5 comments about I Remember Mama..

1. This book was advertised as an actual book and I received a thin play about the book. I was very disappointed.



2. I purchased this to look at because I was writing about another fascinating "Mama." I forgot what a wonderful story it is. It's about an era most of us have forgotten or never knew. I loved it, as I loved the movie which saw when I was quite young. It is a touching story of the influence this woman had on her family. We should all have this kind of mother. Too bad we don't. Read "Dancing in the Dark: Things My Mother Never Told Me" and you will find the story of an entirely different mother.



3. Kathryn Forbes' "I Remember Mama" is a classic tale of Norwegian newcomers on the west coast, which became a long-running, highly popular tv series as well as a movie. The central figure is the wise, loving, enduring matriarch of the clan. Supremely happy in her new home, she proudly says, "I am a San Franciscan." Surrounded by sisters and cousins and other relatives from the old country, as so many immigrant families were at that time, she raises her own brood in changing times.

   The book portrays family unity, love and laughter rising above hardships. Children will enjoy this book as much as adult readers, as it speaks to the best in immigrant experience.




4. I read this book with my teacher and classmates. I would, first of all, reccomend this book to teachers to read with their class, because it is a play, and it is fun to read with a lot of children. There are a lot of things we can learn from the book. Except an occasional swear word ( this is the reason I only gave the book 4 stars), It is a very good book.

   The book is about a family who was very poor. Some of the very important characters are: Mama- who is a very smart person, who counts every penny papa (her husband) brings home from work. Katrien- one of Mama's daughters whose dream is to become a writer when she grows up. Lars, Christine, & Dagmar- Mama's other children. Jenny, Sigrid, & Trina- Mama's sisters. Uncle Chris- Moma's brother, who is also the "head" of the family. Mr.Thorkleson- Trina's husband to be. These I think are the most important characters in the book.

   It is kind of hard to understand at first, but you'll get get used to it. Happy Reading!




5. "I Remember Mama" is a delightful book, a fond remembrance of "Mama" with all her strengths and weaknesses. It has all the charm of a bygone era when families seemed to be more cohesive and life may have had its ups and downs, but the family always pulled together. The book is written from the viewpoint of the eldest daughter, and looks back lovingly at Mama's life and how she did her best for her family. There are those occasional moments of epiphany when the daughter, now grown, realizes the adult reasons her mother had for making the choices she made, and understands the love that motivated them. I would put this book in the same category as "Cheaper by the Dozen", "Belles on Their Toes", "Mama's Bank Account", "Life With Father", and "Life With Mother", because all of these books show the ups and downs of family life in a simpler age, but with kindness and good humour. They allow the reader to be entertained, educated, and uplifted without a heavy tone or obscure references, and give the impression that it is still possible to have a happy, close family, even in these modern times.

1 comments about The Government Inspector (Oberon Classics).

1. In Gogol's time in Russia corruption was found in every arm of the government. Petty bureaucrats often pocketed money that was intended for public works. The play exposes backwater greed and corruption by showing how thoroughly ingrained bribery and lobbying are in to the culture of smalltime government officials.

   The plot of the play is quite ingenious. Khlestakov, a clerk of some sort, but on the whole an entirely unimportant person in the government, is in town at the tavern. He's on the verge of getting kicked out since he's rung up a huge bill. Just when he's thinks all's lost the Lord provost shows up, pays his bill and start treating him like he's the cat's pajamas. Slowly Khlestakov realizes that the towns people think he's an all important Government Inspector and are desperate to bribe wine and dine him so he gives a good report to Petersburg.

   This play is a critical social statement about corruption told though the humorous device of a farce. By making light of the faults of our leaders we may be able to raise awareness of the problem of corruption and effect measures that will lead to change.

5 comments about How to Get on Jeopardy!... and Win: Valuable Information from a Champion.

