5 comments about The Romanovs & Mr Gibbes: The Story of the Englishman Who Taught the Children of the Last Tsar.

1. Was greatly anticipating this read...here it is, an up-close look at someone who spent significant time with the Imperial Family. Finally, an opportunity to get a real glimpse of Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia...who else could provide such personal commentary but the one person who spent years tutoring the family?? The promise was there (at least in the title), but the pages never delivered. VERY little at all was mentioned about the daughters, and what little anecdotes offered dealt primarily with Alexei. The most interesting part of the book was his brief description of his confrontation of Anna Anderson, the Anastasia imposter. If you're looking for a biography of the man who tutored the Romanov children...by all means buy this book. If you're looking for personal insight into the Imperial family, don't bother.



2. A very interesting pocket book. A great perspective of the times. For a history buff, a good eye witness biographical account. However, considering the near epic situation of those times and places, the book seems sparse. A noticeable ommission are (the other?) Gibbes' photographs not published in this book. I've seen photographs published elsewhere that were attributed to be taking by Gibbs. A proper mix of these photos and the book would have added much. But still, this book is very much worth reading. For you history buffs, and a complementary account, check out Gilliard's writtings.



3. This book doesn't shed any new light on the Romanovs, but it does give new insight into a man who knew them very well. It is a short book, but very informative.



4. Sydney Gibbes would have been unknown to all except his own family had he not taken the momentous step of going to Russia in the early 1900s. There he sought out work as tutor to the children of various noble families, with indifferent results and gaining a reputation for behavior, which while not all that unusual for the times, definitely raised a few eyebrows (especially his insistence on whipping his students). He strode into history in 1908 when Empress Alexandra Fedorovna needed a tutor to correct her daughters' accents and hired him sight unseen. Gibbes remained with the family for the next ten years through war and revolution, teaching the four Grand Duchesses and then the hemophiliac Tsarevich.
   
   Gibbes doesn't strike the reader as particularly admirable at first. He was definitely a social-climber and not particularly talented as a teacher. His private life was mysterious, involving some mild flirtations with an Englishwoman and some dreams (carefully recorded for posterity by Gibbes himself) which seem classically Freudian.
   
   Gibbes came into his own, and we find reason to respect and like him, with the Russian Revolution of March 1917. As an Englishman he could have easily left Russia and gone home to safety. Instead he chose to remain with the Imperial Family, sharing their captivity in their palace outside Petrograd and then in Tobolsk. He underwent considerable hardship and personal danger, but he was selflessly devoted to the family. Even after he was told to leave by the Bolsheviks who were holding the family in their final prison in Ekaterinburg he remained in the city, walking past the House of Special Purpose and trying to get in for visits. After the family's murder, he assisted the investigators trying to determine what had happened.
   
   After leaving Russia Gibbes lived in China before returning to England. He became an Orthodox priest, adopted a Russian orphan boy, and spent most of the rest of his life in Oxford, maintaining a museum of keepsakes of the family he had served for so long. He was not particularly effective as a priest, but he was sadly missed and fondly remembered after his death, which is a pretty good epitaph for anyone.
   
   This biography makes use primarily of Gibbes'own notes and diary, so that the reader must look elsewhere for historical insight into his life, but nevertheless it does a nice job telling the story of a quiet, somewhat limited man who was a good servant and friend.



5. I enjoyed this book tremendously! It is a real page turner! It follows the incredible life and circumstances of M r. Gibbes, tutor to the last Russian imperial family until his death. Very precise,well researched,with many new facts and information. It is also beautifully written. Will please all the devotees of the Romanov family,as well as all those who enjoy a great story!

5 comments about Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss.

1. The double-authorship of the Barthelme brothers makes their recounting of their addictive past with gambling provides for a fascinating memoir. At first glance, this book may seem to be merely a pop-fiction story, but the journey these two brothers goes through is deep and many-faceted.
   
   I read this book as a required text for a college course on American culture, and how society views luck and chance. The book worked well as our final text, but it can also be read for entertainment! At times, it reminded me of Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing (with the obscene amounts of drugs). Definitely a book to read, and then pass on to a friend!



2. Excellent! A wonderfully entertaining story, beautifully told. The only problem, I wish it had gone another 100 pages! This is one of those stories you wish someone would develop into a screenplay for a movie!
   Final thoughts: BUY THIS BOOK! You wont be disappointed!



