those insights, even though insightful, seemed stand-alone. In this book many of the chapters deal with relationships but instead of standing alone as a subject for consideration they validate the unique impact that Buckley has had thorough out his life. This book will show you a very very interesting man.

5 comments about Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora.

1. Andrew Lam writes with such great passion and sensitivity that one becomes totally absorbed in his essays that are in his award winning book "Perfume Dreams". Truly a gifted effort that delivers a literary image of what it feels like to be a Vietnamese-American immigrant. His essays are like a coming of age story with so much more depth than most you read today. This book is amazing and inspiring--it will leave you in an emotional state long after you put the book down.
   
   The author writes about his culture and his struggles for identity. He has roots in two countries not only physically but also spiritually and emotionally as well. His observations, along with his reactions, thoughts and his musings about life and other people are both insightful and entertaining; his essays are important chronicles. The book can be read in an afternoon but it may take a lifetime to fully appreciate what the author has lived and written about.
   
   The book is worthy of your time to its read. I give this book my fullest personal recommendation. This book is a FIVE STAR BOOK!



2. The telling of this most personal journey avoids any and all hyperbole or belittling. Boldly Andrew Lam presents the opportunities found by the exile who chooses to leave his homeland as well as the demanding adjustments he must undergo if he is to succeed in his adopted country.
   
   Back in Vietnam he is viewed as one who is exceptional, a person who has achieved the highest level of sucess. Those opportunites, he finds, do not exist in fact or spirit in his native land.



3. 
   Perfume Dreams is a must read book for all Vietnamese Americans. Andrew is a gifted writer, a gate keeper / history teller for Vietnamese American who are living in America. He has never lost his touch with his root.
   
   The Perfum Dreams touches all sides of experiences the Vietnamese refugees and immigrants. The "haves and not haves, the fortunate and unfortunate" lives of Vietnamese-Americans.
   
   I am looking forward for more of his future books. We should all feel proud to have someone like Andrew to keep us in touch with ourselves and remind us of the challenges in living in America.



4. Andrew Lam has been writing about the Vietnamese diaspora longer than anyone I know. Since the early 1990s his works have appeared in national publications. "Perfume Dreams" is the amalgamation of his perspectives, ones that many of us former refugees can relate in our own lives. I had the pleasure of taking part in book events in NYC and LA with Andrew. In a way we've come full circle since our last elementary school day in Saigon when a defecting South Vietnamese jet bombed the Presidential Palace a few hundred meters across the street. Pick up this must-have book to better understand the Vietnamese identity in America.



5. As I read this collection of essays, I almost felt as if it were my own memoir. Lam's feelings of growing up in two different cultures struck a cord in me and made me realize that someone else out there felt the same way I did growing up in America.
   
   This is an important piece of literature because it truly captures the sentiment of the Vietnamese-American torn between two cultures, betweeen the contemporary and the traditional, between two separate generations, between war and peace.
   
   For anyone who grew up feeling not really accepted by either your heritage culture or the current one, this is the book for you. Lam truly captures the Vietnamese-American experience and I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda.

1. I spent four years in Rwanda, at Mudende, less than 1/2 a mile down the road from where Roz Carr lived. My wife and I got to know her quite well. This book brought back a lot of memories. She was as good a hostess as she is a story teller. Her love of the country and its people truly come through in this book. She also paints a vivid picture of life there. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read about winners and survivors.



2. A fascinating read and historical insight into Rwanda and it's neighbours. Ros Carr's fortitude and life described in the book was truly inspiring. To start up an orphanage in one's 80's is amazing. If visiting Rwanda a visit to her loved home and orphanage 'Mugongo' makes this book come alive. Great to see her good work continuing since her passing.



3. I chose this book to learn more about Rwanda and it's history. I learned alot in addition to the account of the author's life there. Even though we hear negatives about many places- it was nice to see both sides for a change. I think the more we learn about other countries and their history a better understanding we will have of the people.
   
   I plan to do more reading in this area.



4. Land of A Thousand Hills is an autobiography by Rosamond Halsey Carr. She lived in Rwanda from 1949 until her death in 2006. Originally the owner of a flower plantation, she went on at 82 to open an orphanage for children left parentless during the Hutu-Tutsi genocide.
   
   I had higher hopes for this book. Which isn't to say that Land of a Thousand Hills is a bad book. It isn't. It is certainly interesting biographically. Carr was a fascinating woman. The sheer strength of her decision to stay in Africa after the collapse of her marriage in order to run a flower plantation on her own is really impressive-- more so considering the time. At 82, I hope that I'm the kind of woman who will return to a war zone to start an orphanage. It was also fascinating to read her stories about Dian Fossey. Carr certainly knew some very interesting people.
   
