5 comments about Life is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far.

1. I found that this was an excellent account of Donny Osmond's memoirs of his life and of his enccounters with social anxiety. I recommend this to anyone who is a Donny Osmond fan.



2. As a life long Osmond fan, I was captivated by this book. Donny really put himself out there, the book was honest, written with feeling,I really understood the grown up Donny and felt the fear he must have felt when he was going through his Social Phobia. I am glad that he wrote it the way he did. People get the wrong impressions and they run with them. I feel that fans and the entertainment industry let Donny down. Everyone wanted the gorgeous teen aged boy, he grew to be a handsome man, a loving husband, a good father and a fantastic artist. This book gave you a true picture of who Donny is and that above all he is human just like the rest of us. I have even read this book again because it was very interesting. We see the glamour and the fun part of being famous, but it has its nightmares and is very hard work. What I admire about Donny the most is that he hasn't let success change who he is, he could have done something drastic to be in the front pages amd he has chosen not to. As of this date he is married to Debbie for 30 years now, how many celebrities can say that.



3. Am not a big reader but loved to hear how Just like others Donny has not had a perfect life, A must for all Donny fans and those who just want a insight into his life.



4. LIFE IS JUST WHAT YOU MAKE IT: MY STORY SO FARas I read donny's book, i couldnt help but feel partly responsible for Donny's downfall from super stardom. I was devastated to learn of Donny's marriage to Debbie and felt so betrayed by him that i put my Osmond albums and posters away and turned my back on him for what I vowed would be forever. It made me sad to read how hard it was for him to go from being on top of the world to a has been at the age of 21. And a broke has been as well. At times through out the book, i felt Donny was feeling sorry for himself but then, thats understandable too. Something I was absolutely delighted to read about was the family home. I always pictured the Osmond clan all living in one big giant mansion. As each brother got married, he'd just move his wife in. Well that wasnt quite right. they bought an entire apartment building and knocked out some walls to accomadate them. I also was touched by the story Donny wrote about briefly about the relationship between his mother and Elvis Presley. I am glad i read this book. although i dont listen to or care for his music anymore, I do, from time to time see him on TV and will watch. I was very disappointed in him when i saw him insult Rosie Odonnel about her weight. Totally rude and uncalled for. He explains in his book that he thought her words of praise and love for him was her way of mocking him and he lashed out. I don't buy it. He said too it was a joke. Ask any fat person if they've ever heard a fat joke that was funny. I lost alot of respect for Donny that day. However i was amused at Rosie. She over exaggerated his comment and for weeks, every guest she had on her show, she'd ask them if they saw the show where donny called her a big fat pig. Guess he picked the wrong fat girl to pick on. I would definately recommend this book to Donny fans.



5. I truly enjoyed reading this book as it showed a side of Donny that I assumed existed but didn't believe until I read his book. The book is honest, truthful and forward about his life, family and how he got where he is now. Eye opening in a lot of personal stories. I got a sense that his father was more of a disciplinarian than was let on and this affected Donny more than we knew. If you really want to know more about Donny and what makes him tick, read this book. I read it in 2 days.

No comments about The Civil War Diary of Cyrus F. Boyd Fifteenth Iowa Infantry 1861-1863.

5 comments about An Unplanned Life: A Memoir.

1. George Elsey was a Harvard graduate student in history who wound up as a 23 year old Naval Aide to FDR in the midst of World War II. Thus began an unplanned career as a key witness, participant, and recorder of one of the most important chapters in our nation's history.
   
   Working in the Map Room, he coded, decoded, read, and transmitted the most top secrets of the war, including:
   
   -Handing Churchill the news that the Allies had sunk three German U-Boats, which Churchill knew meant that we'd broken the top secret German Enigma code. Churchill jumped up and down and shouted "We got them! We got them! We got them!" This was in May, 1943, regarded by many as the turning point of the war.
   -Handing FDR the news that Mussolini's government had collapsed in July, 1943.
   -Handing Truman the news of the atomic bomb.
   