3. First, the obvious: neither Barthelme brother would have cushy college-teaching jobs had not their eldest brother, Donald, been a trendy post-modernist icon. The younger brother, Steven B., has managed to publish exactly one (1) book of short stories; Rick, the larger, plumper one, has some sort of gossamer reputation among those who like trailer-park fiction. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of better writers with better qualifications who would kill and maim with gleeful abandon for jobs at Southern Mississippi -- and who would devote themselves to those jobs, and to their students, rather than run off two or three times a week to squander Daddy's money at the blackjack tables [disclaimer: the undersigned thinks she is one of those "better writers"]. That said, this slender volume does indeed fascinate: I read it straight through in five hours, and so will most readers of a literary bent. The brothers B. have in fact done me a service, one years of shrink visits and antidepressants have failed to do -- in one stroke, they have made me glad, glad, glad that I abandoned the academy, failed to obtain a Ph.D., and find myself teaching high school English thirty years after my Iowa fiction MFA. Theirs is a cautionary tale, of what may happen to smart people with minimal reality contact and few, if any, day-to-day responsibilities. The cavernous lack of common-sense knowledge they display in their forays to the Gulf Coast casinos would be inconceivable to anyone who's punched a clock or handled an insurance claim. They are actually surprised to find that casinos have a corporate identity! Gee, they thought those people were their friends ... gahh! As for the dead father they apparently despised, I felt sorry for D. Barthelme Sr. His hard work, his habits of deep thinking and attention to detail, become monstrosities in the ham-hands of his two youngest sons, who in fifty-plus years on this planet have not managed to obtain perspective one. The book is good -- the descriptions of gambling's intoxications, the minute processing of each foolish and silly and self-deluding thought as it arises, are executed with consummate skill -- and yet one can't help concluding, as the memoir shrinks down upon itself into a puddle of anticlimax, that six months or so in prison would have been good for these men, taught them a painful life-lesson or two. Crucial to an understanding of the brothers' plight is the fact that neither Barthelme bothered to have children, thus giving themselves the right to be babies forever. They are not so much perpetual adolescents as they are pre-pubescent (wife and girlfriend notwithstanding), mired forever in Fiftiesland where, if you want to be a cowboy, you just put on the hat and yell, "Bang-bang!" They are not intellectual -- or accomplished -- enough for the ivory-tower defense they so quickly assume; what they are, are second- and third-tier journeymen blessed with a famous name and a glib ability to sling the relativist Crisco. While one may end up wishing Barthelme Sr., who unlike his sons appeared to be able to distinguish right from wrong, had willed his inheritance somewhere else, this reviewer is grateful for the folly of his heirs. A job at Southern Mississippi may be gravy, but that thin gruel isn't nourishing. Real life is the real meat.



4. Double Down is a terrific book about loss. Frederick and Steve Barthelme are brothers who moved to Mississippi to become college professors. They come from a very close knit family, and when it is unwoven from the death of their Mother and Father, a gambling addiction is triggered. Steve and Frederick become regulars at The Grand, a local casino, and they start going at least once a week and spending the whole night there all the way into early morning. After blowing all of their inheritance from their parents, they are acussed of cheating. They were indicted and charged with a felony, and forever kicked out of their favorite casino. This didn't stop their gambling addiction, however it did slow it down. They make fewer trips, to another casino and are less intense gamblers.

   The book was well written and for the most part it kept my attention. Some parts they seemed to ramble off about their parents and family, and it gets slow. The accounts of their gambling binges keep you wanting more. They know they should stop, but keep throwing their money in anyway. I recommend this to everyone who is intrested in gambling.




5. Double Down, a book about two brothers who discover the world of gambling, has the suspense and drama needed for a good gambling story. The two brothers, who happen to be respectable college professors, move down South to Mississippi to be around their parents. The family, which has drifted apart through the years, has come together for their parent's final years. Soon after their dad die's, the inheritance money starts burning a hole in the brother's pockets. Riverboat gambling puts out the fire. The wild ride lasts for two years, until the Casino accuses them of cheating. Through it all, the brother's learn about themselves, family, and why people do the things they do.

5 comments about Heloise & Abelard: A New Biography.

1. James Bruge's recent work on Heloise and Abelard must surely rate as one of the best to date on the moving and emotional story of this epic love affair torn from the pages of 900 years past. Although the story has been told countless times since Heloise and Abelard fell in love in Paris while Abelard pursued a teaching career at the recently started University of Paris, this new book offers not only superb writing and prose, but also an important "extra" which is not to be missed.
   
   As most people may know, the story of Heloise and Abelard's love is based solely on the eight existing documents written back and forth to each other back in the eleventh century (three written by Abelard, and five by Heloise). Due to some fortuitous circumstances, some good detective work, and a subsequent extensive critical review, a cache of some additional 113 letters from between the two were discovered only recently in the 1970's (the letters were embedded in another medieval work that sought to teach proper Latin writing form, and made use of the text of these letters to illustrate outstanding writing examples, but nevertheless did not cite the source authors). With the majority of the academic community now confirming the authenticity of these 113 "new" letters, Bruge is able for the first time to weave what these letters reveal into the greater narrative, address lingering questions, fill in gaps, and just generally build a much greater understanding of the lives of these two people who must certainly be considered two of the most famous persons of medieval Europe to have ever lived.
   
