5 comments about We Took to the Woods, 2nd Edition.

1. this IS truly a BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES AND RESPECTS nature as the majority of us do here in BEAUTIFUL MAINE!!
   
   ALL of her books are super! This one tops them off!!
   
   MACHIAS, MAINE!!



2. This book is a great read for anyone who's ever had the desire to just chuck it all and head for the woods (a desire that seems to wax and wane like the tides, popular one decade [1970s, for example], totally passe the next). Today taking to the woods for many means building a $500,000 "rustic retreat" with pool, hot tub, and wine cellar included. For Louise Rich, back in the 1930s (the book was published in 1942), things were much different.
   
   For one thing, her house had no plumbing. Water had to be hauled to the house in buckets. Supplies and the mail came by boat. Life was no picnic for her and her family. But, of course, there were trade offs. The beauty of the place, for one. The living as one with nature. The need to be resourceful, and the feeling of pride and accomplishment that goes with it. Trade offs worth the hardships, Rich makes perfectly clear.
   
   Rich captures the flavor of her idyllic spot in the Maine woods a few miles east of Upton along the Rapid River (the swiftest river east of the Mississippi, even though it is only about four miles long). She describes what life is like there, how the busy summers are a prelude to the slow, long winters. She talks about her neighbors, the loggers, the animals they encounter, how one endures and enjoys life in the woods. She describes the effects of the hurricane of 1938 and the havoc is caused even there, so far inland. Her prose style is clear and direct, and she truly makes the reader jealous of her situation rather than sympathetic. It's an excellent book, one that I've read a number of times, always with an I-wish-I-was-there enthusiasm. Highly recommended.



3. "We Took to the Woods" is as charming and delightful a book as you will ever find. It's the story of a city woman living on a remote Maine river with her husband and children. She's not poor, nor a rube, nor does she display the eccentricities one associates with people who flee to the wilderness. Rather, she seems happy, well-adjusted, and full of sympathetic tales about the few -- very few -- people she comes into contact with in the course of her daily life. And she really did live in the woods --the nearest store was a long boat ride away and she didn't go "outside" for a four year stretch. Her township of Upton had a population of 182.
   
   The book is set up in chapters that answer questions: "Isn't housekeeping difficult?" or "Aren't you ever frightened." One of the better stories in the chapter, "Aren't the Children a Problem" tells about her husband delivering the author's baby in the dead of winter -- and greasing it with olive oil which he kept to dress his trout flies. The new parents discuss what they are supposed to do with the hot water always called for when a baby is being born -- and they decide to make coffee.
   
   For the modern reader, the highlights of the book are probably tales of the trials of living without conveniences. The Rich houses -- they had a winter and summer house -- had no plumbing. Heating and cooking were with wood. What you needed for groceries was delivered by boat once a month; the Sears catalog supplied the rest. For anyone who has ever thought wistfully of fleeing civilization, this is a humorous primer of both the rewards and hardships of such a life. It deserves a permanent place on the short shelf of Americana classics.
   
   Smallchief



4. A friend gave me this book when I was at a very low point in my life. My wife and I read it together, over a long weekend, and packed the car Monday morning. By Wednesday we had our old house listed and Friday we put in an offer on 40 acres with an old farm. We haven't looked back since; but we have given copies of this book to all of our old friends for Christmas.



5. Louise Dickinson Rich is a star! A truly wonderful and gifted writer. You can't put her books down.

5 comments about When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided By Race.

1. This book is an excellent read. I didn't want it to end. I found it interesting how the media followed this family from the beginning right up to the present. A documentary exists, also, which compells you to search for it and allows you to put faces to the names you read about. Excellent. This book led me to read other books with similar contents.



2. Firstly I have to admit that I haven't finished reading the book, I will edit my review when done. But I was curious about what other have said about it, so I paged to this review page.
   
   I bought this book because I vaguely remember the story of Sandra Laing from newspapers etc. as a kid growing up in South Africa. She is quite a bit older than me, I was rather young when the incident happened, and I cannot remember much about all the controversy.
   
