2 comments about From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey.

1. This is the autobiography of Armando Rodriguez who came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. His beginnings were humble but through hard work and a positive attitude, Armando has created a rich and rewarding life journey for himself. His story is inspiring, detailed and full of humor.



2. From the poor house in Mexico to the administration of four United States Presidents - sounds like an unbelievable mountain to climb in life, but that's exactly what Armando Rodriguez did. "From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey" is the inspirational life story of US Assistant Commissioner of Education of Armando Rodriguez who entered the nation speaking no English whatsoever but through a solid work ethic, truly made something of himself. He told his story to biographer Keith Taylor who has made Rodriguez's life story truly come to, pardon the pun, to life off the pages of "From the Barrio to Washington: An Educator's Journey". It deserves a space on any community library biography shelf, and is highly recommended reading for anyone who desire an awe-inspiring tale.

1 comments about Teaching from the Heart and Soul: The Robert F. Panara Story (Deaf Lives Series, Vol. 6).

1. Harry Lang has done an extremely beautiful job writing such an inspiring biography of Bob Panara! I doubt there could have been a better book written - for this is not only about a legend who teaches from the Heart and Soul, but is written by a man who, too, does things from the Heart and Soul.
   
   Fascinating to read of Bob's life and especially touching to read about the incredible bond he has with his late wife, Shirley. It becomes so apparent that Shirley and Bob were truly best friends, partners, and the love of each other's lives.
   
   I loved how Harry skillfully decided which information to include without diminishing the amazing impact of Bob Panara on countless people's lives. This easily could have been four times its original length!
   
   This book should be a required reading for all who are studying to become Teachers of the Deaf. It also should be on the bookshelves of those who love baseball, theater, and literature. Kudos, Harry!

1 comments about Public Teaching: One Kid at a Time.

1. Mrs. Kittle is a teacher at my high school. I've never had her as a teacher but she always has a "Hi!" when you pass in the hall. I knew she was a great writer. (My essay writing teacher, Mr. Fayle, talks about her writing all the time) I just didn't know how good she really was. Until now...
   Her stories are filled with passion and advice for new teachers. I want to absorb every word she writes and use it to its fullest extent. I plan on becoming an elementary school teacher and wish I could carry Penny Kittle around in my pocket so I could pull her out whenever I have a question. Although, with this book, I can almost do that.
   Mostly written for teachers by a teacher, this book deserves ten stars and will inspire everyone that reads it to be an outstanding teacher.

5 comments about Citadel on the Mountain: A Memoir of Father and Son.

1. As a former student of the author, it's a treat to turn the tables and 'grade' him. I read this book over a year ago; and I am just getting around to leaving my review. (Maybe for fear that it would be critiqued!) It's a very interesting situation to be in when you're reading a book that is written by someone you know; couple that with the fact that it is a personal memoir of his life experience. It is a fascinating read, though sometimes disturbing in content. But it is a poignant look into a father/son relationship that was, to say the least, not healthy. But it also reaffirms that strong connection a son has to his father. I thank Dr. Wertime for making his story public and applaud his candor. Grade 'A' ...



2. I knew and worked with this bizarre and at times scarey man. It would be impossible for one man, even his son, to know everything about him, how dark, sometimes insane, his obscure habits and character were. Not a plreasant read; not a pleasant subject. But fully worthy of exposure. Unfortunately not a unique type of government "servant."



3. Life with Father. Life with Weird Father. A compelling tale of twisted love and affection, minimg all the psychological currents that enter into one's relationship with one's father. This tale is like a car wreck on the highway -- you're repulsed but simultaneously fascinated by what you see. However bizarre Wertime's Dad was -- a twisted genius -- there is at the end something poignant and touching about his relationship. A worthy read!



4. "In the future everyone will write a memoir for 15 minutes. And many of them will get published, because reader passion for personal nonfiction (as well as an urge to share on the part of anyone who has ever been abused, gotten drunk, felt ugly, or gone crazy) has only intensified in our Oprahfied culture of empowering public confession. Everyone's story is interesting to someone, of course, but at this point in the literary onslaught, I've gotten tough on what it takes to hold my interest : A memoir is worth finishing only if (1) the life lived is so extraordinary that the ordinariness of the writing is of little importance, or (2) the writing is so extraordinary that the ordinariness of the life is of little importance. In fact, ordinariness transformed into art becomes the whole point of the Cinderella endeavor." -Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly (reviewing Mary Karr's memoir : Cherry)

