5 comments about Stanwyck: A Biography.

1. This man seems so intent to defame Stanwyck's name is subtle, deragatory ways. His sources are unbelievable.....the tabloids?????? Come on, that should say something right there about his credibility as an author.
   
   Stanwyck was a legend and had to much class to be relegated to garbage like this from someone who obviously felt like he had to make some money off a great film star's life but failed to research his subject adequately and got most of his information from other biographies already published about her and of course...the tabloids..."The National Enquirer", "The Star" and "The Globe".
   
   Mr. Madsen ought to be ashamed of himself for taking a great subject and making a book about her life mediocre. If Stanwyck were alive she'd slap his face and spit on it too!



2. Flat, passionless, lazy, pointless...I don't think there are enough words in the English language to communicate that this is a completely crap biography. Why did Axel Madsen even bother? He doesn't seem to have any enthusiasm for his subject. He gets so lazy in points that he gets concrete facts wrong. (Barbara DID share a scene with Ava Gardner in "East Side, West Side" - did he not even bother to watch Miss Stanwyck's movies?) It's like he wanted the money, researched which actress hadn't had a biography written on her in awhile and decided he would pound out some boring pages on this one. Just look at the title - "Stanwyck" - it just screams passion project!
   
   Barbara Stanwyck was a fascinating mixture of brains, beauty, talent, humility and guts. She had a hell of a rough life but never outwardly felt sorry for herself. She gave intelligent, honest and layered performances in every movie she worked on, no matter the quality of the overall picture. Many of the great directors and leading men of her time site Barbara Stanwyck as the greatest actress they ever worked with. They don't say it in trite statements, they gush about her for paragraphs. She deserves something far better than this rubbish. Hopefully a more thoughtful biographer will come along some day and do her the justice she deserves. But Axel Madsen seems to think the world of himself and not much of anything for poor Missy. Well, in the words of Miss Stanwyck herself: "Egotism - usually just a case of mistaken nonentity." Go ahead and ignore this one.



3. Biography can be a tricky thing. It's inherently gossipy, inherently exploitative. A biographer opens herself up to accusations of slander when she writes without cooperation from her subject, to accusations of pandering when she writes with it. Perhaps more importantly, a human life--any human life--is too nuanced and fickle a thing to be completely reduced to words. This is especially true when the biographer aims not just to plot a step-by-step map of the subject's life, but to expose his or her inner demons, as Axel Madsen endeavors to do in his biography of Barbara Stanwyck.
   
   Ultimately Stanwyck proves too elusive and complicated a subject to present a clear picture, but that's no reflection on Madsen. Instead, it's a reflection on Stanwyck. There may never have been a movie star more protective of her privacy or more prickly when it came to talking about her feelings and foibles. Stanwyck would have despised Madsen's biography, not necessarily because what it says isn't true, but because she hated being talked about, hated being stared at and prodded like a laboratory specimen. Some of this probably goes back to her childhood, which was by all accounts one of the most miserable a future Hollywood star ever had.
   
   Stanwyck's reticence may account for some of the seeming structural problems with Madsen's book. For one thing, the book is frustratingly short on direct quotes and named human sources. This might be due to laxness on Madsen's part--or it might signal that he received no cooperation from Stanwyck's friends--but it seems equally likely that many of his sources simply refused to be quoted or named, perhaps not wanting to be thought to have betrayed Stanwyck. In any case, the lack of quotes adds more uncertainty to an already uncertain subject: we are never sure whether Madsen is reporting what he was told or his own conclusions drawn from what he was told.
   
   Some would accuse Madsen of outright fabrication--especially in his page-and-a-half treatment of Stanwyck's possible bisexuality, which has somehow dominated all discussion of his 400+ page book. Indeed, for whatever reason, there's never been a star whose putative heterosexuality has been more hotly championed than Stanwyck's. Not Cary Grant, not Errol Flynn, not even Kate Hepburn--Kate Hepburn, for pity's sake!!!--has been "defended" so vigorously against similar charges. You'd think Madsen had questioned Mom and Apple Pie, or accused John Wayne of wearing girl's panties under his chaps.
   