   I mainly bought this book because I am quite interested in the genealogy of Afrikaner families. I have spent several years now documenting my own heritage. Frankly, I am surprised that the case of Sandra Laing stands out so much, as we Afrikaners are a creole nation who speaks a pidgin language - and I say this with pride. After 356 years in Africa, I don't believe that any of us are "pure whites" whatever that means. I guess it is not a well known fact (even amongst Afrikaners) that Afrikaners have on the average 6 to 12% of non-European blood (depending on which researcher's works you read). However, the majority of that proportion is Asian blood (particularly East Indian). In my own case I have verified this through DNA testing and genealogy - only because I was curious - my self-guestimate is 1/16th. I am sure the situation in the USA is not dissimilar.
   
   It is well known that people were formally classified as belonging to a race after 1948 (though I submit that Apartheid existed long before that). Physical appearance played some role. This was one of the stupidest acts of the then National Party. My family looked European, and we happened to have been classified as white. Though I know that we are not - completely.
   
   So why in the case of Sandra Laing was her appearance more African than many others? I don't know enough about biology to answer that question, as much as I don't know why my son's eyes are blue when neither my eyes nor my wife's eyes are blue. However, the way this family (and others) were treated due to physical appearance was certainly one of the many tragedies of the era.
   
   Flipping through the book, what really irritated my immensely, was the atrocious spelling of Afrikaans phrases in the book. They don't even resemble any language I am familiar with. Was the editor out to lunch? Could the author not spell-check her phrases in her word-processing program? My version of MS Word (purchased in Canada) can spell-check Afrikaans, why can't hers? Such poor attention to detail really diminishes the professional image and academic merits of the book.
   
   Another thing that irks me quite a bit are blanket racist statements by people like the first reviewer from that Bookclub - based on well-meant, but utter, ignorance (did she get her "facts" from the book?). While I agree with her summary and 'apartheid was bad' sentiments, she made too many factual and historical errors in her "review" for me to address here.
   
   In short. Afrikaners blood was never pure to start with - well-known fact - whatever they say or said. Afrikaners merely look less coloured than the coloureds. There were not 3 classifications (she goes on to mention 4) but many more initially. Afrikaners have much (about 20%) French blood as well, but never conquered the country. They may have conquered parts of it, but it was the British Empire that conquered the whole country (almost the whole continent!) for the "Queen" (for the mineral wealth, more to the point). While Afrikaners had a big role to play in institutionalising apartheid (unfortunately), they hardly invented it. They merely took over that role from the British in 1948. Williams talks about the American south - I believe that Afrikaner leaders actually studied laws in the American South before institutionalising apartheid in South Africa. There were several study tours by many to the American south (rather than to nazi-Germany as some believe). Etc, etc.
   
   Many Afrikaners were (and still are) racist, some Afrikaners supported the system, just like some Americans/Germans etc supported their systems. But the Afrikaner National Party could never stay in power without the English vote. Fact. So please don't blame the entire Afrikaner nation for the acts of some - even if the majority.
   
   Anyway, while a few historical and grammatical errors are clearly in need of being corrected, I am glad that someone wrote down the story and sad circumstances of Sandra Laing. This is a story that needed to be told again, so many years later, in context. It is worth reflecting on it and remembering it. Sadly, the country is not out of the woods. Today (2008), the future still don't look rosy, never mind that Afrikaner power left the scene 14 years ago after 46 years of running things. But I guess the problems are new and different today.



3. This was a great book! To see the struggle of this woman's life during aparteid in S. Africa rattled me to the core. And it brought to light some of our issues with race in this counrty. This is truly a book for the strong and I think we can all learn something from it.



4. I found Judith Stone's book on Sandra Laing wonderful as a chronicle of the history of race in South Africa. The book is a reminder, though, that people don't easily fit into categories. Sandra's white parents wanted her to be classified as white. I felt that the book presented convincing evidence that Sandra, despite her appearance, was the natural daughter of two white parents. Sandra herself felt more comfortable with blacks and wanted to fit in with them.
   
