1 comments about In the Country of Brooklyn: Inspiration to the World.

1. This book was mentioned on a website I regularly read, and I reserved it from the library. It is a collection of personal reminiscences from Brooklynites, roughly arranged by decade. However, as many people know, when one mentions "New York in the '70s" one is referring to the heroin years, and the city's decline; and by the '50s one generally means the golden post-war baseball years.
   
   It sounds done to death, but this book captures the magic of Brooklyn that is so evident once you move here. It's full of stories of all neighborhoods, the ones people who don't live here have never heard of. Bay Ridge? Canarsie? Not glamour places, but they have a charm that if you are down to earth, you will feel at home there. I often tell people I never go to Manhattan anymore, and those who are suprised would never want to spend time in Marine Park. But those who have been, they nod and agree, yes, no reason to go to the city much, really.
   
   The reminiscers are out of this world good - Curtis Sliwa, Pete Hamill, Neil Sedaka, various others who basically lived through the exact timeline of the city's expansion, decline, and renewal. Sliwa has many very funny and perceptive comments; another author named Casson tells about being black and from Brownsville in an unforgettable way, and on and on. The only insincere author is Charles Barron, and his self-congratulatory essay I only half read, knowing his long tradition of being divisive. The other authors are all sincere storytellers.
   
   The best book I've ever seen in the genre of "the strange magic of New York." Definitely buy this book, especially if you're moving to Brooklyn.

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

1. As we Boomers are pushing our kids out of the nest, we are finding time to write. And what better topic to write about than ourselves? Bill Bryson adds his personal, perceptive and funny reminiscences of an Iowan boyhood in the 50s in the form of "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir," a fast-paced romp through a typical 50s childhood. Bryson combines solid period research, mature reflection, genuine memories and (too often?) outrageous exaggerations of fact into a memoir of a his wild childhood. He touches all the generational bases -- polio, the Red Scare, Sputnik, A-bomb drills, TV and comic book heroes as well as the personal ones about clueless parents, trying to get in to see the strippers at the fair, petty theft at the candy store, local brands of soda, hocking looeys in the Tunnel of Love and harassing managers when the lights dimmed at the movie house. Given the title of his memoir, it's surprising that his alter-ego -- The Thunderbolt Kid -- makes so few appearances in the book and seemed added almost as an afterthought or marketing ploy.
   
   Nevertheless, I got a kick out of The Thunderbolt Kid, and it made me think back on my own childhood at the end of the 50s. Bryson's comments as funny and often on the mark. His short takes on 50s for black Americans, on the Army-McCarthy hearings and on the US's hapless late-50s space shots were educational. I found that Bryson's fictional swings actually diminished the effectiveness of the book -- it was sometimes hard to tell where reality left off and mendacity-as-entertainment began. No matter. An age in which kids spent their summers outside and unsupervised, in which neighbors were invited over to see the new fridge, and in which church suppers and county fairs were the major means of entertainment, and in which causal racism was pervasive and barely noted is increasingly difficult to recall. Bravo to Bill Bryson for helping us remember.



2. As always, Bryson is informative (the Thunderbolt Kid is really an excellent history of the 1950s and '60s in the U.S.) and wonderfully amusing (as in laugh out loud).
   
   He's also an excellent narrator of this audio book.
   
   Just one caveat. While the book is funny and interesting throughout, from my vantage point, at least, little about Bryson as a teenager was appealing: he essentially opted out of high school life, chose to spend minimal time with his family, was a petty thief, and starting at age 14 smoked like a chimney and drank a lot of alcohol. If you can't tolerate hearing about a kid like that, don't get this book.



3. Bill Bryson's story of growing up in Iowa is a terrific book. I bought it in large print for my mother, who can read only large print, and who has difficulty hearing too, so this is the only way she could enjoy the book. She too adores Bill Bryson. We love his facility with language, and his many ways of making us laugh. He's a marvelous storyteller.



4. This was a wonderful book, which also deviates here and there into politics and general history.
   
   I really came to enjoy Bryson's observations about how "the good old days" were also fraught with some significant downsides, which we've gratefully grown beyond.
   
