5 comments about Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home (Focus on the Family Books).

1. I really enjoyed this book. Being from Chicago as well, I felt an ever closer connection to the author and his story. I had a real hard time putting it down and I had to keep tissue close by whenever I was reading it. As a Mother, it was especially heart wrenching to read some of the thoughts and emotions the author experienced as a child. Such wonderful writing and expression - always feeling the emotion the author was sharing. I would highly recommend it! I passed it onto a friend after I was done with it - so the enjoyment could be passed on!



2. This book was easy to read and understand. It should be read by every young person in children's home, in the foster system, in juvenile detention, and those with an incarcerated parent. Even those of us who never suffered any of those hardships, can learn an important lesson in forgiving those who have hurt us.



3. Wonderful book. Would recommend this book to any age group. Very touching and inspiring story.



4. Having been in the service of serving abandoned, behaviorally disturbed children and adolescents for 32 years, I was able to reminisce and find memories explicity tied to this book. The messages are accurate, profound, and direct. The chapters relive one man's story but the themes are multiplied by the number of kids in care from yesterday to the present and the stories are wide and varied. There are many stories in the lives of children from both yesteryear to this present day and age.The names change and the faces are different but the broken body and mind are still evident today. When one reads this book you become acutely aware of why behavior, emotion,identity, can go awry. All of the clinical terminology which labels children in placement existed then and still does today. What is remarkable and I have seen it over and over is that there are those who "will" to live, who "will" to grow, who never give up. Out of all the chaos emerges a Rob Mitchell and there are numbers upon numbers who, in spite of the many abuses and neglect, rise to become vibrant creative human beings like he has. This is a story of one of them. And, of so many of the children I have seen rise out of their pathology and into health, I have also seen a remarkable closeness to an abiding faith. Rob Mitchell is a man of that faith. Castaway Kid is just one of many castaway kids. What a wonderful read.
   David Carlson MSW, LCSW



5. Castaway Kid is a wonderful autobiography for anyone similarly struggling in life with circumstances beyond their control. If you think adult struggles are overwhelming, think how you'd be able to handle them as a child, when age works against you as you try to improve your situation with intelligent questions for the only adults supposed to take care of you. This is an inspirational Horatio Alger story: the kind of story that reminds you how well you have it in a free society, but where people still make mistakes and others suffer as a consequence, notwithstanding the best of intentions of some who want to help.
   Full disclosure here: I also went to school with Mr. Mitchell at Guilford. But I had only a limited knowledge of his childhood and the circumstances of his parents and the two grandmothers. The details in this book were things he certainly kept private in the dorm and on campus. And I never would have guessed how irreligious he was until his epiphany. I like to think that some of the friendships he made at Guilford helped stabilize his renewed faith in mankind, even if only secondary to his faith in God. All his struggles as an adult obviously pale compared to what he had to go through as a child. But as an inspirational and motivational story, it is a very pleasant read, indeed.

5 comments about House to House.

1. A magnificent book. Bellavia offers a clear-eyed, gritty look at battle. I couldn't put it down. More than just a war story, Bellavia offers moving insights into the warrior's soul. Recommended for anyone interested in first person comabt accounts.



2. 'House to House' should be mandatory reading for every single person in the United States. SSG David Bellavia has written a no-nonsense, kick-you in-the-gut memoir to recount his experiences in Iraq; a memoir that once you pick up, you won't be able to put down. I started reading it this morning, and just finished the last page about five minutes ago. Bellavia doesn't pull any punches, and recounts vividly and in detail, everything he and his men saw, said, and did in the battles for Muqdadiyah and Fallujah. He is a true American hero, and his love for his men, his country, and his family shine through in every page. I enthusiastically give this book five stars, and would give it even more if I could. God bless SSG Bellavia, and the rest of our troops that have fought and died for this great country!



3. The way that David Bellavia describes what was going on around him and what he was doing to survive is amazing! When you read it, it's almost as if you can picture everything as he had seen it while he was there. The pictures that are included in the book make it that much better. To see the soldiers, the men that were fighting along side of him the entire time is just captivating. A must-read for anyone that enjoys books about the history of wars and those that love the soldiers that give us our freedom!



