1 comments about Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue.

1. More than four dozens books about Howard Hughes have been published since the 1960s. It would seem that there's little more we can learn about his life. Why, then, should you bother to read another book about Hughes? Because, in addition to being well-written and entertaining, it's the most exact summary of his documented life to date, and because it also has some thoughtful theories on mysteries that still swirl around the erstwhile aviator.
   
   Schumacher's book is a hybrid. In some regards, it's a synthesis of the plethora of previous Hughes works. Schumacher combed through what must have been an endless array of news clippings and tomes of Hughesiana. But he also availed himself of rare and unique primary sources at UNLV Special Collections, the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society, and the treasure troves of private collectors. His thoroughness definitely shows. I doubt there's much about Hughes-particularly his four Las Vegas years-that Schumacher doesn't touch on.
   
   The book starts with a quick summary of Hughes B.V. (before Vegas), then discusses his lesser-known earlier stays in Las Vegas, including his 1943 Lake Mead crash and his purchase of the "Green House," which is still intact on the land of KLAS-TV, in 1953. Then he brings in the story of Hughes' right hand, Bob Maheu. Maheu's story has been well-documented, but seems to gain something by being placed in the context of Hughes.
   
   Here's where business really starts to pick up. As the Hughes roller coaster inches higher up the initial slope, Schumacher stops to describe "what Vegas saw" with a quick chronological survey of contemporary media coverage the Hughes Las Vegas years (1966-1970). The he dives into the real substance of the book-detailed chapters on Hughes in Vegas. These run the gamut from profiles of significant figures such as Hank Greenspun, Paul Winn, and John Meier, to discussions of key topics: the Clifford Irving hoax biography, the Palace Coup that brought Maheu down, and the sometimes-outlandish fight over the estate in the face of competing Hughes wills, none of which was proved authentic. Melvin Dummar's tragicomic tale-more tragedy than comedy, it now seems-gets ample space, and probably its best analysis yet.
   
   Schumacher then jumps tracks, switching from biographer to critic with a section called "Hughesiana" that features a mix of non-Vegas profiles (Jane Russell, Rupert Hughes, and the RKO fiasco) and extended takes on "Weird Tales" (obscure Hughes texts) and "the Fictional Hughes," which is an up-to-date consideration of the reams of paper and reels celluloid fantasy that Hughes has inspired.
   
   The book's key strength is Schumacher's attention to detail and thoughtful use of his sources. Without an axe to grind, he is able to write a dispassionate book about the eccentric billionaire, a decided rarity. One of the mavens quoted on the back cover commented that few Hughes books are "as lucid as this one." I think that is an astute judgment by an extremely insightful critic. Since Hughes was far from balanced, he invites wild speculation and still, more than thirty years after his death, an almost messianic fervior. Schumacher immersed himself in his sources without becoming captured by them-a hard task, indeed, where Hughes in concerned.
   
   If you enjoy books about Las Vegas, I'd say that there is room in your library for this book. Unless you are a Hughes-obsessed maniac, I guarantee that you'll learn something new from it, and you'll probably find, as I did, that Schumacher is able to make some intelligent guesses that make sense of some of the enigma surrounding Hughes-the Mormon will saga, in particular. Barring the discovery of authentic new documents or revelatory confessions from heretofore silent associates, this book will likely be the last word on Hughes in Vegas.

5 comments about Dream Catcher: A Memoir.

1. After reading this book, I had a dream that it was actually the first volume of a trilogy. This wasn't a pleasant dream. The book, as others have noted, is unfocused and loses a good story in a tiresome telling. I don't recall the page devoted to Peggy's favorite Life Savers flavor, but it's dangerously easy to imagine.
   
   What I found particularly frustrating was a lack of context as regards J.D. Salinger's publishing career. A chapter will open with a throwaway remark: "And then Franny & Zooey appeared as a book" and let it wither. Yes, it didn't matter much to her at the time, but the reader wants to know what was happening to the book in real life (how was it received, how did it advance J.D.'s fame), while Peggy's insane, isolated life unspun.
   
   You do pick up bits of mostly horrifying information about J.D. and you can't help but sympathize with Margaret Salinger, but you can wish that she had learned more from her father's earlier, tightly structured work, than from his final published pieces like the rambling Seymour: An Introduction. Self-indulgence seems to run in this family.



2. This beautifully written memoir has one of the most honest and pure voices of any in that genre. As soon as I started reading Dream Catcher, I bonded with the writer like an old friend. I've actually highlighted sentences throughout the book which are true gems; they capture a feeling or moment which is nearly impossible to describe, yet the writer comes through page after page. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about the Salinger family and of course to anyone who can appreciate superb writing.