   In fact, however, Madsen neither fabricated the rumors about Stanwyck's bisexuality nor lifted them from tabloids. Stanwyck's own press agent has been quoted as saying that she had "no doubt" that Stanwyck was "intimate" with Joan Crawford on "more than one occasion." (Lawrence J. Quirk, Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography). Tallulah Bankhead reportedly claimed to have had an affair with Stanwyck. (David Bret, Tallulah Bankhead: A Scandalous Life). So, incidentally, have men, including Robert Wagner, who is more than 20 years Stanwyck's junior.
   
   Of course, any or all of these claims might be false, but that doesn't mean a biographer has to ignore them. Unproven statements are all the evidence there is ever likely to be about a person's sexuality. Moreover, sexuality is no less a part of a person's life simply it might make other people--or even the subject himself--uncomfortable. Bisexuality is not a disease, but even if it were, a biographer would still be entitled to explore evidence of it after her subject's death. If a life story is to have any value at all, it must be allowed to track the full range of life experiences. Anything else isn't life, but someone's sham idea of what life "should" be.
   
   That said, Madsen struggles and ultimately fails to describe Stanwyck's life below the surface: what drove her, how she thought, what feelings she had about whom. Madsen suggests that Stanwyck said virtually nothing publicly that wasn't scripted, nothing privately that might have left her vulnerable. He implies, moreover, that she couldn't have begun to open up if she'd wanted to, that she simply didn't know how. That seems believable enough: Stanwyck had virtually no formal education, virtually no stable family relationships, especially in early childhood. The hurts from her early life may have simply been too deep; maybe the reason we can't know Stanwyck from her biographies is that no ever quite knew her, because she couldn't let them.
   
   If this is true, it isn't fair to besmirch Madsen's book because of it. His book has flaws, but he's given us the best psychological study of Stanwyck to date, and very likely the best we'll ever get.



4. What can you say about a "biography" that uses articles from the National Enquirer for some of his information? This book is badly written with tons of speculation but little solid information. The author clearly wants Stanwyck to come across as a fool. There's scarcely a word about how beloved the actress was on her film sets and at the studios but plenty of conjecture about her private life. Madsen is outrageously inconsisent. On one page he tries to paint Stanwyck as a closeted lesbian, on the next she is absolutely obsessed with her ex-husband Robert Taylor (how many lesbians do you know who won't let go of an ex-husband?) Similarly, he pushes an image of Stanwyck as a Bible thumping right-wing fanatic which again hardly seems to fit with his image of Stanwyck as a hardcore dyke. Lesbians will no doubt be as offended as everyone else for the negative spin he puts forth. I suspect Madsen is smart enough to know the gay rumors about both Stanwyck and Taylor are bogus but they are a strong starting point if one wants to write an salacious book. He barely acknowledges Stanwyck's talent and seems to not admire anything about her.



5. No matter what Axel Madsen writes about Barbara Stanwyck, I find her to be someone I would love to have met and known. He tries to make her "toughness" sound like something negative; but, as a matter of fact, I admire that quality about Stanwyck. She was tough, she was strong, she was independent, she was sharp, and she was a brilliant actress. Her vulnerability, still visible beneath that tough facade, always goes straight to my heart, somehow. She couldn't help the facts of her early life, her being an orphan, poor, abandoned by her father...the woman's drive to succeed was phenomenal and she should be remembered for that, for her refusal to wallow in self-pity, and for her professionalism, both on and off the screen. I've always loved her and I always will. She was a private person; her personal life was her personal life, entirely her own business. Her refusal to "let it all hang out" should be copied by today's "actresses," as I loosely call them. The book is laced with mistakes about the facts of her life. But, as these books go, I'll have to admit it isn't as lurid or as vicious as some of them are. Madsen seems to own up to a grudging respect for Stanwyck; that's a step in the right direction.

5 comments about I'm Only One Man.

1. Regis is one of my favorite celebrities! He is a down-to-earth family man who approaches life with good humor and a likeable manner. I enjoyed accompanying him as he talked through some typical days in his very busy life. Listening to him more than a decade after he shared these reflections gave the story an outdated feel, as a lot of the pop-culture personalities he mentions have disappeared from the scene, and the old-timers he reminisced about are way before my time. As well, now that he is paired with Kelly Ripa, he seems younger, hipper and more light-hearted than he was at the time he recorded this memoir. She brings out something special in him that Kathie Lee never did.
   
   The book is a nice representation of the entertainment business and pop-culture, made all the better when expressed by a personable and respected celebrity like Regis.



