5 comments about Flying Close to the Sun: My Life and Times as a Weatherman.

1. If you want to know about the endless internecine conflicts in SDS, you'll find lots to absorb you here. If you're looking for an account that captures the energy of that era and the emotional evolution of a participant, look elsewhere. The writer's clunky, oddly detached, heavily rhetorical style doesn't engage the imagination; it comes to life only briefly, when she describes the townhouse explosion from which she escaped. She spends a lot of time exonerating and justifying herself in retrospect, chronicling the many reservations she said she had about Weatherman's tactics and analysis but that she suppressed at the time. Not much illumination of the era or of the writer.



2. A great tale of radicalization. The meditative Wilkerson, from the start at the center of the action, is judgmental of herself and of strategies of the Vietnam War and civil-rights activism. She doesn't try to get inside the heads of her fellow SDS and Weather activists, instead substituting minutia about herself. This can make for a very narrow narrative, but it keeps the history tight, more of an impassioned autobiography than speculative memoir.



3. Cathy Wilkerson is best known to the world today as one of the two survivors of the March 2, 1970 bomb explosion at a Weatherman safe house in New York City which killed three of her friends and collaborators.
   
   Wilkerson writes an interesting narrative of her transformations from a WASPy 1950's era Swarthmore College grad into a professional activist to a street fighter, then a terrorist, a wanted fugitive, a mother, a prison inmate, and today a NYC math teacher. Wilkerson gives the most emphasis in her book to the first three, and it is an emphasis that will probably be of most interest to readers.
   
   Wilkerson notes throughout her book that the New Left had a tendency toward bullying tactics for both organizational governance and in formulating programs of action [p.205]. This tenancy was extreme in the case of SDS in general and the Weathermen in particular. To wit: "It was a [leadership] style that embraced certainty as a primary credential for leadership." Wilkerson detects this tendency but never struggles against it and never says why, either. This is a issue I would have liked to see her address.
   
   Another issue that Wilkerson identifies but never addresses in depth is the whole idea of SDS as an organization for the long-run. As a student-based organization SDS had the fatal flaw that being a college student is a transitory phase in most people's lives. At some point people want to stop going to classes and get on with their lives. So where does the committed student activist go then? [p.236]



4. As a student of the era, this account by Cathy Wilkerson has been a long time coming. Often the social change of the late Sixties gets filed under "Civil Rights Movement" and "Anti-War Protests", and not enough attention is given to the Women's Movement. Ms. Wilkerson's point of view is important because it adds to the very short list of women who have told their side of the SDS/WUO.
   
   For the reader less familiar with the era, the amount of violence directed at those in the movement can be shocking. As Ms. Wilkerson relates the loss of life at the hands of the government and authorities, we are reminded that 4-Dead-In-Ohio is only a small part of the price that was paid in pursuit of freedom and justice. There's no real need beyond this to understand where the anger and sense of desperation originated that drove groups like the Weather Underground to violence.
   
   Although some have criticized the literary quality of this book, I found it quite a good read; a sincere memoir not from a professional history writer, but from a key architect of a piece of history.
   
   Social change is never linear or instantaneous, but comparisons of the Sixties to the present show the dramatic effects of the aforementioned movements. Politics aside, there are two minority candidates making serious bids for the White House. The military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is crumbling from the bottom up, as the young men and women of today make it clear that the sexual preference of the person watching their back is not an issue. Along with this optimism about our progress, there is still a recognition that many needs for serious change abound; this book adds to the volume of information that will help the next generation of revolutionary thinkers bring about serious non-violent social change.



5. Flying Close to the Sun was an interesting look at how SDS and other anti-war activists decided that confrontation, even violent confrontation was the only true way to exact meaningful politcal change. It also showed that many new leftists were anti-Vietnam war but not anti-war. I am sure many would be all too comfortable in the culture wars of today.
   