3. When we love a work of art, we instinctively believe in the goodness of its creator. I know very little about JD Salinger except I loved Catcher in the Rye. If you are like me, you might not want to read this book, because it will forever change your view of the book and its author. This is a book with too much disclosure about the Salinger family. You will never read Catcher again without realizing that every sentence is eeked out of a rather mean man who locked himself up in this fantasy life of being young and cool while being horrid to his family and being quite a fraud and an imposter, really. A picture of JD Salinger emerges - he becomes a recognizable archetype of everyone's least favorite uncle, with irrational hatreds and pretensions and a chilling inability to relate to children, his wife, or his family. After knowing how Catcher was conceived - sometimes, sentence by sentence - every note of that book will ring false forever. One wonders if other writers were similar jerks to their family. Maybe we don't wanna know.



4. Salinger's daughter wrote too many pages about her famous father. Buy it if you are a fan--good family pics throughout!



5. Of course you read this book because you're interested in learning more about JD Salinger, not Margaret Salinger. But the book is HER memoir after all, so you hear a lot about her and other people who aren't JD Salinger. Some of it is really interesting..you'd probably like it if you like reading about growing-up (I assume you do, since you're a fan of Salinger). You hear about how she and her friends transistion from catching bugs and watching old films with her dad to wearing make-up, and going to dances, and listening to The Beatles and all of that good sutff. But some things are pretty uninteresting, too. Dream Catcher is odd, because the author's writing style changes frequently.
   
   Sometimes it's incredibly flower and unnessecarily wordy and downright dumb (she spends a whole page talking about her favorite lifesaver flavors and things) and it can be really irritating. Then it will suddenly switch to a very bare and personal style. It almost felt like reading "The Catcher in the Rye" at times. There are also many, many random quotations (from "alice in wonderland", ancient poetry, ect) all over the book. At chapter heads, foot notes (of which there are nearly 2 every page, and generally very unnessecary information.), and in the text itself.
   
   But what you'll learn about JD Salinger is pretty key. She definitley has a fresh perspective on the whole deal. She talks about how her father told her the same thing that Zooey tells Franny ("There's no major changes between 10 and 20, or 10 and 80, for that matter."), and it ends up with her being molested by a college student when she was around 10. She thought of him as her "boyfriend" because she wasn't taught that there's a big difference between fooling around with boys her age and much older boys. Another time she writes about she and her father getting into an arguement when she was a very small child, and him telling her, "We'd better find a way to make this up, because once someone loses my respect for someone, that's it. We're through." She writes she has to constantly put on a front for her father; she has to be like Phoebe, Holden's perfect sister, or he'll become furious with her.
   
   Margaret Salinger offers a lot of new perspectives on JD Salinger's philosophy. She is pretty blunt about it, calling her father's stories unrealistic and incredibly simplified. She talks about becoming angry at adults who agree with the things her father says, wondering how they can be so immature.
   
   JD Salinger, according to Margaret, was also cruel to her mother. Keeping her a "virtual prisoner" in their tiny cabin in the deep country, and forcing her to adopt all of his constantly changing and demanding religious practices. Refusing to let her have any money to buy new clothes even when she needed them, because he thought women were vain and sinful and didn't want to encourage it. According to her mother, JD Salinger went out of his way to make her life terrible; (refusing an invite to dine with President Kennedy because she wanted to.)
   
   He does seem to have real issues with women. Margaret writes about her coming home from camp, and wearing a new swimsuit. Her father is disgusted to see her breasts have started to develop. He gets angry when she shows even a slight interest in fashionable clothes.
   
   I guess a lot of people who read this book disliked it because it painted such a negative view of JD Salinger (unrealistic, abusive, racist/sexist, control freak) but despite being a huge fan of JD Salinger, I thought it was really interesting. It certainly adds a new and complex twist to my thoughts when I read his books. As much as we love to read about the Glass family and all, couldn't it actually be incredibly traumatic to not give children the guidance and reality they need? Didn't JD Salinger write these books without having any idea of what children were actually like? And I guess this book answers those questions. Margaret Salinger and her brother went through a lot of unnessecary pain because of her father's unrealistic philosophy on children and life.
   
   It's all really fascinating, if you don't mind me being sort of blunt.

5 comments about Symptoms of Withdrawal : A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption.

1. It was difficult for me to sleep after I finished this book last night. Thinking about it now makes me sick to my stomach. Mr Lawford writes well enough, it's his character that I find most disturbing. Given his childhood traumas of parental abuse and neglect, he chooses to ditch his own wife and kids to become a part-time dad and full time "player" and justifies it as personal growth. The most troubling aspect of the book is that what his parents did to him they did "under the influence". This man chose to throw his family off the cliff stone sober and then boasts about it. Fortunately for me, I watched an ABC special about author and father of three children, Randy Pausch, after finishing this book. Mr. Pausch is a truly inspirational man who shares the love of his family in a memoir, taking special care to erect safety nets for them as they approach the cliff's edge. It's been said that nothing is more frightening than a person with no conscience. That's what I found most disturbing about this story. The only consolation is that the paper and covers are recyclable and that's exactly where this book belongs.