4. My boyfriend is in the military. And until I had read this book it was hard to imagine exactly what he is going through. This book let me feel like I was side by side those soldiers and after reading it, I can only feel incrediably grateful and blessed that we have such amazing soldiers fighting for our freedom. Everyone should read this book, whether you are for Operation Iraqi Freedom or not, and afterwards appreciate everything that they go through for us.



5. Wow what can you really say. This was a great story that made you feel like you were right there with him. Couldn't put it down until I finished it.

5 comments about Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope.

1. I enjoyed this book a lot. It's amazing and scarey that something like this mix-up could happen, but equally as amazing that the two families were able too accept and not blame others for it. I'm a Christian but I'd like to live my life closer to God the way these two families have. I'll be looking online to see what's happened to the two families since the book's publication.



2. I just loved this book and could not put it down. I would cry while I was reading and get excited all within a few moments. Great Book!!!!



3. Very heartfelt story. I bought three copies of this book after I read it because I wanted to share it with others. The amount of faith, love, happiness, sadness and mercy in this book should be a lesson to everyone. It certainly was to me.



4. I very much enjoyed this book - the level of detail was so great that I felt like I was really there, watching the terrible true story unfold. It's true, the religious element can get a little bit much and I did find myself skipping over some of the longer Bible passages. That didn't even come close to ruining the book for me, though, because the story was enthralling. At times the book had me near tears, but it's also strangely uplifting. The families are both an inspiration in the way they dealt with what happened to them, and I wish them all the best for the future. Definitely recommended.



5. I saw the story on the news, but the book really tells you so much more.Not only do you learn so much about this tragic story, but you learn a lot from the families by how they stayed so connected and so strong. Although there were parts i thought i would cry, i recommend it.

5 comments about Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001).

1. Don Felder is very forthcoming about his life, and his place among the Eagles. Burdened by his self doubts and insecurities about his guitar skills, these traits haunt him even today. These inner demons kept him in Gainesville longer than he should have stayed; kept him from ending low paying, deadend jobs in Boston; prevented him from trying to make the scene on the West coast; perpetuated his own disillusionment with the Eagles; and ultimately played a starring role in his unfavorable demise from the group.
   
   He tells the story of a different time in music, and the gifts he was given by knowing so many talented musicians who just loved making music. The guys jammed together, and filled in for each other in a pinch, and even taught one another to play different instruments. I mean, we're talking Chris Hillman, Duane Allman, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, the Beegees, the Blues Brothers, Tom Petty, Gram Parsons, and the list goes on! The book would be a great read just to get a glimpse of a magical era in rock and roll music itself.
   
   Once he joined the Eagles, Don "Fingers" Felder became a work-a-holic on a listing ship which became increasingly difficult to get righted. As he spent his life at the beck and call of the Eagles' success, his wife Susan took complete care of him. She was his emotional rock night or day, raised their four children single-handedly, and stuck by him through drug abuse, infidelity, and years on the road. He is blatantly honest about being non-supportive of Susan when it came her turn to make her mark in the world. Instead of taking care of her, their home, the kids (although the hard part was over), and reciprocating her 30-year commitment to him and his career... he divorced her. And he discusses the woman he shares his life with now, and how she is there for him, because he still can't stand up emotionally for himself.
   
   So Don Henley is anal, and Glen Frey's sense of self-importance is only surpassed by that of the Greek god, Narcissus? Old, old news. But it was interesting to gain a bit of insight into two entities who worked hard to propel the Eagles straight into rock history, only to destroy the Eagles by sacrificing them to feed their own insatiable inner beasts. While Don Felder grew increasingly frustrated with the inner mechanisms of the band, he just didn't have the confidence to stand up for himself. He never seemed to understand why Tim and Joe were caught in the middle. They had much more to lose, in many ways, than Don Felder. As Joe tried to explain... it's hard as hell on the mind, body and soul out there going solo, with the work load, the hours, and the responsibilities. But it is something one must experience to understand. Never having experienced it, he was not able to recognize it and support Susan while she built her company... solo. And he humbly acknowledges this shortcoming in himself.
   
   Despite the soaring highs and sweeping lows in his life, it sounds like Don Felder has found peace. I appreciate that for him in his life.
   