   Ms. Wilkerson comes across as a person with strong beliefs and a true committment to back them up with action. Yet, she also comes across as self-absorbed and naive. She didn't seem concerned that her father's town house had been destroyed and that other innocent people could have been killed. She acknowledged that her cohorts had shown terrible judgement in messing with explosives but didn't seem to realize the town house explosian damaged the anti-war movement and helped move this country to the right.
   
   The book was still a great read and did a nice job of describing the political climate of the late sixties. It showed, through her own strainted family relations, the dynamics of what was then labeled as the "generation gap." Yet, at times I thought the book wasn't reflective enough even though it looked back events almost 40 years old.

5 comments about Big Horses Good Dogs And Straight Fences: Musings of Everyday Ranch Life.

1. Good book very well written. I would have liked some stories about the "old man" if you are familiar with Mark's other work you know what I mean. But still lot's of fun and great stories !!!



2. This book is true to Mark Rashid's simple and entertaining writing style with some nice stories. It is a very quick read. Not fine literature, but a nice way to spend a lazy afternoon. It is not a training manual, just some nice stories about Mark's life with animals.



3. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My only complaint is that is was too short. I finished it in 1 setting and could not put it down. I am on Amazon now searching for his other books and will add to my collection very soon. Highly recommended!



4. This was a fun book to read. Being 'part' of Mark's life through his stories is such an adventure as well as offering wonderful teaching points. His tales of the draft horses has given me a new fondness for these hard-working giants. I'd recommend this book to not only horse lovers but also those who love to 'listen' to a good story. Mark's style of writing puts the reader right there with him in the thick of things.



5. A typically written Mark Rashid book. Very witty and leaves the reader with a little more insite than he started with. Recommend for most ages.

5 comments about Steve & Me.

1. This is one of those can't put down books. A book which makes you cry with sadness and happiness, one that makes you laugh and also makes you angry at the injustice to animals and the people trying to protect them.
   
   Whilst we all know what a wonderful guy Steve was with his wildlife conservation and admire and love him for it, this also shows that Terri was equally dedicated.
   
   A beautiful love story, and what a beautiful family! This book made me realize that it really took a special woman to match Steve's vigor for life.
   
   What a unique couple, makes me even the sadder that their love story was cut short and that their two beautiful children do not get to grow up with such an amazing man!



2. Terri Irwin has written a biography and tribute to her soulmate, Steve Irwin. Known to millions all over the world as the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin (along with Terri and their kids and the staff of the Australia Zoo) have inspired millions to care about the environment and animals that have been killed out of ignorance or fear. Contrary to what some reviewers wrote, you do get to know Steve better than you did through the television shows. Terri was actually quite open, sharing many personal stories with the reader in a way that drew you into the narrative. I felt the pain that Steve Irwin felt when he was the subject of the media witch-hunt regarding the "Baby Bob" incident. You laughed along with them, and felt their sorrows and triumphs. The "cult of personality" is too real a force in our world. People spend far too much time concerned with what some singer or athlete or actor says or does. Here is a subject worthy of such notice, and a story well-told. Thanks, mate.



3. Stellar writing by Terri Irwin. She made you feel like
   you were right there with them.



4. Incredibly insightful, informative, and fascinating. Terry Irwin turns out to be a fabulous author who truly writes from the heart. You can hear her telling the stories of her and Steve's adventures. A love story for the ages. Of course, we all know the incredibly sad way the story has to end, but their story is definitely worth reading. Would recommend it to anyone who loves "The Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin, wildlife, love stories or believes in soul mates. Didn't want it to end. Loved it!!



5. I had always been a fan of Steve Irwin, but this touching tribute by his wife, not only showed how deeply they were in love but what a family man and true Wildlife Warrior he was. Excellent read.

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

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



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



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



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



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

5 comments about Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish.

1. I am from West Salem and having lived there and worked at the law office, I could pretty much pick out who he was talking about. I feel Mr. Mackall did a wonderful job of telling the true life of the Amish.
   
   I have seen the shunning of a young man in public, at a auction I attended. It broke my heart. It is not easy for them to just walk away from the only family and way of life they known.
   
