3 comments about The First Ladies Fact Book: The Stories of the Women of the White House from Martha Washington to Laura Bush.

1. This made a wonderful gift that keeps "on giving."
   The facts are interesting and unusual and it's good to have an insight into the women behind the men that have been in office.
   Quite frankly I think most of them could have done a better job than their husbands.
   Would highly recommend this to anyone for a good read and quick reference.



2. I am teaching an extra-curricular high school class this semester on the history of U.S. presidents and wives. This book has some very interesting information on the wives of the presidents. I have found fascinating tidbits from this book which kept my students interested even when the presidents might have proven boring! I am enjoying reading the book on a personal note too!



3. This huge book bollows Mr. Harris earlier book The Presidents Fact Book where he talked of the Achievements, Events, People, Triumphs, and Tragedies of Every President. Obviously in this book he is not talking about the presidents but their wives.
   
   The first ladies have had their own share of the making of history. In recent years, Jackie Kennedy did a lot towards the creation of the Camelot image of the Kennedy years. Hillary Clinton is certainly remembered for her efforts towards creating universal health care.
   
   These are just two small details of the lives of two first ladies. This book has over 700 pages about their lives, their interests, their activities in the white house and the way that they worked with their husbands to assist in the governance of the country.
   
   And yes, there is a color section of pictures featuring mostly the clothes they wore.

No comments about American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964.

4 comments about The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie and The Gospel of Wealth (Signet Classics).

1. Andrew Carnegie offers an intriguing look into his life story that chronicles his ancestry in Scotland to his journey from child to business tycoon in the US. Carnegie writes in a style applicable to the times, thus there is inevitably a period of acclimatization with the material; however, within a short period of familiarizing yourself with this style of English, you will find it hardly represents an encumbrance.
   
   Carnegie has a knack for being very productive with his abilities as well as often finding himself in the right place and time. Much of his success could be perceived as lucky; however, it will not take long for any reader to see that the effects of his always going the extra mile permitted Carnegie to stand out as a result of his own principles, hardly dependant on luck.
   
   Carnegie exemplifies what one hopes to find among great men; integrity, honesty, hard work, and a passion for profit. Carnegie's giant success is only matched by his good will to human kind. Carnegie explains his thoughts on why he felt the most immoral thing a man can do is to die rich, thus he spent his retirement giving as much of his wealth away as possible. The evidence of Carnegie's lasting name and historical significance provides ample reason to read this Carnegie autobiography. His candidness and honest approach make this book even better.



2. I read this book as a recommendation from the book "Success through a positive mental attitude" and it is a good read. It is a bit slow at first and its written in an older style of English. Once you pick up the style though the book becomes very interesting, I often read it before sales calls to motivate myself.



3. The autobiography gives a good (but sometimes slight) overview of Carnegie's rise from a bobbin boy to one of the richest men in the world. The autobiography doesn't tell you "this is how to become rich", but instead shows Carnegie's values and approach to the working world. The Gospel of Wealth is an interesting idea: the rich got rich by being the most talented and hard-working and deserve their wealth. Since the rich are the smartest and most talented of us, they should best decide how their money gets distributed so that it will best help all of mankind. If money was given to the poor, instead of put into public works and trusts, the poor would blow it because they don't know how to handle money. If they did, they'd be rich! I like this idea, but rarely, if ever do I see it practiced. The rich aren't always the most talented, intelligent, or hard-working people, rarely do they use their wealth for the public good (unless it's a tax write-off), and most of their money gets passed on to their children. I definitely recommend this book. Try these ideas out for yourself.



4. Andrew Carnegie played the game of life to perfection, which is how he ended up the richest man in the world. He had so much amazing wisdom. He made very wise choices starting from the earliest age up to the end of his life. Many people gain some wisdom as they grow older, but what's even more amazing about Andrew Carnegie is that he was wise even as a child and a teenager. Perhaps his parents and other elders taught him very well. It seems like Carnegie always made the best and wisest business decisions. The few times something went wrong, it wasn't his fault and it didn't set him back much. Lately I've been learning a lot about business, marketing, and success. I've gotten a lot of great advice about success. And when I read Carnegie's book, I got to see all these success principles in action. Carnegie's life is full of great examples of what you should do to be successful as a person and as a businessman.
   