   I suppose that I was mostly disappointed because I expected it to say more about Rwanda as a country. Given her obvious personal strength, I expected her to be a more unbiased observer. She clearly was not that, and to her credit I guess that she never pretended to be. I didn't feel as though I learned much about the politics of the time that she lived through. Worse, I didn't really feel that I trusted much of what I did learn.
   
   One exception to this is that so few people are willing to write about the Tutsi at all critically, following the genocide. Carr actually builds a hesitant case for the defense without excusing Huti excesses, something that probably took a fair amount of personal courage. That was interesting.
   
   The book is not terribly well written, although the prose is generally clean. They may have done better to have it co-written by someone with better credentials than being a relative of the primary author.
   
   If you have some time to spare, and are interested in the fading days of European empire in Africa, you may well find this a good use of time. But walk, don't run, to the book store.



5. I always read everything I can get my hands on about Africa, having had the luxury of visiting Kenya & Tanzania a few years ago. Once you visit, you'll always want to return, even if it is only through the eyes of others. This book is at the top of my list, along with Mark Ross' "Dangerous Beauty." I commend Ann Howard Halsey for helping her aunt write this story about life in Rwanda. What a treasure! With all the material things Ms. Carr lost during the tragic events of the genocide (and all the people she loved who were killed by senseless murders), happily, Rosamond Halsey Carr's heroic story will last forever! This book reads "like butter!"--beautifully written, yet deep and provocative; never boring. I only wish I could have known Ms. Carr and seen the beauty of her adopted country that she saw for over 50 years!! (I would have a thousand questions to ask her, too.) What a horrific, under publicized period of history she lived through (and miraculously lived to tell the story). Most of the book is of the 40-50 years she spent in Rwanda which lead up to the events of the genocide--there are plenty of happy times, but it wasn't an easy life. I enjoyed Carr's stories about her friend Dian Fosse, too--she didn't romanticize the truth! The authors do a great job explaining the politics and culture of the country as well. Bravo! This book is worth the read!

5 comments about Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson.

1. I've long had a theory that the most effective pastors are ones we'll never hear anything about. It's hard to believe this in a day of celebrity pastors and megachurch conferences, but our values are so far out of line with God's that I'm sure we'll be surprised one day at how God's estimation of things is different from ours.
   
   Chances are that you've never heard of Tom Carson. He was an ordinary pastor who gained respect but never rose to prominence. He planted a church in Quebec when this was no small feat. He eventually left the church when he was not seeing the conversions that he had hoped for, and he finished his working life as a civil servant and a tent-making pastor. Throughout his ministry he struggled with a sense of inadequacy, no doubt in part because he was just an ordinary pastor. I'm sure there many pastors who can relate.
   
   If Carson's son, noted New Testament scholar D.A. Carson, had not written this book, we probably never would have heard of Tom Carson's life, or benefited from his story. But I'm thankful that he did. Any pastor who feels ordinary, and who sometimes feels discouraged - and that's pretty much every pastor - could benefit from reading this book.
   
   Memoirs helped me see the beauty of ordinary pastoral ministry as I observed it in Tom Carson's life. I was inspired by his example of faithfulness, integrity, and humility, especially when lesser men would have compromised. I recognized some of my struggles in his life. I was frustrated to see Tom Carson get discouraged when he probably did a better job in many areas than I'll ever do. The book helps us understand how the Gospel can help the pastor deal with discouragement in ministry.
   
   D.A. Carson has managed to write an account of his father's life that is neither hagiography nor a tell-all memoir. The book concludes:
   
   "Tom Carson never rose very far in denominational structures, but hundreds of people...testify how much he loved them. He never wrote a book, but he loved the book. He was never wealthy or powerful, but he kept growing as a Christian: yesterday's grace was never enough. He was not a far-sighted visionary, but he looked forward to eternity..."
   
   "When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television...But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man - he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor - but because he was a forgiven man."
   
   May God raise up more ordinary pastors like Tom Carson.



2. very humbling, very encouraging, very challenging to see the way Tom lived despite the hardships difficulty in spreading God'sword. He is faithful and loving, generous, just like Jesus. Read it if ur'e a christian!



3. You don't have to be a pastor to profoundly benefit from Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson, a moving biographical account written by Pastor Carson's son, eminent author Dr. D.A. Carson. This is a simply an outstanding book for any Christian who wants to fight sin, grow in grace, and be faithful until the end. I read it straight through, and was quite moved.
   
   Dr. Carson writes poignantly about his father, Tom Carson, who spent much of his life in pastoral ministry in small churches. Tom Carson never wrote a book and was never a sought-after conference speaker, but he was a faithful, consistent, Christian man. Though imperfect, Mr. Carson was an overwhelmingly godly example to his children, leading them in both family worship and by his own exemplification of Christian virtues. He faithfully prayed for and loved his congregation, and sought to redeem every relationship for good.
   