   My strongest regrets about the way things ultimately transpired among the members of the band are sheerly selfish: 1) I will never get to see the Eagles perform with Don Henley, Glen Frye, Don Felder, Timothy Schmit and Joe Walsh. (The hope of seeing them perform, including Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, died decades ago.); and 2) I can play hell getting a guitar or photo signed by all 7 members of the Eagles. Ahhh. Thank God for CDs!



2. I tend to assume that celebrity bios are ghost-written, and this one at least credits the co-author. Given that, it's a much better read than I expected, well put together and coherent. Don Felder makes a good "unsung hero", and for an unsung hero getting his chance to speak, he does a good job of taking the high road. He makes a noticeable effort to be fair to all the members of the Eagles with whom he played, and as a result he doesn't come off as petty or whining. I have always enjoyed and admired his guitar playing, and now have a sense that he may also be a pretty decent person. Worth reading.



3. Great book, everybody mentioned in this book are geniuses in their own right, ego's are always a huge factor in any group, and without a defined leader, people naturally push to get things done the way they feel is best, the Eagles were no different. Entertaining to see how their music and personal lives evolved over the years, Felder writes from the heart, and his personal experience in the band sheds a light on how power and money changed the environment that was once totally music driven, to one that tried to maintain the music standard, and add the big business aspect.Great reading, enjoyed it all.



4. This is basically another tale of domestic abuse--this time with a '70s country-rock soundtrack. Oh, and not one but TWO abusive husbands: Henley and Frey. I do understand how Felder's situation put him in a tough position within the band, but I really do think someone should have shaken him really hard at some point, maybe by the early '80s, and shown him how the sacrifices he was making with his marriage, family, health, and musical talent were in no way worth the cash and any financial security he ended up with.



5. I always figured Don Henley and Glenn Frey were egomaniacs...Don Felder's tell-all book called Heaven and Hell not only confirmed my assumption but provided loads of details to back it up. Wow. I know the money was great and all but I still can't understand how Felder survived all those years with these guys.
   
   When I first opened this book I assumed I would skip whatever pre-Eagles coverage Felder offered and jump right in to the Hotel California era. I also thought I'd cut it short and not bother reading much beyond the band's first breakup. Much to my surprise, I started reading about Felder's childhood on page one and was immediately hooked. The guy has led a fascinating life and it's remarkable how many other well-known musicians he's stumbled across over the years. Growing up in Gainesville gave him access to bands like The Allman Brothers and he was even Tom Petty's first guitar teacher.
   
   While the early years of Felder's life were more interesting than I originally figured, the book really shines when he hooks up with The Eagles after they've had a taste of success in 1974. Hotel California is one of my favorite albums and probably the only one I care much about from The Eagles. The story of how that album was made, and how that song was written, is riveting. Felder takes you behind the scenes of tours, studio sessions and traveling with the band. You get the impression you're right there in the same room with these guys. The book is exceptionally well-written.
   
   I finished reading it last night and I'm still marvelling at how Henley, Frey and the band's manager (Irving Azoff) railroaded Felder into a much smaller cut of the proceeds towards the end. And yes, I realize Henley and Frey were the two "faces" of the band and they had much more successful solo careers than Felder, but still...I'll bet Paul and John never hosed George and Ringo like that. When you see these mega-bands from the '70's reuniting for "one final farewell tour" and ticket prices are well north of $100 it's hard to look at it as anything other than greed. Heaven and Hell will reinforce that notion, particularly when it comes to Don Henley, Glenn Frey and Irving Azoff. No matter how much you liked (or even disliked) The Eagles, Heaven and Hell is a very worthwhile read and sheds much light on the '70's music scene.

5 comments about Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time.

1. I have always been a fan of Valerie's. ODAAT was on when i was about 3 but I always caught it in reruns. Marrying Eddie certainly put her into a bigger spotlight and I began to relate to her. She is very frank about her weight, her marriage and her family. I have never thought she is fat and I was bummed at how hard on herself she was. But she is clearly in a better place now and seems like a wonderful mother. I gave the book to my mom after I read it and she also enjoyed it very much. I recommended the book to all my friends, you will finish it in a day like i did!



2. I found Valerie's story to be refreshingly candid. As a long-time fan and someone who has also recently lost a significant amount of weight, I was very interested in her story. This is not a "how-to" weight loss book -- actually, she doesn't spend a lot of time on that issue. But it is an honest look back at her life and how she got to where she is now. Enjoyable read.