   If the Amish interest you as they do me, then this book is the one book to read.Plain Secrets: An Outsider among the Amish



2. Neither a scholarly treatise nor a vilification, an idealization nor an exposé, Joe Mackall's PLAIN SECRETS is a narrative that explores one man's relationship to an Amish family and, by extension, a community.
   
   Mackall, who lives in Ashland County, Ohio, befriends the Shetler family: Samuel, Mary and their nine children (names changed by the author). Over the years, living in close proximity to the Shetlers, Mackall develops as close a relationship with the family as an Englisher might be allowed. What emerges is the peace, beauty and goodness of the culture, as well as the disturbing questions he finds himself asking about legalism, the rights of women and the protection of children. His friendship with the family also helps him learn more about himself. "I have chosen...to mine the raw material of their everyday lives in search of everyday truths," writes Mackall.
   
   It's an immersion into the world of the Swartzentruber, the most traditional and strict of the Amish sects. The Swartzentruber refuse to use reflective signs on the back of their buggies, leave school after the eighth grade, bathe only once a week and carry no insurance. The women are not permitted to wear bras and are not allowed to shave their underarms or legs.
   
   However, there are plenty of surprises. This conservative sect shops at Wal-Mart and loves the Dollar Store, and may enjoy junk food such as Milky Way candy bars and potato chips. Although they don't practice "rumspringa" like many other Amish sects, the Swartzentruber Amish let their teens go on "dates," in which a teenage boy and girl spend the night together, side by side, in her bed. Mackall skillfully weaves other information throughout the narrative: the history of the Swartzentruber, the organization of the church and the ordination of ministers, and Amish perceptions of African Americans.
   
   As part of his exploration, Mackall follows the story of Samuel's nephew Jonas, who leaves the Amish to join the English community. The reader will be alternately intrigued, sympathetic and repelled at how Jonas handles his new-found "freedom." To abandon Amish life, Mackall shows through Jonas's attempt, is to encounter immediate problems. How do you get a Social Security number if your parents refuse to let you have a copy of their marriage license? How do you find a job when you've never gone to school past the eighth grade? The Amish community's culture and rules, Mackall realizes, make it difficult for a child to leave.
   
   Living in close proximity to the Shetler family offers Mackall positive insights as well --- an appreciation and attention to the weather, a realization that he doesn't need as much as he perhaps wants. Mackall, a professor of English and journalism at Ashland University, beautifully pens one particularly haunting scene, which finds him rhythmically tossing butternut squash to Samuel in his truck as they get ready to go to an auction.
   
   "Perhaps it's because the weather is fair and the season is autumn, but suddenly I experience a paroxysm of joy --- sheer, sharp unadulterated joy. I'm suspended between two worlds, an outsider in an outsider's world. I'm here with friends who consider themselves separate from the world but woven into the earth, while we all throw fruits of the earth to one another: seeds planted, sown, produce reaped and cleaned, soon to be sold, bought, and eaten. Toddlers play, teenagers laugh, a friend loses his hat, my back aches, and through it all the beauty and heartbreaking brevity of this life pierce me with their stunning certainty."
   
   Other scenes are not so prosaic. After enjoying his rides in Samuel's buggy and telling others about them "as if I were playing a small part in some quaint drama most people could only watch", he must re-evaluate his thinking after another family's buggy is hit by a car and an eight-year-old girl is killed. This leads to a written personal tirade, which ends with, "Is sticking with your sacred buggies more important than the sanctity of human life? Can't you take care of your children?" Readers will have further concerns when Samuel takes his daughter to a veterinarian for medical treatment or, like all Swartzentrubers, refuses to immunize his children. Mackall's questions as he ponders the less appealing side of Amish life are respectful, vulnerable and thought provoking.
   
   Threaded throughout Mackall's book is Samuel's belief in God's will and how it affects his world. "He talks about God's will the way he reports how much it rained the night before or that one of his cows has the milk disease. God's will is like gravity --- it is rain and dirt and sun and snow and wind and fire and every other elemental thing. It is what it is --- no matter what we do." Despite Mackall's own disagreement with Samuel's theology, he finds himself strangely comforted by it when a disabled uncle dies.
   