   It is certainly a story worth telling. What shines forth from these letters is, surprisingly, not Abelard's renowned logic or rhetorical skills, but Heloise's love, her consummate skill at expressing that love in some of the best Latin ever penned (and that must surely be rated as good as Cicero, or better), and her steadfast obedience to that love she possessed in spite of the most difficult circumstances. Yes, this is a book about two medieval individuals, is set in medieval times, and contains numerous historic references to the people and events of the period. To any medievalist, that's not only fine, but good. But this book, for all its references to medieval university structures, medieval church rules and practices, and the start of the gothic building movement, is really about none of these. Rather, it is about Heloise and Abelard, their love, and the cost that each of them paid for pursuing that love. It's Romeo and Juliet on steroids, and once one has read the story as Bruge tells it, it can be little mystery as to why this story has been repeatedly told for the past 900 years. It truly is a love story worth reading.
   
   Bruge's writing is clear and meaningful, and includes a few minor explanations that the non-medievalist will find helpful to help set the context of the writings. Thus the book is really a popular work, accessible to anyone. Nevertheless, Bruge has managed to keep the work "scholarly," and the work can easily be used by any medievalist scholar who wishes to read more about the process of discovering and authenticating the new 133 letters. There is also a well-regulated smattering of historical signposts and indicators sprinkled throughout the work that help contextualize Heloise and Abelard's story, necessary because so many of the issues they faced were a direct result of the era in which they lived. On the way, we are introduced to Willam of Champeaux, Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot Suger, Abelard's patrons, and others with whom Abelard tangled (the list of "offenedees" is both long and distinguished). We also learn of some of the regional areas in which Abelard travelled: a native of Brittany, he spent much time in Paris, but was also called to Sens to defend his positions, set up the Paraclete outside of Paris, and we also learn up front a little bit about how Paris was physically constructed at the time as opposed to the city's current incarnation. The book can certainly beef up your historical understandings of the period as you read the story itself.
   
   Looking for a great romance? Skip the front rack at the bookstore, and go directly to Bruge's "Heloise and Abelard." And be prepared to be moved.



2. The romance of Abelard and Heloise is almost as famous as Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet were fictitious. Abelard and Heloise, however, lived. In addition, both Abelard, a famous Medieval philosopher, and Heloise, the administrator of a large convent, had identities beyond their relationship.
   
   Many books about Abelard and Eloise have been written during the 900 years since their death. Their story is sad. The author, James Burge, demonstrates that their difficulties were partly due to the times but were also due to their personalities.
   
   The occasion for this excellent book is the remarkable recent discovery of 113 letters the lovers wrote to each other. James Burge uses these together with previously known letters and other records to construct biographies of each of the lovers. As we follow them through their lives, Burge describes 12th century philosophical and religious thought, Medieval educational institutions, places important to the couple, the economic situation of the times, Medieval architectural movements, clothing, food, and other details of life.
   
   The new and old letters provide a wealth of information about Abelard and Heloise. Burge uses them to flesh out their long dead bones. By the end of the book, I felt I knew these people, complete with their strengths and weaknesses. Other records describe people with whom the couple interacted. These interactions importantly elucidate the personalities of Abelard and Heloise.
   
   While he lived, Abelard was well known for winning philosophical disputations and for his teaching. The book is a bit disappointing in that we never watch Abelard either dispute an opponent or teach students. Perhaps surviving records do not give enough information to permit this. Without such "demonstrations", we don't know exactly what Abelard did in these situations that was so unusual.
   
   Heloise was a big surprise to me. She was no retiring, Medieval, uneducated miss. Today we would call her a Liberated Woman. She was brilliant and had a mind of her own. Had she lived today, she probably would have had an illustrious career as a writer. Her letters are outstanding. Her Latin vocabulary was immense and her choice of words and sentence structure (as translated) was original and vivid. Her writing is immediate and moving. At times her prose feels like poetry.
   
   This is an excellent book. I recommend it.



3. What a story! Shakespeare did indeed have it right when saying, "The course of true love never did run smooth."
   
   Heloise and Abelard hit not only some bumpy rapids, but some waterfalls and whirlpools. But their writing to each other is so incredibly beautiful, so poignant.
   
   It took me a while to work through this one, but it was worth it. An incredible love story from 900 years ago. If anyone ever says the Middle Ages were dull and stogy, give 'em this book to read. Though some places are in the original text the most part has been translated into modern English. Beautifully, moving, erotic and powerful...
   
   Heloise is remarkable. Usually when hearing about this couple, she comes second-- the wanton woman who mended her ways and became an abbess. Burge shows her true colors: intelligent, articulate, intellectual, sensuous, and tenacious at a time when women were not expected to be any of those things. Her letters rang with an honesty. She wasn't afraid to declare her love or to get on Abelard's case when his responses didn't live up to her expectations
   
   
   And the other fascinating part of this book besides the glimpse into their relationship? It gave a window into their world, particularly that of the influence of the church and role of women in it, and the rise of intellectualism and the universities.