3. I got this book for insight into what I thought was an interesting life. However, the book, which could have gone into depth about some really interesting times, only serves to show Ms. Bertinelli's lack of depth and intelligence. Yes, she comes off as sweet and well-meaning. But really, with all the problems going on in the world today, the biggest thing she has to say is commentary about her repeatedly gaining and losing 20 pounds? Seriously??
   
   This woman's self-worth is measured by her weight, as she reminds us ad nauseum by relaying her current weight at every juncture in her life. She has no introspection about anything else in the world or her life. She treats Jenny Craig like the Messiah. (Wonder how Ms. B. will feel when her contract runs out and she gains all that weight back because obviously you can't sustain a healthy weight loss you achieved eating chemical cheese curls [Hello Exhibit A: Kirstie Alley]).
   
   This could have been an interersting book, but instead comes of as a Jenny Craig commercial written by a nice, not very deep and not very intelligent woman who despite having lived some interesting times, lacks the intelligence and introspection to write about them in other than a superficial manner. The weight obsession is very immature, redudant and annoying (typical eating disordered behaviour, but not too interesting for the reader).
   
   Check it out of the library if you are interested. Not worth the cover price. Not that much info on her marriage other than Eddie drank a lot and did a lot of coke, they both cheated, they didn't have sex very much, Eddie had good taste in gifts and they love their kid who now plays bass in van halen. Oh, and Val likes David Lee Roth now. There I saved you $25.
   
   Oh, and what is up with the HORRIBLE inside picture quality. How could any publisher let that go to press??



4. Lite on insight, long on product plugs, this vapid autobiography appears to have been ghostwritten by Jenny Craig's publishing division.
   
   Once an appealing young television personality, Bertinelli now seems content to be a self-absorbed diet shill who spends as much time here dithering over her yoyo-ing waistline as she does her declining acting career and failed marriage to a drug happy rock star. Then one day she discovered Jenny Craig. . . and the rest reads like the world's longest People magazine profile.
   
   Look elsewhere for anything remotely resembling a shocking revelation--Bertinelli foolishly revealed all the juicy parts (and there weren't that many to begin with) on TV during a pre-publication media publicity blitz.
   
   So what we're left with here is a book-length paid ad for Jenny Craig--only readers are the ones footing the bill. The corporate brown-nosing ranges from Bertinelli's alleged admiration for Kirstie Alley's "success" on Craig's diet program (Huh??? Has she looked at a tabloid lately?) to the inclusion of an unflattering, out-of-focus shot of Jenny herself, accompanied by the ridiculous caption "Isn't she beautiful?" (No, at least not here.) And--did she mention?--Valerie really does love Jenny's cuisine!
   
   Yet despite her alleged new-found grasp of responsible eating, Bertinelli is apparently so busy admiring her svelte self in a mirror that she has somehow failed to realize that her seriously overweight son Wolfie now looks like a teenage Jenny Craig spokesperson just waiting to happen. And, with Mom's connections, he just might be.
   
   Will be interesting to see whether she maintains her weight loss once her Craig contract expires and the TV talk shows have moved on to weightier matters than the dial reading on her bathroom scale.



5. IN my opinion Valerie could have been moe forthcoming with additional information in numerous places of this book. Although I enjoyed this book, it seems that everytime I was waiting for the big finish to a story or wanted more information, she would fail to follow up with details. Perhaps due to the fact that I am an investigator I get easily annoyed with half stories. Seems to me that if you are in half way then you either go all in or not in at all. You choose.

5 comments about The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World.

1. Wonderful read. Greenspan's global and macroeconomic perspective allows him to have a clear sight of where the world really is and where it is going, that globalization did and will do to the world, and what the probable economic future of the planet is.
   
   The book is rich in content, ranging from the philosophic thoughts of Greenspan, to an evaluation of globalization and the role of the mejor economic players of the world.
   
   A highly recommended read.