   The book begins with a brief history of Canada, to give the reader some perspective as to where Tom Carson ministered. Interesting historical details are given as to how Canada viewed and was impacted by the American War for Independence. Carson gives emphasis to language issues; much of the Quebec area (where Carson's life centered) was predominantly French speaking. This would become an issue in Mr. Carson's ministry because the congregation he served was bi-lingual, and toward the end of Carson's life most churches were bifurcating into English-speaking and French-speaking congregations. Chapter 2 walks us through Carson's early years. He was soundly converted in high school through the influence of a godly mother. Carson's father, however, was not a Christian until the last few years of his life--long enough, however, for Don Carson (a grandson) to discern the difference conversion makes in an older man's life. [An application: Don't stop praying for your unconverted father.]
   
   The next few chapters walk us through some of the difficulties of Mr. Carson's ministry. He occasionally received unfair treatment from denominational leaders, but never returned evil for evil. The book quotes at length from Mr. Carson's journals and we're given access to how he led his family. Mr. Carson's story motivates me greatly to authentically live the Christian faith before my wife and children. It also motivates me to want to suffer well and work vigorously for the Audience that truly matters. Mr. Carson, even to the very end of his life, was one who redeemed his time. His journals document that he was up early for intimate prayer and devotional reflection in the Word, and then sought to be fruitful in study as well as in visitation with his parishioners. He also did not neglect to pursue healthy relationships with his children (e.g., encouraging Don in his sports and his studies).
   
   Mr. Carson died well, three years after his wife Margaret succumbed to a painful, extended season of Alzheimer's disease. Mr. Carson's final suffering was relatively brief, a persistent cough, then a fever. A month later he breathed his last. The last two paragraphs of the book are particularly moving--but read this 148-page book straight through -- regardless of your calling, you will be blessed:
   
   "When he died, there were no crowds outside the hospital, no editorial comments in the papers, no announcements on television, no mention in Parliament, no attention paid by the nation. In his hospital room there was no one by his bedside. There was only the quiet hiss of oxygen, vainly venting because he had stopped breathing and would never need it again.
   
   But on the other side all the trumpets sounded. Dad won entrance to the only throne room that matters, not because he was a good man or a great man--he was, after all, a most ordinary pastor--but because he was a forgiven man. And he heard the voice of him whom he longed to hear saying, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your Lord.'"



4. In Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor, New Testament scholar D.A. Carson says his book is "a modest attempt to let the voice and ministry of one ordinary pastor be heard, for such servants have much to teach us."
   
   He has succeeded in his purpose. This little book, obviously a labor of love, is a jewel. This account was pieced together using excerpts from his father's journals, the author's own memory, and recollections from friends and family. Carson follows the career of his father as he served as a pioneer Baptist church planter in French Canada from the 1930s until his death in 1992.
   
   There were a few times I felt slightly bogged down in all the backstory. A good portion of his father's life and career was affected by things that happened in his denomination during that time. Explaining these things was essential to understanding the rest of his father's career. They couldn't have been left out.
   
   Church politics, whether it's denominational or just in the local church itself, are part of life (a sad part of life that reflects our sinful natures, but part of life nonetheless). I doubt there is a pastor alive whose life hasn't been affected by these things. To leave them out would leave the story incomplete.
   
   This is a wonderful biography that can edify any Christian who is occasionally discouraged by the ordinariness of his or her life. There are plenty of books about people who thrill the world with great an amazing things. To read the story of a man who lived a lifetime of faithfulness in the small things, who labored diligently without seeing a lot of earthly rewards, is a refreshing change from most biographies, and the kind of thing there needs to be more of.
   
   In our Purpose-Driven, Megachurch world, I think this book could be a fantastic edification for any ordinary pastors out there. Since only a handful of pastors in each generation receive any sort of professional notoriety, I think that would include most pastors you know.
   
   I'm not a pastor, just an ordinary Christian, and I enjoyed the book very much.



5. I was at once drawn in when I first heard of Don Carson's project to write a book reflecting the life and ministry of his late father. I eagerly awaited the book's publication, then received a copy and was, ironically, in a very busy period of ministry and so therefore unable to get to the book. However, I picked it up during my son's baseball practice last weekend and pretty much could not put it down. This book was a tremendous blessing to me.
   
   Tom Carson was involved in ministry for a span of six decades. His station was the French Canadian area around Quebec. The younger Carson combed through the journal entries, letters, notes, and sermon notes that were left behind. Apparently Don was significantly aided by Tom's regular notes and his tendency to hang on to everything. What results is this book that I will refer to as a `journal-ography'. Don Carson interacts with the development of his father's ministry via his journal, the letters and his own first hand observations.
   