   But he didn't just pass along news, he made news. He was a key architect of Truman's foreign policy, and also nudged him to proceed with civil rights speeches. And then during the "greatest political upset of the century," George Elsey wrote Truman's speeches during his famous Whistle Stop Campaign, sometimes as many as 15 speeches a day.
   
   He had many more accomplishments in government life as well.
   
   He worked at the Red Cross for over 20 years, 13 as President, and was personally responsible for many of the core tenets that live on to this day.
   
   George Elsey is the kind of man we all want to be, and his story, written with great candor, modesty, and precision, reminds us that giants used to roam the halls of the White House.



2. This book is a joy to read. George Elsey has told the story of his experiences with clarity and continuity that makes history reading fun. The word serendipity came to mind numerous times while George relates the fortuitous events in his life. He does not belabor the reader with oft-told events that are common knowledge. His narrative style paints a vivid picture of how important and significant world affairs melded together through the 40s, 50s and 60s. Persons who also grew up in this time-frame will immediately relate to the events. George Mckee Elsey still exhibited his sharpness of mind during a recent radio program on NPR called, The Book Guys.



3. George Elsey was one of the architects of Truman's upset of 1948. Truman even predicted the outcome some weeks before the election to Elsey and Elsey put the prediction in a safe place. Truman was a little optimistic, but he really defied the odds and the bookmakers in Nevada by beating Tom Dewey.
   This is a must for any fan of Harry S Truman. Bet they sell lots of this book at the Truman Library in Independence, MO. There were no two people like Bess and Harry Truman.



4. While the title of this book could fit most of our lives, most of us do not get to go to Princeton, and then assigned to work in the White House through World War II and beyond.
   
   Mr. Elsey did this and more. He was assigned to the White House early in the war. He was to remain, first with Roosevelt and then with Truman for many years. Later, during the Viet Nam war he worked with Clark Clifford looking for ways to get out of the war. Finally he spent a long career with the Red Cross.
   
   This career placed him near the center of power for many of the critical years of the 20th century. Now at 88 years old, it is clear that his memory is still sharp. And as his attitude towards life comes through it is easy to see how he would have fit into many different assignments.
   
   The photograph section of the book is fascinating as it shows him off to the side or behind the president, but often with people very powerful in their own right.



5. From National Review Online:
   An Unplanned Life, by George M. Elsey. The newly published reminiscences of the author's days as a Naval aide to FDR and speechwriter and advisor to President Truman. Now 87, Mr. Elsey spent many hours with Roosevelt in the White House Map Room, served as the president's personal witness to the invasion of Normandy, and decoded and delivered to Truman the first report of the mission over Hiroshima. The stories are fascinating and engagingly told - the product of careful note-taking, an undimmed memory, and a modest, gentlemanly character. --Matthew Scully

5 comments about Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare, and the Assault on Civil Liberties.

1. I knew the content would be interesting and was pleasantly surprised to see the well crafted text. The paragraphs flowed from page to page and chapter to chapter. It was hard to put down. Well selected photos accompany the text and add even more understanding.
   
   This is more than a bio of one man, it is a bio of the times. I did not know that Hoover cut his bureaucratic teeth on the Red Scare, so this book rounds out his portrait for me.
   
   Ackerman's engaging prose brings to life the colorful people of the times. He presents Palmer in all his complexity. President Wilson is totally detached not only from the Red Scare but also the upcoming election where he has a son-in-law in contention. The totally obscure Louis Post is a true hero. Many great legal minds, Frankfurter, Darrow, Cardozo, Holmes and others play a role. I had not known of the eccentric millionaire socialist Lloyd before nor the colorful immigration official from California, Caminetti.
   