2. In view of the turbulence of the twentieth century, one may find it easy to embrace conspiracy theories of government, banking and nefarious systems of world domination. But, perhaps there are other less understood factors which may account for the events of our recent history. One hundred fifty pages into Mr. Greenspan's classic work, "The Age of Turbulence", I now find that I must shift my thinking. Mr. Greenspan may well be the Thucydides of this age. In reconstructing detailed summaries of scores of important events in the modern history of the United States, he gives clear instructions and definition regarding the financial behavior of our people and our markets. His explanations are an applied econometric survey of our recent past. His invaluable revelation of the thinking and beliefs of key administrators of those times will serve to enlighten the student of politics and finance for many years to come. This contribution is an honest document of the wisdom of a man who possesses the refinement of a Julliard graduate, a close friend of Ayn Rand, a successful Wall Street executive, and a brilliant and courageous Colombia University scholar whose willingness to stand in the face of strong and at times potentially lethal opposition is inspiring to say the least. His memoirs will serve mankind well and in my view is worthy of the highest praise.
   
   In keeping with high standards of accuracy and truth, most probably attributable to his Levitical heritage, which is the origin of the tradition of Sacred Scripture, this work in my view is academically reliable and useful for teaching and correction. "The Age of Turbulence", if understood and pondered by the wise, will render necessary questions and answers, but perhaps more importantly, will manifest tools and examples of profound leadership necessary to accomplish the goals of the oncoming years. We the people will ultimately receive what we deserve for better or for worse. It was never your job, Mr. Greenspan, to keep us from making, heal us of, or compensate for our mistakes. I believe that your wisdom served to provide stability in the face of the changing times which in my view is grounded upon one's ability to feel, balance and know precisely when to let go. These elements it seems have always been evident in your work. It is with humbleness, awe and trepidation that I proceed further into "The Age of Turbulence."



3. The Age of Turbulence is a good argument for free markets, against various restraints on freedom: regulation, tariffs, economic populism, laws that do not protect property rights, and uneven enforcement of property laws. Greenspan is a true believer in free markets, and makes good arguments in favor of them.
   
   I enjoyed reading the first 248 pages because I remember most of this history and it gave new perspectives and details to add to my memories. This part is reasonably well written and mostly free of Fed Speak. The last half of the book was a chore to read, but generally worth the effort. An example of tedious prose (Fed Speak) is on page 352, "Since 1995, the greater rates of productivity growth in the United States (compared with still-subdued rates abroad) apparently produced correspondingly higher risk-adjusted expected rates of return that fostered a disproportionate rise in the global demand for U.S.-based assets."
   
   Greenspan lives in a contradiction that he apparently does not recognize. On one hand, he believes that a gold standard currency would be ideal because it would curb the growth of the money supply and would be immune to politics. (page 391) On the other hand, he thinks the Fed should be frequently tweaking interest rates to provide the `desired' amount of liquidity. These tweaks don't curb the growth of the money supply as well as they could, because the money supply is not the objective. Regulating inflation and growth is the objective.
   
   I was stunned by Greenspan's failure to foresee that tax receipts would plunge in 2001 because taxes on capital gains dried up (pages 213-224). The stock market started going down, so investors were having capital losses instead of capital gains, so tax receipts went down. Greenspan's reaction was "Shazam! Who'd have thunk of that?" Did he think that we would always have very high capital gains to be taxed? Did he just overlook this?
   
   Greenspan believes there is a high degree of honesty in business: "a flagrantly unscrupulous used-car salesman is one who will be out of business before long." (page 252) How does he know that?
   
   Greenspan tends to find one single fact that characterizes a country's economy, or is the root of a problem. America's economic problem is a lack of workers who are skilled in math and science. The reason that we lack these skilled workers is that we do not allow enough of them to immigrate to America and we do not pay math and science teachers enough. (Well, I know, those are two facts.) The problem with the Latin American economies is populism. The problem with India's economies is too much regulation. There are many more of these. You might like knowing what the biggest problem is, or you might suspect there is more complexity than that. This is Greenspan's memoir - he doesn't have a lot of new research on what is the biggest problem with the economy of (fill in the blank country). But you knew this was a memoir, so you can't be disappointed.



4. It was expected that The Age of Turbulence would be a good read, but I found more. It was textbook on Greenspan's life and times and, although I was never overly taken with him as Chairman, I was a real fan by the time I finished his book.



5. The Age of Turbulence is engaging, fascinating and educational. Watching Greenspan on television in the Senate Sub Committee meetings was interesting...but tough to know who the man behind the curtain was. This book opens the curtain and lets us see a motivated individual who is confident of his skills, but doesn't flaunt it.
   