   The title is fitting: Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor. Carson notes in the introduction that many men seem to be extraordinarily blessed by God; their ministries grow, they see many conversions and they leave a large imprint as they pass from the scene. But, Carson writes, "Most pastors will not regularly preach to thousands, let alone tens of thousands. They will not write influential books, they will not supervise large staffs, and they will never see more than modest growth. They will plug away at their care for the aged, at their visitation, at their counseling, at their Bible studies, and preaching...Most of us--let us be frank--are ordinary pastors."
   
   In chronicling the development of Tom's ministry there are several encouragements that I took away:
   
   1- Tom was faithful to do the important things because it was what God wanted, regardless of the human concept of success.
   
   2- Tom's burden for French Canada to be saved seemed only to increase amidst the persecution from Roman Catholics, the lack of conversions, and his own shortcomings.
   
   3- Tom believed that faithful preaching would accomplish God's end.
   
   4- Tom believed that God was sovereign while at the same time laboring with tenacious zeal for souls.
   
   5- Tom was a pilgrim. He loved ministry because it emphasized the transcendent message and the coming kingdom.
   
   6- Tom did not get disqualified. He was faithful to his wife, his family, his church, his city.
   
   7- Tom loved his wife. The chapter on Marg's Alzheimer Years was a heart wrenching chapter. Tom and Marg were very much in love with each other, even till the end.
   
   8- Tom did not fire in vengeance back when wronged. Several times in the book he was unjustly accused or mistreated. Instead of retaliating he was prayerfully compassionate. Even his children had not heard of some of the conflicts until they were older. When Don asked his father why he had not told them he replied, "he did not went to become bitter."
   
   9- Tom taught his family the Bible.
   
   10- Tom took a job as a civil servant after his Drummondville ministry and still was as engaged as ever in ministry while also being a faithful evangelist at work.
   
   Some other interesting points, particularly if you, like me, enjoy D.A. Carson... "...after he (Tom) was gone I found he had carefully gone through most of the books I had written, often with little ticks or marginal notes or question marks, neatly written in pencil."
   
   As a pastor this book was a delight to read. Tom Carson is a pastor I wish I could have known, now, thankfully, it is as if I had. He has influenced me greatly, causing me to be more thankful for the blessings of divine grace, the power of the gospel, and the time remaining in ministry, that I might be more faithful. That is, more like Tom Carson.

5 comments about Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove.

1. What a life this gentleman has led, and what a brilliant effort he's put forth here telling his tale. Well-written, totally gripping, and an inspiration. I hadn't heard his story prior to reading the book, which made it that much better.



2. This was a wonderful, quick read. I appreciated the honesty for the lure of the lifestyle that Chef Henderson describes in the book. I respect his recounts of his respect for his mentors, willingness to learn and work hard at his passion. I wish that there were more ways to exploit the passions of our young girls and boys BEFORE they end up in jail, though that's where he was saved. But how many of us are given the keys to success and don't work as hard as Chef Jeff? This book inspired me to work harder at my passions.



3. This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. In real life we learn as we grow. This book shows that growth in a way that seems nearly super human. A person who once saw only a tiny piece of the world and no positive ways to display his genius, found a big world and a path for genius. I wish this were mandatory reading in the 9th grade.(there is bad language, but what 9th grader hasn't heard it all before) This is a man to admire. when's the movie coming out???



4. In 'Cooked,' Jeff Henderson recounts his unlikely rise from a crack dealer in San Diego to a well-respected chef in a prestigious Las Vegas restaurant. His ambitions and inspiration came to him while serving a drug-related sentence in federal prison, and upon his release he put 100% of his efforts into educating himself, gaining experience, and convincing influential people in the restaurant business to take a chance on him.
   
   Jeff's gritty memoir was fascinating to me, someone to whom most of his life experiences are completely foreign, and I had a difficult time putting it down between sittings. One can't help but admire his strength and resolve in making his dreams come true despite a past he wasn't proud of.



5. This book has it all: the druggie street scene, cash and sex, prison from the inside, redemption of a drug dealer, and the highest echelons of haute cuisine. It's very well written and thoughtful, too. The reader really feels a part of every vividly described scene. This book also makes you think about how people end up dealing drugs and that with the right motivation and influences drug dealers -- and perhaps other accused criminals -- can turn their lives around. But not all incarcerated felons have the insight, guts, leadership, strength and intelligence to pull themselves up and out. More attention should be paid to helping along inmates with potential to do good for themselves and for the world.

No comments about Perfect: Anorexia & Me.

5 comments about The Accidental President of Brazil: A Memoir.

1. I heard about this book in Brasilia, Brazil earlier this year, from a citizen of Brazil. It is a very good insight into the nation and the "accidental president". I learned a lot about this important country and why it looks to Europe and why the USA is less important to it. I recommend this book highly for persons wanting to learn about Brazil and for those who enjoy politics.