   I've seen some claims that he was just another ruthless robber barron, but I think that is a very unfair depiction. I think he did a great job of leading the steel industry and making sure that it took advantage of the most advanced technology available at the time and did things on the most efficient and secure basis. He had a great ability to get along with people and I believe he did treat people very fairly. And by the time he died, he had given away 90% of his fortune to benefit the world through education, culture, etc. I think that is a large piece of evidence showing that he was a well-intentioned, good-hearted person.

5 comments about The Jim Morrison Scrapbook.

1. The Jim Morrison Scrapbook *****
   
   With the abundance of material that has been released and re-released and alternately released from the Jim Morrison estate in the past decade very little of it has been any good. It is mostly things that had already been released on one thing or another deeming it pointless to own, but not The Jim Morrison Scrapbook. Oh-no! This is phenomenal and a must have for Doors-geeks like myself. This shows sides of Morrison rarely or never shown.
   
   Chronicling the genius from birth, poet, songwriter, lover, performer, and death. This is a book explaining all of those things about the man, but with actually tangible documents like his will, report cards, letters, his handwritten lyrics, rare seen photos; some of which have never been released to the mass public.
   
   The Jim Morrison Scrapbook is the first in a series of "scrapbooks" being released of famous legends. As of right now a Bob Dylan, and John Lennon version is also available. This is essential for all rock fans! A must read!



2. I am a devoted Jim Morrison/Doors fan but wasn't aware of this book until my nephew mentioned it to me while we were at a Ozzie/Rob Zombie concert. I promised to give it to him for his birthday. I bought it from Amazon and before I wrapped it I spent at least two hours going through it. This is the most well-conceived, cohesive, unbelievably put-together book I have ever seen. I could not stop going through it and taking all the papers out of their pockets and reading Jim Morrison's letters to his mother, report cards, letters to Jim from his pastor, teachers, etc. Every insert looks like the original document. I cannot say enough good things about this book. I gushed over it so much I hope my kids get the hint and give it to me for Mother's Day!



3. Excellent collector's edition book for any Jim Morrison/The Doors fan. Full of never before published pictures, handwritten lyrics and letters by Jim Morrison. A must buy for any Doors fan.



4. My husband loved this book and all it has to offer. This is for a true fan of The Doors and collectors.



5. 
   Wonderful book! Great infos for everyone who is a true Doors fan, even Morrison school records...

5 comments about Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, (Vintage).

1. Anyone know? This is a masterful book series. The one on LBJ's presidency should be the best.



2. Despite what you think of LBJ, and I don't think much of him, Robert Caro's series on Johnson far surpasses any other books that have come before or after on Lyndon Johnson. In all three of Caro's volumes, he includes mini biographies of important people in Lyndon's life. In this volume, Senator Richard Russell, jr. of Georgia is given his due, and his importance as friend and adviser to LBJ. Also, the first 100 pages include a history of the US senate that could stand alone as a book unto itself. I can't wait for Caro's fourth volume, alas it probably won't be out for another five years.



3. Caro is a master writer. I found his book 'The Power Broker' about Robert Moses easily one of my top ten reads of all time, five star all the way. Johnson to me was not quite as interesting, but nevertheless this is a top notch book showing how Johnson came into the Senate and transformed it. No matter what one thinks of Johnson, if one is a student of American politics, this is a worthwhile book as it shows the influence of one man and what can be done. He was no saint, but he did manage to get things done. I am slowly working my way through it, it's been about 2 years, I keep picking it up and putting it down, but learn something every time.



4. I used to worry Robert Caro wouldn't live long enough to complete his epic biographical history on Lyndon Johnson. Now, 25 years after the first volume, I worry I won't live long enough to read it all.
   
   Published in 2002 and still as of now Caro's latest installment, "Master Of The Senate" weighs in at close to 1,100 pages. It details Johnson's time in the Senate, where he rose to become the Majority Leader. Caro spends 100 pages explaining how the Senate was designed and operated as something of a brake on populist excitability, a vessel for cooling passions. A sort of sluggishness evolved, Caro explains, until the guy with ambition from Texas arrived and changed everything by smashing tradition to bits.
   
   Caro's overriding distaste for Johnson, clear especially in "Means Of Ascent", remains in force here, but another strain emerges, too, of Johnson the difference maker, the guy who got things done. You almost might see him, flaws and all, as a kind of archetypal American in his cussed indomitability, brutish, charming, needfully effective.
   
   When LBJ's mother asks about Adlai Stevenson, the Democrat who twice ran for President in the 1950s, you can't help but chuckle at his reply: "He's a nice fellow, Mother, but he won't make it 'cause he's got too much lace on his drawers."
   