   Judith Stone clearly wants Sandra to be a victim of apartheid and a symbol of the new South Africa. Stone has a hard time making Sandra fit into this, though. Stone talks a lot about the hardships Sandra faced, and sometimes it seems she is bending over backwards to make excuses for Sandra's behavior. Although Stone doesn't say so, it seems clear from the story that Sandra is either borderline mentally retarded or somewhere close to it. Sandra claims she didn't know at the time she was expelled from school at nine that it was because of her color. Her parents homeschooled her until age 12, while working endlessly to get her the legal right to attend a good school. When they finally succeeded and Sandra returned to school, she was put back two grades, then found it difficult to pass even that. Sandra went on to fulfill every black stereotype in existence. At 15 or so, Sandra left school to move in with a black man who was already married to someone else and had three children to provide for. The thought that maybe it might be a good idea to finish school seems never to have once crossed her mind. She went on to have five children out of wedlock with three different black men, again without the slightest forethought. Three of Sandra's children were turned over to foster parents for nine years. Money Sandra received, both from working at menial jobs and from payments for her story, flowed through her hands like water. I frankly felt sympathetic with Sandra's white parents and brothers, who eventually cut off contact with Sandra and her train wreck of a life. Yes, there are plenty of white girls in the world who act just as foolishly. But making a heroine out of Sandra is difficult, no matter how much color prejudice she experienced as a child.
   
   This book presents good evidence that race classifications are superficial. Unfortunately, removing racial classifications is not enough to create responsible citizens.



5. I want to commend Judith Stone for the phenomenal work she has done in discussing a number of difficult subjects: Sandra Laing herself, the history of South Africa, and the nature of memory, family, and the examined life. Clearly, Sandra's lack (repression) of memory, and her inability to articulate her feelings, left Stone with an enormous challenge. She works through this brilliantly by marshaling the journalistic reports from the time and later, interviewing people who know Sandra, and sensitively explaining and exploring Apartheid's tortured history. Stone uses her knowledge of studies of PTSD, false-memory syndrome, and other relevant fields in psychology to examine Sandra's individual and South Africa's collective forgetfulness/refusal to admit reality. All in all, Stone has done a stunningly professional and sensitive job in illuminating one person's life, the cruel and terrible absurdities of Apartheid South Africa, and, more broadly still, what it means to live in a world where an ideological rigidity based on lies and hypocrisy sucks the life out of everyone--oppressor or oppressed.

5 comments about Rockabye: From Wild to Child.

1. I wanted to like this book. Her blog is OK. A bit sappy for my taste. But as a fellow wild child turned mom I keep coming back, hopeful, but some how never fully satisfied. That is how I felt reading the book. Wild child? Really? I don't see it. Doing it her own way? By what? Refusing to listen to anyone, or read a book or parenting magazine? Please.
   The writing is mediocre and full of its self. Not funny. Not original. It's sentimental drivel for the stroller brigade. A point that is driven home when you realize that 99% of the reviews are from fellow bloggers, or parenting websites.



2. I hadn't read Rebecca Woolf's blog before I read this book. I immediately sought out more, more after wiping the tears from my eyes. Rebecca's eloquence inspires me so much. I haven't been this turned inside out by a memoir since Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions.



3. 
   Girl's Gone Child, written by Rebecca Woolf, was one of the first blogs I ever read on a regular basis.
   
   In some ways -- OK, LOTS of ways -- my life couldn't be more different than Rebecca's, but I connected with her writing instantly. It didn't matter that she was a 20-something and I was a 40-something. It didn't matter that she had been a "wild child" and I never was (though I always wanted to be!). Her stories about her motherhood and life experiences resonated with something in me -- she touched a place in me that was strong yet hesitant, opinionated yet ambivalent, a mother struggling to still be myself.
   
   All that and more comes through in her memoir, Rockabye: From Wild to Child. While Rockabye is partly a story about her journey to and through unexpected motherhood in her early 20's, it's also a tale about how surviving her childhood shaped her as a woman and mother.
   
   Nobody has an easy time in middle school or high school (unless you were the perky cheerleader with the perfect body). But Rebecca digs deep into her youth in an honest and compelling way that, for better or worse, pushed me to think hard about how my own school experiences and related trauma, more in the distant past than hers, still inform my life and my motherhood today.
   
   Rebecca's writing is honest and raw in a way that makes you appreciate the honesty and openness she brings to her story, but also niggles the reader's brain to go a little deeper about who we are as people and parents, and why we are that way.
   
   As Rebecca grappled with her decision about what choice to make about her unplanned pregnancy, she had an inner conversation with herself while waiting for her first doctor's appointment. That bold internal dialogue led to this truth:
   
   You will never regret a decision you make with your heart.
   
   When I read that, I started crying. Not because I was upset, because I knew she was so right. I struggle with life decisions all the time. I can't help it, I'm a Libra. But her words reminded me that if I can focus on making my decisions, big and small, with my heart -- as Rebecca does and shows us how to do in Rockabye -- I'll be OK.
   