2. Regis's book logs many of the days(incl some holidays) between 6/15/94-5/19/95 with some of the yesterdays prior to 6/14/94 .....Good intro by the Regis and Cathy Live staff at that time( Michael Gelman and Cathy Lee Gifford) Gelman still Gelman and Cathy Lee ,has moved on for even better someday.. ,plus there is much levity through out( It was given as a gift to me for Xmas 2000,I've skimmed through the entire book and got a few chuckles without even getting to much into the NY ,NY details(photos were great,& joke about Perry Como quite funny). It ends with smoothness and ease:as Regis, in his biography says to the reader" I've got to find my plane tickets,back my bags and get ready for the next show.After all,I'm only one man". 12/27/00 abj



3. Reading this book is like sitting down with Regis and listening to him tell you stories. You will be able to look deeper into the man that engages in Host Chat with Kathie Lee everyday. This book is an example of how far Regis really came in life and how hard he had to work for it. This can almost be a self-help book in a way because it portrays the commitment to excellence put forth by Regis to achieve his dream....and did he ever!



4. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned things about Regis that you won't learn by watching him on TV. I enjoyed reading about his trials and tribulations of his career, from his early days to the present. I have recommended this books to others. Whoever has my copy, please return it! This is one book you can read again.



5. I watched my father write this -- longhand, in a spiral notebook, no less. (Dad can barely find the "on" switch for the computer.) I learned things about my family that I never knew. Anyone familiar with him, even if only through his work on television, can absolutely tell that the words are his. Poor Bill Zehme had the unenviable task of keeping him focused. And, he did a great job! It's a good, quick read. Get it. Read it. Pass it on.

5 comments about Under a Wing (Isis Large Print Nonfiction).

1. Reeve Lindbergh gives a most interesting overview of her very famous parents - her father with his eccentric behavior - her mother with her focus on life through the eyes of a true poet. Her parents would be proud of her writing skills and her father would probably have given her rare praise for this particular book as well as her others. Kathleen Wyatt



2. I really have enjoyed reading Reeve's memoir of her family. She has an amazing memory and can describe details of any past situation like it just happened minutes ago. I am always amazed by people who can do that (especially since I am not one of them). I come from a famous family too and enjoyed reading this book because I have always been fascinated at hearing about someone elses recollections of the past. Reeve's family experience isnt much different than my own family's and in some cases I laugh because some of the stories she has told (i.e. burping a fountain pen) is the same as my familys. My grandfather, who's stories are much the same as Charles Lindberg's, was also raised in Minnesota (St. Paul & Hallepin) so I was delighted to hear Reeve inform the reader of her father's recollections of this same period and place.
   
   Reeve writes her book in a way which makes you feel like your her best friend. She opens her soul to you and pours out all that makes her happy and sad. Although I am confident that this book will be considered one of the best memoirs of its time, I am sure that her family will be very glad she wrote it because she has unearthed the legends of her family's past and how it made them who they are. This is truly a great book...



3. What I especially like about Reeve Lindbergh's memoir is its candid and utterly sincere tone. This is not a dusty historical treatise; it is a simple sharing of thoughts and experiences. The reader is drawn into the life of a young girl with remarkable and famous parents. We already had an idea of what it was like to live with Charles Lindbergh from the diaries of his wife, Anne Morrow. Now Reeve's book gives another view, helping to round out the picture. Along the way she presents us with snapshot images that offer glimpses into his character. Charles Lindbergh wasn't an easy man to understand; and if he is difficult for us adults to get a handle on, what was it like for his offspring? Reeve tells us in her straightforward and heartwarming manner. This book should be an essential part of any Lindbergh fan's library. I highly recommend it.
   
   Richard Salva--author of Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh [UNABRIDGED]



4. Reeve Lindbergh tells stories that we want to hear about everyday life with her famous, complicated father and her intelligent, artistic mother. Reeve's delicate, precise prose is reminiscent of her mother's style of writing. A reviewer said of Anne Lindbergh that she "combed" her life for meaning and the daughter seems tuned into that same compulsion. It helps that she writes with as much insight as did her mother. The passage that describes the hours mother and daughter spent together after the death of Reeve's child is heartbreakingly revealing of the private Anne and her anguish after the kidnapping and death of her own child. Reeve's reminiscences of flying with her father (she was not an enthusiast) and her longing for her enigmatic father are poignant. She does not avoid discussing Lindbergh's perceived anti-Semitism; she does not attempt to defend him but rather keeps her emphasis on the effect this controversy had (and has) on her connection with him. I challenge any daughter to read Reeve's account of her visit to her father's childhood home without weeping.