   Better than "Means To Ascent" but not the classic that "Path To Power" was, "Master Of The Senate" suffers from things that make Caro such a great writer, like his ability to draw up seemingly endless detail and find a coherent whole. He can't stop writing about a handful of topics. Each time he goes back to the well he draws up something different, but it's too often the same well.
   
   Caro believes Johnson was the difference maker in making civil rights happen, even though he championed a watered-down version, because he was the only man who could push civil rights through the Senate and its stubborn Southern wing. It's a debatable point, especially since the force of change was already there, Johnson or no.
   
   More problematic for me was the book's unrelenting focus in its second half on the 1957 Civil Rights Act, which ultimately accomplished little, and on Johnson's bid for the 1956 Democratic presidential nomination, which he didn't get and wouldn't have mattered if he had. So much time is spent here that Caro is left to sum up the three remaining years of Johnson's Senate career after the Civil Rights Act's passage in less than 30 pages.
   
   One great thing about "Master Of The Senate" is Caro's articulation of Johnson's ambition as both poison and antidote for the Senate, in how he worked his fellow senators, racist zealots like Richard Russell and liberal lions like Hubert Humphrey, to get what he wanted.
   
   Johnson may have been one of the toughest figures ever to take control of our tough nation. Tough enough, in fact, that I think he'd even like Caro's books about him, warts and all. If one man's life was ever a testament to the power of one's own will, it was Johnson's, and in Caro that will to power has an able chronicler.



5. This is essential to anyone wishing to gain a fuller understanding of 20th century American politics.
   
   But beyond that, it is brilliantly written, thoroughly researched, fascinating and entertaining.
   
   Simply, one of the greatest works of American History, setting a very high standard for historians and biographers alike.
   
   Read it, and have a enormously satisfying and enriching experience.

5 comments about Crow Killer: The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson (Midland Book).

1. I have read many books and biographies about trapper and traders and this one although a fictional biography (hearsay and letters to the author) was fantastic; many true items; I'm sure. John Johnson - the main character; inspired the movie Jeremiah Johnson, that Robert Redford stared in. Quite the read!



2. If you're looking for a quick-reading, action story with colorful characters then this book is for you. If you're looking for accuracy, you better keep looking.
   
   As many reviewers have already mentioned, this book is based upon third- and fourth-hand information from old mountain men. Mountain men were famously known for telling "tall tales" and spinning "yarns". They took great delight in telling exagerated stories to "flat-landers". That, alone, should cause one to be skeptical of the authenticity of this book. I can't help but feel that the old mountain men who related these stories to the authors were laughing up their buckskinned sleeves the whole time.
   
   Two specific points regarding the lack of authenticity in this book come immediately to my mind... First, Johnson is said to have purchased a .30 caliber Hawken rifle before heading into the mountains. I seriously doubt the Hawken brothers ever made a .30 caliber rifle for mountain men. As an owner of several .30 and .32 caliber blackpowder rifles, I can testify to the fact that they have about the same ballistic performance as a modern .22 rifle. Blackpowder is not as powerful as modern smokeless powder. As a result, rifles intended for hunting and fighting were typically .50 caliber or larger. In those days (as well as today) a .30 caliber blackpowder rifle was considered a "squirrel gun" and was definately not a mountain man weapon.
   
   The second point that comes to my mind involves Johnson's escape from Blackfoot captivity. After biting through his rawhide bonds, and knocking his Indian guard unconscious, Johnson used the Indian's knife to cut his leg off at the hip. Facing a winter trek of hundreds of miles, he needed the human leg for food. In the book, the Indian is said to have survived this trauma. Ummm, excuse me, but cutting off a human leg at the hip involves severing the femoral artery. It's one of the biggest arteries in the body, and when severed, results in death in just a couple minutes. I don't doubt some mountain men occassionally resorted to cannibalism to survive, but the idea that this Indian could survive such an injury is hard to believe.
   
   There are many other points in this book that I feel are highly questionable, but I won't belabor the point. As I said above, if you like action-packed adventure stories, this book might be right up your alley. Otherwise, it's best to take this supposedly true tale with a very large grain of salt.



3. There is alot of good info in this book anyone who is into the per1840's will like this book.



4. The author has put together from varying pieces of history the story of a true mountain man whose legend is grown to larger than life. The early west was a brutal and harsh environment, not the romantic scenes that are painted in most novels. This is a good glimpse into the reality of the time and the people who shaped the country as we know it today.



