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 Colonel Albert Pope and His American Dream Machines: The Life and Times of a Bicycle Tycoon Turned Automotive Pioneer.

3 comments about Trouble Brewin': A True Story of Sex, Murder, Love and Betrayal.

1. An interesting story, but obviously very one sided. The author comes across
   as perhaps less than honest about some details of her life, & you can't help feeling that her loyalty to & strident support of Paula Yates was in the end unhelpful.It rather left me feeling like I needed a boiling hot shower! Don't waste your money.



2. The first thing I look for in any book is a great storytelling style; one that makes me want to turn the pages and leaves me happy that I bought the book. Belinda Brewin's story of her life is certainly that kind of reading. Intriguing, I read this book in two days, I couldnt put it down. There is a lot about Paula Yates and their friendship, Belinda has exposed the inaccuracies that were reported by the media of what happened at and leading up to the funeral of Michael Hutchence, Paula and Michael's relationship, the drug bust, the pain and suffering caused by Gerry Agar's actions. There is far more to this book than Paula Yates friendship, Belinda's own life has been a rollercoaster ride ... her unknowing participation in a drug scandal whilst she was 7 months pregnant and the time spent in prison, her travels, working as a stripper whilst living in USA, the murder of her boss and his family and not knowing their bodies were buried on her property. This truly is an amazing read! This wasnt a book I was searching for but I am very happy I came across it. Buy it!!



3. Not a book to take on holiday. Very dreary, poorly written and outrageously self-serving. The reader is left with the unmistakable impression of vagueness and omission by the author.

No comments about Bob Hope.

5 comments about Johnny Depp: The Biography.

1. The author of this piece, Nigel Goodall, has gone on to write another Depp biography, this one titled "intimate." It must be better than this first opus. Without Depp's approval or participation, Goodall had to rely on a combination of observed factual data and reported quotes and actions by Mr. Depp. Since this was all public knowledge or opinion, we don't know how much of it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It may be moot as the volume is out of print as of this writing - 9/05.
   
   Mr. Goodall does make some glaring factual errors in his text: he refers to Kathy Baker as Kathy Bates; he reports Martin Landau winning a Best Actor Oscar -instead of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar- for ED WOOD; he announces that there were no films on the subject of Don Juan before DON JUAN DEMARCO, when there were several including an important early sound film with John Barrymore and a costume epic in the late forties with Errol Flynn; he misreports the number of Oscar noms PLATOON earned.
   
   So considering the above, much of the book's content may be suspect as well. There are better books out there on Mr. Depp. Best not to invest in this one.



2. I think the book was a good and well writen book. It mostly tells his true life story in a discriptive way. I would recomend this book for teens who are fans or just want to read!



3. I don't think it's fair when people write biographies about actors and whatnot. They portray Johnny Depp to be an evil person or some sort of crazy killer or something. He really seems like a sweet guy and who cares if he's made mistakes. Haven't we all? I'd just say... stick to his amazing movies and don't read exploiting books like this one. Also... whoever said his eyes look evil... they need to be put on medication. He has the BEST eyes ever. They're mesmerizing and gorgeous!



4. It's mainly a rehash of all the information we already know just by reading magazines and watching tv. There are some nice photos though. I read it in one day. Though not deep it's acceptable.

   Note: Since Johnny Depp is a private man I don't think a good Biography would be possible, so this is the next best thing.




5. What was this author thinking writing an unauthorized bio on one of the most private men in Hollywood? Due to Depps refusal to contribute what this book actually ends up being is a movie/video guide on all Depp's movies. To top it off the info provided on these movies is not correct. In the movie "Whats Eating Gilbert Grape" Depp's love interest Becky in the movie is travelling with her grandmother not her mother as the author states in the book. Any avid Depp fan like myself would remember these details which makes me question the credability of other info in the book if this simple detail is incorrect.
   Almost every page has relevance to Winona Ryder. Depp's bio surely doesnt just revolve around her. Kate Moss and Vanessa Paradis are short changed undeservingly so.There is no information on Depp in this book that you can not find on a Depp website. I also found the authors writing style to be poor without any pizzaz to keep the readers interest.Too much emphasis placed on the hotel trashing bad boy Depp that the tabloids try to present years back. More emphasis should be on the artist Depp truly is. A big screen genius who isnt even aware of the impact he has on his fans. It is true you cant judge a book by its cover because this book has a five star rating for its cover. It does have an amazing selection of black and white and colour photos of Depp which justifys the purchase of this book for true Depp fans.