   I have to confess, I did get a few sneak peeks at some of the Rockabye chapters. I was lucky enough to be in Rebecca's online writing group for a while (I was not the most active or productive member, but she welcomed me anyway).
   
   Rockabye is a journey of powerful self-discovery as she makes her way through becoming a mother to her son Archer (who is one of the cutest little boys on the planet, BTW). So when you're tempted to worry about whether you should look at yet another parenting magazine for motherhood advice, take a little advice from the pages of Rockabye, and look to your inner self.
   
   Reading her book gave me another thing -- the good swift kick in the pants to write more about my own mothering experiences. Sure, there are a lot of stories out there, but all our experiences are unique and more of us should write about them and, as Rebecca reminds us, to embrace them, even on those days when we think we won't survive until our children's bedtimes.
   
   Rebecca, thanks for taking me on this journey. You'll never know how much your book meant to me.



4. I read this book in one sitting, and my only complaint is that it wasn't longer! I stumbled across Rebecca's blog a few months ago - I'm hooked! Wonderful style and heart! She is very honest with the changes in her life and emotional world. Loved it!



5. I have been reading the authors blog for a few years now. I was very excited to finally read her book. It was a real journey. You are taken to highs and lows and lots of laughs along the way. I read this book in a matter of hours. I highly recommend this book. Especially to newer moms. She tells it like it is.

5 comments about Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith.

1. Beth Holloway is a "Fearless Faith" Fighter and protector of her child. She is an example to all parents. She may not know where Natalee's body is but she knows in her hearts she's with God. I was so truly touched by this woman's determination and drive she has motivated me to reach out and help others. I am the mother of a rape victim and believe helping others after suffering is what heals your soul. Thank you Beth. God has great plans for you ad Natalee!!
   A fellow "Fearless Faith" Fighter and protector of her child



2. This is a true story of a young girl written by her mother. The book was sad, but I could have waited and gotten it at the library. Not the type of must have book.



3. Who doesn't remember the mysterious disappearance of the Alabama HS senior while on vacation with her high school friends in Aruba, now almost 3 years to the date. When I saw this book, I simply had to pick it up and read it for myself. One may think that you know the whole story, but until you read this book, you really don't.
   
   In "Loving Natalee: A Mother's Testament of Hope and Faith" (255 pages), Beth Holloway, the mother of Natalee, brings us in brutal details what she experienced as a mother when her daughter went missing (and is now presumed dead). Holloway kicks off the Preface of the book with "I am the parent who got the dreaded call. The parent no one wants to be." Right then and there, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, and indeed this is no easy book to read, as Holloway describes the nightmare she and her family and loved ones went through upon arriving on Aruba, and try and find Natalee. The utter incompetence, if not outright unwillingness to assist and underlying corruptness, of the Aruba police authorities is beyond comprehension, even as it is clear that 3 young men are directly involved in Natalee's disappearance. Just sickening.
   
   What keeps Beth Holloway going is her strong faith. I am deeply saddened by what she has had to go through, and (being a parent of a HS senior myself) can only hope and pray that I will never have to go through this. As to the culprits who did this to Natalee, they will receive their due, be in in this life, or in the next when they sit in judgment of our Lord. My prayers are with Beth Holloway and her family.



4. Loving Natalee was a true testament of what any parent would never want. The book makes me wonder what i would do in the situation natalee was in. Her mom tells the story from begining to end and tells everyone the details about natalee and her life. she really shows how she is a normal person and it could happen to anyone.



5. My heart broke as I read this book. The horror that Beth Holloway must have felt at the news of her daughter's disappearance is overwhelming. While I'd like to stick my head in the sand and believe that this could never happen to my family, this book made me realize that it could happen to anyone.
   
   However, instead of letting her brokenness over her daughter destroy her life, Holloway used her tragedy as a call for action has been spearheading a campaign to strengthen travel safety.
   This book is a tribute to mother's love and the faith that helped her through her pain.
   
   I was glad I read it. If you've followed the story of of the Holloways at all, you will be glad to read it too.

5 comments about Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (Vintage).

1. Mixing together family, food, history and culture, Madhur Jaffrey gives us a fascinating glimpse of upper class life in India. Her delicious descriptions of the daily life of the privileged contrast with what many hear of the poverty and troubles of that country. There are amusing tidbits such as "the art of getting thirty people into two cars" and the mischievous "Holi" day celebrations, and an indepth look at the intricacies of life in a large extended family, plus a sprinkling of family photos. Although she delves into the darker shadows of family troubles and the consequences of WWII and political changes, Ms. Jaffrey keeps those experiences on the light side, leaving me with more questions than answers.
   