   The most intriguing story of all, of course, is Hoover's. The reader learns how his character and style were formed. As a young man he got away with a tremendous breach of the US Constitution and he lied to his mentors. He knew how and when to be on and off the stage and who to play up to. He was probably given a pass for his presumed honesty, long hours of work and his youth.
   
   I was struck by narrow the decision making. Only a few people held the reins than made life impossible for many. While the book doesn't spell it out, I would imagine people lost their homes (be they foreclosures or evictions) and children went hungry. None of the perpetrators suffered much. Hoover went on to great "success", Caminetti went on to comfortable obscurity and Wilson is heralded for his international vision. Palmer suffers somewhat but not in proportion to his deeds. The main hero is virtually unknown to history.



2. One line brought home to me how different the times were shortly after the First World War: ". . . a doctor told Edgar he needed to start smoking cigarettes to relax his nerves." But more important to this story of the Red Scare were the attitudes toward freedom of speech and individual legal rights that allowed wholesale abuses as the U.S. Government and the young, energetic J. Edgar attempted to remove every last threat of Communism through massive raids and deportations. As inconceivable as a medical doctor recommending cigarettes is the thought that running roughshod over legal rights on such a scale could happen without raising an immediate uproar in the press; what a difference 24 hour television news makes!
   
   Understanding Hoover is critical to viewing the evolution of law and individual rights in America during the 20th century. For good or bad, he certainly had an impact during his half-century tenure and as Ackerman summarizes "Of all the experiences shaping him . . . none loomed larger that the Red Raids." The author gives us an excellent account of these events, the times, and important players including Felix Frankfurter, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Clarence Darrow.



3. Post-WW ( period is not well understood in America and our history books hardly mention how fear and loathing of terrorists (anarchists and Bolsheviks) and their (real and potential) activities led to violent over-reaction by government. Suspension of rights and rule of law, warrantless break-ins and arrests, thousands of completely innocent citizens held without charge or access to counsel in sub-standard "holding" facilities, authoritarian override of law enforcement principles and practices without regard to rights (beating of those arrested, denial of access to medical services, denial of access by the press nad watchdog organizations, etc.
   A very good book and very well-written!



4. And we thought Joe McCarthy invented "McCarthyism!" Fascinating and well written. We not only learn that Attorney General Mitchell Palmer wrote the book on creating mass hysteria to assault anything one happens to dislike, but we gain a broader understanding of how easily attitudes can be swayed for egregious purposes in this country. Given that Young J. Edgar earned his stripes by implementing Palmer's plans, it's not hard to understand how he could so easily pick and choose the information he wanted to assail Martin Luther King, Jr. and scores of others he disliked. Ackerman did his homework and presented it very nicely.



5. An excellent biography of Hoover's early years--a time that is often eclipsed by the later years when Hoover was a well established bureaucrat. Young J. Edgar looks at the circumstances--surroundings and people--who led to the formation of the man. Ackerman's descriptions of the Palmer Raids of nearly 90 years ago can't help but make the reader think of post 9/11 America and the way "we" treat our own citizens and their "inalienable" civil rights. It really makes you think. America has to find a way to protect ourselves without losing sight of what makes this country great--freedom of speech, thought, religion etc. The freedom to ask questions and be different are two of the qualities that make America great. Pick up a copy of Young J. Edgar, learn about Hoover the man and the post WWI era, and let's try not to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

5 comments about Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion (Radcliffe Biography Series).

1. Robert Coles tells Dorothy Day's tales in such a way that readers get a balance between autobiographical reflection and biographical bias. Coles' biography of his friend includes many long quotes from Day herself, adding a sense of truth. Through these quotes, Day reflects on various aspects of her long career in writing, her conversion to Catholicism, and her continued activism. Readers get an idea of what Day wanted other people to know about her life. Her words seem truthful and extremely reflective - it seems she has nothing to hide about her very interesting life journey. As far as the self-reflecting aspect of the biography, it is definitely a book to take a look at if you want a candid view of Dorothy Day.
   