2. I really enjoyed this book, I could not wait to get back to it. The Kennedy's, Lawford's and others in their circle of life are quite interesting to me. Lawford give us some golden nuggets of the movie stars and their often unbeautiful side. I wish he had given us more juicy antics in the family, don't get me wrong he claimed he didn't know of a romance with LaMonroe and his uncle, Ha,like we really believe that! But there are some morsels to be found in his book. I reccomenned this read.



3. Christopher Lawford, nephew of John F. Kennedy, has written his life story which is notable only because of his relatives. He was born into a glamorous life of luxury, movie stars, and political power and threw it all away for drugs.
   
   For at least the first half of the book, I was angry at the author for being such a name-dropper. Every page described a conversation, touch football game, or ski trip with RFK or Uncle Teddy or John Jr. as if it were front-page news. (Those other folks were news; he wasn't.) He then described his descent into the sewer of drugs and crime. This was the most interesting part of the book for me. The final chapters recount his divorce and, again, I was angry at him; this time for walking out on his wife and children just because he had a wandering eye.
   
   The book is written in a very humorous, self-deprecating style that kept me turning the pages. It's an interesting, if unnecessary, memoir by a rather pathetic hanger-on who's cashing in on his family. (But if you remember him fondly, as I do, as a regular on All My Children years ago, it's worth a look.)



4. Purchased book not expecting it to be as honest, forthright, insightful and educational. Mr. Lawford's honesty is refreshing. He writes of his personal journey through his addiction to alcohol and drugs. He portrays it realistically and does not 'whitewash' the facts about his own struggle and those of his notorious family.
   
   Anyone that has a loved one struggling with addiction should read this book to get into the mind of an addict. It may assist in understanding the pull that the addict feels in choosing drugs or alcohol over all else in their lives.
   
   Bravo Mr. Lawford, bless you and may you live the rest of your days clean, sober and full of happiness in still being alive. Your honesty is refreshing, especially considering who your family is.



5. I always wondered what the country would have been like if RFK had not been killed and he had become president. After reading this book, I wonder what the Kennedy clan would have looked like if he had lived. Would these cousins have sunk to the depths as they did? It seems the boys were so much more impacted than the girls.
   
   Christopher Lawson does a great job in this book helping you to see how the national events were personal ones for himself and his family. It is a fast read with lots of tales from behind the Kennedy compound. But I really wanted to like the guy in the end and I can't say that I do. His spiritual growth has not come full circle to encompass his own family. The only reason I can see for his divorce is so he can continue his hunt for the most beautiful girl in the world. Maybe there are other reasons, but he does not provide them in the book.
   
   Oh well, it was good summer reading.

3 comments about Shivitti: A Vision (Gateways Consciousness Classics) (Consciousness Classics).

1. Yehiel Dinur, Ka-Tzetnik 135633 survived the horrors of the Holocaust only to discover that survival alone would not end his torment. Hunted by distressing symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) he underwents a supervised LSD treatment program. Unfortunately after many sessions his situation deteriorates and he decides to leave the program. He writes near the end of the book: "I can't stop thinking that maybe I shouldn't have provoked fate by trying to rewrite my life script. Maybe I should never have made that trip to En-Dor, should never have used LSD to conjure up the secret that a Hand, keeping its own counsel, had cared enough to hide from me."
   
   Short, honest and heart-wrenching book highly recommended to all transpersonal psychotherapists, underground psychedelic therapists, Holotropic Breathwork practitioners and everyone else interested in the depths of human psyche.



2. This book is a great insight into the personality of the author Yehiel Dinur a.k.a Katzetik. The book stands on its own as a powerful recording of the events that took place in the life of the author during the holocaust. As with all of Katzetnik's books the events are heart wrentching. Particulary worth recalling in this book is when he for the first time goes to a beach in Europe during his medical treatment of the 1970s and exposes his arm that was tatooed in Aushwitz with his inmate number 135633. The scene is chilling and unforgetable. The premise of the use of LSD to come to terms with his lifelong nighmares about his experiences of the holocaust is secondary except for the fact that it is through this means that the author comes to terms with his pain caused by the cruel germans and their helpers. Overall, this book is an important read and is even more stunning if you read Katzetnik's other books. Katzetmik is one of the most powerful and important authors on the subject of the holocaust and his books are a must read for everyone lest the world forget what happened.



3. This book is not for the faint hearted or for the person whio is interested in history. The premise of the book is that the author relives his Aschiwitz experence through LSD treatment by a psychogist. Some things he remembers are likley to have happened to him, and some are a nightmare of things he cannot escape. If you want to read any of this authors books you need to have a strong stomach, It is a very rewarding and powerfull book if you are up for it

5 comments about In the Pit with Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy.