   As with many memoirs, there is some disjointedness, but through it all there is the food - delightful, delicious, descriptions to make one drool. The average reader will undoubtedly find the recipes included at the end of the book to be daunting, but a trip to an Indian restaurant should be a most satisfying ending to this book. I enjoyed this book which offers literally a taste of India. My only question - since Madhur failed cookery in school, how did she learn to cook so well?!



2. Madhur Jaffrey is a personal favorite - I loved her reading of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club) & it's a delight to see her pop up unexpectedly in movies like Prime (Widescreen Edition) in small but juicy roles. So, it was a pleasure to read about the author's childhood in this enjoyable remembrance of an India past.
   
   Ms. Jaffrey's family was obviously prosperous and privileged, as attested to by the grand house ("Number 7") that was the center of her early life. You quickly take that standard of life as a given. We get a look at the 'joint family' style of living - all the incomes pooled & the family living under the extended roof and paternal care of her respected and successful grandfather ('Babaji').
   
   You'll want to rush out and order Indian food every night. Each remembrance is embraced with recollections of specific foods and the preparation that goes into making those dishes for a large family. There's a full 50 pages of family recipes that follow the Epilogue.



3. Madhur Jaffrey is one of the foremost authors of indian cookbooks. This book is a memoir of her childhood in northern India during the 40s and 50s. It is packed with all the joys and flavors of an extended family with liberal food descriptions and delightful flavors of multi ethnic indian cuisine. She obviously had a very rich, privileged up bringing which is perhaps not what every indian born child is privy to, but her writing is compassionate, mindful of the privileges she had in comparison to the rest of the country - and allows the reader to really travel visually and enjoy a taste of the same. One cannot help wishing though that she had dealt with, at some length, on some real struggles with a dysfunctional uncle (Shibbu dada), the changes in the family during the post independance era (all families went through a lot of struggle then, particularly privileged ones) or for that matter anything that lets the reader know that the journey was not always a happy or easy one. Read it anyway, and particulary if you are from India, it is truly a delightful nostalgic journey into the joys and flavors and family love that is so typical of extended family life in our homeland and sadly getting to be a rarity for even those who live there.



4. This book brought back wonderful memories of a lovely 6 years spent in India. Her portrait of the lives of the wealthy and privledged of that era were hauntingly familiar. An excellent read.



5. I know the author by her association with Said Jaffrey, an actor of some repute
   in India, and her famous cookery show and books in the same domain.
   Apparently, at one time the author was married to Mr. Jaffrey, but has since
   divorced and is now re-married to a gentleman in New York and settled in the
   same city. I presume she still writes books on Indian cooking. In any case,
   the Jaffrey name and the title were enough of a ruse to get me to read the
   book. What emerges is a tale of a priviledged childhood in pre-independence
   India: her family traces its roots back to the time of emperor Aurangzeb
   (the last Mughal ruler of India) in whose court Madhur's ancestors used to
   ply their craft as writers. The emperor gifted land to her ancestors in what
   would later became New Delhi, enabling Madhur a luxurious childhood by Indian
   standards. Her family was well to do: grandfather was a barrister, father
   owned mills, the family took trips to Europe and possessed two American cars -- and
   this is in pre-independent India, mind you. The book itself is composed of short
   chapters, each one detailing some memory of childhood: cousins, siblings, aunts and
   uncles, grandparent, summer trips to Simla, train rides, traumas, first love, the
   travails of a joint family, etc. A common thread that runs through all the chapters is
   the association of food with the memories. Madhur (which means "sweet, honey-like" in
   Hindi) draws upon her strength -- food -- to permeate each chapter. The writing
   style is informal and colloquial, but enjoyable nonetheless. As an added bonus, the
   last portion of the book contain her favorite recipes. (July 2007)

5 comments about The Woman at the Washington Zoo: Writings on Politics, Family, and Fate.

1. I used to read Marjorie Williams in the Washington Post, and was reminded of her work when her exceptionally moving essay "Hit by Lightning" was in a "best of" book by multiple authors. It was so good that I simply had to read this collection of only her work.
   