4. One of history's greatest romances and, I must write, friendships comes alive through Burge's eloquent accounting of the lives, love, and circumstances of Heloise and Abelard. Burge is especially enabled through the relatively recent discovery of 113 letters between the pair. These letters, along with the eight original found letters, permit a luxurious look into not only a relationship, but into a time in history that bears remarkable similarity to our own.
   
   It was back in the 12th century. Abelard, a philosopher of rock-star fame and ambition, meets the intellectual and highly educated Heloise. He maneuvers his way into her household as her tutor, giving him a salary and the pair unfettered access under the guise of study time. Lust in the library leads to a surprise pregnancy, and the wrath of Heloise's guardian uncle Fulbert. The baby is born, and in typical rock star fashion, is given the unlikely name Astrolabe, which would be like someone today naming their child iPod. Oh, those philosophers, those artists. Dare I mention Apple Martin, or Moon Unit Zappa?
   
   Many historical studies end with the revenge of Fulbert, and the separation of Heloise and Abelard into cloistered worlds. But here, I think, is where the real romance begins. Their deep soul level relationship continues throughout their lives, with Abelard tilting at philosophic windmills and running afoul of rival clerics, and Heloise quietly, firmly, and steadily building her order of nuns all the while providing constant emotional, intellectual, and managerial support to Abelard. She's the Sharon to his Ozzie; the Linda to his Paul.
   
   At once a study in history, romantic legend, and the role of women in the 12th century, this book is a marvelous, highly digestible read that both delights and educates. I'm greatly looking forward to the forthcoming Dante and Beatrice volume.



5. Heloise and Abelard retells the story of what is generally regarded as one of the great love stories of the ages. Burge has the benefit of newly discovered letters that were exchanged between the lovers during their romance. Previously, historians had only an exchange of a few lengthy letters written some 15 years after the fact. Heloise and Abelard conduct an illicit affair, are caught by Heloise's uncle Fulbert, and the uncle eventually gets revenge by having Abelard castrated. The two lovers part ways, each going to live monastic religious existences, but Heloise never accepts this fate although she plays the part of abbess extremely well.
   
   Abelard's teaching at the monastery eventually leads to charges of heresy by Bernard of Clairvaux. The battle between these two giants of the medieval chruch is Abelard's "faith with reason versus faith without reason" of Bernard. Bernard wins and Abelard is condemned for heresy.
   
   The setting is 12th century "France' (although France did not quite exist yet) mainly in Paris and Brittany. Abelard is one the great philosophy teachers of the age, a master logician. Heloise is one of his more apt students. Abelard's unrelentingly antagonistic style of dialectics alienated his opponents. He seems not merely to have wanted to win his arguments, but to utterly destroy those who dared disagree with him. "Logic has made me hated by the world." Abelard justly had an immensely high opinion of himself as a thinker. He would no doubt be chagrined to know that today his fame stems largely from his relationship with Heloise rather than his teachings.
   
   Abelard and Heloise conducted a most physically sensual love affair. Their love was no courtly romantic love. It was lusty and intense. On one occasion they even have sex in the church refectory! Even 15 years later as abbess of Argenteuil Heloise would write, "The name of wife may seem more sacred or more binding but sweeter for me will always be the word mistress, or, if you will permit me, that of concubine or whore.The name of mistress instead of wife would be dearer and more honourable for me, only love given freely, rather than the constriction of the marriage tie, is of significance to an ideal relationship." At that point Abelard futilely encourages Heloise to turn her love to God.
   
   Burge annoyingly uses modern terms on occasion to get his point across and makes a few breathtakingly broad assertions that are not necessary to his tale ("all societies...tend to support the status quo"). On the whole, Burge tells the story in a captivating way with skillful use of the lovers own words and his own interpretations.
   
   The story appeals to modern readers, in my opinion, not just because of the steamy aspects of the affair or because the lovers are forced apart, or due to the brutal injury done to Abelard, but because of Heloise's modernity in her views of sex. She unabashedly expresses her enjoyment of sex and refuses to repent for it.
   
   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Richard Hofstadter: An Intellectual Biography.

1. Richard Hofstader is one of the foremost US Historians of this century even though his career was less than half as long as Arthur Schlesinger's and included no service to an incumbent President. His work is especially noted for interpretations reflecting a multiethnic more urban America and also lessons from social theory. Immense prestige within the scholarly community was complemented by books that are readable and more `popular' than most histories. Almost all College Graduates, at least through the 70's will have read one or more of his books. Continually historians and others have been stimulated by discussions of "social Darwinism," "anti-Intellectualism" and a "paranoid style" in American politics as well as his `take' on American Political thought and the Progressive era.
   