1. In the Pit With Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy does not disappoint. Raither it educates the reader with Piper not holding back. Remember, Piper is not under contract when he wrote this book so he did not pen this book out of fear of upsetting a promoter. Piper lays the wrestling business all out for the reader and the reader sees an unwritten message about the wrestling industry: "all that glitters isn't gold."
   What Piper does best in this book is he freely admits he's not perfect. He admits he did some stupid things during his time on the road. However, Piper does has a redeeming quality about his views of life on the road. In the end it was all about supporting his family and finally getting home to his family.
   Piper also shows how so many wrestlers were responsible for the boom of the WWF in the 1980s but only a select few were justly appreciated. Case in point read Piper's take on the aftermath of treatment he and Hogan received before and after Wrestlemania. Also, Piper lets the reader in on how shady promoters can be. A few saying Piper uses to illustrate this point: "if you can walk you can wrestle," and "if you're going to die die in the ring its good for business." Piper's stories about his less than friendly relationship with Mr. T is worth a look. You can't but help but understand Piper's reasons for refusing to take a dive to a movie star, they're not in his business and don't know anything about how to improve wrestling.
   Piper's book does bring up a hard fact, wrestling has changed for the worse. Piper lets the reader know how wrestling has declined and the best thing Piper does is hold out hope that improvments will come in time. In the end pick up Piper's book and be prepared to never look at the wrestling industry the same when you finish. Piper not only relates the rigors of his life in wrestling, he teaches you the two contrasting views of the wrestling business and himself. Wrestling: money comes first and to Hell with you and your family. Piper: his wife and kids come first. Piper has the better view!



2. I have been a fan of wrestling for a while now (from the days when it was cool to now, when you see a bunch of 'roided up mutants with the speed and mobility of continental drift). I bought this book because it was the only one in the local bookstore that was written by a wrestler of the previous era of wrestling.
   
   I had mixed feelings at the end of the book. On one hand it was certainly a book from the heart and there was not much (if any)ghost writing. No ghost writer could write this choppily! Far from making the book worse, the piecemeal style of Piper makes this book all the more enjoyable as you don't expect to see Shakespeare but something straight from the heart. Some stories were outright disturbing, but I liked Piper's honesty and straight-shooting style even when telling such stories. He didn't try to hide behind a facade of morality or fake regret. He seemed to call 'em as he saw 'em in the book.
   
   The story about Theodore Roosevelt Reid was especially touching and it exemplified the fickle world of wrestling. Piper told it beautifully.
   
   But there were too many things about the book that I didn't like. First, and most glaring, the self-aggrandization. Sure, Piper was a great wrestler and he could actually make squibs like Hogan look good, but to attribute to himself the sudden popularity of wrestling in the 80's and 90's is going a bit too far. He makes it sound like it was him who turned the world of wrestling around. Much as I love the guy I can't help but call bullcrap here. But to be fair to him, he does admit that he, like all other wrestlers, has a huge ego.
   
   Besides, to claim that the world of wrestling changed because of his interviews is a bit much!
   
   Another thing about this book I didn't like was the fact that a huge chunk of it was devoted to his time before the WWF and the WCW. This may have been intentional, to show the world that there was more to wrestling than WWE, but for many of us outside the US, (I am in Singapore), our first exposure to wrestling and guys like Piper was through the WWF and I personally wish that he had given greater exposure to his feuds in the WWF and WCW, because those were feuds we can relate to. He does mention occasional feuds with Adrian Adonis and especially Ric Flair, and then the Hart brothers but he could have given these more detailed coverage than a feud in a promotion no one has heard about.
   
   Of course one can't please everyone, but I wish he had.
   
   Another issue about Piper's writing which I didn't like was he tends to come off as someone who believes that the world of wrestling is immune to criticism, no matter what these guys get up to (including what might be called attempted murder). His reactions to fans who claim wrestling is fake sounds rather disturbing (including at one point saying, he'll choke your guts out before you get the words out of your mouth). While appearing to be a tough, no-nonsense streetfighter at other times, when he starts to pontificate about how tough wrestlers have it and all, he comes across as just being thin skinned and whiney.
   
   Piper was one guy who didn't need a championship belt to get over with fans. In the WWF he only won the Intercontinental title once but that did not diminish his immense appeal one bit but his writing is something that has not quite lived up to his reputation as a wrestler and speaker.



3. Informative read but also very one sided and littered with self promotion , which isnt that surprising all things considered.
   Piper is very old school in his handling of the story and his storys are told with a strong sense of " my era was about real men being real men goddamnit"
   His ego was in no way kept in check and at times hesimply got carried away with his telling of a story .
   Still i think if he'd been able to write this book back at the height of his career it might of come out a little less jaded .
   Still i was glad to see he didnt get on his soap box and rant on about the tragic death of Owen Hart , which i thought he would considering how hes addressed the subject in past .



4. A wrestler you loved to hate and a man you couldn't not love and respect. I had the opportunity to meet Roddy and have him sign my book.
   
   A great read and an insight to the mind and life of those who choose to wrestle. The many men who met an early demise due to this activity. I highly recommend for anyone who grew up watching professional wrestling.