2. This is an intriguing and informative political memoir, and I would highly recommend it to anybody interested in recent Brazilian history and politics. First of all, let me share the observation that there really don't seem to be many good books on contemporary Brazil. I am a non-specialist when it comes to Brazil and so I've been searching for some journalistic accounts, travelogues, etc. I was kind of led to this book because it was about the only thing I could find on recent Brazilian politics, but it ended up being a very rewarding read.
   
   There are two primary reasons that Mr. Cardoso's memoir succeeds so well. First, the subject matter, modern Brazilian political history, is intrinsically interesting. Second, and most importantly, however, Mr. Cardoso is a truly engaging and oftentimes humorous writer. This is somewhat of a surprise given his academic background. Mr. Cardoso was a fairly successful sociologist before entering politics, and I half expected that dry academic language to show up now and then in his memoirs, but that is certainly not the case. In fact, Cardoso has a very good sense of humor regarding his academic disposition, and how it has both helped and hindered him in political life.
   
   One point that might be of relevance to those considering whether to read this book: you might be somewhat disappointed if you are only interested in very recent Brazilian history. Practically the first two-thirds of the book detail Mr. Cardoso's life BEFORE he assumed the presidency. Cardoso brings a very interesting perspective to Brazil's turbulent political history, as he was born into a very powerful military family. His grandfather was a leader of the revolt that brought down the monarchy, while his father was an influential figure under the Vargas regime. Cardoso expertly explains the various elite conflicts that kept Brazil in a state of perpetual political instability for much of the 20th century. As a result of a military coup after WWII, Cardoso was forced into exile, as were many other intellectuals. He spent some of this time in Chile, and one episode recalls a party he attended at Pablo Neruda's house, where he met not only the host but future Chilean president Salvador Allende. He was eventually allowed to return, but his dissatisfaction with the military regime that refused to relinquish control induced him to enter the political fray as an opposition figure.
   
   Roughly the last third of the book covers Cardoso's time as president. Cardoso here describes the challenges he faced reforming Brazil's inflation-addled economy (and protecting Brazil from the global financial crises of the late 1990's), fighting corruption, and fixing some of the country's endemic social problems. The latter include the HIV crisis, in which one can reasonably say that Cardoso's administration was successful, and agrarian reform, a problem which still persists to this day. There are also several sections in which he details his troubled and fluctuating relationship with Lula, Brazil's current president. Finally, some of the more interesting episodes recounted in the book are Cardoso's encounters with and impressions of various other world leaders. He had a very close relationship with President Clinton (who, incidentally, writes the preface to this book), and while his praise for the ex-American leader is undoubted sincere, it might to some seem a bit excessive. His impression of George W. Bush is evidently less favorable, and Cardoso even recounts one conversation in which our president asked in surprise, "Do you have blacks down there in Brazil, too?"
   
   In sum, pick this book up if you are interested in Brazil, Latin American politics, or political memoirs more generally.



3. In The Accidental President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso provides an entertaining look at his unusual career, from his privileged childhood by the beach in Rio, to his sociology research in the shantytowns, to his exile during the military dictatorship, to his entry into politics and taming of Brazil's runaway inflation. An engaging and personable narrator, Cardoso provides fascinating contextual details of Brazilian history as well as the colorful personalities who have shaped it, like Emperor Dom Pedro II, Getulio Vargas, Janio Quadros, and Lula Da Silva. Throughout the book, Cardoso's love for his country and commitment to the poor are apparent, as is his conviction that sensible leaders, guided by good will and tempered by serious policy debate, actually can solve large problems in large countries.



4. I picked up this book to begin a lesson in the history of Brazil, of which my boyfriend is a citizen. This is by far the best history book I have ever read. Fernando Henrique does a wonderful job of telling the story of his country intertwined with the story of his family, giving the reader a better understanding of his unique perspective of his country. It is informative and entertaining at the same time. Highly recommended.



5. I really enjoyed this book. Cardoso tells the story of his rise to power in a very humorous manner and fills the gaps with Brazilian political history. Cardoso comes off as a very likable man and treats opponents with a fair hand. Cardoso was obviously the right man at the right time for Brazil. He beat Lula twice and Brazilians can be happy for that. Cardoso introduced the real, redistributed farm lands to poor families, brought free HIV medicine to Brazil, fought against corruption, and privatized the phone company - allowing hundred of thousands of Brazilians to get connected. By the time Lula was finally elected, he had no choice but to accept Cardoso's policies because they work for Brazil. Cardoso brought Brazil into the modern age. I love Brazil and have gained a great deal of respect for Cardoso. Excellent read.

5 comments about Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir.

1. Up until page 100 I found the book very slow.. But once you make it past page 100 it gets pretty good!!! With love triangles and overcoming family dynamics!