   However insightful Day's reflections were, Coles' interjections in her quotes and his descriptions of certain events were sometimes too biased. He essentially praised Day throughout the book (rightly so, if you were giving a speech honoring her), instead of giving readers a more clear-cut look at her life. I am not trying to say that the praise is not well deserved or well written, but for a biography I would have liked a bit more of factual information inserted among Day's quotes. I suppose this style of writing is to be expected, because he saw Day as



2. "Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion" was a good book because it showed Dorothy's imperfections and her good points. Some authors only tell about the good points of people's lives, but this book shows that Dorothy Day wasn't perfect. She made mistakes in her life. I learned a lot of interesting facts that I never knew about Dorothy Day. This book shows how Dorothy was devoted to helping the homeless. She established thirty three homeless houses across the whole country. She was brave when she left her husband to convert to Catholicism. Her husband didn't approve of God. Her daughter was baptized. My favorite part of the whole book is when the homeless man comes into the hospitality house and he has a gun with him. He threatens to shoot the gun. Instead of calling the cops, Dorothy goes over to the man and introduces herself. This shows how brave and courageous Dorothy is. The man then talks to her. All he wanted was for someone to appreciate him and someone to talk to him. He visited her often. Dorothy was there for him. This book gave me hope because it shows that an immoral person such as Dorothy Day turned into a woman who had great morals. She went from having an abortion to establishing hospitality houses. If a person knows someone who has no morals, they shouldn't give up on them because if they have enough faith in God, they can turn themselves around like Dorothy Day turned herself around. Having faith in God can help a person through anything. We all make mistakes in our lives and do things we shouldn't but we have to learn by these mistakes and try to better ourselves. Also, like Dorothy we have to do what makes us happy and not listen to other people. She lost her husband and gave up a lot of material things, but this is what made her happy and she helped a lot of people.



3. Biographers frequently become lost in minutiae.

   Dorothy Day poses a particular challenge to the discriminating writer, because of the sheer volume of material about her life, including an autobiography, an autobiographical novel, a huge mass of journalism, biographies, and the writings of a number of her contemporaries. Given such a prolific writer, the reader might expect with dread to encounter 900 pages of occupations of great-grandparents, musings in correspondence, and constant press quotes--the fodder of the "I've got a book deal and I'm gonna put out a tome" kind of bio writing that we see all too often.

   Coles' book is a breath of fresh air. In a hundred and a half pages he gives us an overview of her life and ideas, framed by excerpts from his own interviews with Ms. Day in her later years. Coles' editorial voice is always present, but generally open-minded. This is not a literary biography, evaluating the merit of Ms. Day's writings, nor a social biography, intending to give us all the inner workings of the Catholic worker movement. Instead, this is a meditation on the inspirations and contradictions inherent in this very rich life, told as often as possible from Mr. Coles' impression of Ms. Day's own take on her life-as-lived.

   I read this in an evening and a day, and found it inspiring, satisfying, and altogether well written. Sometimes I wished Mr. Coles had put a little less of his first person impressions into his reportage of interviews with Ms. Day,but other times I wanted more of Mr. Coles' touchstone analysis of what Ms. Day was saying.

   A reasonable critique of this book is that one could read it and still fall well short of understanding Ms. Day's thoughts or the details of her life. The somewhat sunny tone may be perceived as uncritical. For me, though, this was a great bio--get in, get the job done, get out, leave an image as clear as a descriptive poem. This is a good read--I highly recommend.




4. Robert Coles' friendship with Dorothy Day began in 1952 and continued through almost three decades until her death in 1980. Coles kept notes on his many converstations with Day, and in this book shares with his readers his intimate knowledge of this extraordinary woman. He quotes extensively from these converstations in which Day spoke simply and openly about all sorts of issues, and Coles says that he writes "in the hope of giving readers the benefit of her distinct, compelling point of view." In keeping with this, the organization of his book is topical rather than chronological, although the first chapter does provide a brief overview of the events of Dorothy Day's life.