   It's these conflicting perceptions that provide the necessary tension that holds Mackall's narrative together. Readers will come away with new perspectives about Amish life and some disturbing questions.
   
   --- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby



3. Plain Secrets was our choice for our book club this month. It was an informative read. Much info about the Amish of Ohio and a good conversation work.



4. Very enjoyable read. Mackall uses his sensitivity, humor and vulnerability to tell us a real story about real Amish people. Living next door and making friends with a Swatzentruber (very orthodox & traditional) Amish family, he is there for them in their time of need, and they welcome him in to their lives - to a certain point. Mackall smashes many of the popular, but inaccurate notions we have about the Amish and leaves us a little more informed and thoroughly entertained.



5. As someone who grew up Swartzentruber Amish in the same community as the "Shetler" family I consider this to be one of the best books on the Amish I've ever come across. It accurately tells the real story without being offensive. My only problem with reading it was knowing how private the Amish are I felt like I was eavesdroping! If you are looking for an accurate account of life inside the Swartzentruber Amish community this book is a must read.

5 comments about Rainbow's End: A Memoir of Childhood, War and an African Farm.

1. I enjoyed Rainbow's End so much that I bought a second copy as a gift rather than part with my own. It recalled my own memories of Rhodesia at that time; nicely nostalgic. Highly recommended! --Barry--



2. Growing up in 1960s Rhodesia, Lauren St. John thought she was in paradise. Despite the ever-looming threat of terrorist attacks, Lauren lived immersed in breathtaking African beauty. She and her younger sister Lisa had dozens of exotic pets and ran freely across the land, while native Africans ran their farm and household. The world was Lauren's for the taking.
   
   Then the war ended, turning Rhodesia into Zimbabwe - and a completely foreign place. Suddenly the country's black citizens were in full force, demanding equality with their white neighbors. For people like Lauren, who had grown up believing whites were inherently in charge, it was an abrupt and bitter eye-opening. Was nothing the way she'd thought it was?
   
   Slowly but sincerely, teenage Lauren struggles to gain a grasp on her new universe - making friends with the black girls now integrated into her school, getting to know the family employees as individuals rather than generic servants.
   
   St. John's recollections are candid and well-written, capturing a memorable period in African history and offering valuable insight for readers all over the world.



3. This book is a beautifully written memoir of childhood that,importantly for me, does a fantastic job of evoking the time and place, scents and sounds of growing up on a farm in the bush. Perhaps more meaningful to me since I've traveled in southern Africa, but its a wonderful story for anyone not just those interested in that period and that place.



4. I grew up in Rhodesia and can relate to all the animals and the terrorists and see the Rhodesia troops know someone who was in the army. Fortunately for those who grew up in the Rhodesia Era, have a better understanding of the meaning of life. No computer games, but real life. One thing that I hope to pass on to my kids is the love of animals, and how to survive without all the time spend in front of the TV and computers and be a real kid. Living in Bannockburn, traveling to Bulawayo, or Salisbury, stopping in Gweru, the Victoria Falls, Kariba, and buying mealies cooked on the side of the road, the braais, Renaults, the food, the wildlife, the smells of freshly rain on ground, elephants crossing the road on the way to Victoria Falls, and Matopus, all the baboons and monkeys running around, the rhino, giraffe, the lizards stealing food. The good life.
   
   Growing up in Rhodesia makes me live life, like it were overflowing. The good times, the best of times, the real times.



5. I lived in Rhodesia in the time period this book was written. Although some minor facts are not quite correct, it gives an excellent feel for what it was like to live there and experience the multitude of changes.

5 comments about Trespassers Will Be Baptized: The Unordained Memoir of a Preacher's Daughter.