   Little remarked in the current memoir craze is the fact that an entire generation of writers is wasting the material that authors have traditionally mined for their first novels, their own life experiences. Instead of taking advantage of the personally and stylistically liberating form and techniques which fiction offers, they are inundating us with half-baked recollections of the very specific circumstances of their own lives. Half-baked because real life does not provide the kind of closure and narrative structure that fiction does, nor does non-fiction allow the authors to really plumb the psychological depths of those who people their stories. Instead, they give us stories where they share all too much about themselves, but the folks they interact with, most often parents, are little more than cardboard cutouts. This is a limitation imposed by the form they have chosen. After all, at the point where they start speculating about the motivations, feelings and thoughts of others they are no longer writing non-fiction but have instead veered into the field of supposition, of fiction. this presents a series of problems : first, that what is presented as factual often smacks of the fictional; second, that characters other than the author tend to appear so opaque as to defy our understanding; and, finally, that the authors miss out on a real opportunity to try to understand the people who influenced their lives. Where fiction would force them to see the story through the eyes of the other characters, memoir restricts them to their personal, and obviously incomplete, perspective. The books that memoirists produce, with rare exceptions, serve neither the author nor the reader well.

   All of these weaknesses are on display in Richard Wertime's memoir, Citadel on the Mountain. The central figure in the book is his father Ted Wertime, a domineering, violent, atavistic man who held his family in some kind of mysterious thrall. A former member of the OSS during WWII, the father may or may not have subsequently been a CIA operative, but at any rate he did serve in posts in Iran, the Far East and elsewhere which seem to suggest that he remained in the clandestine intelligence field. Whatever his secret duties entailed, he did become an expert on early technologies, specifically on ancient metallurgy, and eventually went to work at the Smithsonian and published several long essays in the Washington Post in the mid-70's.

   The book offers little information about how the entire process occurred, perhaps because the author does not know himself, but Ted Wertime gradually became a kind of monstrous combination of John Brown and the Unabomber. He physically controlled and psychologically manipulated his family, to the point of choosing sexual partners for his sons and forcing his wife to accept his mistress as a part of the household. He retreated to a fortress-like home on a mountaintop in Pennsylvania, to which he browbeat his sons into returning again and again. There he awaited his own weird version of the apocalypse, an end of days which he envisioned being brought on by man's overreliance on technology and by the resulting environmental degradation.

   You can see from that bare outline that there's the basis for an interesting story here. Ted Wertime was the kind of dangerous fanatic with whom we've become all too familiar, a David Koresh of the radical environmental set. The reader would like to know how he got that way, what made him tick, and, most importantly, why his family allowed him to get away with his repellent social behavior. Unfortunately, that's not what the book gives us. There is never a moment where you can comprehend why Richard Wertime loved his father, let alone tolerated the way he treated his mother. In the final pages he makes a seeming attempt to justify his father; and what does he offer : "How hard he'd worked to become a scholar!;" his love of music, sports and the outdoors; and his talent for reading aloud to his sons and neighborhood kids. That's an awfully meager set of positives to try to balance out the genuinely disturbing set of character traits he's depicted previously. As he concludes the book, it is clear that he loved, still loves, his father, but I have no idea why. At a minimum, the book should have explained that one basic thing.

   If Richard Wertime ever takes this raw material and turn it into a novel, I'll be interested to see what he comes up with. As for this memoir, it fails to pass Lisa Schwarzbaum's test, and mine.

   GRADE : C-




5. This autobiography is part frightening, part awe inspiring and part shocking as it dives into the generation war between the "greatest generation" having fought in WW II and the Cold War, and their seemingly soft children. Ted Wertime was a Renaissance man having succeeded in music, espionage, diplomacy, and history. However, he also was an abusive spouse and father with his crowning achievement in his mind being the Citadel on top of the Southern Pennsylvania Allegheny Mountains. Ted tried to mold his children into his macho view of the world, which he expected to end soon.

   Although he exposes himself, his siblings, and his parents to the world via this book, Richard Wertime has not written a papa dearest. Instead, this combination autobiography-biography paints a picture of a brilliant, but disturbed father passing dysfunctional relationships onto at least his second son, who copycats him. Surprisingly, this book does not seem as if it provides closure to the author who failed to attain that when his father rejected the touchy-feely notion even when Ted lay dying. Instead, it is a combination healing experience for the disturbed author and a reminder to the audience that parents have more than an obligation to their children, who need lots of love.

   Harriet Klausner

5 comments about Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure in the Nineteenth-Century Congo.