5. There can be no doubt that Reeve Lindbergh's memoir is the most touching book about that family that I have read. Through her eyes we go beyond the covers of other books and see what it really meant to be a Lindbergh.

   They were almost a closed society onto themselves, yet they still experienced the same joys and sorrows as the rest of us. We find the man who was depised as an isolationist to be a concerned and loving father who read to his children.

   We dine with the children at their grandmother's house and we soar above the Connecticut house on Saturdays. The famed aviator at the controls and a bored child in the rear seat.

   After reading this book I felt very attached to this famous family. Being the same age as Reeve herself, my only knowledge of the Lindbergh's was the famous flight and the kidnapping as I read in history books. Now, after this book, I feel as though I have become part of them.

   It can only be summed up in one word, wonderful.

No comments about Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson's Own Story.

4 comments about Last Bonanza Kings: The Bourns Of San Francisco.

1. This was a poorly written historical novel. It wandered all over the place and left out critical material. I would suggest removing it from your inventory!



2. I have to say that i am absolutely fascinated by the Bourns. This book which i have not completely finished offers wonderful insight into one of the most influential families of the 19th and 20th centuries. The only thing that the book lacked was photographs. The book should have included photos of the Bourn Mansion in Pacific Heights (San Francisco), and Filoli out in Woodside. Other than those minor details this book was inspiring.



3. I thought I had left a review but in looking back I haven't, so I will. I was REAL disappointed with this book. I spent a lot of money on it because I was excited to learn about the Bourn's, but the book left me with very little knowledge. Possibly there was no reason to write a book about them, but there just wasn't anything to sink my literary teeth into.



4. In his biography of William Bourn I and William Bourn II the author consistantly drifts from the topic.

   A prime example is even though William Bourn is in Monte Carlo during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Egan adds to his description of the events in San Francisco the following sentence: "Even after the devestation of an earthquake that would have measured somewhere about 8.25 on the Richter Scale-to be developed in later years by Charles F. Richter of the Claifornia Institute of Technology..."

   Unfortunately this quote is not exceptional. If the author stayed with his topic the information Eagan unearthed on this important California family would require half the pages.

   Ferol Egan's "Last Bonanza Kings" is a book sorely in need of an editor.

No comments about The Beauty Of Diana: The Story of a Princess.

5 comments about Jackie: Her Life in Pictures.

1. Despite her need for privacy Jackie Kennedy was a major target of photographers when she retreated to private life. This is a great collage of her moments being herself in New York City and elsewhere. Whether she was just walking in Central Park or throughout Manhattan, Jackie's poise never left her. The pictures prove it.



2. The texts are good but particularity the photos, there are a lot buy it!!!The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy .
   Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent



3. This book had pictures that I have never seen before and I thought I had seen them all. Worth every penny



4. I was captivated by this book. James Spada has compiled several well-known photographs with many photos I had never seen. He does not try to analyse or to delve into the behind the scenes. He presents the photos with a paragraph or two, and lets us glimpse into Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life. I was entranced by the pictures of her youth and the pure beauty and joy in several ungarded moments. A beautiful tribute.



5. I really adored this book - it is so much more than yet another reprinting of the famous pictures of Jackie. The photos chosen by Spada are remarkable in their ability to portray both the remarkable strength possessed by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, as well as her frailties that we can all relate to. While many people have seen the countless photos that have been published of Mrs. Onassis from her birth to death, Mr. Spada managed to select mostly photos that are little-seen, as well as photos that needed no text to give the reader a better sense of the people portrayed in the book. The text that does accompany the photos is well written and restrained. Purchasing "Jackie: Her Life in Pictures" will be money well spent.

4 comments about My Meteoric Rise To Obscurity.

1. Arnold Kane takes you inside TV, Hollywood, and entertainment as only an insider could. The book is informative, well-written, and incredibly funny. Kane's wit comes through on every page. If only Hollywood had some Arnold Kane's today, I wouldn't be taping Sanford & Son, Cheers, and Archie Bunker reruns. If you ever wondered what it's like on the inside--from sitcoms to talk shows to dealing with superstars (some nice, some not so nice)and sponsors, this is the book.