1. There seems to be a lot of discrepancy regarding the 1st president born in the twentieth century. Even the other reviewers were sort of inaccurate and nonspecific. JFK was the first man to become president who was born in the 20th century (1917). However, the president who was FIRST BORN in the 20th century was LBJ (NOT REAGAN)in 1908. It depends on how the question is asked. This is a lot like the question "Who was the youngest president?" Most people think it is JFK, but it is actually Teddy Roosevelt who took office (after McKinley's assassination) at the age of 42. JFK was the youngest man to take office who was ELECTED president.



2. I haven't actually ready the book, but Ronald Reagan was the first president born in the 20th century, in 1911.



3. I recently had the pleasure of becoming a five-time Jeopardy champion, and Mike Dupee's book helped in getting me to that position. I would echo many sentiments expressed by other reviewers. The "Learning the Facts" portion is not as useful as the rest of the book, as it gets bogged down in details and contains a few errors. However, it does have some useful tables, such as those for prominent dancers, artists and their identifiers, and major inventors/discoverers.

   The real value of the book is in its discussion of the background information about the show. Mike's descriptions of the testing process and the day of taping are on target.

   The book's analysis of the buzzer mechanism proved to be helpful. Although I found I couldn't prepare in advance for my buzzer technique, it was helpful to read about how you have to wait until someone offstage "opens the lines" for you to ring in and answer. At the same time, Mike was absolutely correct in saying you can't wait to see the lights around the board before you buzz. Keeping these ideas in mind, I came up with a method of timing the buzzer which worked more often than not.

   Ultimately the section on betting strategy may have been the most valuable for me (although there is a math error noted by other reviewers). In my second game, I was in second place heading into Final Jeopardy and missed the question, yet I still won. Mike's discussion of the "two thirds rule" was foremost in my mind as I made my wager. Rather than betting everything, as so many 2nd and 3rd place players needlessly do, I made a smart wager which maximized my chances to win, and fortune was on my side.

   Another reviewer felt that studying did not help her when she competed. However, I would agree with Mike in advising contestants to study. In each of my five games, I had at least one occasion when I buzzed in and responded based on something I learned in my studying process. This happened four times in my fifth game. "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy," by E.D. Hirsch, Joseph Kett, and James Trefil, was a godsend for me. The New York Public Library's Desk Reference Book was also very helpful.

   In conclusion, "How to Get on Jeopardy!... and Win" is a valuable resource for any potential contestants. It is best used in conjunction with other books which are better study material sources.




4. I had very high hopes when I first purchased this book and Dupee's concept is great. He has some very good strategies and some good tips in re the show. If he'd have stuck to this for the entire book I'd have given four to five stars. However the second half of the book focuses on trivia and gives an idea of what to brush up on before you become a contestant. This is where I was the most disappointed. The editing is haphazard and it seems like the book jumps back and forth between chapters. Also a section which listed Famous African-americans in alphabetical order stops at H - seemingly an editorial glitch that wasn't picked up. If you're going to be on the show I recommend it although it is not a "must".



5. I just appeared on Jeopardy earlier this week - actually, I taped this week and will appear the week of March 13-17, 2000. I read the book before I went onto the show (but after I had been to the tryout, passed the test, and received 'the call' to appear on the show).

   I definitely recommend that you read the first half of the book about tryouts, betting strategy etc. His betting strategy is excellent (although another reviewer pointed out some math errors), and he seems to be ahead of the curve. After I read his advice on betting and before I went on the show, I watched several weeks worth of games and noticed many - MANY - times where the person who placed second or third would have actually won the game using Dupee's strategy.

   However, the second half of the book (trivia) is useless for at least two reasons. First, if you memorized every piece of trivia in this book it would not help you on an actual game very much if at all and it probably would not help you on a tryout. He also skips over a major category - religion - which surprised me, and he spends far too much time on food. Second, the book is typeset in such a way that the answer to each question appears immediately after the question but NOT on a separate line. Therefore if you are trying to read the question and formulate an answer before you see the actual answer, it is almost impossible to do so, rendering this section of the book almost useless for solo studying (although you could have someone read you the questions and then respond aloud). And, as other reviewers have noted, there are numerous factual errors in the book. For example, the first President born in the 20th century - in 1917 - was not Jimmy Carter, it was JFK.