1. I think that this book gives an excellent, detailed look back on a greatly unknown black American explorer, William Henry Sheppard. Pagan Kennedy opens our eyes to history that is left out of history books. The Presbyterian missionary attempts to convert African tribes into "civilized Christians", but in the end fails because of his mishaps and disliking by a white missionary. I recommend this book to anyone interested in studying black American explorers, or anyone looking for information on the Belgium Congo.



2. Black Livingstone is a remarkable tale, illustrating hardships, history, and the dignity and determination associated with two courageous explorers. Pagan Kennedy accurately portrays 19th century Africa, and shows the light and beauty of the "dark continent". Readers are bombarded with delicate representations of barbaric and striking images. In turn, it enables the reader to experience a deeper feeling of empathy for the abused Africans. This novel raises questions as to whose way of thinking was most primitive. This ironic twist reveals that perhaps the most civilized are the most barbaric by nature. The character Sheppard shows the Pontius Pilate in all of us. That no matter how much we want to strive for goodness, our weaknesses and dark sides, can get the best of us. The novels descriptive nature allows readers to see the intimacy Sheppard shared with the Kuba people, as well as the lack of intimacy he did share with his wife. A notable highlight of this novel is demonstrated when a more tasteless and uncouth side of Sheppard is shown. It showcases the human nature of Sheppard, and most men in general. Although not a difficult read, this book is recommended to those who care for the well being for the human race.



3. The life and work of William Sheppard should be better known. He was an African-American who escaped Jim Crow in the U.S. to become a missionary in Africa. He co-founded a Christian mission in Africa where they had been none before and for a time ran it single-handedly. He was also an amateur anthropologist/ethnologist and became the first foreigner to establish contact with the Kuba people of central Africa and to describe their culture to the outside world. On top of all that, he documented the cruelty of the King Leopold's Congo rule. Unfortunately, it is not clear that "Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure in the Nineteenth-Century Congo" by Pagan Kennedy is up to the job of elevating William Sheppard to his rightful place in history. The book is well written, worth reading, and might be valuable to anyone interested in Africa, the Congo, or Christian missionaries, but a lot of the story is missing and is filled in with generalities from Sheppard's time. It may be the case that original documents concerning Sheppard's life are lost, and this is the best that can be done, or perhaps another book can do better. Four stars, but barely.



4. Pagan Kennedy told the story of a African American missonary who wanted to convert the uncharted parts of the Congo to christianity. William Sheppard, the missionary, was very determined to complete his goal of converting the Congo even if it took his whole life. I Could not put the book down. The book was basically a detailed sum up of what really went on in the Congo. At some points in the book it almost seemed fictional because it was so hard to believe what was happening to him amd the people who were with him. The book was a very good read, but at some points hard to understand but that added to the suspense of the book. Overall the book was a very fun an interesting book to read. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about the Congo or who wants to find a good book to read.



5. I agree that Pagan Kennedy is an excellent storyteller, and her telling of William Sheppard's story is spellbinding. Contrary to what some reviewers think, however, there is much more primary material available to the researcher than Kennedy seems to have used. Unfortunately, Black Livingstone is marred by too many suppositions--maybe, probably, perhaps, could have, should have, etc.--and the author attributes attitudes both to Sheppard and his associates that cannot be substantiated from records. William Phipps's biography, William Sheppard: Congo's African American Livingstone, presents a much more balanced picture of this important man's life and service.

No comments about The Education of Booker T. Washington: American Democracy and the Idea of Race Relations.

5 comments about Too Dangerous To Teach.

1. This true story reads like a first class spy thriller. It is so surreal that Stephen King could not do a better job. The average person would not think things like this could possibly happen in a field that is supposed to be dedicated to educating our students. Instead, we find that solid professionalism takes a back seat to powerful individuals political agenda. I am a teacher and have seen some pretty strange things happen, but never on this scale. Read it and see what I mean.



2. Your (hi)story remains so fascinating that I only reluctantly interrupt
   reading it to look up words in the dictionary. It took a while since it is
   not written in my native tongue but (it) is fascinating and (a book) one can
   hardly stop reading. You certainly are a gifted writer. The more I read the
   more I felt uneasy, annoyed (and)even disgusted by the behavior of some
   people you describe. If it were a story that (was) made up from a to z,
   OK, but when . . . everything really happened - well then it is almost a
   miracle that you are still the sound mind and pleasant, interesting, engaged
   and lively, well-balanced person friends love and appreciate.
   Congratulations Erwin Kaufmann



3. Isobel Kleinman told us how a school district with no standards can engineer a dedicated teacher's dismissal. Where was her union when the district set her up for failure and used the students to this end. Ms Kleinman describes how her naive support of the students and academic stardards led to disaster. All teachers should read this book to learn how important it is to develop survival skills in a district that seems to support passing students just to pass them rather than educating them for their future benefit. Her dialogue was so engrossing and events so riveting that I couldn't put it down.
   A must read.