2. I thought the book was hilarious. Read it in one Sunday afternoon. Growing up around Hollywood in the 60's and 70's the names and places were only locales that I had only dreamed of. The book made me feel part of the crazy world of show business from New York to Hollywood.
   Truly enjoyable.



3. If you love modern show business and really love television, this is the book for you. I bought two, so I could ruin one and still have a good copy. Kane tells the behind-the-scenes story of forty years of television comedy like only a good comedy writer could---which means he's generally pissed off at everybody and everything and not afraid to tell the world what made him so cranky. It's hilarious, and mean, and revealing (about Kane and the so-called comedians and television stars he's worked with), and even touching; but I don't think he meant that. As the ad might say, "Buy This Book", or Kane will come to your house and shoot your dog. You won't be disappointed, and you won't be able to look at television the same way again.



4. 
   THE BOOK IS HYSTERICAL! IT'S FUNNY AND HAS SOME GREAT STORIES AND ANECDOTES. I RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE INTERESTED IN SHOW BUSINESS.

5 comments about Money for Nothing: One Man's Journey Through the Dark Side of Lottery Millions.

1. The fact is the rich do get richer. Mainly because the poor think the lottery is the answer to live as the rich. The rich invest while the poor spend. Who wins? We all know but can we do it. The author was unable to do it but he certainly knew his problem and hopefully would correct it. This is a well written non-fiction novel. It should be read by all that think they know how the rich live. Only the poor and uneducated become fixed in these problems.Knowing how to handle money is simple. Live like the rich. If only the poor could learn that.Their way actually improves our economy as they certainly keep the money turning which boost's the stock market and again the rich get richer. This book could with a little thinking change your life and attitude if you let it sink in. Don't be a loser. Gambling in any way is a certain way to lose, there would not be a Las Vegas if you could win. Grow up learn from this book and change your life. Live like the rich.



2. I was really disappointed by this book. I thought it would be about what happens to lottery winners after they win the money...including some statistics on who handles the situation well and who doesn't. I also expected stories about families who had won the lottery.
   
   What I got was a story about a salesman (who is addicted to gambling) who offered lump sums of money to lottery winners...who were cash strapped living on their annuity payments from the lottery.
   
   Fortunately, it sounds like most states will now convert annuity based winnings to lump sums for lottery winners, effectively eliminating the private lump sum buyout industry.
   
   Unless you are interested in the adventures of a gambling addicted salesman taking advantage of people who didn't know how to handle a sudden increase in wealth, I would recommend skipping this book.
   
   I am not a fan of lotteries, so I would suggest you invest your lottery ticket money instead of buying lottery tickets. If you are interesting in learning more about how to invest and increase your wealth slowly but surely, I would suggest reading some of the books noted below.
   
   Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Financial Life and Beat the Pro's
   The Richest Man in Babylon
   Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor
   The Millionaire Next Door
   The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio
   A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
   The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On With Your Life
   The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing
   Wealth: Grow It, Protect It, Spend It, and Share It
   Retirement Income Redesigned: Master Plans for Distribution: An Adviser's Guide for Funding Boomers' Best Years



3. For someone who spent so long in a strange industry that buys out lottery winners, this author doesn't have many weird stories to tell. Most of this is about his office politics, which we don't really care about. He pads almost every paragraph with extraneous blather which reveals that he must be a world class motor-mouth in person. We already know that lotteries are won mainly by the poor and the blue collar. Everyone else sees them for what they are: taxes on the poverty stricken. I wish the writer had recounted more about the hard luck winners, and less about the brilliance of his boss, Ben, and the idiocies of Ben's replacement. You won't learn much from this book that you don't already know, which is disappointing.



4. You win the lottery and think you are an instant millionaire! THINK AGAIN!! Ugel has written a true story of his experience working for a company he is forbid to name, tracking down high end lottery winners who receive monthly payments instead of one lump sums. Your number comes up, you are excited, and then when you run to turn in your ticket, where you discover that the 3 million dollars will be taxed at 50 + %, then you will receive approximately 70,000 yearly for multiple years..... Doesn't exactly make you rich. Thats where the "firm" comes in. They will hound, harass, beg, borrow and even steal to gain the right to your monthly payment IN EXCHANGE for a huge amount of interest so they can graciously hand you over a larger lump sum.
   