5. If you've watched "Jeremiah Johnson" and enjoyed it, then you should take some time and read the book that spawned the movie. But be forewarned, the movie takes a few liberties here and there and if (that's a big if) the book is generally true, then the chronology of many things in the movie aren't correct. You could say that the movie is like a radio-friendly death metal song...a little missing here and there but you get the overall picture. I loved the movie and I admit the authors of the book seem to stretch the truth a little, but it's still a good read. I can only laugh at the politically incorrect accusations made in other reviews. Things were a lot different back then on both sides of the fence and I really don't think many mountain men nor American Indians went around feeling warm and fuzzy about their fair and balanced treatment of all of mankind. In fact, if you read other historical accounts of this period, you will find that the relationship between trapper and most American Indian tribes was most likely more honorable than the realtionship that the tribes would have with Indian agents, missionaries, and other traders (look up germ warfare). In fact, Christian missionaries were more deadly to the tribes and their culture than many of the so-called politically incorrect mountain men. The big-screen version of Johnson would most likely cower if he met the book version of Johnson. Overall, a good read.

5 comments about The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy.

1. This is a fascinating book, especially for those outside the US who may, like me, be almost wholly unfamiliar with the period of history covered. Morris is excellent at making detail interesting and compulsive to read. The book weaves the lives four very different men into a coherent story. The way in which these "Robber Barons" presage the emerge of Mr Gates (at Microsoft), Mr Brin and Page (at Google) was a very important message for me. This was something I "knew", but could not support, or articulate clearly. Morris has done the job and I am now keen to read his other books.
   William Forbes (Bedford, England)



2. Alas, I should have listened to my fellow Amazoners.
   
   They tried to warn me that despite the misleading title there wasn't very much in this book about the tycoons themselves. Well, I ignored them and blew the full retail price at a local store. If you want to read in minute detail about how a variety of engineering and manufacturing problems which had plagued industry were finally solved by the great minds of the second half of the 19th century, this book is for you. If you want to read about Gould, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Hill, Stanford, and Morgan, check out Matthew Josephson's classic instead. There's very little about any of the tycoons here.
   
   The editors of this book should have insisted on another, more accurate, title.
   
   As for the book itself, it's a pedestrian-like plod through history. Some books you can't put down after picking them up. This is most definitely not one one of them. I find myself taking taking one or two week breaks in between chapters while I devour other books in two consecutive evenings.
   
   If you want to learn about the background in which the robber barons operated this may be the book for you. Just be forewarned that there's scant little about them between the covers.



3. This is a great book for looking at the economic history of the United States. It covers mostly the four mentioned in the title but what was really fantastic and what deserves that extra star is that it covers the economic developments on the side. It looks at how our economy outpace Europe and the shift to make America that extra superpower. WE also have a look at how our ability to move west gave us an added advantage and that we did not have to resort to colonies. While we exported much we still made tremendous gains in internal improvements. He also grasp how the development of the coronation as an institution led to the rise of clerical and accounting positions creating hundreds of service jobs. This book is incredibly well written and really holds your interest. It offered the best explanation of Gould's attempt to corner the gold market I have ever read. It is very well researched and makes references to the top economic historians out there. A must read for anyone who wants to understand how the United States developed economically



4. I picked up "The Tycoons" to read, in one place, a chatty summation of recent research about Rockefeller, Gould, Carnegie, and Morgan, but instead found myself pulled through a keyhole onto a vast landscape new to me: how America invented mass-market manufacturing. We were the first country to figure out how to make two rifles so exactly alike that their components could be mixed and matched on the battlefield. The Silicon Valley of this period was the Connecticut River, navigable down to New York with access, via the Erie Canal, to the midwest markets. This river was the site of all the key water-powered factories where early automation and assembly lines created the first mass-produced items for daily life. Besides famous tycoons, we meet the forgotten engineers and efficiency experts who invented modern manufacturing and then spread its gospel to Europe. Through this book you are present at the birth of American economic dynamism. A readable and fascinating survey.



5. Charles Morris's "The Tycoons" is a good summation of the Industrial Revolution but is almost certainly poorly sub-titled with "How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould and J.P. Morgan Invented the Supereconomy". The New York Times did a review on October 2, 2005 and Todd Buchholtz hit the nail on the head writing "The Tycoons is not a path-breaking work of scholarship, testing new hypotheses against freshly uncovered facts." In fact a good part of Morris's book has nothing to do with these four very important men of commerce influenced anything. Rather he does show what the principal drivers behind such an economic explosion were. His writings on the four are based upon good, but not really extensive, research. For instance, much of his writing on Morgan is attributable to the best seller by Ron Chernow, The House of Morgan. While this was certainly a terrific book, to have it as THE principal souce or one of your main topics, is to short change any serious effort at research.
   