4. Elizabeth....worked in a Kafka-esque world where evil ruled....(That)she survived with her principles in tact is....a triumph. Every chapter will shock you!

   Dr. Richard Saland




5. "To Dangerous To Teach" is too good to miss. This incredible story is so well told that it aroused anger, incredulity, disgust,empathy and pushed all my buttons. If you have an interest in how schools are run, students are being taught, teachers are asked to assume burdens beyond the classroom, this story will capture you. Elizabeth Feinman's struggle to be a great teacher while protecting her professional status makes a great read.

5 comments about Kinsey: Sex The Measure Of All Things.

1. As a Bloomington resident and a long-time admirer of Kinsey's work, I decided it was time to learn more about the man beyond what the Liam Neeson film taught me. What I found in Gathorne-Hardy's bio was a solid portrait of a man who opened the world's eyes to sexuality. The book is well-researched and interesting, but at times it can get bogged down with a bit too much analysis of Kinsey's motives and correspondence, especially as it pertains to his own sexuality.
   
   Still, the book is an easy read and well sourced, and it certainly provides an informative biography of Kinsey while acknowledging some of the man's flaws.



2. I chose to read this book because I wanted a balanced account of Kinsey's life and science, unfortunately, this book does not satisfy the requirement. Where the Jones book turns Kinsey into a demon, Gathorne-Hardy seems to want to turn him into a god. Gathorne-Hardy has a well researched account of Kinsey's life and activities, however he constantly tries to justify Kinsey's methods and continually comments on how no one has been able to do better sex research since, a patently untrue and scientifically unsupported statement. It would be difficult to cover both the biographical research on Kinsey and do an indepth study of current sex research, and I don't believe that Gathorne-Hardy even tried to do much research into current sex literature, that is why it is irritating when he tries to justify most of Kinsey's ideas. Overall, if you want a book that details the activities of Kinsey's life, this is an acceptable book, but if you are interested in his science, it is woefully lacking.



3. This book is so professionally researched, well documented and written with flowing, easy to follow prose, that it almost over-shadows the subject matter which is, of course, the fascinating life and work of Alfred C. Kinsey, and culminating with his most absorbing research work of all: the sexual habits of primarily, the American public.
   
   But don't worry, the study of sex prevails as the intriguing winner of our primary attention for it is spelled out clearly, sometimes more than one is ready for but can't turn away from and do not honestly want to. And a word of warning to the sexually squeamish- this IS sex, all about sex and sexual habits, many of which, one might not have ever thought of, but necessary for an exacting, broad-spectrum all inclusive study of the human animal.
   
   J. Gathorne-Hardy is British and that shows up in his grammar, so don't think the book is full of typos, that's the way they spell on the other side of the Pond and it lends some flavor to the American subject matter. As can be seen in his detailed research, he is a well qualified researcher, and this work is now considered by many as the de facto authority on all things Kinsey. And fortunately so because there are a tremendous amount of books about Kinsey in print, but rest assured and good as many may be, none can hold a candle to this work.
   
   Kinsey's research was as clinically studied as any highly disciplined research should be, but it is no secret that Kinsey and his fellow researchers did a tremendous amount of, ahem, shall we say, "hands-on", direct involvement work which raised scholarly eyebrows, but as Gathorne-Hardy points out, it was done with the most scientific detachment possible. Yes, well, it certainly made for some scandalous reactions for which Kinsey was acutely trying to avoid, but had an uncanny ability to dismiss and side-step.
   
   For those who have been interested in Kinsey's life and work, but were put-off by the voluminous original works, will certainly appreciate this study, because it not only summarizes Kinsey's work in great detail, it also edits down the laborious writing style of Kinsey, without loosing any important details and most importantly, it includes Kinsey's personal life from early childhood and on to his later research work- something that is missing and/or not accurately portrayed in too many other studies. It also covers many of the people who worked with Kinsey and who graciously lent their personal observations to the author for much of the critical data found here-in.
   