5. Roddy Piper is one of the most colorful people alive. This book is a great look at his life. The book is a fascinating read about an interesting man.
   
   This book doesn't tell much about his childhood nor about his private life, but it does give a good look at his public life. As an admitted Piper fan, I absolutely loved this book.
   
   I had the pleasure of interviewing Roddy after the book was published. His regret was that too much was left out due to circumstances beyond his control. My only hope is that Roddy comes out with another book and tells more of his story.

3 comments about Irina: Ballet, Life and Love.

1. Even for those with little knowledge of ballet this is a sparkling book. It tells a fascinating story of an extraordinary life.



2. I'd be tempted to write this off as endless gossip if it weren't for the fascinating cast of characters involved. A good look at history, too: the golden years of the Ballets Russes in its many incarnations. A delightful memoir from an enchanting lady.



3. Several years ago, I had occasion to visit the village on Long Island where I grew up. I visited its small museum and viewed an exhibition - " Russians in Sea Cliff" - chronicling a history of families of Russian descent who settled in the 1930s, built two Churches and accounted for about 10% of its population of 5,000. (My mother was born in Moscow and spoke mainly Russian with her neighbors.) I noticed that there was no mention of Sea Cliff's most notable Russian, Irina Baronova, and pointed this out to the curator who never had heard of her. This inspired me to try and contact my beautiful neighbor.I had a good idea that she was still living and after a few phone calls, I was able to get her address in Australia and wrote her. She is in her late 80's and is 17 years older than myself, so my memory of her was very hazy as I was between 5 and 10 years old when I met her and her gentle parents. At the time, Irina was a prima ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre and spent most of her time in New York City. In my letter, I asked her to join a charity as an Honorary Director. I quote part of her replies, which clearly show her vivid memory and keen intellect.
   
   Received Feb. 10, 2004
   "Dear Volodia,
   What an unexpected, happy surprise receiving your letter! So many memories sprang back in my mind, Sea Cliff, a truly Russian village, your parents across the street, your brother, and you, funny, at times solemn little boy! And now, you are in charge of a great, humanitarian organization helping all these poor children. My hat is off to you all.
   I am touched that you thought of me, and gladly say "yes" to your request. I embrace "little" Volodia of my memories, and send a big hug to you, "big" Volodia, with much affection.
   Irina"
   "Dear Volodya,
   Thank you for your letter and may I say again what a wonderful organization you are heading and what a brilliant job it keeps doing around the world. I feel honoured to join it, if only in name.
   In great haste, I found your photo in the newsletter and must agree with you that you have not changed much except for your spectacles which I do not remember you wearing when you were a child... but the same cozy rotundness. We were friends then, although you were a bit shy of me as I was much older and I know now we would be friends without shyness! - Big hug, dear Volodya.,Much love,Irina
   
   These letters are to me a great delight and her memoir is filled with the same charm, goodness and intellect of her most exceptional life. Born in St. Petersburg in 1919, leaving as a little girl and settling in Paris after going from elegance to poverty as a result of the civil war, it is a fairy tale that she debuted at the age of 12 for the Ballet Russes de Monte Carlo. Known as one of the "baby ballerinas", her life was totally devoted to ballet until she retired at the young age of 30 after marrying Cecil Tennant, the agent for Lawrence Olivier. She had two children of which the more well known is the actress Victoria Tennant. After reading this thoroughly enchanting book, one should see "Ballet Russes" a wonderful film with interviews of Madame Baronova and others about those incredible times which is thankfully out on DVD.

5 comments about The Untold Story: My 20 Years Running the National Enquirer.

1. The title caught my eye, and although there are no sensational exposes revealed (as other critics have also noted), it was eye-opening for someone like me who hadn't read the Enquirer and assumed it was still publishing articles about 3-breasted women with screaming headlines like "Headless body found in topless bar". So it was a shock to learn how seriously the Enquirer pursues real (not fabricated or fanciful) stories and how frequently it lands scoops that have been the envy of mainstream publications like the NYTimes. As editor, Calder frequently threw enormous resources at stories sending vast teams of reporters and photographers to cover notable events and outstripping in quantity and quality the journalistic talent of big city daily competitors. While building his case for a ranking atop the ranks of professional journalism, it is amusing and disappointing to find Calder listing among his "great" gets the 'news' (!) that Lisa Marie Presley was all of two months pregnant at one her weddings. But this is a mere quibble. Calder is immensely entertaining in his account of learning the trade as a youngster in the bruisingly competitive Scottish newspaper wars, and then, having crossed the pond, his ascent through the ranks to the leadership of the Enquirer, as well as the rise of investigative journalism applied to celebrities.



2. The National Enquirer has a bad reputation that can never be overcome, and the magazine is proud of it. No one working for the Enquirer will ever win the Pulitzer Prize, whether he or she deserves it or not. The rag's rep is based on gore and gossip and ever more shall be.
   