   I did study a lot for Jeopardy and there was only one question in my game that my studying prepared me for, and I couldn't recall the information fast enough to ring in and get credit. Several former Jeopardy contestants whom I've met, includng a 5 time champion, advised me not to study. I ignored their advice, but I think it turned out that they were right.

   In this book there is one mis-statement so huge I must comment about it, and pardon me for shouting - YOU DO NOT HAVE A FEW EXTRA SECONDS IN THE ACTUAL GAME TO ANSWER EACH QUESTION AS HE STATES - the actual game is as fast-paced in the studio as it seems at home, in fact it seems faster. It is taped in real time so you also have very short commercial breaks.

   Finally, if I can give any advice to those of you who are trying out for Jeopardy! (and why would you read this book if you weren't?), I would say that in order to get a tryout, you can take your chances with getting a slot at a regional tryout - which is very iffy - or you can make an appointment and travel to LA where you will be CERTAIN to get a tryout. In order to stand out at the tryout, first you have to pass the test (35 out of 50 right on a written test at the $800 question level), then have a funny story ready for the interview portion, be relaxed, look like you're having fun, and keep the pace moving when you play a mock game. The contestant coordinators like that (BTW, they are VERY nice). Don't appear too intense, either! My impression is that they would love to move away from the professional white male contestant from Southern California - although they don't ever say that - so I'm guessing it would help to be blue-collar, ethnic, female, and not from California! Not that you can change any of those characteristics, so this is just an observation, not advice!

   And finally, when you get on the show the single most important factor that will determine whether you win or not (aside from your knowledge of trivia and your ability to recall it instantly) is your signalling button technique. This is huge - HUGE - H-U-G-E! I have met a five time winner who practiced at home with a highlighter pen by pressing the end of it, and this person was killer on the signalling button and not only won 5 games but won them all as runaway games - had them all locked up by final jeopardy.

   Because instant recall and signalling button technique are so important, I'd almost recommend that you not cram for Jeopardy - unless you're going to do so now, before you even get a tryout. It's one thing to know something, it's another thing to be able to recall it in a nanosecond, as you must on Jeopardy. If you can't cram trivia to where you can recall it instantly, don't bother to study! (Dupee seems to credit his victory on his studying techniques but I think - as he says people remarked in the book - he was just killer on the signalling button). And one final thing - on the signalling button it's not speed, it's TIMING! Like Goldilocks and the porridge, you can't be too early, or too late, you have to ring in just right. Which I'm here to tell you, is harder than it seems!

   Hope this helps!

No comments about Semiotics and the Analysis of Film.

2 comments about Puritans At Play: Leisure and Recreation in Early New England.

1. The popular American view of Puritans is usually something out of Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter." That is, a bleak, dreary group of religious fanatics who take themselves entirely too seriously. While they did take their religion very seriously (your life on earth does determine whether you will spend eternity in heaven or hell, after all; it's best not to take chances), they did have fun. Bruce Daniels does an excellent job researching the relationship between Puritans and fun: What did they do?; How much time did they spend doing it?; What DIDN'T they do that might surprise us?; Did some groups have fun one way while others had fun another way?; and the all important question for historians: Why?

   Two themes run through Daniels' work: the Puritan ideal with regards to fun is that recreational activities should a) not be sinful b) give one rest so that he or she can serve the Lord more efficiently c) be productive and d) not be an end unto itself. The second theme that runs through "Puritans at Play" is that, while the first generation of Puritans in America came pretty close to this ideal, as the years went on and New England became more heterogeneous, the ideal had great influence, but was viewed more as a guideline for recreation as opposed to a matter so grave as to have long-lasting (read: eternal) implications.

   In this amazingly well-researched book, Daniels analyzed how reading (the ideal recreational activity in Puritan America), music, church related activities, public gatherings (such as public hangings or military training days), dancing, eating, sex, bars, gambling, and sports (among others) fit into both the Puritan ideal and the Puritan reality.