   One carp: Bryson himself reads the audio edition, and he's not the most gifted reader I've ever heard. He's so laconic that the material really has to carry itself.
   
   H'mmm - maybe that's not such a bad thing after all...anyway, you'll enjoy this book in any form.
   
   PS - if you like this, you'll love the writings of Jean Shepard, too.



5. Bill Bryson is by far the funniest, most insightful, travel writer today.
   Here his travels are temporal, instead of spacial as he takes us back to his childhood - and what a childhood it was. His writing is so personal and open that you can't help but feel that this book was written specifically for you.
   
   
   It is both a very middle class North American tale, set in the fifties and a Calvin archetype (as in Calvin and Hobbes) visioneering a rich and adventurous landscape, that none of the adults could see.
   
   May The Thunderbolt Kid ride again.
   
   David Cale

5 comments about Walk in a Relaxed Manner: Life Lessons from the Camino.

1. My wife and I earned a compostela walking a portion of the Camino Frances in May of 2004. Since then I've read many books on pilgrimage, including several accounts of other pilgrims' journeys on the same road we traveled. Many are what another reviewer describes: diaries of the interior lives of the author, focusing mainly on their hardships and triumphs, as if to point out how they changed the camino, rather than how they were changed by it. If I felt that this were all to this book, I wouldn't recommend it. Instead, I think this book provides a wonderful balance between soulful reflection and the pragmatism of the all-too-physical journey. Walking the camino does appear to have all the ingredients necessary for earning a 'spiritual experience merit badge', and some seem to walk it just to earn pilgrimage street cred. Even were that Rupp's intention, and I doubt very much that is the case, she's provided a great perspective for potential pilgrims and useful material to aid past walkers. It's true that she does not shy away from describing unpleasantries of the road: dirty accommodations, illness, rude pilgrims, bad food, and bad weather. These are very real likelihoods, and she discusses them very frankly; pilgrims do not float along the road, barely touching the earth, and any idyllic expectations soon come face-to-face with harsh reality. Rupp does not bring up these issues merely to complain, however; the benefit of this book is how she treats these subjects as well as her prayerful introspection as equally engaging points of reflection and provides a useful perspective on integrating even these issues into a larger pilgrimage experience. The subtitle of the book, however, is "Life Lessons from the Camino", and that's the true value of these observations: her effort in showing that much of our day-to-day life is filled with just these sort of experiences and just this sort of potential for reflection, appreciation, and understanding.



2. Reflections of this Catholic sister, as she walks the Camino with the semi retired priest of her parish.
   
   This journey of two people of faith met with all the challenges the Camino can offer. Joyce started out as what I call an overachiever, and Tom as a steadying influence.
   
   A couple concepts stuck in my brain from chapters of this book. Enjoy existential friendships. Return a positive for a negative. Negative things do happen, but Joyce would make a determined effort to see the positive - a concept I accept, but sometimes have difficulty applying.
   
   I enjoyed this thoughtful book.



3. this book was great, talked me out of going, realize that all that heat and dirt was not for me, will go trekking in nepal instead, much cooler temps, author did this to add to her spiritual credentials,alll about herself and her inner thoughts, suspect she had not been out of the USA before.
   
   cheers



4. This is an amazing book about an amazing experience--walking across Spain--and well after midlife. We share the hardships and blessings of this journey and are able to walk, talk and think in a relaxed manner while reading it. There are lessons subtly given that everyone can shsare.



5. Back in the summer of 2003, I visited a former seminary roommate in Leon, Spain. I showed up a couple of days before his wedding after backpacking through Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Madrid. While strolling together through Leon, my Spanish friend remarked that people thought I was a "Pilgrim" because of my clothing and backpack. I asked him to clarify, and he replied that Leon was on the path of the Camino Pilgrimage. Thus began my interest in the topic.
   
   "Walk in a Relaxed Manner" was the first book I read about the Camino. It's newly published, written by a 60-year-old nun who walked the Pilgrimage around the time I was in Leon. She hit the trail with a retired priest, and this book was born from that experience. The subtitle and theme is "Life Lessons From the Camino," and each chapter is based on a way she grew due to the Pilgrimage. For example, the book's title is shared with a chapter where Sr. Rupp describes how she learned to walk slowly and thoughtfully instead of quickly and competitively. Other chapter titles include "Savor Solitude," "Deal with Disappointments," and "Live in the Now." Such topics may strike some as trite. But I found it impressive that more often than not, it was the walk's difficulties that enabled her to internalize these truths.
   