   The remaining chapters center about the issues that were important to Dorothy Day: her conversion to Catholicism, her relationship to the Church, politics, her daily life in Catholic Worker houses, and more.

   What is special about Coles' work is that the reader comes to experience Day, as she revealed herself to her friend. We encounter her in all her complexity and even contradictions, and above all, in her stunning fidelity to her ideals and beliefs.




5. Coles bases his biography on a series of interviews with Day, cofounder of the Catholic Worker. He explores her youth which she didn't look back fondly upon and her devotion to major social causes that her conservative fans don't want to focus on. Ms. Day truly strikes you as a dedicated, sincere, intelligent and good person. While she may not have wanted to be a saint, she often comes through as possessing the modesty, self-criticism, concern for others and devotion to the Lord that one should expect in a saint. Coles' writing isn't great but is at least average for a biography, and given the subject, this was a book well worth reading.

3 comments about An Autobiography of George Washington.

1. Yes, this book is channeled literature. However, if you have an open mind and can get past the messenger, you'll find the message is both entertaining and enlightening. Personally, I find the realistic detail of this book to be very refreshing. It seems we all too often look upon George Washington as a hero and leader without par and forget to actually get to know the man. In this book you'll get to know the man and Mason that was the father of our country.



2. This book was written several decades ago, but there was a small readership in those days for information channeled from the Other Side. Thanks to an ever-growing acceptance of this type of writing, we are able to gain access to valuable information.
   Here is the story of George Washington's life, told by the man himself from the Other Side. I was fascinated from start to finish. Perhaps there are those who would argue that this was not channeled, but that instead, Edith Ellis concocted the whole story. This seems implausible, given the wealth of detail and feeling that comes across. Of course, it is up to the reader to decide.
   I had Amazon send this book to my mother, and after she read it, she sent it to me. There was something strange in the ending of the book, and on closer inspection, I found that the last 2 chapters were missing, and the void was filled with a repeated section of pages from earlier in the book. I asked Amazon to replace it, and I also asked them to send me a copy as well.
   My copy had all the correct pages--but apparently Amazon sent my mother another defective copy; the important last 2 chapters are once again missing, thus cutting out Mr. Washington's presidency and his death.
   Of the three copies I requested, two were defective. I was surprised that Amazon did not take the trouble to see how many of these defective books they have in stock; they replaced a defective book with just another defective book. I wonder if they have notified the Hay House Publishing Company of this.
   Amazon's service is usually outstanding, but until they work this glitch out, save yourself a hassle and order it directly from Hay House Publishers.



3. I found this book to be really amazing and carefully researched. The authenticity is really incredible. It turned George Washington from a wooden stick figure, into the really amazing person he was. I know some people will question the authencity of the material. But, to me, the wealth of detail, emotions, make it an unquestionably good read.

4 comments about Attorney for the Damned: Clarence Darrow in the Courtroom.

1. The 'Forward' by Justice William O. Douglas says this book contains addresses delivered to juries in criminal cases, and speeches on controversial subjects. Darrow opposed bigotry, prejudice, ignorance, and hate. He was always fighting for equal protection, due process, and a fair trial. Darrow trusted juries more than judges to protect the life and liberty of the citizen. He was also a champion of labor when unions were often regarded as illegal, and suffered from government by injunction.
   
   The 'Introduction' by Arthur Weinberg says Darrow was an orator who played on the emotions of his listeners. But people acted mainly through emotions. Darrow's pleas always had a powerful rational basis. He also defended many causes that were unpopular at the time. Clarence Darrow was a corporate lawyer until he became an attorney for the American Railway Union and its president Eugene Victor Debs. Was it a matter of conscience (p.xxx)? This book contains an edited selection of Darrow's speeches, giving the background and the aftermath.
   