   The finest essays and profiles here are wonderful. The writing is outstanding, and ranges from great insight to humor and sadness and to the biting remark that takes down somebody famous a notch or two.
   
   My favorites were (besides "Hit by Lightning"):
   
   - "The Alchemist", a previously unpublished profile of her mother. What an exploration of a mother's relationship to her daughter and (presumably) perceptive view of her mother's life!
   
   - "Scenes from a Marriage" - oh, my, how it drills into the relationship between Clinton and Gore, after the 2004 election and back into their time in office. This essay was justifiably well-known.
   
   - "Bill Clinton, Feminist" - Ms. Williams shreds the feminists who defended President Clinton in his sexual escapades, while disregarding the women involved. She doesn't even break a sweat. Brutal and delightful reading.
   
   - "The Halloween of My Dreams" - her final column, about her daughter's Halloween, the last Halloween Ms. Williams would see.
   
   - The profiles of Jeb Bush and Barbara Bush, both of which offered fresh insights and information.
   
   - Of the columns, many of which are first rate, I particularly liked the one on Princess Diana's death (I'm not sure why, to be honest) and one on assisted suicide.
   
   The book actually got off to a slow start for me. The first two profiles were relatively dated and uninteresting, and the third, on Richard Darman, was wonderfully crafted, but I found myself not that curious about someone who moved rapidly into footnote status. However, Darman's profile had one of the best lines in the entire book: "As always, the vapor of self-certainty leaks off him like rocket fuel". Didn't these people know who they were up against in Marjorie Williams?
   
   The short columns included are mostly very good, yet they also suffer from the usual fate of newspaper columns, in that they don't age that well, as the topic in hand often quickly becomes old news. Ms. Williams is far from alone in that fate, of course, so some of these pieces serve as a reminder of past news to reconsider with hindsight and contemplate what has happened since.



2. This book made me realize how painful it could be to at sometimes for the lack of a better word be a " dubmass " It took me a lot of brushing up on my reading skills to fully appreceiate this book and it was very insightfull just as the other books that were recomened to me to be read if I liked this one were. It also taught me that caring=sharing which can cause mass confusion sometimes to people who need to improve there reading skills which in turn = understanding and then ultimatly joy and happiness for many years to come. However this just could be a hopeful thought, but I would like to think it holds true for all readers especially the ones that would enjoy reading A year of Magical Thinking, where I think it says something about country boys being of big hearts are stubborn and rarely give up on anything.



3. No, this isn't about the typical zoon--but about the "Zoo" that is Washington, D.C.
   
   Marjorie Williams, a journalist for the Washington Post, had a sense of unrelenting refusal to deal with just the surface reality--but find the truth beneath.
   
   Sitting here in the Midwest, some of these stories, some of the people are not players we hear about every day, but some were.
   
   Marjorie and Tim Noah (Senior writer for Slate) were married in 1990. In 2001, happy and healthy, Marjorie discovered a lump in her lower abdomen and after much effort, died in 2005 from liver cancer at the age of 47. Tim has selected what he feels are her most revealing columns written about politicians, the shakers and movers of Washington's social ad business life, and about her family.
   
   As an outsider I enjoyed reading about insiders like Ambassador Lucky Roosevelt and her long marriage, and other characters that made good reading.
   
   Jennifer Senior, New York Times Book Review said, "Williams was a crowbar, prying great quotes from her sources, and she found herself face to face with rather intimate details of their life."
   
   So true, whether she was writing about Bill and Hillary, the couple that always give us something to talk about, her own illness, her mother's illness, or her children--her observations were always sharp and often sweet.
   
   Some of my favorites were her most personal stories, like The Cat Race about how she was "going to raise her children," that is, until she actually had children. This felt very familiar.
   
   The Art of Fake (and Useful) Apology, (in the news again as I write this) used by politicians reminds us that this happens far too often.
   
   With another Presidential campaign heating up, Williams takes us back to 1992 when Al Gore was running for President (without hitching his star to Clinton). Her article, "Scenes from a Marriage" is about that time, and the end of that "marriage" and the not-too-obvious divorce of Clinton and Gore.
   
   Sadly the world will never again read about current events from her.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: This book was a New York Times Bestseller.