   The author writes in a clear and readable manner. She rejoices in the high points of the Pilgrimage, and is honest about the lows as well. Each lesson is presented in a thoughtful manner, and all are applicable to everyday life. However, like many spiritual insights perhaps some sort of defining experience is required to truly own them. But reading about these truths may be a way to prepare the heart for their eventual actualization. Although a Catholic nun in the Servite Community, Sr. Rupp keeps things fairly ecumenical throughout her tale. In addition, practical advice about the Pilgrimage is sprinkled throughout the book, and a list of helpful Camino resources is included at the end. There's even an authorized website based on Joyce Rupp's name if you want more info about her.
   
   Someday I'd like to do the El Camino Pilgrimage. I hope I don't have to wait until my sixties, but sometimes you have to let things happen in their time. If I do walk it, I'll be glad if I learn and grow half as much as Sr. Rupp did. Recommended for all travelers and pilgrims.
   
   UPDATE 9/7/07: Well, I only had to wait until I was forty to do the Camino. On 7/14/07 I stepped off in St. Jean Pied-de-Port (France), and on 8/24/07 I walked into Santiago, Spain. After returning home to the US, I went through this book again. It was nice reading about familiar places on the Way, and also to identify with the lessons Ms. Rupp writes about. Recommended even more now that I've actually done the trek.

5 comments about The Bus: My Life in and out of a Helmet.

1. One of the best sports book of all time.Very intersting talks about his whole life from his childhood to the NFL.My mom bought this book 4 me & I love it best BOOK i ever read.YOU must buy this book.IM a steeler fan so i know all about the BUS.



2. The Bus is an autobiography written by NFL player Jerome Bettis. Bettis played for the St. Louis Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers during his long NFL career. Bettis's autobiography showed a new side of this rough and tough football player. The book starts out talking about the homelife Bettis had as a child. It showed how Bettis grew up in the ghetto and was a drug dealer at youth. This is one of my favorite parts of the book because it shows what Bettis had to overcome to become an NFL football player. The book also shines light on Bettis's love as a child: bowling. Bettis wanted to be a pro bowler but instead got sucked into football due to his size.
   The next part of the book shows how Bettis got into Notre Dame as a football player. He was interested in Michigan but they wanted to put him as a fullback. Bettis wanted to be a tailback so he went to play at Notre Dame. Notre Dame really changed Bettis from a street thug into a respectable young man. I found this interesting because I had no idea how much a college organization can change a person around. From this point, Bettis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams. Bettis describes all of the troubles he went through with the Rams organization. This was fascinating because at the time, the media was putting all of the blame on Bettis. This book shows how the Rams screwed Bettis over and that's why Bettis left for Pittsburgh.
   My favorite part of the book is when Bettis describes his career in Pittsburgh and the Super Bowl run that ended his career. Bettis describes in detail the fumble he had against the Colts that almost ended his career on a negative note. However, Colts kicker Adam Vinateri missed the field goal to win the game and the Steelers were on their way to the Super Bowl. The emotion of the book really pours out during the Super Bowl game. Bettis describes what it was like playing his last game in his home town and winning the Super Bowl ring. Any real sports fan can see what Bettis went through and appreciate this book as a whole.



3. THE BUS IS A MUST READ FOR ALL STEELER FANS. JEROME BETTIS TAKES US ON A TRIP ABOUT HIS EARLY DAYS TO THE END OF HIS CAREER AND A SUPER BOWL VICTORY. THE BUS SHOWS HIS HONESTY, MODESTY AND FOOTBALL INSIGHT IN THIS EASY READING AND TOTALLY ENTERTAINING BOOK. I AM A BROWNS FAN BUT I ALSO ENJOYED WATCHING A GREAT PLAYER LIKE JEROME PERFORM OVER THE YEARS. IF YOU LIKE FOOTBALL AND ESPECIALLY ENJOY THE STEELERS THEN THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. VERY INTERESTING AND VERY RECOMMENDED.