   Interests in American intellectual history and in American historiography are central to this study. Insights on regionalism and politics in the academe add to the book. The Morningside and general New York intellectual environment are also evident. There is even some insight into the student rebellion of 1968 and its consequences.
   
   My own enthusiasm is partly personal; I attended Columbia as a History major starting in the same class as Hofstader's son Danny (although I graduated a year early). Many of the personalities mentioned, as well as guest speakers at the Graduate History Lounge like Hannah Arendt and Phillip Curtin were part of my experience and some of Hofstader's books enlightened History and Government courses. However, any historian and especially students of the US should find much of interest.
   
   David Brown does an excellent job in this "intellectual biography". There is probably no way it could be authored with the more exciting style of Hofstader himself. Nor will it find so broad a readership as books like "The American Political Tradition". It is a shame hat so many of Hofstader's works are out of print although this does reflect some further evolution in interpretation as well as new themes and approaches. Times have changed and the numbers of PhD's has boomed with ever more narrow studies and perhaps fewer stimulating interpretive books for the `educated reader'. As education has become increasingly more like job training and history as well as language and other substantial general education and critical thinking courses have reduced places in education intellectual and public discourse have eroded.
   
   Brown reinforces awareness that history is not dates and facts, that it is not neutral, and that it is an evolving effort to understand our own day and its origins. Intellectual history and analysis of historiography, together with the better comparative histories, are the source of more realistic and better understanding - a more than welcome and mature improvement over ideologues and shallow discourse prevalent today. Education in general and the study of history in particular, is no absolute assurance against stupidity of leaders and public discourse. Yet without the study of history such foolishness is common.



2. A very good primer on progressivism, liberalism and conservatism. Not a light read.



3. I have read an except of this book, and a few reviews of it including all those heretofore posted on 'Amazon'. Thus what I have is an 'impression' of the book, and not an in-depth understanding.
   My impression is simply that it is a very good book. One reviewer Ronald Clark says that David S. Brown meets the challenge well of narrating both the story of the life, and the content of the books, or the intellectual development.
   This seems to me the key thing in a book of this kind. I recently read an excellent detailed biography of an important intellectual figure which went into every possible aspect of the daily life without confronting the ideas and the intellectual development. It simply did not do the job.
   Brown sees Hofstader as not simply a committed liberal, but as a political thinker who was able to react to the changing challenges he met throughout his life. He was an intellectual whose thought involved reacting to events, and not simply fitting them into a predisposed pattern.
   He has been faulted for misunderstanding and not doing real justice to ' conservative thought'. This may well be the case. But then again his major years of working and writing were years of such great Liberal predominance that this is in some way not surprising.
   Hoftstader is credited with being the most savvy and moderate of the 'New York Intellectuals' especially in regard to his relation to and support of the Democratic Party.
   In telling of the life Brown tells of Hoftstader's tragic loss of his first- wife, his successful second marriage. The father of two children, a son Dan from his first marriage, and Sarah from his second he seems to have been an excellent and responsive father. His son Dan speaks highly of him and of his irrevent sense of humor, a quality not especially felt in the books.
   My sense is that this is a responsible and respectable work from which one can learn much about an important American intellectual.



4. Richard Hofstadter obeyed the unwritten rule: tenured liberal arts academics who teach at an "elite" university should make sure they are of great value to the Democratic Party. It is wise to place one's wet finger in the air to see which way the prevailing ideological winds are blowing. Was the admittedly great scholar a raving Left-winger? Nope, the reality is that Hofstadter may have been the most conservative member of the Columbia University faculty. Alfred Kazin even referred to him as "a secret conservative." There is little doubt, it must be added, that Hofstadter would have never had such a prominent and rewarding career had he been even slightly more right-wing. I suspect had that been the case, he would have been doomed to barely earning a living at a third tier school. The famous historian was a indeed a proverbial knee jerk liberal. He admittedly was no longer a Communist, but his secular faith in "New Deal" liberalism was near dogmatic. Furthermore, communism was possibly less dangerous that anti-Communism. Hofstadter was at best an anti-anti Communist. Republicans were deemed to be paranoid and reactionary. Left-wingers may occasionally get a little goofy, but they are essentially well meaning. It is those right-wing buffoons who are supposedly crazier than jay birds and warrant intense scrutiny. Thankfully, Hofstadter's commitment to rational thinking was sufficient to reject the radical left's attempt in the 1960s to take over Columbia's campus. The enemy was not always to the right. Sometimes it does reside on the left. These leftist students were nihilists, although perhaps unwittingly so, and not true reformers. If nothing else, Hofstadter deserves credit for realizing that a nonnegotiable line had been crossed. Biographer David S. Brown hits the nail on the head: "Hofstadter's selective use of the paranoid style brings to mind David Potter's earlier criticism of the status thesis. Like status, paranoia is a slippery concept that belies strict categorization and can be used indiscriminately to pathologize political opposition." "Always looking for the enemy on the right," continues the author, "Hofstadter never suspected liberalism's vulnerability to self-destruction."
   