   Many paragraphs were repetive, and even boring. I suspect this is because he mentions early in the book that when he became employed with "the Firm," he had to sign a wavier stating he would never ever disclose any details of anything having to do with the Firm. Given the restrictions on his employment application, I feel Ugel did an excellent job of informing the public as much information as he was legally allowed to do. Basically, there are hundreds of firms who zero in on lottery winners (and now people who are awarded annunities from accidents payable over a certain time), and try to "buy"
   their annual payments. In doing so, the person looses A LOT of money, but the company gets richer and richer.
   
   Ugel spent time discussion his own battle with playing machine poker in the casinos, and his feelings of taking money from clients where he knew the deal would hurt them.
   
   This book is NOT about how lottery winners spend money, but rather how people take advantage of these winners, and track them down at all costs.
   
   Its definately a book worth reading. There are just enough actual stories of certain winners to keep the otherwise dull book sparkle.
   
   I recommend it highly, especailly if you buy lottery tickets



5. Money for Nothing by Edward Ugel is a very interesting read. I particularly love books that detail the inner workings of jobs I not only know nothing about, but for which I didn't even know existed. Edward Ugel is a former salesman. But not just any old salesman. He sells lump sum payments to people who have won the lottery. You are probably thinking: doesn't the lottery just offer lump sum payments to its winners? Yes, in most states they do. But a big part of the reason they do is because of companies like the one Edward Ugel worked for. So there are many past winners who never had the option, many current winners who don't have that option, and some people who passed on the state-sponsered option at the time. So there are plenty of people to sell to.
   
   The book is a fascinating story of what it takes to be a lump sum payment salesman. It is not told all that well (he is a salesman, rather than an author), but overall it kept me interested. You are welcome to read it, but since you probably won't, I will be happy to tell you about it (stop here if you plan to read it on your own).
   
   Ed Ugel hated being a lump sum payment guy because of who he sold his products to. He sold to lottery winners. Especially, lottery winners that needed cash. I'm sure there are lottery winners that knew how to manage their money, but those folks didn't give folks like Ed Ugel the time of day. Rather, he dealt with people who squandered most of their "found money" rather quickly and needed a cash infusion. These people were generally not very intelligent and could be taken advantage of. However, that is not the main reason he didn't like it (although it was a part of it). Another part of is the gold rush mentality they had when they found a lottery winner - they would have to get their quick to make their sale or else someone else would take it. A very demanding job.
   
   But the main reason he didn't like it was because that he saw himself and other salesmen taking on the characteristics of lottery winners. In a way, signing a deal with a lottery winner was like winning a little bit of the lottery yourself - it was generally a large infusion of money that you didn't really earn. So the salesmen generally spent the money as soon as they got it and were then desparate to make the next sale. They became lazy. Since most of their cold calls didn't result in any return and many of their big deals fell right in their lap, it didn't always make sense to work hard for the money. This laziness ultimately led to his downfall when a competitor is able to blow past his company and he is fired.
   
   Ed Ugel also details the history of the lottery and the myth that the money all goes to education. As Ed is a gambler himself, he knows well the allure of easy money and how detrimental the lottery can be (watch for a future post regarding the lottery on my efficiency blog). Overall, it is a decent book, but one that I wouldn't recommend to everybody.

5 comments about Pulitzer: A Life.

1. The writing is clear and the narrative of his life is straightforward, if plodding at times (especially regarding his later life). The descriptions of Pulitzer's time in St. Louis and his earliest years in New York City are the most interesting parts of the book, with excellent anecdotes showing the rough and tumble world of newspapers in the mid 19th century. Once he becomes seriously debilitated from gradually losing his sight and an unexplained (psychosomatic?) illness in which even clinking silverware on teeth apparently caused unbearable headaches and pain, the book slows down in places.
   
   The latter part also increasingly shows the largely uncritical approach the author takes toward Pulitzer. Given his apparently tyrannical personality and the consequences for employees and family, it feels as if the repercussions of these bad traits are mostly glossed over. Pulitzer's extreme aversion to loud sounds apparently didn't extend to his own voice, for example, as he would go into frequent rages and tantrums at the slightest thing. Pulitzer's claims to stand up for the common man also go largely unquestioned, even when times are mentioned of him directing editorial content to help his wealthy friends. If he was so concerned about the common man, it seems he would have treated his employees better and paid them more, as Hearst made frequent raids on his staff and hired them away.
   