   The beauty of this book is that Daniels tackles such an all-encompasing subject with apparent ease. I feel he has accomplished the goal he mentions in his preface, to write a book suitable for both the serious scholar and the recreational historian (although my one complaint is that his first chapter made for dry, difficult reading). From Chapter Two on, Daniels introduces the reader to Puritans on their own ground, always making sure to put things in a cultural context. I would definately recommend it to fellow amateur historians.




2. Of all the groups in American history, the Puritans still have the biggest bum rap of them all. H.L. Mencken articulated this false view perfectly when he defined a Puritan as someone who laid awake at night, fretting that somebody, somewhere, was having a good time. While the Puritans did have strong beliefs over the appropriateness of certain entertainments (such as the theater, which they banned as a place of lies and the breeding ground of crime), they did believe that God intended there to be joy in life as well. One of their greatest joys was sex: so long as it was within marriage, the Puritans believed sex was necessary, wonderful, and to be practiced often. Indeed, when one man refused to have sex with his wife, he was excommunicated from the Church! Bruce Daniels' much-needed volume on leisure and recreation in colonial New England fills up a hole in our historical awareness of this intense group. I loved this book, almost as much as I loved Edmund Morgan's book, "The Puritan Family." This one is not to be missed by history buffs!

5 comments about Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of The Empire Strikes Back.

1. Alan Arnold had a first hand glimpse behind the scenes of what most fans consider the best Star Wars film out of the Six. From the difficulties of filming on a cold and icy snow blown glacier, to rushing through filming at the massive sound stages at Elstree Studios, Arnold takes us inside for a view that few were aloud to see...and hear.
   
   The price of this paperback book tells of its value and rarity. It is a one of a kind piece of literature that is quickly disappearing from the market. Get a copy while you still can.



2. Alan Arnold was the publicist on THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. In this journal, Arnold takes you from the very beginning of principal photography to the end of production, detailing all the behind-the-scenes mishaps, adventures and difficulties associated with the filming. Included are interviews with Irvin Kershner, George Lucas, John Williams, all the cast and many of the crew. This is a treasure-trove for STAR WARS fans!



3. This book covers many aspects of the filming, and as Arnold has covered decades of movie making before writing this book, he is obviously genuinely impressed with the scale of the production. Good interviews with important members of the cast and crew; even includes Sir Alec Guiness. Especially illuminating chats with Lucas about the overall nine part structure of Star Wars. It's interesting to compare Lucas' initial ideas about the sequels and prequels with what was finally released. The highlight of the book is a transciption of a day spent following Irwin Kershner filming on the carbon freezing chamber set (Secrets revealed include the fact that Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett was actually desperate to use the lavatory throughout the whole day's shoot). As a collector of Star Wars related books, I have amassed over a hundred, but this remains my favourite.



4. This combined with The Making of Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Making of the Movie recreates for the reader EVERYTHING that went on during pre-production, production, and post-production and even months after! Excellent book for anyone who loves Star Wars, a must-have.



5. This combined with The Making of Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: The Making of the Movie recreates for the reader EVERYTHING that went on during pre-production, production, and post-production and even months after! Excellent book for anyone who loves Star Wars, a must-have.

3 comments about Mime Time.

1. It is better to invent your own routines, there is no technique, no history of mime, not much of value.



2. This book is ok. It has alot of routines, but not much help on how to teach mime.



3. This is the mime book for someone who learns by seeing and doing. Through 45 detailed scripts, the future mime learns the vocabulary and scope of the art. From a child eating ice cream to a sports fan, the reader sees examples of mime in the mind's eye. There is almost no theory in this book, just good, practical scripts for one, two, or more actors.

2 comments about Loving to Audition: The Audition Workbook for Actors (Career Development Series).

1. I have used Mr. Silverberg's techniques for years--ever since he first published his Sanford Meisner series (also fabulous). This is the best book for working theory into practicality that I have found. I'd recommend it to any high school/college level teacher who needs a refreshing new approach to monologue development.