No comments about The Richest of the Rich: The Wealthiest 250 People in Britain Since 1066.

3 comments about The Sixteenth Minute: Life in the Aftermath of Fame.

1. 
   I should have known from the jacket, all the people selected had far more than 15 minutes of fame, but the topic is intriguing so I read it anyway. One had over 25 years (by any conservative account of time) in the spotlight. After reading the book, I got the idea the people were selected because the authors had access to them and not because they illustrated anything significant about the aftermath of fame.
   
   The authors devote far more text to the RISE to fame and TIME OF fame than to the aftermath of fame. What little analysis provided by the authors is limp. Gerry Cooney is the only one providing any depth on subject stated in the title. Jim Wright gives a perspective of what drives someone to achieve fame in politics.
   
   I gave this 3 stars (and not one or two) because the stories were interesting and have value, especially the ones on Susan McDougal and Melvin Dummas. But the book does not fulfill the promise of the title which is a promise that deserves to be filled.



2. This is a fascinating look into what happens to people who become famous and then lose the media attention and perks. I thought I knew about a lot of the former celebrities the book uses to explore life "in the aftermath of fame," but this book shows that what's widely believed about celebrities is usually only half the story. I thought for example that Susan McDougal went to prison rather than tell all she knew about President Clinton, but the truth is actually far more complicated than that. I didn't know anything about a few of the subjects, like baseball player Maury Wills and boxer Gerry Cooney, and this book offers vivid portraits that serve as excellent introduction. The story that's most fascinating is Melvin Dummar's. He's the guy who says he picked up Howard Hughes in the desert and that's why he was included in Hughes' purported will. Dummar's faith that fame alone would make his life better is sad and poignant, especially since that's what so many people think today about fame. The Sixteenth Minute is very well written, with compassion and humor, and tells a lot about how our expectations for celebrity in this media age are totally out of whack.



3. I've long been intrigued with the concept of fame and - more to the point - life in its aftermath. The Beatles were in their early 30's when their spectacularly productive ten-year run ended. And while none of the Fab Four ever stopped being recognized celebrities as post-Beatles, it's also obvious that none of their solo work matched the brilliance of the music they wrote as twenty year olds. What's it like to the live the rest of your life in the shadow of your youth? What's it like when your greatest achievemnts -- the best work of your life -- occurred in your 20's, and the next 60 years of life are marked by mediocrity, if that? Paul McCartney is in his 60's now. That's 40 years of being famous and answerinng for something he did as a kid. The Beatles are a little unusual, as they are uber-stars. But what about those who truly came and went? Whether a musician, an athlete, or an actor: Is it better to taste celebrity/fame once -- even if only briefly -- and then to lose it? Or is it better to never have tasted it at all? I was so looking forward to this book and the promise that it could mine the depths of post-fame loss, depression, identity confusion, etc. (Ever watch Vh1's Bands Reunited? I love seeing these former rock stars pumping gas or waiting tables; you can sense their sorrow and confusion. What do you do one you are no longer a rock star? go back to college? go to work for IBM? ) Unfortunately, this book spends much of the time focusing on the famed life and accomplishments of the seven-featured celebrities (who are minor celebrities at best) rather than "life after fame." Certainly no great revelations or candid insights here. It's mostly mini-bios of these people's lives, with far less attention paid to life in the "sixteenth minute." Who cares about what they did. What are they doing NOW! Plus, what a strange selection of people to profile? My guess is that the authors sought out former "celebrities" who were still alive so they could interview them (both authors are reporters). Unfortunately, these living post-celebrities are still invested in nurturing their legacy and places in history, a sort of twilight celebrity. This means they're not going to reveal much beyond how humble and modest their lives are now. Might have been better to do a more historical book on stars/public figures who really struggled in their later years, like Orson Wells, Richard Nixon, etc. If one's identity and self-worth is based solely on one's standing in the public eye, what does a person do when that fame abrubtly ends?? What's it like to be so recognized and so loved one day, then so unnoticed and forgettable the next? So many people struggle to become famous, most in vain. But what about the folks who tasted it and lost it? I so long for a real study on this fascinating topic. Unfortunately, this book just isn't it.