2. I'm kind of glad that I read Janice Erlbaum's second memoir, Have You Found Her, first. It allowed me to read her first one and not have to worry too much that she got seriously hurt. Or went crazy, which is what I think I would have done in her circumstances. Instead, Erlbaum left home, and turned to drugs and sex as a teenager, and she relates her experiences with both with a candor that is unapologetic at the same time it is tinged with regret.
   
   Erlbaum's problems at this time of her life seem to stem from a combination of poor parenting and poor decision-making. Unfortunately, neither the shelter nor the group home into which she is placed seem well-equipped to really help her with either of those problems. It almost seems as though by leaving home she's gone from the frying pan into the fire. It all catches up with her at the end, though, and at the close of this memoir we begin to see the more mature woman that we got to know in her second memoir. I hope she writes a third so that we can continue to share her story.



3. I'm reading more biographies & memoirs than I ever used to - and with each one - I feel more and more odd writing a review. What exactly am I reviewing? The author's life or how s/he sees their life - or simply the writing style? It's not like I can comment on the plot or the characters...they are what they are.
   
   Which, of course, does not stop me from reading about people's lives... I think I am at a point in my life where fact is becoming far more interesting (and yes, stranger) than fiction.
   
   So then - to a truncated and rather unsure review: I spent most of the book yelling at Erlbaum in my head, because as the mother of a young girl, I didn't want her to make the choices she was making. (This yelling was muffled by the fact that I've read Erlbaum's follow up book, "Have You Found Her?" and know what comes next for the author.)
   
   Then again, I certainly can't blame her for her choices...she was in a terrible situation at home, and given the fighting and violence that surrounded her, who's to say running away wasn't the best thing she could have done.
   
   There are parts, too, where I wanted to be standing next to her, agreeing with the craziness of the situation. At 15, Erlbaum was constantly being blamed by her mother and later, social workers, for not fixing situations that were clearly not of her own making.
   
   When Erlbaum is told that her mother is pregnant with her abusive ex-boyfriend's child, she listens in shock as her mother tells her, "The fact is that Dave and I are going to have a baby and we are going to try and be a family." She sounded like she was speaking from notes. "Now we've talked about getting couples therapy, and that's definitely something we're going to think about. But for right now, I want you to pitch in a little more and help us all get along better."
   
   This coming from a mother who's already worked out with her daughter when it's OK to call the cops in the middle of a fight and when it's not. Charming. Who's the adult there?
   
   Again and again, Erlbaum is forced to decide whether or not her mother can be trusted, if THIS TIME things will be different. Her thoughts at times like these are such a heart-rending mix of scared little girl and world-weary adult.
   
   "I could not possibly be falling for this again. I was like Charlie Brown and the football. Like a duckling who could never be retrained, I would waddle straight off a cliff, following her. She threw away your clothes when you left home, it said on my index card. She told Poulos you were insane. She's done this to you eight hundred times already."
   
   So I feel a great deal of empathy for her...but because I come from a different life than hers, I can't get my mind around the HUGE amount of drugs she does. I just shake my head as the pot turns into cocaine, that turns into PCP, that turns into Ecstasy.... Again, I didn't have the life she did, I didn't grow up in New York, live in a shelter... I guess at the end of the day, I can just hang on for the ride, and be grateful it was her life and not mine...and be glad that I know she became a stronger person for living through what she did.
   
   I guess the only other thing I can say is that I never really found out, in either of Janice Erlbaum's books, what finally made her stronger. What made her give up the REALLY bad drugs and what finally made her stop smoking pot...and what gave her the strength to make better choices? I feel like I know where she came from and where she ended up (at least as of now)...but I'm missing something in the middle. I know the What and the How...but not the why.
   
   But - who's to say that's any of my business. It's not my life, after all...



4. Taken through the teenage life of the author in the 1980's Regan-era it was interesting to read what it was like to live in a homeless shelter during that time - especially since being homeless was just coming into the public eye as a real problem in America.
   
   Janice writes a thought-provoking reads-as-a-novel memoir that will leave you wanting more.
   
   Donna



5. It took me a while to get around to reading this, but when I finally picked it up, I was captivated. Erlbaum is a wonderful writer, she's sarcastic and amusing, which is the best way to write this sort of depressing material. She paints detailed pictures of all the people around her, from the various characters at her group home to the complicated dynamics between her and her two best friends, and of New York at that time for a messed-up group of teens - that is, drugs (she gets addicted to cocaine and manages to quit). She also makes herself into a sympathetic character; I was so depressed while I was reading this, and that only happens with characters I care about.
   
   So to sum up: great writing, great story, great book. Definitely recomended.

5 comments about Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High.