1. This story was a very comical and interesting memoir. It's gives the reader an idea about what it's like to be a preacher's daughter. We see a picture of the author's life from age 5 to about age 10. She believed her father had some kind of magical secret. She thought she was destined to receive the Chicken Pox in order to spread God's word. She admired her little sister's way of communicating without saying a word. Near the end of the story, a tragic event changes the way her family looks at life, and teaches a lesson that sometimes we must change and move on with our lives. I recommend this book for those who want to read about the innocent outlook of a child, those who want to laugh a lot, and those who want to question why life throws us curve balls sometimes.



2. 
   
   I've read a few memoirs in my day and I'm drawn to the entertaining storytellers who both tell it like it is and also manage to paint reality a little more 3-D, a bit glossier, or even smellier. It is a rare person who can touch on the childhood struggle of figuring out our own little acre and put that immature angst into adult language and rich visuals. Elizabeth Emerson Hancock has that gift. Her story of growing out from underneath the crushing burden of the Preacher's Kid label caused me to smile and sometimes laugh. Hancock has a knack with stringing just the right words together to make her guided tour down memory lane amusing and recognizable to anyone who has spent hours at church potlucks and in Sunday best outfits with thigh backs glued to polished oak pews.
   
   But as well written as this series of life-lessons named for the Fruit of the Spirit is, I couldn't help but struggle with sadness while I read it. Some characters are so human (i.e. awful) I wondered if the author needs to consider forgiving them for the pain they caused in her life. I'm all for laughing, but some of these lessons on the road to faith felt a touch bitter. I know people can be hideous and mean-spirited. Church people can be some of the worst. And it's unfair for adults to put expectations of perfection on kids. I appreciate the emotional cost the author paid out to bare her soul for the world. I can't imagine the toll she paid for the expectations she placed on adults who disappointed her and crushed her tender heart. But Jesus did die for every mean Baptist Sunday School teacher, too. And He is willing to equip us to forgive and move on. I also don't think He wants us to make other human beings all-powerful in our lives and let them steal, kill and destroy our joy, peace or faith long after they perpetrated against us. Elizabeth has every right to tell her story, but I wonder whether some of her thoughts may have been better left unsaid.
   
   This may be one of the more difficult books I've read this year. I want to love and recommend it, but in spite of all the humor and great writing, I can't help but feel melancholy after visiting her childhood.



3. Elizabeth Emerson Hancock's humor is evident from cover to cover in "Trespassers Will Be Baptized". She brings the reader to deeper insight into the Baptist faith with humor and respect. She tells poignant stories about her life as a preacher's daughter with frank readability. The sections are cleverly divided by topic - each one a different fruit of the Spirit. And the chapter headings are hysterical!
   
   This beautifully written book is personalized with photographs and honesty. It is a memoir that is truly a treat to read.



4. This book is laugh-out loud funny at times. The author has a gift for wordsmithing. Hancock's language is very expressive and paints vivid imagery. The discription of an older relative's beehive is especially noteworthy. I know of no other author who could have made a beehive so interesting or so funny.
   
   For anyone who grew up in the south, the characters are immediately recognizable. It reminded me of my Baptist relatives in Alabama. So glad I picked up this book. Highly recommended.



5. Hancock's memoir about growing up as a pastor's daughter in the South during the 1980s is poignant and hilarious. Emy, as she is called by family, is the eldest daughter and full of ideas about what it means to be a PK (preacher's kid). She tries to follow all the rules and live a spotless life so that her sins don't reflect on her father, but at the same time, she wants the spotlight on her, so she occasionally slips up, like taking a pair of stone-washed Guess jeans from the donation box. Meg, Emy's younger sister, is fiercely independent and an enigma not just to her older sister, but to her parents as well. She is described as: and a little child shall spoil it for everyone else. Hancock ennobles the embattled position of minister in her description of her father and his faith. He is unable to cry when a best friend dies, because a pastor tucks those feelings away. He doesn't get to cry, because he has to support everyone else who is. Emy's deepest wish is to understand the her father's dichotomy. How does he wash away sin when baptizing and still give his daughters baths at night? Her mother has to put on her game face at church and hides Redbook magazine inside a Christian mother's magazine when sunbathing. Hancock truly captures not only her family's humanity, but their enormous faith as well. The book is filled with anecdotes you'll find yourself sharing with friends long after you've finished it. Hancock manages to straddle the fine line between humor and heresy with ease.