4. If you were a Steelers fan in the 90's straight through to the Super Bowl, this is a must read. As Jerome Bettis goes through his years with the Steelers, you'll remember the good times and the bad times. You will recall the poor coaching decisions and get Jerome's candid opinion of what was called. I think what surprised me the most is how honest the book was. He kept nothing back. His rocky childhood, his contract negotiations, his feelings about players and organizations, it all in here. It's a quick read and well written. You will get goose bumps when he talks about the road to Super Bowl XL as you get it through his eyes and you will remember it all. Great book.



5. I am very happy with my experience ordering from you. This was a gift, the book we ordered arrived on time, in great condition. We couldn't ask for more...

5 comments about I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers.

1. If you are looking for hope and love in a world filled with chaos and fear this book is a must read. The author weaves his story and friendship with Fred Rogers into a very entertaining and heart wrenching treasure.
   
   Tim thank you for sharing with the world your precious moments with Mr. Rogers. You have given hope, love, and IPOY to more people than you will ever know!!! I am one of the many who very much needed the words and affirmations written in this lovely book!!
   
   God Bless you all of your days.



2. This is a touching story about how great Mr. Rogers was. I loved it & so has everyone I know that has read it. It is a must read!!!!!!!!



3. This is a sweet remembrance of the author's friendship with Fred Rogers. But it also gives an interesting insight into the spiritual side of the "Mr. Rogers" so many of us grew up with. Most of us know that Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, but this book shares correspondences and conversations that reveal just how deeply spiritual Fred Rogers was.



4. This book is about a relationship between two friends. I often give this book to friends who have lost a parent. In this world where so few people encourage and lift each other up, are able to have a heart-to-heart talk with a friend, this book is an excellent example of how to do just that! "I'm Proud of You" is one of my favorite books. I would highly recommend it and preferred it so much more than "Tuesdays with Morie"(spelling?)since the story seemed so much more heartfelt.



5. This book made both my wife and I cry at times as it covered the sensitive topic of a son's relationship with his father and a man's relationship with a mentor. This is a must read for all father's, son's, and mentors.

5 comments about Returning To My Mother's House: Taking Back the Wisdom of the Feminine.

1. Gail is one of the few writers who tells both her personal story and the universal story at the same time without falling into any self involvement traps. Anyone interested in learning more about the ways we all long for (and also resist) the calls of the deep feminine will love this book. I started reading Gail's book on a Friday evening and could not put it down. It is a beautifully crafted book full of humor, clarity, compassion and deep insight. It is a must read for both men and women.
   Linda McLyman
   Syracuse NY



2. Those who have had the good fortune to take Gail's workshops over the years know that she is a thoughtful, caring, and inspiring teacher. Her new, beautifully written book explores deeply personal yet universal themes. She invites readers -- men and women alike--to explore our life choices and core relationships, and consider strategies that might help transform the world we've created for ourselves. Thank you for the lovely book, Gail.



3. On first read, I was jealous that Gail had a mother that at least opened up the idea of the feminine. Growing up with a German heritage in a family dominated by the masculine, the feminine was hard to find. Thanks to this book, after a lifetime of resentment, I can begin to let my mother "off the hook." I can now see that nothing in her lifetime offered her a lifeline to herself. And, more importantly, it showed me how crucial it is for me to pass on to the next generation every possible piece of feminine wisdom I have gathered. I can't wait to read it again!



4. I am so thankful to Gail Straub for offering this gift of love to the world. After reading this book, I have gained a deeper and more profound respect and love for my mother and my grandmother. This book has allowed me to consider their journeys in ways I had only waded in before. Through Straub's spiritual wisdom, eloquence, honesty and use of poetry, I am now ready to dive into the depths of their journeys and know I will find myself there without fear or judgement. This book is a blessing and I will assuredly pass it on.



5. Gail Straub has crafted an amazing story, retelling her life journey and honoring her beloved mother. Her path through both difficult times and exhilarating adventures and persevering the devastation of losing her mother at an early and unsettled age lends us all insights about our own winding paths to happiness and fulfillment. Gail's eloquent words brought me easily to laughter and also to tears as I shared her joy and pain. This book so inspired me that I have already purchased several copies for family and friends who will treasure the gift of Gail's poignant story of life, loss, love, and reclaiming the feminine.