   This book is truly, an outstanding accomplishment and honors the deeply important work of Kinsey and his research team, notorious as many saw it, but whose dogged dedication to the subject of sex studies opened-up a more mature approach for the average citizen's awareness of what most now conclude, is step "A" in knowing oneself and the biological world we live in. I highly commend Jonathon Gathorne-Hardy for this monument to that awareness.



4. In this scholarly, well-documented biography of nearly 500 pages, Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy tells you probably all you ever wanted to know about Alfred Kinsey; and he does it in a most reader-friendly fashion. From Kinsey's early life, growing up in the confines of a narrow Methodist family, to his marriage and tenure at Indiana University, to his studies of the gall wasp and his studies of the sexual behavior of males and females that changed forever the way we look at sex-- it's all here. Since Gathorne-Hardy has written the most recent biography of Kinsey (1999) he had the benefit of the research of previous biographers. He thus attempts to set the record straight concerning the 1997 Kinsey biography by James H. Jones, ALFRED KINSEY - A PUBLIC/PRIVATE LIFE. He maintains -- and goes to considerable lengths to prove it-- that Jones ceased to be an "objective researcher" but rather attacked Kinsey's private sexual behavior. He, in Gathorne-Hardy's words, "belongs to what one might call the Kenneth Starr school of biography." Enough said.
   
   Kinsey, an extremely complicated individual, was an atheist (he rebelled vigorously against the strict religion of his father), a brilliant professor and scientist, mesmerizing lecturer, intolerant of what he considered shoddy work of other scientists, a loving husband and father, a "benevolent despot", a bisexual, a compassionate and humane person. (For years he corresponded with both prisoners and their families and often gave and/or lent them money.)
   
   Gathorne-Hardy maintains-- and offers considerable proof-- that while some of Kinsey's conclusions may have been erroneous, that no one since him has done the client interview, the heart of Kinsey's research, better than he and his staff did. For instance, he used a face-to-face interview with an elaborately coded chart he devised and did not ask the first question about sex until 20 minutes into the history. Interviewers never said, "have you ever" but rather "when did you first?" He abhorred random sampling and attempted whenever possible to take the histories of 100% of the members of a group so as to decrease the chances of error. Just as he went everywhere looking for new varieties of gall wasps, he and his group interviewed everyone they could: prostitutes, prisoners, castrates, the Yale Divinity School, amputees, rapists, lobotomy patients, professors, colleagues, students.
   
   Although Mr. Kinsey was denounced by many church leaders including Billy Graham-- after all Kinsey did most of his sex research in the 1940's-- he was revered and praised by many, and was a life line to many persons troubled about their sexuality. He received thousands of letters throughout his career from people hungry for advice and answers and attempted to respond to them all himself. He was incensed and saddened by most of the prisoners he interiewed serving sentences for "sex" crimes, since he believed that they should never have been in prison in the first place. After all, they were just doing what many other people were doing, or as he put it, everyone's sin is no one's sin. His statistics on the incidences of homosexuality in the general population, though often challenged, have never been successfully refuted even though his numbers may have been slightly exaggerated.
   
   Finally, while for the most part, Gathorne-Hardy tells the reader nothing without documentation, occasionally he makes a statement he cannot prove. For example, on page 32, he writes that Kinsey had difficulty expressing intimate personal feelings in public, but that "as often with people who have difficulty here, Kinsey loved small children nd was extremely good with them." I'm not convinced that is an accurate statement and Mr. Gathorne-Hardy makes no attempt to offer up proof. Since this book was first published in England, the author offers explanations and illuminations to his British reader about some of the "Americanisms" here. He, for example, explains the semester system in American universities, defines our corn crop as "maize," tells the reader what "tea room" means and comments often on the "ghastly" weather, meaning of course our 100 degree-in-the-shade summers. They would be a far cry indeed from England's dark, damp Decembers.
   
   You may love Kinsey or you may hate him; but when you finish this biography, you'll feel that you've got at least a glimpse as to what the man was all about and what he accomplished-- no small feat for any biographer.



5. I just saw the new movie, "Kinsey," this evening and now am especially intrigued to read more about him. If the movie is telling of the book, this will be a good read. Thanks!

1 comments about Up and Down in the Dales.

1. This whole series is a hoot. Everyone who has ever been a teacher, everyone who has ever been in a classroom will delight in these books. They are not only fun but they raise some interesting contrasts between British and American schooling. After retirement I did substitute teaching for nine years and only once did I ever have the privilege of a supervisor observing me. Now I know why the Brits have it all over us in the educational field.

No comments about Full Circle: A Life with Hong Kong and China.