5 comments about Kinky Gazpacho: Life, Love & Spain.

1. I was a little hestitant about reading the book because of Wild Orchard's review, but the book turned out better than I expected. I actually thought the history portion was the best part of the book.
   
   I think Ms. Tharp may have learned( and the above Nigerian reviewer should make an effort to learn)that speaking "proper" English is not rare among blacks, nor is listening to opera, and reading definitely isn't rare within the African-American community. And that is the missing element of the book...What changed Ms. Tharp's prospective of blacks? The book is missing her New York years which awakened her pride in herself. She gives us a sneak peek, but only to show how much Manual, her Spanish love, meant to her.
   
   My biggest problem was trying to figure out what audience this book is geared towards, adults or teens. There seems to be too much innocence in this book to have been written by a married 30-something with two children. It doesn't have to be rauchy, but it's just a little too chaste. I got the impression that it was written by a late teen rather than an adult.
   
   I bought this book because I wanted to live in Spain for a year. However, I've been hestitant due to it's history in the kidnapping and enslavement of Africans in the Americas. Then there were the incidents with Spain's Olympic basketball team's mocking of Chinese people, and the treatment of black fútbol players by Spanards which haven't encouraged me to want to assist in Spain's economy. So, I was eager to read this book because I really wanted to get a prospective from a black person.
   
   I cant' say that the book enligthened me on the Spaniards. First the author was a student, and then a member of an extended family. She didn't really write about going on excursions alone, except to and from school or to acquaintances' homes. So, I don't get a true sense of what the average tourist may encounter.
   
   However, I do have to say the sites in Cadiz interested me. So, I may end up going for a vacation, but if so, only to the South of Spain.
   
   ***Unfortunately we can't change the rating once it's entered. I meant to rate this as THREE STARS. I really don't have anyone I would recommend read this book.
   
   It definitely shouldn't be a hardback book. This book is only good to use in an African-American Studies course to study the various way a racist society shapes self-image.



2. I bought and read this book as part of a bookclub selection. The first 60 pages were good almost even interesting then it went downhill from there! She was a complete Drama Queen and sort of an Elitist. If I was really interested in a history lesson (like the one you'll get reading this book) I would have grabbed a history book instead and not spend 15 bucks on this. So all in all it was good in the beginning then quite a torture to finish.



3. I must admit that I vacillated between sorrow and anger for Lori. She seemed to have such a hard time identifying with her Blackness and I didn't realize young Black people struggled with this identity crisis while coming of age in the '80's. Having lived through the turmoil of the '50's and '60's, I assumed that people of African descent living in America were Black and Proud.
   
   I'm happy that Lori is finally appreciating the blessing of being born Black, one manifestation of the Source of all of us.
   
   Now she will be able to impart to her children and others that on a spiritual plane, all of us share the same Source even though the multitude fails to realize that the breath of life, the air that sustains us all is the same. Many will go through life not realizing this simple fact and will continue to erect barriers/walls to separate us.
   
   Her memoir is a gratifying read and many will enjoy her awakening.



4. This memoir by Lori Tharps, who also the co-authored of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America, was a nice, easy, lightweight coming-of-age story. The book got a little whiny at times as the author tried to reconcile the differences between the Spain of her imaginations and the real Spain especially as it related to the treatment, ideas and attitudes of Black people. But I was completely on-board as she struggled to figure out her identity as a Black person. She grew up in an area that was predominantly White and was never really confident in her Blackness especially when dealing with other Black people. As a first generation Nigerian born and raised in the states, that has been something I too have struggled with. If you speak English properly, enjoy reading and the Opera, well, then, you are not really Black. We know that's not true but I think it's something that many young, upwardly mobile, intelligent Black people face. What does it mean to be truly Black? Ms. Tharps story is inspirational in that she finds her own way to be authentically Black. I felt like she glossed over some things (like her children's birth and her practice of the Ba'hai faith) but these, I suppose, were not the focus of her book. She is, however, refreshingly honest about herself and her feelings/emotions in her page-turning memoir. I think it's that candor that makes you want to continue reading because there is nothing overly exciting going on in the book. It's her story. And it's just life. The ups. The downs. And the in-betweens.
   