1. The story of Melba Patillo Bates' struggles as a part of the "Little Rock Nine" to integrate Central High School serves as a haunting reminder to the American public, especially the South, which sometimes turns a blind eye to its unpleasant past. In the book, Warriors Don't Cry, Patillo relies on her own personal first-person narrative to tell the tale of the years 1954-1960, even including entries from her own diary that her grandmother purchased for her at the age of twelve.
   The action of her story begins with the day of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which also happens to be the first time violence affects Melba. Her class is dismissed early out of fear of violence, and on her way home, Melba is attacked by a white man. She later writes in her diary some of the most powerful words in the novel, "I have to keep up with what the Supreme Court Justices are doing. That way I can stay home on the day the Justices vote decisions that make white men want to rape me."
   Unfortunately this is only the beginning of a tale of violence that causes the reader to be desperate to find one decent white character in the tale. Simply reading the novel makes the reader to wish that the setting was some far away country like Afghanistan, where they could write this injustice away as some other society's doing.
   Although the bulk of the plot follows Melba during her first hideous year at Central High School, in which she is attacked with fists, glass and acid, much of her story surrounds the family that supported her through the year of 1957. Melba's relationship with her grandmother, India, is a central focus of the novel. Grandmother India supports the fifteen year old Melba through her troubles, but also teaches her how to be a warrior in the face of the adversity from people who truly would rather see her dead than attend school with their children. This advice is written with the rawness of Beals' revealing something so obviously meaningful in her life.
   Beals' work is significant because it forces us to come to terms with what some of us may want to forget, some never knew, and something we all just wish never happened the way it did. Beals refuses to hold back for the sake of making the reader comfortable and refuses to settle for any story but the occasionally repulsive truth of our country's history.



2. Warrior's Don't Cry is about a young girl faced with challenges larger than life. At the age of 15, she is chosen to be one of the 9 students to integrate Central High in Little Rock Arkansas. It is the true story of Melba and her 8 African American classmates as they face all of the challenges of being placed in the all white classrooms of Central High.
   The book starts off with Melba's first day at school. We all know how stressful it is to start our first day in High School. These 9 students were never able to have a successful first day because of the hundreds of angry people surrounding the school, yelling "2-4-6-8 We don't want to integrate!" Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, takes the bus to school. As she gets off of the bus, she is faced with an angry white mob. She tries to circumvent them but they move along with her, creating a human barricade preventing her from going to school. This was during the times when people were hung from a noose by angry white mobs. Throughout the ordeal, Elizabeth keeps her head up and tries to get away. Melba and her mom concoct a plan to distract the hundreds of people and create an escape route for Elizabeth. Finally, she escapes and returns home safely.
   
   Don't let the non-fiction genre intimidate you. This book is full of all the drama of a teenagers' life. This true story shows us how scary and difficult it was to be the only black students in a gigantic school. Every chapter gives you a look to the obstacles the Little Rock Nine had to face. On Melba's first day of school, she is called out of her name on numerous occasions. Even her teachers encourage her classmates' racist behavior. Students yell the N word at her in the middle of class and the unnamed teacher ignores it and just kept on teaching. During P.E., Melba is tripped and falls to the ground. A group of her own classmates attack her and kick her while she is down. Her clothes are in tatters and she is slightly bruised.
   
   Melba's school experience is far from a normal, boring one. After her first days of school, the state militia is called in to mediate the transition. Each one of the Little Rock Nine are assigned a state militiaman to guard them and escort them from class to class during the day. This might seem to ameliorate the situation, but we know that it's not the solution when Melba is choked during a school pep rally.
   What would you do if your classmates were out to hurt you and your teachers and principal and vice-principal could not properly protect you? Would you give up or would you keep trekking on? Read Warrior's Don't Cry to find out how Melba fares out in the end.
   
   



3. Excellent book. So hard to read though - people can be horrible. I hope we have come a long way since this.



4. I read Warriors Don't Cry for school, and when I began reading it, I knew I would enjoy it. Yes, I enjoyed it, but it is actually very terrifying to read. Everything that Beals writes is based on fact, and it is very terrifying to imagine that this is what she and the other young black students faced when segregating into an all-white school.
   
   This is a must-read, and is a well-written, terrifying look into the world before blacks and whites could be as one in a school. It's a must read!



5. Title: Warriors Don't Cry
   Author: Melba Pattillo Beals
   Summary: Warriors Don't Cry is a book about a young African American girl named Melba integrating into an all white high school. It describes her journey through segregation and the hard times that Melba and her family had to go through. She enters Central High with 8 other African American students, not knowing the physical and mental abuse that they were about to endure. Melba sticks through it and fights like a warrior to make it though an entire year.
   We enjoyed reading about all the exciting events that happened to Melba , and the 9 other African Americans. It was really interesting learning about integration and knowing it was all a true story made it even more impacting. Having it written by her was empowering because she was there to witness these events. We wished that some of the more exciting events were described more in detail because it would have made the book more suspenseful to see what would happen next. If you want to learn about historical event we would recommend this book to you. Its not the kinda of book that you get a good laugh out of or a good unrealistic story.