   Richard Hofstadter also inadvertently harmed the American Jewish community. His unrelenting focus on anti-Semitism in some conservative circles blinded him to the far more dangerous threat posed by leftist extremism. One wonders what Hofstadter would say regarding Columbia University's current pervasive Jew bashing. David S. Brown's book is well worth reading. Conservatives should make sure to obtain a copy. It will almost certainly help them to better understand the inevitable collapse of our once great universities.
   
   David Thomson
   Flares into Darkness



5. If you went to college and/or graduate school in the late 1950's or 1960's, chances are very good you read at least one of Richard Hofstadter's (1916-1970) books. Particularly "The American Political Tradition," "The Age of Reform," "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life," and "Paranoid Style in American Politics" were ubiquitous on college reading lists. And this was for good reason: Hofstadter many believe was the most incisive and insightful American historians of the first two-thirds of the 20th century. Coupled with his perceptive and innovative analytical abilities were writing talents that made his books fascinating to read.
   
   Until now, there has not really been a full-scale biography of Hofstadter. This book, by David S. Brown, fills that gap very nicely. Brown has well handled the central challenge of writing about Hofstadter--how much attention should be devoted to the books and how much to the man? Someone who was born in the 1960's, as was the author, might well wonder what all the excitement was about. Brown's excellent discussions of the various Hofstadter volumes will clue such readers into his approach, prejudices, accomplishments, and contributions to the writing of American history. One also gets a pretty solid feel for Hofstadter the man as well. Brown has interviewed many who knew Hofstadter: his students (such as Dorothy Ross) and his colleagues at Columbia. He scoured oral history collections and published recollections as well. One of the most effective dimensions of the book is that Brown incorporates discussions of some leading historical interpretations that appeared at the same time as Hofstadter's books--some agreed with Hofstadter, others took issue with various of his positions, and an interesting dialogue resulted.
   
   The research is solid; the writing flows very well, and the narrative is quite interesting. A helpful bibliographic essay, "The Search for Richard Hofstadter," concludes the volume and is quite useful. For anyone interested in the development of 20th century American historiography, or who is just curious about what was going on in this country's political history, Brown's book is a valuable and stimulating introduction.

1 comments about Head Over Heels in the Dales.

1. This is book two of a series about a school inspector in Yorkshire and it is delightful. (You should read book one first if possible). I was first drawn to it because of my enjoyment of James Herriot's books but after just a few pages I was hooked on it for its own merits. Any one who is a parent, a teacher, or just a lover of children will enjoy this. It is a gentle story with a running thread of romance but the primary emphasis is on the children and the teachers in the various schools inspected by Mr. Phinn. He obviously loves his job and is passionate about helping children reach for the stars. I'm really looking forward to books three and four.

5 comments about Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir.

1. Lillian Faderman writes an autobiography with an engaging and compelling style that easily pulls in the reader. She is technically the child of a Holocaust survivor, although her mother and aunt arrived before WWII, sent ahead to America (one presumes this is the Promised Land in Faderman's book title) by the family, to find work in America, sending money home, preparing the way for the rest of the family to eventually settle in America.
   
   Only that reunion never happened: all of Faderman's relatives perished in the Holocaust, and the rest of her mother's life was defined by survivor's guilt, a legacy of conflicting emotions that were inevitably passed on to the first generation of children born after the Holocaust. Lillian Faderman and others of her generation carried the burdens of the ghosts of the slaughtered, the relatives and loved ones who were killed before they were even born.
   
   Faderman's story goes beyond being Jewish: as the first-generation American child born to an immigrant, her experience is one that will speak to many, Jewish or otherwise, and it really is a classic story. The child of an immigrant garment worker, she grew up to live the American dream, getting a college education, eventually becoming a noted historian, textbook author and researcher. True life stories don't get any better than this one.



2. I savored every bit of this memoir. There are, sadly, so few really well-written lesbian memoirs. "Naked" is a terrific book and an engaging reading experience. I highly recommend it.



3. I wonder if other men love this book like I do. I loaned this book to someone then forgot whom I loaned it to. Doesn't matter. I've thought about this story a thousand times.
   
   I love my own mother deeply, tenderly, but if I could have chosen my own mother, notwithstanding some very tempting candidates out there, Lillian Faderman would have been numero uno. I'll say it. I'm a softie for strong character; people who have been dragged through the muck and not only survived, but emerged from the pure hell of life to bring honor to themselves and to those who have struggled for the right to their own dignity.
   
   I bought this book the first day it hit the shelf and read it from cover to cover and wished it would not end. I wanted to read it and I didn't want to read it because I've spent maybe two decades sculpting and perfecting this pedastal I've had Lillian Faderman on and I was worried that she would demolish it by turning out to be a prep school and legacy brat from the suburbs. No danger here.
   