   In the first part of the book Alan Greenspan does an exceptional job of explaining what makes him tick and provides a peek into the world of the Fed Chairman. In the second part he talks about various parts of the world and spices it with a bit of crystal balling.
   
   It is clear that Alan Greeenspan has strong Critical Thinking and Decision Making skills. He has been succeeded in many of his adventures. As with all humans he has his weaknesses as well. His honest candor in the book made it refreshing and useful.
   
   There are some great topics in the book that let us get to know Alan Greenspan. Some of these are: City Kid, The Making of an Economist, Black Monday, The Fall of the Wall, Irrational Exuberance, Millennium Fever and Downturn. The second half of the book has equally excellent subjects: The Choices that Await China, The Tigers and the Elephant, Russia's Sharp Elbows, Latin America and Populism, Globalization and Regulation, The World Retires, Bit Can it Afford To, the Delphic Future an more.
   
   Overall the book is insightful and a great read!
   
   One final thought: I found that Age of Turbulence coupled with Revolutionary Wealth by Alvin and Heidi Toffler help to provide a look into possible futures and what we can do to make a great one for ourselves!
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

5 comments about The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story.

1. I apprecaited they put this on the Kindle so that gets a star to start with! (If you dont' have one RUN TO THE HOME PAGE, its a MUST FOR ANY READER)
   
   While I enjoyed this book for the most part I found it sometimes went off on tangents that were not necessary. For example she mentions quite a few back stories that in my opinion do not mesh well with the book and went on far too long.. I found myself scrolling through them.
   
   I can appreciate the historical aspects of the city and some of the people involved, but I don't need three pages regarding someone that worked for her that I don't know, never met and really had very little to do with the overall storyline. I do understand they are important but when you start getting into their family members it is a bit much.
   
   I did enjoy her writing style, but I also kept thinking she was really was so fortunate her home only sustained a broken window and a tree issue and while so many were trying to figure it out there were so many pages where she and her friends and family seemed to turn it into a wine and food party, I saw more food and wine descriptions then I did of the reality of the hell going on around them. GRANTED you have to cope and KUDOS to the business owners who stepped in when no one else would. (and I share her views on Blanco and the Mayor).
   
   I am happy she and her family did well but I would have liked to hear more about those that coped with some real loss and she had friends who did but did not expand on those story lines, which would have been wonderful.
   
   I think it would would have been better with just a little more editing. To be honest I have a chapter or two to go and frankly I am not sure I will bother at this point.. again decent read but wait for the paper version



2. reed is amusing but i wish she was more honest about her life and choices. she pretends to share about her experiences but something is missing. the big question for me is would i give this book to a friend or recomend it the answer is no. i did finish it.



3. I was born uptown at Touro Infirmary in 1936, raised in Carrollton, where I delivered the Times-Picayune newspaper at 4 in the morning. Educated at New Orleans Academy and De la Salle high school, Baton Rouge and LSU then back to LSU Med School for the finishing touch. Grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins by the dozens. Suffered at a distance with all my relatives and friends after Katrina. Haven't lived there for years but love it and return when I can, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that there can be that many really good restaurants in one place! So, I read everything I can that is truly about my home.
   
   Julia's little book is a treasure and captures the spirit and mood of the this truly remarkable place as well as anything I have ever read. True, she eats out more in one week than most native New Orleanians do in a year, but, no matter she got it right in all the essentials. Julia, while reading I could I could feel the heat and humidity and smell the French Quarter. Honey child, you done good even if you are from Mississippi.
   
   If you love the old city get this book and enjoy. Next time I'm home I'll drive past 1st and Chestnut and honk.



4. Julia Reed has done it again and its better than her first book, Queen of the Turtle Derby!! The House on First Street is not only about her colorful long suffering adventures at the hands of questionable home renovators but a wonderful love story about a city and its people. Warning, if you've been to New Orleans and loved every memory, you'll fall in love again by page eight.
   
   Reed is a columnist for Vogue magazine and if you're a dedicated reader like me, you turn to articles written by her and Andre Leon Tally first. Evident in all of her works are unique observations of people mingled with a droll sense of humor. Think Eudora Welty mixed with Molly Irwin. Don't be fooled by the title since Reed provides remarkable insight to Southern views of life, religion, politics and food. Readers will learn how only in the South could there be a city like New Orleans.
   