5 comments about The Life and Legend of Jay Gould.

1. This book was very long and had very little information about the life of Jay Gould. It is very well researched. If you want to know the details of every railroad Gould bought, it is a blockbuster. If you want to know about what his life was like and who he married and where he lived, this book will not please you. There is very little personal information.



2. This is book that one needs to purchase if you are interested in the guilded age and one of its smoothest operators. Rising from humble roots Gould camer to dominate the american railroad and finance businesses. Launching many famous raids on wall street, he teamed up with Fisk to try and corner the Gold market.

   Jay Gould is a classic american. A trader who was born and worked in a tannery and as an surveyor as a young man he rose to fame and infame. An amazing story, worth the read!




3. In the "Life and Legend of Jay Gould," historian Maury Klein seeks to resurrect the image of the archetypal -- but now largely forgotten -- early American industrialist.

   The names Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan are familiar to nearly everyone, and in this 497-page biography Klein makes a convincing case that Jay Gould belongs in that pantheon of early American business giants. From his early maneuvers (which Klein claims permanently undermined his reputation) in fighting for control of the Erie Railroad and an attempt to corner the gold market, to his Herculean efforts to build and maintain a vast transportation and communications empire in the face of brutal competition and economic and political chaos, Gould emerges as a true pioneer in American corporate finance. Moreover, perhaps more than any of his contemporaries, Jay Gould was the personification of the so-called "robber baron"; the man and the myth were consummate.

   Yet, for all of its promise, this book is a huge disappointment. Klein is a classically trained historian and accomplished professional academic, yet this book reads as if it were composed by a fawning amateur. A project that began as an effort to "set the record straight," ultimately degenerates into a frustratingly air-brushed portrait of a very complex and capable man. Rather than a balanced and objective review of Gould's character and business acumen, the book takes on the form of a giddy valentine. Seemingly every move Gould makes is judged by Klein as "brilliant, masterful and unexpected," while his long list of formidable rivals are portrayed as bumbling morons. For example, after Gould ascended to a leadership position in the Union Pacific railroad, he moved to thwart the ruinous rate wars in transcontinental shipping that had erupted with the Pacific Mail steamship company, the Union Pacific's sole competitor in that market at that time. Shortly thereafter the Panama Railroad, the critical nexus upon which all of Pacific Mail's business depended, was acquired by another speculator and the transit contract with Pacific Mail abrogated. Klein describes Gould's actions in acquiring Pacific Mail and in getting out of the Panama railroad jam in glowing terms, but not a word is said about how someone with his supposed perspicacity could leave such a obviously vulnerable flank exposed in the first place.

   Also, the author almost totally neglects Gould's private life. Early in the book Klein confidently pronounces that "Two concerns dominated the rest of Gould's life, business and devotion to family." Yet, from that point forward, nary a word is spoken about Gould's relationship with his wife and family -- or specifically about his relationship with the son whose incapable hands the family fortune would be left to and squandered. In comparison to Ron Chernow's and Jean Strause's treatment of the private lives of John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, respectively, in recent biographies, Klein's performance in this regard is particularly disappointing.

   In closing, two things are clear after reading "The Life and Legend of Jay Gould": 1) Jay Gould was a giant of American business, easily on par with Rockefeller and Carnegie; and 2) the definitive one-volume biography of his amazing life has yet to be written.




4. Jay Gould is remembered as the worst of the 19th century "Robber Barons" - a destroyer of companies - yet as Maury Klein so ably details, this reputation was almost wholly fabricated by the media and bears little resemblance to a man obsessed with building a transportation and communications empire. Klein's book is more than about Jay Gould, it's about the vast gulf separating all-too-common media generated myths and the truth.



5. Klein's in-depth Biography is a fascinating account of the life of businessman Jay Gould. Although accurate, Klein's analysis is too kind and almost invariably forgiving to the highly contrversial actions of this complex figure. I recommend this book very strongly!

1 comments about John D. Rockefeller: The FBI Files.

1. While it is great that someone has gone through the effort to publish this information, if you are looking for salacious information, you may be disappointed. The most important information has all been blacked out by the government. What you will find is mostly an interesting set of documents about John D. Rockefeller III's involvement a couple of suspicious Asia related organizations.

No comments about Careful What You Wish For.