   "Crime and Criminals" has his speech to the prisoners in the Cook County jail. Darrow contrasts the acts of the convicts to the actions of the monopolists (gas, trolley, oil). Advertisements in the newspapers are all lies. More people go to jail in hard times than in good times. Most people who go to jail are poor; they can't afford a good lawyer. There is a correlation between increased poverty and increased crime. Darrow suggests crime is a natural phenomenon, like cattle seeking a better pasture. Having a good lawyer is more important than guilt or innocence! Laws exist to protect the ruling class, not to do justice. Darrow suggests that living where there is plenty of land and a chance to make a living would result in no crime (p.14).
   
   Although Darrow was involved in many famous trials, he may be best remembered for the Scopes Evolution Case. Thomas Scopes discussed evolution in his high-school class to challenge a new Tennessee law. The publicity made Dayton famous. The famous William Jennings Bryan, a fundamentalist, advocated these laws and volunteered to help the prosecution. [If this is all you know of Bryan, please learn more.] Darrow examined Bryan on a question of law, the jury was not present. The next day this testimony was stricken from the record. The jury found Scopes guilty. On appeal the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed this, and dismissed the case. The Tennessee constitution banned state support of a religion. Most teachers today are still controlled by state laws as to what they can teach.
   
   In the aftermath of the trial of the McNamara brothers for bombing the Los Angeles Times Building in 1911, Darrow was accused of attempting to bribe a juror. Darrow's investigators were double agents who offered a bribe, and claimed Darrow did it. Such agent provocateurs are found in movements like labor unions. Darrow said the State had put spies and informers into his defense team. and the LA police admitted so (p.504). The man who offered bribes admitted Darrow knew nothing (p.505)! Darrow pointed out that no one's life or liberty would be safe if they could be framed-up for a crime (p.507). Darrow would get a deal if he framed-up Samuel Gompers (p.510)! The plots against Darrow show evidence of the frame-up (p.516). Darrow decided to take a plea bargain for the McNamaras before any bribes were offered (p.522)! The jury quickly found Darrow 'not guilty' (p.531). Adele Rogers St. John's "Final Verdict" provides another view of this trial. Nearby, a young Erle Stanley Gardner was beginning his legal career. Was the angel in the film "Its a Wonderful Life" named to commemorate the recently deceased Clarence Darrow?



2. Contrary to the myth surrounding the "heroic" Clarence Darrow, as a fighter for the common man and downtrodden, the real Clarence Darrow was a socialist who despised the United States, its legal system, and Christianity. In actual fact, he lost his two most famous trials- Scopes, and Loeb and Leopold. He was also put on trial himself for jury tampering- bribing jurors to acquit his client. Only through the work of the greatest trial attorney of that age, Earl Rogers, was Darrow acquitted. Stories abound in Chicago legal circles about Darrow's bribery of Cook County jurors, the real secret to his "success". His personal life was a failure. If this man is your hero, you need to rethink your life.



3. Book is stunning. Makes you realize that language used to be more valued. The guy was amazing simply amazing.



4. It is nice to know that in one point in our society that there was somebody whocared about the little guy, the poor,the downridden, the underdog etc.,Clarence Darrow found a cause and stuckto it like a fly on poop. It takes guts to stand up against the establishmentand never apologize for it.We need more guys like him.

1 comments about Thomas Jefferson: A Brief Biography.

1. .....than the man who wrote the encyclopaedia? This little [48 page] book had its genesis back in the 1930s when Dumas Malone got stuck with the job of editor of the "Dictionary of American Biography". Then, 50 years later, he revised it to to be published in the form we see here. Normally, such a thing would not rate mention, much less five stars, BUT, Dumas Malone was the greatest Jefferson scholar that ever lived, and the forward was written by Merrill Peterson, the second greatest. Now, I could write a very good 50 page article on Mr. Jefferson, but I barely belong on the same planet as these guys.
   