5 comments about Put On A Happy Face: A Broadway Memoir - Charles Strouse.

1. Strouse is one of the most underrated composers of the American musical theatre. This is mostly due to the large number of failures he has been associated with. After reading his revealing memoir, it is easy to see why that happened. Strouse is singularly lacking in self esteem, and has been far too easily led, nor has he stood up for himself properly. This is a shame, because he wrote some of the best scores of the late twentieth century, including his masterpiece "Rags," a show that seems certain to be rediscovered one day and take it's place among the great ones.
   
   Strouse promised a lot of "dirt" in this book, but I can't say it really delivers in that regard. Other than revealing that Arthur Laurents is an egomaniacal bastard (hardly a news flash) and that Strouse and Adams made a contribution to the development of "Hello, Dolly!," there isn't anything much along those lines.
   
   One thing that emerges that is sort of surprising is how many close friends of Strouse's are gay; to the extent that it comes as a shock that he isn't gay himself! It is a testament to his open, accepting spirit.
   
   It becomes very clear by book's end that Strouse suffers from chronic depression. One wonders why he isn't on medication for it. His creative output, despite that, is astounding.
   
   I would have enjoyed more about Strouse's creative process, his aesthetic tastes, his opinions of the work of his contemporaries, and so on. The personal details are interesting, but after all, it is their work that fascinates us about these geniuses.



2. A fascinating autobiography of a genuinely 'nice' gentleman. Too often Strouse is left out in the panoply of great Broadway composers. As a (former) HS musical director, I conducted Annie, with with my staff on Birdie and the quality of the scores is beyond reproach. I remember the original Applause on Broadway; it's still one of my favorite scores. I enjoyed the 'backstage' chit-chat between producers, directors, and choreographers. It would have been wonderful to be a fly on the wall. My only disappointment is that I wanted to know how Lee Adams felt when Charles began collaborating with other lyricists. Highly recommended and a fast read!



3. What sets this autobiography of the great Broadway composer Charles Strouse apart from other "and then I wrote" memoirs, is that although Mr. Strouse gives plenty of fascinating info on the what, who and where of his career, his main focus is on how it felt to create those shows, work with those people, and live that life. So the reader is drawn in and effortlessly identifies with him, coming away with the experience of a life lived in musical theatre. The only curious element is that, although his portraits of famous collaborators like Arthur Laurents, Alan Jay Lerner and Sammy Davis, Jr. are quite vivid, we are left with only a shadowy outline of Lee Adams, who wrote the lyrics to many of his most famous shows, such as "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Applause."



4. A truly enjoyable and quick read. Many insights are offered into the world of Broadway musicals. Strouse reveals several things about himself that are very interesting. Some Broadway writers,producers, etc. really come off as horse's a---s. Like the bit where he ways he has made more money than he can spend. Was sorry that it wasn't longer!



5. A must-read for all fans of musical theatre, this heart-warming candid and funny autobiography provides a fascinating look into the world of showbusiness. Charles Strouse writes candidly about his ups-and-downs in showbusiness, the nagging insecurities that have followed him throughout his career and of course provides juicy tidbits about Teresa Stratas, Arthur Laurents, Leondard Bernstein and more.

5 comments about The Dream Begins: How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama.

1. Born and raised in Hawaii, having had similar experiences (broken family, absent father, substitute parent grandparents, grandmother as an important presence, scholarship to Punahou but having to negotiate my racial minority - social class profile, and ending up achieving more than one could have expected while living abroad), I recognized the key elements in this book about the influence of Barack Obama's early development, but regret the lack of depth. At the same time, if you write a book about a star I can understand that you want to rise along with it...maybe the next try will be better. I too celebrated his election with tears of joy.



2. We are all influenced in the way we think and act based on our culture and environment. As Michelle says, "you can't understand Barack without knowing Hawai'i"



3. Just finished reading "The Dream Begins" I found it very informative and a good insight into a man that untill recently I had known very little about. Growing up in Hawaii considering it's multi cultural history must have had a very positive impact on Barack Obama's character. In short a very easy and enjoyable read!!!