   That's from the horse's mouth. Iain Calder, a Scotsman who left school at 16 and was a millionaire by the time he got his pink slip from the Enquirer, spent twenty years in the traces, sniffing out some of the best stories the paper handled. His breeze-easy journalistic style makes this book a fun read, and the stories he turns over like moss-covered rocks will keep you giggling, even if you don't approve of the Enquirer's tactics.
   
   Largely the brainchild of Generoso Pope, Jr., who was rumored to be seriously mobbed up, the Enquirer's flame burned brightest during his regime. Pope lived up to his name by his love of hard-luck stories and his personal generosity to many of the causes the paper championed. In those days the Enquirer was purple but personal, with small features including rags-to-riches sagas as well as tales of those who had made it big and were getting away from the rat race. Sick kids needing medical treatment was another favorite theme. All had perennial appeal to the housewives of America, and getting the paper on the racks at supermarkets was one of the biggest strategic breaks of Pope's dynamic career.
   
   The Enquirer, while noted for its nasty photos of beheaded animals, ghastly human follies and bloody death, scooped more than poop. It was often the first with an important story (Jesse Jackson's love-child, Clinton's pardon of an errant brother-in-law and subsequent $200,000 kick-back) and its rivals never seemed ready for the rag's rough-and-tumble determination to be fustest with the mostest. When Princess Grace died in a tragic car crash, the Enquirer staff "bought" the gardener in whose yard the wreckage landed and held him hostage in his own home to keep him from talking to other papers. After a week the poor man got so stir-crazy that he took a rifle and shot a hole through his cottage roof. To be fair, they had offered him what they often handed out to other sources --- a holiday. The man was just too dumb to take it.
   
   But then we have the seaman on board Aristotle Onassis's yacht who was easily bribed and blabbed about everything going on with Ari and Jackie. He even took photos and was sent back to Greece where his fiancée awaited, all on the Enquirer's tab. And the distant relative of Elvis who was paid surprisingly little money to take flash photos of the corpse as it lay in state at Graceland. There was an absolute ban on photos, but whatever the Enquirer wanted, it usually got.
   
   The book is chock full of such stories, but Calder manages to keep his sources safe from detection, even now. The one major exception is Tom Arnold, who actually ratted on his bride-to-be, the famously profane comedienne Roseanne Barr, who had threatened to sue the paper for its outrageous stories of her and Tom. When an Enquirer staffer held up the canceled check signed by her inamorata on Geraldo Rivera's TV show, Roseanne was furious --- not so much at Arnold (whom she married anyway) but at the Enquirer operative, who was later sent a punch in the schnozz and a bouquet of flowers, compliments of the unsinkable Ms. Barr.
   
   Calder praises, rather than buries, the Enquirer, so those expecting the worst may be disappointed. But even when only mellow yellow, the paper's scurrilous tactics and its staff's plucky antics make for a great read.
   
   --- Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott



3. I absolutely loved this book.
   It was full of interesting stories of how the management of Enquirer and its reporters got scoops on hot stories, even before any mainstream media knew what was happening.
   I have been reading the Enquirer since I was about 10 yrs old, which is when I saw the cover showing Elvis in his coffin. The story on how they got that picture is worth the price of the book alone. Great read for an Enquiring mind!



4. Hundreds of Tabloid pros were fired by America's Most Feared Editor, Iain Calder - I was one of them. No matter, one simply should not bugger off AWOL to Egypt and not tell the boss!
   
   Iain's fantastic romp down Tabloid Memory Lane took me back to many forgotten NATIONAL ENQUIRER escapades.
   
   Yes, we carried $ thousands in cash, yes, we hired helicopters by the dozen, yes; we got the story before the local press even knew we were in town. Small wonder the "legitimate press" dubbed us the Foreign Legion of journalism. Poor scribes, they simply could not compete.
   
   The ENQUIRER was also used in classrooms as an educational tool; we exposed Government waste, published happy pictures of our staff dog, Lucky, visiting big name stars; we published Rags to Riches stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
   
   NE medical reporters were the best in the media - diets that really worked; we broke the World's First Test Tube Baby story, too.
   
   An editor on the NE during those swashbuckler days, even I was unaware of many of the UNTOLD STORIES so vividly described in this five-star adventure yarn - Can't wait for the movie.
   
   Kudos to Calder!



5. The Untold Story is a tribute to the people that made the National Enquirer a journalism trendsetter and one of best selling newspapers in the nation. Iain Calder, the former editor-in-chief of the Enquirer, has written the biography of a newspaper with obvious affection and pride. Included in this accolade are the hardworking and colorful employees of the Enquirer-writers, photographers, editors, and business managers. The celebrities, physicians, stars, and ordinary people that filled the pages of the Enquirer appear in The Untold Story treated with obvious respect and affection. Interwoven through most of the book is Gene Pope, an extraordinary man and boss with rare vision, insight, and daring, albeit often coupled with a complex personality mix of compassion and uncompromising demands.
   