   What we have here is the most basic life of Jefferson, touching all the high [and some of the low] points of his public life. From cradle to grave, it's ALL here, but in the merest outline. The name "Maria Cosway" is not mentioned, so we lose the "head and heart". Citizen Genet, Alexander Hamilton, John Marshall, and Aaron Burr all get appropriate notation. John Adams gets a bit more, which is proper. Betsey Walker gets named, and apologized for; Sally Hemings and James Callendar are noted, and dismissed with due scorn. The debt problems, sadly, have to be here, and they are. And the books, books, books......
   
   In the fifty years between the first and second appearances of this article, Dr. Malone wrote the six volume "Jefferson and His Time", one of the two greatest works of biography in the English language [the other being Dr. Freeman's "RE Lee"]. And, Dr. Peterson wrote the 1000+ page "Thomas Jefferson & the new nation", MAYBE the greatest one volume bio of anybody ever written. The present edition is published by the TJMF, to sell in the gift shop at Monticello. [GREAT gift shops, by the way]. For a lot of folks, it's enough. If you want more, try the works of Noble Cunningham, or Joe Ellis. {FORGET Fawn Brodie}!! Why do I bother with a long review of an article?....Dumas Malone. [I even have a small bio of him that I wrote published on the 'net]. Of course, Malone and Peterson's long works are definitive, but their length will deter most readers.

5 comments about The Best that I Can Be: An Autobiography.

1. Rafer Johnson, to me, exemplifies the perfect American athlete. Besides winning the 1960 Rome Olympics Decathlon in record points, he also won gols at the 1955 Pan American Games and took silver medal at Melbourne, AUS Olympic Decathlon! Rafer was known for promoting special olympics, and won numerous awards for sportsmanship over the years! Mr Johnson was one of those few in every million or so that truly set and still sets the standard of what being a true American, athlete and humanitarian is all about!!!!!!!!!! Rafer excelled in high school in football, averaging 17 yards a carry, batted .400 in baseball, averaged 17 points a game in basketball and averaged over 9 yards a carry in football while in high school. But Rafer's specialty was track and field. Going to UCLA, Rafer was offered a scholarship to play football but his real love was track and field. His high school coach took him to a decathlon meet near where 2 time decathlon winner Bob Mathias lived in Tulare, CA. Rafer told his coach:"gee coach, I could have beaten most of those guys there"! Rafer took on and beat such greats in the 50's as Russian decathlon whiz Vasily Kuznyetsov and fellow UCLA teammate and later his arch rival in '60 Rome Olympics CK Yang. Mr Johnson was flag bearer for USA Team in '60 games and also lit the torch at '84 Olympics in Los Angeles Games. Mr Johnson also acted and has done much in his lifetime promoting great charatible events and things for America's youth and good sportsmanship!!! Rafer Johnson is about the best example, to me, of an American, a true American and sportsman. A real leader, sportsman and humanitarian now and always!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has always and will continue to always inspire my life and millions of others the world over now and forevermore!



2. I was so glad to learn that you've finally come out with a book, Rafer! I have always been fascinated with your decathalon vs CK YANG, and wish that there could be more films and pictures (book) just on the 1960 Decathalon, alone! I remember old tv ads with you in them years past and your roles in TARZAN movies. I knew from watching you that you would always be my life's role model! The "new" generation we live in today has so much technology and modern tech toys; but something "REAL BIG" is lacking! True greatness and love of (SPORT) for the love of it, from your heart, and not big money! Men were real men then, and athletes were real athletes! I have always dreamed of meeting you in person oneday! You and Ethiopia's ABBEE BIKILA were, are and always be two of my all-time favorite role models and athletes, forever! Sure wish that more could be done and written(pictures and films) of 1960 Olympics, especially the decathalon and marathon! You're truly a "great" man, and a "fine" american athlete of our time and the 20th century! write more books soon!