   Everything I know about the real lives of lesbians I learned from Dr. Faderman and, I'll be honest, I didn't think I'd enjoy anything else after Maya Angelou's "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings." I read Radclyffe Hall's "The Well of Lonliness" and was sickened by it's twisted logic and it stamp of approval from kook psychologist Havelock Ellis. I thought Gertude Stein's "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas" merited points for chutzpah. But Stein, Hall and Angelou are no Lillian Faderman.
   
   This book is rich with terror, heartbreak, despair, grief and finally - triumph. It's what "Brokeback Mountain" should have been rather than another story about how a homosexual dies or gets murdered in the end.
   
   I've changed my mind. It does matter. Whoever has my copy of this book - GIVE IT BACK !



4. By far, Lillian's best yet. Her previous writings were way too heady for me, but this one held my attention. For those looking for the juicy tidbits of Faderman's personal life, this book pretty much hits the spot. I am looking forward to the sequel -- this woman has much more to tell.



5. Ms. Faderman has always been an outstanding scholar, giving the academic and Lesbian worlds her well researched, and highly informative books about Lesbians and Lesbianism. She has also written other scholarly works that are highly recommended, if not a little heavy for most readers. In her latest venture, her memoir " Naked in the Promise Land", Ms. Faderman shows her readers another side of her makeup, her personal side. The Memoir is as interesting for what it reveled about Ms. Faderman's past life as well as what has been carefully left out. Readers may well have to wait for a bioghapher to tell the complete story of Lillian Faderman's life for it appears that she is willing to go only so far in its telling.
   What is also a point to note is the muse that Ms. Faderman has chosen to use. It defiantly is not the carefully structured formal English she used for her academic books, nor should it be. However, as a memoir it reads more like an Ann Bannon or Clair Morgan novel, and this, perhaps, is part of its charm as well as its draw.
   Finally, in the telling of part of her life story the reader is made aware that Ms. Faderman is a consummate actress. After all she studied hard to learn the techiques. As such, one has to wonder if what she has presented to the world after her "Sunset Strip" life, is nothing more than another act in one more carefully constructed costume.

5 comments about Taught by America: A Story of Struggle and Hope in Compton.

1. First Yale, then a little Peace Corps work in the jungles of America, and back to school. She left Compton in 1995 and has been in graduate school ever since. This emphasis on "White" troubles me. I doubt that the TFA teachers' problems stem from their being white. The biggest gap I ever witnessed between a teacher and her students was between a haughty middle-class black woman and her ill-behaved charges. She wasn't a guilt-ridden white, full of caring, but a proud black woman who was righteously appalled that the ghetto kids were being enabled by a slack administration looking to make excuses for the lazy kids. The White Ivy League snots who work in the ghetto were never in the school; they were visitors, giving teaching a shot. Why in the world would parents send their kids to Yale to see them become teachers? You can get a teaching credential at the local state college. No. TFA is designed to add sainthood to one's resume, so one will forever be described not only as sexy, rich and smart, but also as caring, compassionate and, above all else, not racist. This is the only reason mom and dad, after paying $40,000 per year for four years, would tolerate seeing their child waste two or three years fooling around with blacks and browns in America's urban jungles. M & D can dine out with stories from their son or daughter's acts of heroism for years and years. Ms Sentilles doesn't let a day go by, I'm sure, that she doesn't tell someone about her work in Compton, a town amusingly described as poor (think Biafra) when in fact the houses there, on palm tree-lined streets, sell for $400,000. The kids come to school with their pockets filled with pickles, potato chips, and candy because they won't eat the "cafeteria food" which they consider too "nasty" for their delicate palates. Each and every one a Zsa Zsa Gabor, the kids have never done a chore in their lives. Their parents demand to see a counselor of their child's race, insisting that one of another race would be prejudiced. Hence, the "understaffed" schools, according to Ms Sentilles, in fact, have entire offices filled with bi-lingual aides, counselors, vice-principals, coordinators, and translators. The kids are trained in this system of victim-hood and privilege, so they stay home in droves on rainy days so as not to get wet, demand to see their counselor when told to turn off their phones, and walk out of the classroom when refused. I worked in LAUSD for over ten years. The sad tale of desperate kids trying to make do in under-funded schools is an insult to the California tax-payers who are taxed to death to pay for well-staffed schools, with huge federal bonus funds which are squandered on text book orders made at mid-year and end-of-year due to damage and waste. Where I taught, kids would throw so much food away, on to the floor, mind you, that staff used snow shovels to scoop up the waste. This on a daily basis. Feeling sorry for these lower-middle-class "poor" is itself an industry, one which the author exploits, despite her sincerity and integrity.



2. I enjoyed this book. The author is very realistic and authentic in her discussions. I found it to be very thought-provoking.