   Most interesting to me were her observations of New Orleans after Katrina and failed levees left most of the city underwater. No one is spared from her tart observations: well meaning and slightly misguided SPCA volunteers, confused and dazed officials from FEMA, supportive fly overs by President Bush and local politicians who worried more about how their hair looked on CNN than displaced residents. All are skewered in a wry manner that leaves you chuckling.
   
   While Reed is honest about the losses and greed of others after the storm, she finds and tells you about the glimmers of hope from everyday people who are rebuilding the city. If after reading this book you don't want to go to New Orleans, eat some barbecued shrimp, drink beer out of the bottle, dance in the streets and sing Louis Armstrong songs then I don't what to tell ya! Buy it, be outraged, laugh out loud, make up a batch of gumbo and buy a ticket to New Orleans!



5. I was lured in by the excerpt from this book that was published in Vogue magazine. The tantalizing snippet from this wonderful book sent me rapidly to Amazon to order.
   
   Julia Reed paints a vivid picture of her life in Greenville, MS, Manhattan and New Orleans and how it brought her to this house. Both humorous and poignant, it's not difficult to see how the City of New Orleans can insinuate itself into your very being and it has definitely got its hold on Ms. Reed. The verbal imagery made the pages come to life with descriptions of the colorful characters who populate Ms. Reed's and husband John's life and for most of the book, their wonderful house.
   
   Hurricane Katrina is the punctuation mark bracketed by both ends of the book, and Ms. Reed gives a resident's insight into how many homeowners in New Orleans lived through the hurricane, flood and its aftermath.
   
   It's a quick read, but very satisfying. It will definitely make you hungry and yearn for the wonderful restaurants of New Orleans, as well as the colorful texture of its lifestyles and citizens.

5 comments about The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir.

1. I have sent Bill Bryson's books to a number of friends & relatives. Truly, he cracks me up.
   
   This was a bit of a disappointment. I was in Nevada, Iowa (age 5), @ the same time he was in Des Moines. We come from the same place.
   
   It was never the best of times, in Iowa.
   
   I left the book with a friend who's a sports writer. She didn't know about Bryson's dad, also a sports writer, a good one, & was intrigued.
   
   Bill Bryson makes me snort my drink out my nose most of the time. This book did tell me who his companion was in A Walk In The Woods was.
   
   A Walk In The Woods was TOO, too funny.



2. Funny, but overall not as entertaining as Bryson's other works like A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail or I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away.
   
   It's hard for me to put my finger on it -- it's definitely still a Bryson book and has his signature style. But it reminds me of when a great baseball player is in a hitting slump -- you know it's still him when he walks to the plate, but the end result just isn't as impressive.
   
   If you're a Bryson devotee, you'll probably read the book anyway. Just know in advance that he isn't bringing his A-game. If you're new to Bryson, go ahead and read "The Thunderbolt Kid" -- Bryson bringing his B-game is still better than most other writers bringing their A-game. And once you read one Bryson book, you'll find you just can't stop.



3. Bill Bryson writes in a way that brings his book to life. I actually see whats going on rather than imagine it. And while he wrote this book with an obvious adult retrospective - he spices it up with a child's perspective also. Everything is "the best", "the biggest", "600 kids on the baseball field" - over-exaggerating things like kids are known to do. I found myself rereading paragraphs simply for the delight of it!



4. This is a wonderful read.....nostalgic, funny, sentimental, but never sappy. If you are NOT a fan of the "big box chains," then this is a book for you.



5. A father who's a top sports columnist. Wax teeth, the Butter Boys, infatuation with atomic energy, and a booming post-war economy. Is it any wonder that Bill Bryson (the second) turned out the way he did? Reading this crazy essay is a walk down memory lane for baby boomers. Who could forget crawling under a school desk to ward off the effects of a nuclear attack by communists? Or the rise of rock and roll? Bryson recalls and describes it all in his typical dry, wry, and deadpan way. I did not laugh my way all the way through it - that only happened maybe once in each chapter - but I never stopped smiling. Great fun.

5 comments about The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family.