3. It was nice to learn about what has happened to Rafer Johnson over the years. The Best That I Can Be was a wonderful reminder of a marvelous athlete and competitor from years past plus an added bonus of hearing Rafer's incessant optimism and enthusiam. Gold Medalists come and go but few do so with the class and human decency that Johnson has displayed over a long period of time. If ever one is looking for a role model who demonstrated overcoming adversity with a smile on his face, it was Rafer Johnson. I only wished I had read this sooner.



4. I grew up hearing and reading about Rafer Johnson all of my life. Track was never a sport I paid much attention to before Johnson. He made it bigger than life for me, as Tiger Woods does for golf. A few years ago I was introduced to Rafer and was stunned to find him remarkably shy and guarded, very much unlike the dynamic man I saw as an athlete. I could tell that he was warm, but very, very careful. It wasn't until I read THE BEST THAT I CAN BE that I understood the man, that I understood how much one's background can flavor an entire lifetime. This book not only gave me his remarkable story, it left me with an insight that I carry with me everyday.



5. I was expecting much more from this book

3 comments about Shadows of Blue & Gray: The Civil War Writings of Ambrose Bierce.

1. A very good way to get a look at the civil war through short stories. Should be mandatory reading in every high school in the nation.



2. Ambrose Bierce participated in many of the great Civil War battles. While I realise this book is written as fiction I would submit to the reader that it is fact. Ambrose has this gifted way of speach that brings to life the horrors he witness. You will shiver with goose bumps! You won't sleep with the lights out after reading his stories. No way!
   I could not put this chilling book down. It was as if it was possess! Ambrose disappeared in 1914 a old man who walked into Mexico. Maybe he is still walking and telling these stories. I would like to think so.



3. It's easy to look back and view wars as things of glory - the history books tend to lead us in that direction by viewing the action from lofty heights, speaking in terms of armies and strategies and generals. The reality - as those who have `been there' know too well (and no, I'm not claiming to be a veteran) - is that the old adage is all too true: war is definitely hell, and we should never, ever forget that fact.

   Ambrose Bierce is known today mainly through his fiction - many fine examples of which appear in this collection - and through THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY. He `might or might not' be the subject and/or inspiration for Carlos Fuentes' novel THE OLD GRINGO, also made into a film. His stories have a decidedly `creepy' feel to them - he was no Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps, but he was a talented writer nonetheless...and as not only the short stories, but also the non-fiction pieces collected here demonstrate, he was a careful and articulate observer. We are truly blessed that he chose to recount what he had seen, both in the form of short stories and memoirs. His disappearance in 1914 in Mexico has added to his mystique over the ensuing years.

   The most famous of the short stories contained in this volume is undoubtedly `An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'. I remember reading it in high school (NO, I won't say how long ago that was...) - and it was filmed to great effect by director Roberto Enrico in 1962, and was subsequently aired in the US as an episode in the last season of THE TWILGHT ZONE on CBS. It won an Oscar in 1964 as Best Foreign Short Film. The story is a masterpiece of suspense - it's a great literary epitaph for Bierce.

   Bierce served in the Civil War - he enlisted at its outset and saw quite a bit of action. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant and served on the staff of various high-ranking officers. It is his observations and experiences - and his empathy with the troops, the enlisted men, the common man - that lend such a value to his writings. Too much `Hollywood-izing' has been forced upon the truth - about the Civil War and almost everything the film industry touches. It's a treasure to have the pieces here to vividly remind us of what the experience was really like.

   There is humor here as well - Bierce's wit was an acerbic sword, and he unsheathed it on the high and low alike, without sparing himself in the process. His characterizations of the generals under whom he served, as well as the enlisted soldiers, the post-war opportunists, and the intellectual crowd with whom he mingled both in the US and abroad, are rich indeed.

   The language is understandably a bit archaic in places - but I found myself getting used to it pretty quickly. As a result, the book took me a bit longer to read than the contemporary fiction I normally favor - but it was definitely worth the time. I can recommend this collection to aficionados of fiction and history buffs alike - a great read.