4. Really two books. One, a series of pieces about inside Washington stories, often with characters who are largely off stage but important in how things get done in the seat of empire. Rather than the usual insider's view, Ms. Williams has an extraordinarily keen eye for seeing what is there for all to see, perhaps along the lines of I.F. Stone's insistence on using only attributed sources. The second book is an account of her diagnosis and subsequent experiences with an ultimately fatal cancer, its impact on her life, outlook, work, as well and an account of her medical care.



5. I bought this book primarily because I enjoy memoir and it was represented in the media as a collection of personal essays by a woman who fought what was eventually a losing battle with cancer.
   
   In fact, the personal essays comprise the smaller part of this collection. Most pieces are in-depth political commentary or profiles of Washington, D.C. personalities. I'm not interested in that subject matter at all.
   
   To correct one of the other reviewers, this collection was compiled after Williams' death by her husband. It contains material that she apparently never intended to publish. But long-time fans of Williams should not fault *her* for what was and was not included in the book, since these decisions were made posthumously.
   
   Williams was a gifted writer -- insightful, precise, and painfully honest. I enjoyed the personal essays immensely (particularly the piece about her complex relationship with her mother) and even found myself reading and enjoying the political essays.

1 comments about Sarah Palin, Faith Family Country.

1. I just finished this very informative and exciting book about Sarah Palin! Almost couldn't put it down but because of some demands on my time, I had too. It gives one a clear picture of our future Vice President who will help Senator McCain shake up Washington DC. More importantly, Sarah has the experience that few others, especially her opponent, have at challenging the status quo. Finally the book spells out her roots and how she has developed the ability to satisfy those she represents by taping into their thoughts and ideas. It isn't long but it is strong and useful! It should scare the "stuff" out of the entrenched Washington DC folks and points out the importance of her team and not buying into the entrenched and acknowledge less than favorable Chicago Political scene that her opponents represents!
   Barry Howard
   Fighter Pilot

5 comments about The Burn Journals.

1. I can honestly begin by saying I enjoyed this story very much. I read the last twenty pages in the car on my way to visit my mother and step-father in the hospital six hours away after experiencing a motorcycle accident a few days beforehand. My mother I knew would be fine but my doubts about the outcome of my stepfather were weighing on me. He was paralyzed from the waste down permanently and broke several vertebrae in his neck, upper, and lower back. He was on life support. He was non-responsive.
   This book ventures over and over the question we all at some point ask God, society, ourselves: Why do bad things happen to good people?
   Life is always difficult but with time you learn to deal with it better.
   My only complaint (which really has no basis really as the point of view was in fact written from a teenage boy's perspective) was that it was written so elementary. But in retrospect it held a youthful poetic rhythm unlike any other book I've read.



2. It takes a lot of courage to write a book like this. Most people can not write so openly and honestly about their feelings, especially when they know they've done something to grievously hurt their family. But Brent Runyon can, and does.
   
   As an eight grader, Brent set fire to himself in a suicide attempt. He suffered sever burns over 85% of his body, but, obviously, did not die. Brent's story takes us from the events immediately preceding his attempt and through the many months of his recovery.
   
   Much of the narrative is taken up with the details and routines that anyone suffering such severe burns must endure, no matter how they occurred. But in Brent's case there is the ever-present knowledge that he brought this on himself.
   
   Although I wish we could have learned more about why Brent attempted suicide in the first place, he says very plainly (through recounted sessions with assorted psychologists) that he doesn't really know why he did it, can't remember what could have made him so sad and desperate, and certainly isn't going to do anything like it again. A cautionary tale indeed for any teens thinking of committing suicide.



3. Great book and great story. Warning, this book is NOT PG-rated. Brent tells his story in a very compelling manner. Had to do some on-line research to find out more about him!



4. As a teacher, this book was rough to try and get through. The issues are heavy and gritty, but guys truly love this book. Girls that like the book - A Child Called It - really get into it as well. I would not recommend this book for students under grade nine because of some of the content unless the student is more mature than most.