3. This is a beginning teacher in the "Teach for America" program that starts her career in the Compton, CA area better known as the Watts area in LA. Since I have been a teacher for 36 years and live in LA, I relate to this book and her many disappointments and joys. Read it--you'll love it, especially if you are or have been a teacher.



4. We used this book for a women's book club study. It was very interesting and yet startling information. well written and a good read for anyone.



5. The book is excellent and appears to be new and arrived promptly

3 comments about God, Country, Notre Dame: The Autobiography of Theodore M. Hesburgh.

1. Outstanding Book! Well written! Very insightful history of an amazing person and a fine institution.



2. I "read" this book for the first time on audio cassette and quickly ran out and bought it" Years later, I still think of it and am still amazed at what a tremendous person Father Hesburgh is. If I did not know its true, I would not believe that a person could accomplish so much in a lifetime. Knowing that this country and faith produces such great men, makes me proud to be Catholic and an American. This book would make a great, great gift!



3. God, Country, Notre Dame is a book that once again proves what an amazing man Father Hesburgh is. This book is inspiring. If you've never read or heard about Father Hesburgh, this is a must. He has got to be one of the top 10 most influntial people of the 21st century.

5 comments about A Personal Odyssey.

1. If you are interested in Thomas Sowell and enjoy some of his other books, then this book will be the perfect compliment explaining this great man's life. Built off of all personal accounts, Dr. Sowell takes you through his journey from a youngster to today's life.
   
   Intriguing chapters include ones about being in the military, his son's inability to speak early on, and his mental conundrum about whether to get his PhD or not.
   
   I personally enjoyed every page in the book and now feel like I know the man as a personal friend. Thank you Dr. Sowell!



2. This is an inspiring book overall, and for me personally. My views are very similar to those of Dr. Sowell and, like him, I'm a PhD economist. Like the author, I have worked in government, the private sector, and academia, so I very much understand the frustration he faced at various stages of his career and his reasons for moving from job to job during the early part of his career, despite taking pay cuts at various points along the way.
   
   What I most admire about Dr. Sowell is his refusal to compromise, his consistently high standards, and his keen eye for the truth. These are what make him truly unique and, in my estimation, almost heroic. It is very difficult to make one's way in this world without compromising your standards and eventually giving in to mediocrity. A clearly brilliant man, he never tolerated stupidity from those who should know better. Most definitely a person to be admired and emulated (if that's possible).



3. Sowell's autobiography leaves a lot to be desired in terms of literary style. His writing is mostly stilted, and you feel that he is writing at you rather than taking you along on his "personal odyssey". There are far more "literary" books in this genre, two of which I recently read, one of which I reviewed: Into My Own: The Remarkable People and Events That Shaped a Life. Nevertheless, Sowell's book provides valuable insights and lessons from his struggles and circumstances with which he dealt.
   
   Sowell comes across as someone who was, from a very young age, very aware of his situation with respect to others, and keenly knowledgeable of actions he needed to take to improve his lot. This he models when he advocate for a better class placement in elementary school, for example. The same goes for the rest of his career, including his stint in the military.
   
   He demonstrates a very rational, economics-type mind, before becoming an economist, making decisions such as whether to clean his rifle for inspection based on the probability that his specific rifle would ever be selected for actual inspection. For someone like me who is generally a rule follower, its almost painful to see how Sowell "got away" with so much while most of the time he was just practicing good reasoning.
   
   He leaves a lasting impression as someone who always puts principle before practicality, though he sometimes seems too uncompromising. But he lives and dies by the sword, and he more than once left a job or project for reasons of principle, most of the time with little to fall back on.
   
   While his comments and anecdotes on academia, economics, politics, racism, social policy and other issues where interesting and stimulating, I was left wanting for more in terms of introspection or revelation.



4. I first became acquainted with Dr. Sowell through his weekly articles in our local paper and am really impressed by the things he writes about, so I jumped at the chance to get this story of his life. He is a black man who moved from a hard beginning to what I consider great heights. He is a man who will not compromise his convictions no matter the cost. A very inspiring read of a fellow traveler through this time on earth and I would recommend it highly.



5. Perhaps nothing profound is in this book, but it
   can lead the reader to suspect that Thomas Sowell
   has written other, deeper things. It is full of
   stories about various sorts of irrational bureaucrats
   in academia, in government, and in the military,
   maybe not _quite_ as extreme as the pointy-haired
   boss in _Dilbert_, but definitely the sort who could
   have inspired that character. Thomas Sowell could be
   considered a sort of minor patron saint (or "patron
   hero" if such a thing exists) of the virtues of
   sticking to one's guns, calling the shots as one
   sees them despite heavy pressure from those who
   don't understand, refusing to follow any party
   doctrine as if it were infallible dogma, and caring
   about one's students.

No comments about Acting on Promise: Reflections of a University President (Polyglot Press Academic Edition).