2. I read Larry Silverberg's "The Meisner Approach" series (4 books) before I read this book. This book applies and gives a shorthand of the techniques covered much more clearly in the series. If you only have money for one book, buy this, but know that it will leave you hungry for more. Still, it is head and shoulders above just about all of the revered and completely nonsensical acting books out there that I know you've read and wondered, "Am I the only fool who doesn't get this?"

1 comments about The Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky: The Stage Plays (Collected Works of Paddy Chayefsky).

1. I bought this collection of Chayevsky plays in order to get my hands on THE LATENT HETEROSEXUAL, because I'm in the process of revising my will, and I remembered the playwright's mordant take on lawyers, accountants, trusts, taxes--and it's as good as I remembered it. (The play never made Broadway, even with Zero Mostel in the lead; Paddy had sworn off Broadway for good and opened it in Dallas. I read a version printed in ESQUIRE.) Now I'm working through the other plays in this volume. Though working is the wrong word. I'm being pulled into them by Chayesvky's brilliance and clarity of language. And also by his vision of the human beings who made up his world, his incredible empathy and sympathy for them, as well as his virulent scorn at their failures of moral courage. Turn to any page in the volume to hear the unique, powerful, brilliant, funny voice of Paddy Chayevsky, a writer we need now more than ever!

5 comments about Autobiography of a Geisha.

1. This book almost brought me to tears. It really, really did. Sayo's life, as depicted in her memoir, was filled with such unhappiness and pain that I just can't figure out how she was able to live through it. And she did.
   
   The book starts out with Sayo's earliest memories, working as a nursemaid, knowing no kindness, only sorrow and pain. Finally she is sold to a geisha house, where she is tormented by her Elder Sisters and the Mother of the house. She eventually has enough of the geisha life and heads out into the world, only to be stricken with poverty and more pain. The rest of the story weaves the tale of her becoming a prostitute, involved with a Korean gang, finding forbidden love, and her beloved brother's suicide. Even until the very end of the book, she has nothing and no one. It is only in the new epilogue do we find out that Sayo was able to make a fine living by becoming a chef and opening a bar/restaurant.
   
   This book was so moving and touching. It shows that the life of geisha weren't all glamor, kimono, white faces, and popularity. This book actually shows the pain and suffering certain geisha went through. I think because of this, this book changed my life. It showed me how good my life is and how I should never take anything for granted. I should do everything in my power to help other people who are less fortunate than I am, which was a point stressed very much so by Sayo.
   
   The writing was strong and fluid, never once wavering and I'm sure it stayed true to the power of the Japanese version. I felt for the characters in this book and how tragic their lives were. All in all, this was a great book. Heartwrenching, but great. It really, truly was.



2. Although her writing style seems sparse, Sayo clearly illustrates the wretched life she lived from childhood into adulthood. Despite the many misconceptions of what geisha really are, this book showed another side of what it was like to be a geisha. Not all geishas lives were full of money, fame, and glamour. And I think that her story ought to be recognized among the readers of "Memoirs of a Geisha". I think that it'll give them a another, more realistic view of what it was like for most Japanese girls who were sold into being geisha.



3. I was expecting a difference from Memoirs, but WOW! What an intresting and sad life for these women. Makes me more than ever to be proud to be born an AMERICAN woman!



4. The flavor of a Japan gaijin -- and many locals -- never see. I've always loved the romanticized versions of geisha life, but this portrays the everyday, humdrum details as well as the not-so-pleasant aspects. I pay lots of lip service to the luck I had being born in the latter half of the twentieth century, with enough money to allow me to get an education and chart my own life. Reading this makes me realize again that, for many people, my life is beyond luxurious.



5. I ran across this while browsing in the library so I decided to check it out. Interesting story about Sayo Masuda and her life as a poor girl from Japan who winds up becoming a Geisha in the hot springs district. I didn't find the story particularly sad, in fact, I really didn't feel any kind of emotion while reading this story. Her experiences and recollections gave good insight into her life as a Geisha and her life after she left the profession. She struggled but eventually overcame. OK. The writing style really made this a reader-friendly story and the translation was quite good. I couldn't help but think of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha while reading this. Worth a read.