5. Taylor Moody:
   In the autobiography "The Burn Journals" Brent Runyon describes his traumatizing suicide attempt and his difficult recovery over the next year. Brent shows us his experience at a Burn Unit in a children's hospital where he underwent burn care and skin grafts. After his stay at the Burn Unit and a few psychologist meetings he then went to a rehabilitation hospital for intensive physical and psychological therapy. And then he finally arrived home and began high school.
   In the beginning of the story Brent comes home one day after school with the thought of suicide on his mind. He was in trouble at school, his best friend was going out with the girl he liked, and he felt unwanted, unloved, and alone. He put on his black bathrobe stepped into his shower and poured gasoline on himself then he lit the match that would turn his life upside down. While engulfed in flames he made the decision to stop himself. He turned on the shower and the fire went out. He was rescued from his house and taken to the Burn Unit at Children's Hospital. At the hospital he discovers that he has burns over 85% of his body and undergoes intensive treatment. He makes friends with the nurses that take care of him and it makes his stay more enjoyable. Brent's burn scars have to be stretched or else he will lose almost all of his range of motion in his arms and legs.
   After about 6 months at Children's Hospital he then moves to a rehabilitation center called DuPont. Here Brent goes through intensive physical and psychological therapy. Brent figures out after a few meetings with psychologists that he doesn't know why he tried to kill himself. He feels that none of the reasons he thought he was doing it for meant any sense anymore. Also at DuPont Brent took some school courses to try and get caught up with his peers who he would meet up with in high school. After DuPont Brent went to another rehabilitation facility where he stayed with other teens that had problems of their own. Here Brent and his family talked about the event and how it affected the family. Brent was then released from here after a short period of time and could now stay full time at home.
   At home Brent caught up with some of his friends from eighth grade who were now in high school. He realized how much he'd missed and that he was going to have to struggle to find his way in high school. After a few weeks a t home Brent's psychologist decided he was ready to go back into the mainstream of life. Brent got on a bus, put his head on the window and rode the bus to this seemingly alien world which he knew nothing about anymore. Brent steps of the bus and starts a new beginning.
   I thought the author did an excellent job of bringing the reader right into his head. I could relate to the character and his humor. The Burn Journals showed me how fragile life is and the psychological affects suicide has. I thought this book was a masterpiece and I would absolutely recommend this book to all of my friends and even some of my older family members.

5 comments about There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say.

1. I bought Paula's book on CD. What could be better than listening to Paula's book being read by Paula? Paula is funny and always entertaining. I can highly recommend buying the book on CD. I can also honestly say I didn't read the book because she read it for me. It doesn't get any better!



2. Weird, in a good way, and charming juxtaposition of biographies of famous people and Poundstone's meandering thoughts on everything from motherhood to... well, everything. Plenty of laugh out loud moments and some interesting insights into the author.



3. I'm a great fan of Paula Poundstone, and have thoroughly enjoyed her televised comedy specials--and therein lies the problem. In this abridged reading of her book, she covers very little material that wasn't in her Bravo specials. Worse, her reading delivery is wooden and lacks the impeccable timing of her stand-up acts. All that said, this audio book is vintage Paula, and a pretty good companion for a long commute.



4. This book is an unusual mixture of hollywood tell-all, historical biography and stand up. But throughout, Poundstone is funny, charming and clever. Enjoyable to read.



5. I love Paula Poundstone, I think she is one of the best female comics of our generation. I love her humor, her delivery - just the way her mind works. And I so admire her getting through her much-publicized rough patch with drinking, and losing her kids, etc. I totally ready to absolutely love this book. As it turns out...not so much.
   
   I just don't understand why she wrote the book the way she did. She has taken what to me seem eight random historical/cultural figures - Joan of Arc, Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, Charles Dickens, The Wright Brothers, Beethoven and Sitting Bull - and mushed up her story and humor with their stories. What's up with that?
   
   I have no problem with her stream of consciousness style, I expected it, as that is often how she performs. And when she writes about her life, family and general observations she's hilarious - but when she writes about those other people it's boring and meandering, barely making sense!
   
   Maybe it just went over my head and I'm missing something, but I can't recommend this book.

5 comments about The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill: A Love Story . . . with Wings.

1. I bought this boook for my Mother, she liked the book but feels it was a script from the tv program that he did also all the pictures in the book were black and white... why bother putting them in there ???



2. WAS DISSAPOINTED AS I THOUGHT I WAS ORDERING THE DVD AND GOT THE BOOK INSTEAD.



3. My friends love this video about these remarkable parrouts and their lives in a special place. I bought this book for them as it portrays the specil qualities of the video and more



4. I am still in the midst of reading this book, but have also viewed the documentary. It is a wonderful story filled with love, adventure, and discovery. I recommend this book to all nature and animals lovers.



5. This book was recommended to me by someone whose taste in books I questioned. However, I must say this is a well-written, fascinating book. For animals lovers, in particular, you will truly enjoy this story.