   Calder has done a fine job with The Untold Story-the book has a brisk pace, flows well, and always keeps the reader engaged and entertained. The Untold Story is not an expose, and anyone looking for a detrimental gossip or the airing of nefarious deeds or secrets will be disappointed. The book will not disappoint any reader looking for a clear and compelling story of one man's unique, challenging, and interesting career.

5 comments about Strange And Dangerous Dreams: The Fine Line Between Adventure And Madness.

1. The history of adventure and adventure travel has many stories and heroes: so how is the search for adventure defined, and what makes seekers distinct? STRANGE AND DANGEROUS DREAMS: THE FINE LINE BETWEEN ADVENTURE AND MADNESS covers the lives of eleven selected adventurers, some well known and some more obscure, covering two centuries. Chapters categorize these explorers by the emotional turmoil that drove them out into the world - and their common connection is that each has been called 'mad'. Psychological probe meets adventure story in a collection highly recommended for general library acquisition.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



2. From the perspective of someone who has a terrible mind for history (the kind of person who forgets about most historical figures soon after learning about them), I found this collection of histories to be surprisingly memorable and genuinely interesting. Author Geoff Powter does a great job of choosing some historical figures we have all heard of (like Meriwether Lewis) and throwing in several we haven't (like Solomon Andree). Each adventurer's life is covered relatively thoroughly from birth to death, but at a pace that keeps each segment interestng. With journalistic accuracy (and impartiality), Powter presents several sides to the most crucial or questionable events of each character's strange and/or dangerous path.
   
   Although it's true that many of the author-imposed categories for these troubled adventurers could be switched or overlapped, I don't think that takes away at all from the telling of the stories themselves. They all struck me as fascinating and quite worthy of being included in this volume.
   
   I found Strange and Dangerous Dreams to be an engrossing read when I had the time (sometimes I would read through three segments in a sitting) and at other times, a very easy book to pick up and put down at will. The organization of the book into differently-themed chapters and larger sections made each individual story more of a complete unit, and therefore easier to read in shorter sittings. Either way, if you're a history buff or a psychology enthusiast, this is a fascinating and informative read- no matter how much time you have on your hands. I highly recommend it.



3. Given the cover graphic and book title this is not a book that I would normally have picked up and started to look at. However, after reading through it I find that it would have been my loss. The author points out that there is often a fine line between the quest for adventure and madness. To make his point he examines the lives and dreams of several adventurers and how something in their character caused them to cross that line into madness or at least come very close to it. Some of the adventurers examined include Meriwether Lewis, Robert Scott, Donald Crowhurst, Jean Batten, and Aleister Crowley. This is a really interesting account of each of these people and an insight into their personal lives. Strange and Dangerous Dreams is a recommended read for people with a passion for adventure and history.



4. The real key to this book is in its sub-title. The author is a psychologist and a veteran of thirteen climbing expeditions to the Himalaya. Perhaps he, himself, is his first patient as he examines what makes people take on dangerous hobies, sports, or jobs. He is examining 'the fine line' that marks the difference between striving for your best and carrying it so far that it becomes maddness or even suicidal.
   
   We all know people who have trouble because of 'an old football injury,' or bone spur's from throwing a baseball to many times, or hearing loss from loud music. Where does the thrill of the sport cross over?
   
   It's a most interesting book, but as with the case of most psychological analysis, it doesn't give really a solid answer. It's easy to say this is an example of a person gone too far, and the other end of the scale is also easy to see. But inbetween?



5. A great and exciting topic but the book was very unexciting and seemed superficial--the three categories---lost, bend, burdened--totally arbitrary. Many of the subjects could have easily been mixed and matched in any of the other categories.
   
   The author often gives a rather long general overview of his analysis of the particular individal without thorough biographical data. The subjects/individuals are covered in approximately 12 to 20 pages. I would have appreciated more biographical facts and/or some type of clinical anaylsis rather than the superficially "psychology" presented--the writing reminds me of a bookstore cafe--the combination usually results in mediocre books coupled with mediocre coffee. Here we have a mediocre book about adventurers coupled with mediocre psychology.
   
   Maybe he should have justed written about several mountain climbers and their dangerous dreams rather than race through so many different subjects. I was hoping for something more indepth--the book could easily have been 400 pages longer if the subjects were as fascinating as they initially seemed to be. I was ready for a roller coaster ride and I got putt-putt golf instead.

3 comments about Skinny Boy: A Young Man's Battle and Triumph Over Anorexia.

1. I'm currently struggling with anorexia, and when i read this book it not only motivated me but made me feel not so alone. I related to Gary's thoughts and feelings. This book would be perfect for a parent with a child who has and ed, a friend, or for anyone else who's interested in the subject. It's fast moving...and hard to stop reading. I highly recommend it.