4 comments about Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio.

1. Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio
   
   By rejecting the well-meaning pity-party typified by "Jerry's Kids," author Gary Presley both empowers and challenges "disabled" people to live a fully-realized life. In the process he challenges "abled" people to set aside their prejudice and see beyond the wheelchair to the man who rides in it.
   
   At its core this is a love story. Surviving at times on little more than the strength of his family's unconditional love, Presley ultimately learns to love a wife, her sons, and -- most importantly -- himself. With remarkable honesty and insight, the author strips away his early pretensions and rationalizations, and delivers a powerful lesson on the dangers of pity, indulgence and denial, and the redeeming power of passion, faith and love.
   
   Using a style of prose mercifully free of gimmickry and clutter, "7 Wheelchairs: A Life Beyond Polio," ushers the reader into a world populated by gimps and crips in a time before sidewalk cutouts and wheelchair ramps. If you've ever been tempted to borrow your grandmother's handicapped parking permit, you should read this book. It should be mandatory reading for anyone preparing for a life in the fields of health, ministry or social services.



2. Worth reading? Absolutely!
   
   If your legs were knocked out from under you at 17, how would you live your life? The author of this memoir came to realize that he had a choice, and although it was not a quick or painless lesson, he came to understand that being "a crip" physically does not necessitate being one emotionally.
   
   Describing his life from the vantage point of a wheel chair-- "boob high to the world-- Presley shares a fiercely honest look at the difficulties he faced when polio kicked him back to a second "infancy" at age 17. No excuses here, though. Presley is as unsparing of himself as the disease was with his body.
   
   In addition to discussing the mechanical logistics of managing life from a wheelchair, Presley shares years of introspection letting the reader in on a private world of fear and trust, love and dependency, prejudice and pride.
   
   We're invited to ride on the back of his wheelchairs, from the first grudging roll when life was endured and despair, anger, and passivity prevailed, to the triumphant journey on his latest machine that allows him the freedom he values. Better still we meet the love of his life-- his wife Belinda-- and see how their love and shared faith have trumped disability.
   
   An emotional ride, but well worth it!



3. Gary Presley's humanity shines through in this memoir of a half century of living with the aftereffects of polio. He drives a wheelchair and gains independence from it; he works for a living and is married to the love of his life. Now in his 60s, Presley seems to have found wisdom and a degree of serenity, but it has not always been so. The essays that comprise this well-written book make clear the trouble his disability has caused for himself and others, and the pain and anger he has felt. Yet Seven Wheelchairs is striking in the author's lack of self-pity and victimhood. In fact, he disdains pity from anyone, whether from a stranger on the street or from his parish priest.
   
   Presley's painful honesty occasionally made me wince, but his writing is professional and his story is powerful. I highly recommend this book for the general reader.



4. I've been fortunate to read bits and pieces, essays and writings of the author's for several years as a fellow member of the Internet Writing Workshop, including much of what is his memoir. But it wasn't until I sat down to read the finished product that I realized what an emotional and insightful read it would be. It is a given that this is stellar prose. The writing alone is enough reason to buy the book and read -- and reread it.
   
   But the truth and power of those words. He answers the questions I never thought to ask beginning with the memory of those last steps before polio took away his legs. He told of being confined in an iron lung, not with pity or melodrama, but through the eyes of a devastated, angry teen age boy who was confused and frightened. A boy who had gone from working on his lay up shots to a non-entity swallowed up by a machine. And we move forward with him. We see him making an independent living, but more than that we see him coming to terms with his physical limitations, learning the landscape, what it means to live with disabilities in plain sight, in mainstream culture. We see him moving beyond the anger to find something we all wish we could find -- his true niche where he belongs and can accept and be accepted for the man he is, not for the equipment he must use.
   
   Since this is written in connected essays, much of the problem that arises in first memoir and fiction is left behind. No awkward transitions, no tap dancing to get from one important moment to the next. It is a tightly written, powerful book that takes readers inside of the world of disabilities as none before. And inside of the life of one very human, but determined man.
   
   I met Gary Presley when I joined the Internet Writing Workshop. His writings, his self-deprecating sense of humor, his truth, and his generous supportive ways drew me to him. When my husband became disabled, Gary jumped right in and helped us find our way through that alien culture called 'disability.' Who knew better this new landscape than a man who had been wheeling through it for nearly a half-century!?
   
   He's never maudlin nor melodramatic. It is a book that can be read in pieces or as a whole and the writing itself stands strong alongside the best. A must read for anyone who knows someone living a life fraught with disabilities. A must read for anyone who has ever seen a person in a wheelchair and looked away.