4. The Dream Begins is a wonderful book about Barack Obama's life in Hawaii. I was a haole then, living and working on the Islands. The authors have captured a unique time - Hawaiian Nationalism was rising, new immigrants were flowing in from Asia, intermarriage was celebrated among all ethnicities. The authors have given us a portrait of Barack Obama that can't be found anywhere else - even in his own memoirs. I was a haole, a distinct minority, which was a new experience for this mainlander. The islands held within them a whole new people and this book shows how Barack Obama was shaped by this beautiful world. This new Eden.



5. 
   This politically unbiased book takes us through the early years of Barack Obama. It also reaches further back to inform us about his parents and grandparents. "The Dream Begins..." is an easy and informative read for both Republicans and Democrats. Stu and Jerry have provided us with a book that doesn't take sides, it tells the story of a man and his families and I appreciate the experience of reading an unbiased book, a book that doesn't berate or denigrate anyone. I found the book fascinating to read and enjoyed every word.
   
   The quote of Michelle Obama on the cover of the book "You can't really understand Barack Obama until you understand Hawaii reminded me of the day to day reality I experienced while living in Hawaii. The remembering of the Ohana spirit of Hawaii, loosely translated, the family spirit and the learning to get along. The authors were able to relay that spirit to us the readers, the spirit of Hawaii. That is the spirit I see emanating from Barack Obama as he winds his way through the political process. It seems to me in the year 2008 the world is now an island and we need the Ohana spirit to stretch around the world, our island.
   
   The authors, long time writers on the Hawaii scene have furnished us with a very in depth understanding of how Hawaii shaped Barack Obama.

5 comments about The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water: How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea.

1. While I respect the author's courage to make the life change she did as I read the book I felt an undercurrent of sadness and depression about her. When I read about her praying to Poseidon rather than to almighty Godand all of the alcoholic drinking, I then understood why I was feeling this way. I put down this book and began to read something else that to me was more uplifting.
   Jane C. Kramer



2. I enjoyed Mary's story VERY much. I was surprised to learn she had been a book editor because I was distracted in the beginning chapters by many sentence fragments and run-on "sentences". I learned it was bad form, if not poor grammar to begin a sentence with the word "And". I was also confused at some points while trying to follow the story line: Mary skipped the family Thanksgiving for a warm weather trip South...but later in the story, she claims to have visited her aging grandmother in upstate New York over that same Thanksgiving? Maybe I'm reading too literally. I greatly admire her spirit of adventure and her courage in sharing her emotional life with us. I'm left wondering, though: what if Lars had invited her to sail to Europe? Would she have accepted that challenge/invitation?



3. This was a terrific book on many levels and while I
   would not hesitate to recommend it, parts offended me.
   Why was it necessary to contaminate its freshness with
   your politics? Why the references to NPR and the usual
   knee jerk reactions to Bush and the war on terrorism?
   I think it'd have been suffice to just reveal that you
   are a liberal Democrat. No problem there but why date
   this memoir with your preferences and, it appears,
   your PC prejudices? I really didn't need that to enjoy your
   seafaring midlife adventures. Take care of your doggies!



4. The Cure for Anything Is Salt Water: How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea
   
   As a reader whose only experience with boats is a few crossings on the Staten Island Ferry, I still found myself hooked from the beginning of THE CURE FOR ANYTHING IS SALT WATER. Not only because it is a very funny book and a great story about leaving corporate life for the sea, but also because of the sharp reflections on the impermanent yet invaluable aspects of life and relationships.
   
   Helen Ward, Brooklyn, NY



5. Perhaps I should have done more homework. The book I read wasn't exactly the book that I thought I had bought. The subtitle, "How I Threw My Life Overboard and Found Happiness at Sea" gives a pretty good clue, though. There are essentially two parts to this book. The first is the story of a woman who experiences a mid-life crisis at work and in relationships, and goes forth to seek true happiness. The second is the story of this same woman looking for that happiness in buying a boat and going to sea. I had thought the book was really more the latter, but the story turns out to be more the former.
   