   Great summer reading.



5. Tharps' story about her love-hate relationship with Spain was high on my list of must reads for this summer - and it turned out to be time well-spent. Tharps chronicles her youth in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she was the only Black girl in her predominately white classes, to her undergrad days at Smith college, where she is one of the few Black women on campus. Tharps struggles to find herself and determine where she fits in. As a youth, she develops a strong love for Spain and vows to see this country that she has fallen so deeply for. Tharps takes her readers to Salamanca and we watch as her adoration for this country slowly turns to something else when she encounters its citizens and learns its hidden truths. This is simply a love story - and in the end, I think Tharps eventually learns to love the thing that is most important - herself.

1 comments about Max Factor: The Man Who Changed the Faces of the World.

1. MAX FACTOR
   The Man Who Changed
   the Faces of the World
   Fred C. Basten
   Arcade Publishing Inc.
   Hachette Book Group
   ISBN: 978-1-55970-875-3
   $24.95
   184 pages
   Reviewer: Annie Slessman
   
   Max Factor, a name known throughout the world as one of the leading manufacturers of cosmetics, was born in Poland as Max Faktor. Only when he entered the U.S. did the spelling of his name change. It seems an inspector misspelled Faktor and not knowing how to tell him otherwise, Max's last name changed forever to Factor.
   
   Max married Lizzie, his first wife when working as the make up artist for the Russian Royal family as well as the Imperial Russian Grand Opera. He could not let the Russian Royal family know of his marriage since it could jeopardize Lizzie's life. Therefore, the marriage and the subsequent children of the couple became one of the best-kept secrets in Russia for almost five years until they reached the United States.
   
   
   Once in America, Max and a partner opened an exhibit at the St. Louis World Fair. Although his exhibit was successful, Max's partner disappeared with all of funds earned from the exhibit and left Max penniless. Max, with the help of his brother and Uncle, opened a barbershop in 1906. It was the beginning of history in the making.
   
   Max Factor was a pioneer in developing make up for the movie industry. Unknown to most of us, he also made most of the wigs used in movies during the "Golden Age."
   He eventually took Max Factor to heights Max himself could never have believed in his early years. His entire family-sons, daughters and the son-in-laws were all well versed in the many divisions of his company and carried on his work after his death.
   
   This work not only tells the story of the rise of Max Factor as a world leader in cosmetics, it also leaves the reader with a wealth of knowledge with regard to the history of movies and television. I found the work well researched and well written, not to mention, irresistible and a page-turner.
   
   Fred Basten is the author of numerous books about Hollywood and the entertainment industry. A graduate of UCLA, he was the assistant to the public relations director at Max Factor, Hollywood and currently lives in Santa Monica, California.

1 comments about Nemesis.

1. What a gripping story! Right from the prologue I was hooked. I was a little scared of getting into the book as it had to do with missing children. Being a mother of three children it was frightening to me. I went to the first chapter and I was hooked!
   
   The chapters move quickly. Vincent Cobb is a mastermind at writing. If you enjoy fiction-thrillers this book is for you. I have not read a thriller in years. Even if you are not into thrillers this book is for you!
   
   This truly is a very interesting story that keeps you wanting more. You feel like you know who the characters are. You hope for them. You want the mystery to be solved. You want the nightmares to end for Connie, the psychic young character.
   
   Do not miss this first book in the Angela Crossley series. I am still in awe of the story I just finished reading unfold before my very eyes. I cannot wait for the next book to be published!