1. This book helped open my eyes to what children go through in Foster Care. It helped me to relize that you can't judge a book by its cover. That the struggle for acceptance,love acknowledgement or to be recognized can consume & overwhelm a child...to even the point of doing something you know in you heart is wrong. This book makes me want to work hard, so I can buy a big house, Just so I can provide enough love and support and room for not only my three children, but for those children in need of a place to call home & to know that they have someone who care about them.



2. This is a story about a young boy who gets abused and treated unfairly. He doesn't have any clothes besides the ones he caries in a brown paper bag. He runs away from the world he hates. He has no home to go to, then he finds hope. To find out more information about this book find it and venture into it.
   
   In my opinion this book was excellent and amazing.Why? Because it made me cry on the first page, some parts I felt like going in the book, because the suspense never ends. I would recommend it to those who love to read soppy, exciting books that are true.



3. This book, along with another came in on time and for a great price. I Love this book.. I am now waiting to read the two books left that tells the rest of Dave's Story. There are 4 all together!



4. This book will open your eyes to child abuse. You will forever remember and reflect on what you have read. We all have a need to be loved.



5. this is a good book! i love it when dave sees that kid and the kid says what you call my sister? then dave says a horror? then the kid punches dave, makes his nose bleed, and says don't you ever, ever, call my sister a whore again! read it if you liek dave pelzer as much as me!

5 comments about A Million Little Pieces.

1. Although later found out to be a fictional piece, this book was still worth the read. This book kept me reading.



2. Regardless of how I feel about the whole controversy surrounding this book, it turned out to be a good story and I'll rate it for what it is...A work of fiction, based on a true story.
   As a story is wasn't bad - not bad at all, especially after the first couple hundred pages.
   
   For me, the beginning was so redundant that I came close to giving up on it. The first 200 pages could have easily been summed up like this...My name is James Frey and I'm a total mess. I'm 23 years old. I've been an alcoholic for the last ten years. I'm a drug Addict, and a Criminal. I'm currently in a treatment facility. I hate myself and deserve whatever physical and or mental pain and agony that comes my way. In fact, I'm such a crazy alcoholic, such a tough drug addict, such a hardened criminal, I'll take any pain you got - bring it on!
   
   The rest of the novel is a compelling story about the author's time spent in a treatment facility for drug and alcohol addiction. It is a story worth the cost of the book and the time spent reading it.
   
   As far as the hullabaloo - I knew all along that many of the facts presented in this memoir were not true; the author himself has admitted to lying. Therefore, I didn't experience that surprising feeling of betrayal when you believe something to be true, only to find out otherwise. However, when schools, universities, colleges, newspapers, etc. are so intense about not tolerating plagiarism, why do publishers, editors and most of all readers accept any lack of honesty and integrity when it come to labeling literature? Why sort literature by genre at all if we aren't going to have some standards set that we can trust? Yes, I guess it (labeling this book a memoir) really does bug me.



3. This book I read before I saw him on Oprah about the validity of his book. His writing style is amazing and will draw you into this 'story' of his life. It was very believable down to the smallest of details, while keeping your attention. It was hard to put down!
   
   He definitely has a talent for writing captivating 'stories'.
   
   Merna
   
   Pocket of Pearls: A 30-day pocket workbook to start hearing a softer voice inside of you!



4. I wrote a review years ago after I read this book.
   Still today, regardless of all the notoriety, I give thanks to James for writing this book. Unless someone has walked in the shoes of very early sobriety and recovery from drug addiction as well as alcohol abuse there can be no understanding of how powerful this book is.
   Bottom line: it saved my life and my MIND. Without this book God only knows if I would be here today 3 years later, clean and sober, to write about it.



5. I just finished this book, and I while I had heard about the controversy surrounding this book before reading it, and taking everything written with a grain of salt, this book is still incredible!!! Even if the arrest and some of the deaths in the book were not completely accurate, the descriptions of what he and other people addicted to drugs must go through HAS to be real, and thus, his book is still an amazing literary accomplishment. It truly is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It inspired me and is a book that I will probably think about for quite a while, especially those times when it feels like my life sucks. It could be worse! ;-) So, to everyone that thinks that this book is not worth a read because of all the controversy... open your world to just experience the emotions of the story and learn a little more about what "humanity" is... We all need each other and although we can only truly depend on ourself in life, without people caring about us, and people to care about, life could be very difficult. This book made me doubly appreciate the good things that I still have. This book is now one of my favorite books! Excellent read!