   The book gives a good overall view of his life and leaves the reader with some memorable images of the man, but a more critical perspective on him and how his life, business, and personality affected the newspaper industry would have made this book much better.



2. It is only upon reaching the very last page of this 395 page biography that the reader comes to understand why this portrait of Pulitzer is so disappointing and, frankly, uncomfortable to read. There, the author cites as one of his sources, a PhD thesis from the 1940s which drew upon an interview with Mr. Pulitzer's aging valet. This interview. pursued at the urging of Pulitzer's son, revealed, apparently for the first time, Pulitzer's virtually disabling depression, the havoc it wreaked on the management of his papers and the misery it brought to his family. If one strips away the "eccentricities" catalogued in exhaustive detail by the author one is left with a narrative that is hardly insightful or illuminating. Like Mr. Pulitzer's beleaguered hirelings and pathetic and emotionally abused family members, the author seems to struggle to divine brilliance in every move of this isolated and miserable man. That Pulitzer and his "World" transformed and empowered the newspaper business at the turn of the last century is without question and the author provides a somewhat lively and entertaining picture of that business in those days. However, by asking the us to bear with Pulitzer through page after page of troubling and, often, psychotic behavior, the author imparts no more than the conventional appreciation of the proverbial "thin line between genius and madness." The reader comes to suspect that the key to the success of the "World" may actually have derived from the triumph of the genius of others over Pulitzer's madness; a test of this hypothesis requires more richly researched characterizations of the editors and reporters who labored beneath the Dome than the author has produced. In fact, the author rarely strays from Pulitzer's side such that what must have been a vibrant publishing world remains unidimensional and sketchy. By the end of this work, the nature of Pulitzer's genius remains obscure and relatively bereft of insight; it is his madness that is most appreciated as the reader emerges from an exhausting virtual immersion in the psychodrama that dominates this biography.



3. It is only upon reaching the very last page of this 395 page biography that the reader comes to understand why this portrait of Pulitzer is so disappointing and, frankly, uncomfortable to read. There, the author cites as one of his sources, a PhD thesis from the 1940s which drew upon an interview with Mr. Pulitzer's aging valet. This interview. pursued at the urging of Pulitzer's son, revealed, apparently for the first time, Pulitzer's virtually disabling depression, the havoc it wreaked on the management of his papers and the misery it brought to his family. If one strips away the "eccentricities" catalogued in exhaustive detail by the author one is left with a narrative that is hardly insightful or illuminating. Like Mr. Pulitzer's beleaguered hirelings and pathetic and emotionally abused family members, the author seems to struggle to divine brilliance in every move of this isolated and miserable man. That Pulitzer and his "World" transformed and empowered the newspaper business at the turn of the last century is without question and the author provides a somewhat lively and entertaining picture of that business in those days. Hpwever, by asking the us to bear with Pulitzer through page after page of troubling and, often, psychotic behavior, the author imparts no more than the conventional appreciation of the proverbial "thin line between genius and madness." The reader comes to suspect that the key to the success of the "World" may actually have derived from the triumph of the genius of others over Pulitzer's madness; a test of this hypothesis requires more richly researched characterizations of the editors and reporters who labored beneath the Dome than the author has produced. In fact, the author rarely strays from Pulitzer's side such that what must have been a vibrant publishing world remains unidimensional and sketchy. By the end of this work, the nature of Pulitzer's genius remains obscure and relatively bereft of insight; it is his madness that is most appreciated as the reader emerges from an exhausting virtual immersion in the psychodrama that dominates this biography.



4. Joseph Pulitzer was a fascinating man. His battles with Hearst and his role in the foundation of modern journalism are the stuff of legend. However, I never actually realized how much of an impact Pulitzer had on the 20th century until I read Brian's terrific bio. Well worth the read.



5. This well-written, detailed biography is fascinating. This book, on Joseph Pulitzer, gives the reader a complete view of his life, his work, and his rise to power. Filled with details on his pioneering thoughts and practices, you'll see why Pulitzer's influence is still felt today. For anyone interested in publishing history and journalism, you won't want to miss this book!