   THE CURE FOR ANYTHING IS SALT WATER is competently written, as one should expect from a former book editor. The book is interesting, and the story told without artifice. When Mary South tells of her sudden, almost irrational interest in boats while living well inland in Pennsylvania, her experience will strike a chord with every boatstruck reader. But South's book is not likely to meet the needs of the boat or sailing enthusiast. It's not that she doesn't take her newfound interest seriously--nobody who quits her job and sells her house to buy a boat should be regarded as simply a dilettante (even if she doesn't take traditional methods of navigation seriously)--it's just that she doesn't write about boating with much passion beyond her love for her particular boat. What should be the centerpiece of the book, her voyage up the Eastern Seaboard, is reduced to a series of good days, bad weather, mishaps, bars, and some occasional local color. When it comes to boating, her prose fails to capture the poetry of the experience.
   
   The reader learns that the real point of this book is to describe Mary South's midlife crisis, in particular, her losing interest in her career as a book editor and her being troubled by a lack of permanence in her intimate relationships. This in itself might be the clay from which a story might be shaped, but the effort falls short, clodlike. South, despite her humorous turns, tends towards the ad hominem comment: "My boss was a micromanager with an imagination that was significantly smaller than the stick up her butt" (p. 5). A Christian school administrator of the boating school South attends makes her wonder "what kind of crackpot school I had committed myself to"; this is followed by a rather poor joke on theodicy (p. 35). A boating classmate is described as a very intelligent guy "though a smart Republican is an oxymoronic concept to me" (p. 56). When an elderly couple out rowing express concern for the author's dogs, they are disdainfully dismissed as "Biff" and "Muffy" (p. 176). South's tendency towards personal attack, combined with her refrain of seeking isolation on her boat, leads one to think she's a misanthrope. But here's the thing: I don't think she is; she just gravitates to ridicule as a literary tool of humor. However you slice it, though, it's not very appealing.
   
   In the last part of the book, South, who describes herself as a lesbian, discusses her surprising affair with a man. Her boat at this point is but a piece of inconvenient furniture. You may, like me, find yourself at this point happy that your voyage with South is nearly over.

2 comments about Out of Egypt: A Memoir.

1. I read these memoirs with strict concentration on all features of the environment that provided the interesting material to this book.
   
   From childhood of elderly relatives that was somewhat unhappy and bordering on deprivation, the family living off charity, in areas where the primary social groups' life revealed a pattern of neglect, moral [...] , and disregard for law.
   
   I watched a collection of things making people of the same feather sharing a common attribute. Perhaps I should say that a small part of these features I lived myself (1952-56). The message Andre Aciman is giving me is also addressed to every member of a clan feeling alien in the environment in which one was found, and resisted to share.
   
   You are taken back in time to the beginning of the twentieth century until the mid fifties. I never felt strange to uncle Vili, Aunt Clara, or Tante Lotte, like these people exist in the annals of many families' chronological account of events in any successive years.
   
   How much true it is when one had become a success story and thus an object of intense jealousy on the part of his less fortunate confreres. One would definitely feel better off to keep ones apart from ones fellows.
   Walking on tight ropes during WWII to keep balance between complete annihilation and survival is not impossible, or unethical, though the uncomplimentary remarks Uncle Vili used to make about the warring parties - about them both - in private, now remained no secret. We all tend to do the same thing when cornered; won't we? This is legitimate quest for survival amid a world run in madness, Uncle Vili appeared uncomplicated enough.
   
   Those were the people we came to know in Egypt in the mid-fifties, their private life, their intimate charm, their gentleness, their direct and affectionate manner, their kindness and modesty which remained unchanged even at the very height of their predicaments.
   
   We knew people like Uncle Vili, their sense of humor, coupled with caustic wit with their servants - Egyptians and/or Sudanese - that their good nature forsook them and their tongue became capable of mordant, wounding remarks. In the company of their intimate friends, they would throw off the habitual reserve they displayed on public occasions and behave like the big boy scouts which they remained in one corner of their personality - Pashas attitudes.
   
   Andre Aciman: I salute you.



2. Out of Egypt, is a very special memoir about growing up in Alexandria before the author and his family were forced to move from Egypt in 1965 . It's a fascinating memoir of a time and place that no longer exists, and a wonderfully written account .