2. All i can say is that this book describes the mental process of what i would assume any person either male or female suffer from. I my self have live with an ED for several years and have waited for a book that takes the male point of view. The internal conversations within him self hit home to such a degree that sometimes it feels like its my own life. I highly reccomend this book to all men who struggle with an ED as well as all women. Good luck and god bless



3. Having years of experience in an acute care psychiatric setting, I'm not familiar with any other book that so deftly describes the internal dialogue between this young man's mental illness, and his weakened will to survive. Too often, people who have never experienced a mental illness don't understand the extreme difficulty sufferers experience. Much of their suffering comes on the battlefront of the mind. How the author eventually wins that battle makes this book a must read for anyone with an eating disorder. Families and professionals will also appreciate the frustrating battles his family endures, but also how important patience is with those who suffer from an eating disorder. It's a great book.

5 comments about The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.

1. Having read each of the columns where Steve Lopez introduced us to Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, I wasn't surprised by most of the content of the book. Where I was pleasantly surprised was in Mr Lopez' admissions that he was unprepared for the depth of Mr Ayers' illness, and that he, at times, attempted to rush Mr Ayers' treatment. His growth ahd changes are unmistakable. Mr Lopez is to be commended for what he has done to bring awareness to mental health issues faced by many residents of LA, and specifically Mr Ayers.



2. "The book was better." Moviegoers are always saying that.
   Back in 2005, *Los Angeles Times* columnist Steve Lopez wrote a series of stories about a homeless man who turned out to possess orchestra-level talent on several stringed instruments.
   Lopez turned his columns into *The Soloist* -- and now it's being turned into a movie (an early Oscar contender, no less, to be released Nov. 21) starring Robert Downey Jr. as Lopez and Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers, the musician who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.
   So why not just wait for the movie? Downey Jr. is a great actor, and Foxx, having played another gifted-but-disabled musician in Ray, just might pull off the mix of inspiration and delusion.
   Because books provide detailed, verbal pleasure, that's why. In real life, fore example, Lopez is married and very much involved in the life of his young daughter; in the movie, he's divorced. OK, so screenwriter Susannah Grant (*Erin Brockovich*) needed to streamline the narrative.
   But scenes recorded for the movie won't capture the author's commentary. Movie directors can compel our focus, but they can't enter into the characters' interpretations. At one point, for example, Lopez decides to spend a night on the streets as a homeless person alongside Ayers, who demonstrates how he taps a stick on the sidewalk at night to scare off rodents. And Lopez observes: "He's a classical musician who has taken a great fall and now finds himself fending off sewer rats, but when I look into his eyes, I find no hint of regret, no recognition of this nightly collision between beautiful thoughts and ugly reality."
   Most important, the process of reading through the months and months of coordination it took among several people to get Ayers off the streets and into treatment (tentatively, provisionally) -- the reader's act of setting the book aside, then returning to it days later -- mimics the one-step-forward, three-steps-back hassles that Lopez endured just to make Ayers' life a little better. Movies accelerate problems, then "solve" them in two hours.
   Director Joe Wright allowed us a glimpse, in *Atonement,* of a happily-ever-after ending that's severely undercut by stark realities. Reader-viewers of *The Soloist* will anticipate an ending that offers the hope of continued treatment for Ayers, not a cure. Lopez's book ends with the question of whether Ayers will be able to continue attending concerts at Walt Disney Concert Hall, let alone performing in them. No sentimentalized Hollywood endings are welcome here.
   If they intrude, then this Thanksgiving, you can stroll out of a cineplex somewhere and justly say, "The book was better."



3. Steve Lopez has written a moving story of a talent musician and, in the process, written an illuminating two-year autobiography.



4. Great story line. Towards the end, I began to read slower, then pick the book down for a few days, because I did not the story to end. I think this fall around October, November the movies based off this book is scheduled to come out, Starring Jamie Fox. Might not be a bad idae to pick this box up and read it before the movie comes.



5. Steve Lopez writes an eloquent, very personal story of a homeless, mentally ill man with a brilliant, talented past. It is totally by chance that Lopez meets Nathaniel Ayers along Skid Row in downtown LA. Captivated by the music Nathaniel plays on a beat-up violin that is missing two essential strings, Lopez steps over the threshold into a world very unlike his own.
   As a reporter, Lopez's style is rich, tactile and complete. We follow Nathaniel's trail of breadcrumbs from humble beginnings in Cleveland to Julliard to the tunnel in LA where he sleeps.
   Lopez's visually evocative language creates a spell that shows us how the mentally ill are marginalized and along with him, we ride the magic carpet of great hopes for recovery and change and then plummet into the depths of Nathaniel's delusional brain chemical mania.
   All the while, Lopez allows us to experience his personal emotional struggle of managing a reporter's tettering job, a wife, a two year old daughter and his commitment to helping Nathaniel, once a musical prodigy, now brought down by schizophrenia.
   Poignant and touching, this book is a true story of people so real, you will wake from the page with music in your ears and in your heart.