   He manages to get a plug on the book by I.W. Brands of the University of Texas, one of our most well respected historians on the period. Perhaps Professor Brands saw something I did not. That said, it is a quick read and a rather fun one. A bit more organization would have gone a long way.

5 comments about Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution.

1. The author obviously spent a great deal of time researching and writing this book. It's a pity that the publisher has chosen to skimp on the quality of the finished product. The book is filled with examples of incorrect grammar and punctuation, which are a distraction to the narrative. Proofreading before publication would have yielded a book more worthy of the author's effort.



2. Masterly written book of an outstanding American hero. The history of the man and his times come alive. One senses the excitement and great tensions of Henry Knox's life and achievemments. Wonderful book.
   Highly recommended.



3. Finally a good quality well written readable biography of one of the unsung heros of the American Revolution. Well done Mr. Puls



4. A brief and readable biography largely culled from secondary (and recent) sources. No maps, no pictures. Most of the book is devoted to the War for Independence with good amount of attention paid to Knox's point of view. However, if you are reading a book about Gen. Knox chances are you are rather familiar with the generalities of the war and therefore want more specifics about Knox and the artillery. Sadly mostly all we get is lists of numbers and sizes of field pieces and no analysis of how Knox used them and how such use contrasts with conventional deployment at the time. The book's subtitle implies the war is to be the main focus but it also states Knox was visionary- no such direct point is made until the final chapter, and uncompelling at that. I would have preferred a thesis or theme that was supported throughout the text.
   
   Much focus is given to Knox's relationship with his wife, mostly through primary quotes- which is one of the strengths of this bio. Early years and very quickly and briefly covered- perhaps from a lack of materials but the author provides no such disclaimer.
   
   Overall a nice book to cover a mostly overlooked member of Washington's staff but a full, comprehensive biography of Henry Knox is really still needed.



5. An excellent expose on the life of Henry Knox. Very interesting facts regarding his ability to engineer fortifications, build a solid group of soldiers from virtually nothing, as well as acquire and use artillery to the greatest advantage. He was truly a founder and fighter for freedom. Often obscure in American history, yet invaluable to the leaders of the day. Henry Knox was a brillant, energetic leader. An enjoyable read!

5 comments about Mellon: An American Life (Vintage).

1. Cannadine exceeded expectations on a number of fronts with this definitive biography of Andrew Mellon. It has everything you'd expect from a grade-A biography, laying out where Mellon's family came from (both physically and philosophically), how Mellon grew up, his rise, peak, eventual fall from grace, death and legacy. Not only that, but Cannadine does all of this exceedingly well, giving his reader a sense of the nuances and subtleties of Mellon's personality and life. If Cannadine had done nothing else, he'd still have written a five-star book.
   
   This book goes beyond most rock-solid biographies that I've read in Cannadine's sensitivity to the larger meaning of the events in Mellon's life, his place in history and his impact even after his death. While this sensitivity is present throughout Cannadine's book, it really comes together in in his three-part epilogue, which you will absolutely not want to miss, it is the highlight of the book.
   
   The first point Cannadine develops is that Mellon's life straddled the line between two different eras in American history. He shows how Mellon, without changing his behaviors, was perceived one way for much of his life, then a totally different way at the end of his life. Through his awareness of this point, Cannadine really demonstrates to the reader how radical the shift in sentiment was in America in the 1930s.
   
   The second point Cannadine is aware of, as any successful biographer of a great historical figure must be, is the idea that Mellon was a human being with some great strengths and some great flaws. In my experience, people who have the strengths to accomplish the most often have corresponding weaknesses to go with them; Cannadine really makes this point clear in his epilogue, doing a "balance sheet" of positives and negatives of Mellon's character and accomplishments. I've never seen an author take even-handed analysis to a similar place, and it really helped bring together the books ideas at the end.
   
   Finally, Cannadine captures a truth about life, society and politics that imbues the book with a sense of sadness. It becomes obvious that many (though certainly not all) of the good things that happen to Mellon happen out of chance. Similarly, when bad things happen to Mellon, most (again, not all... his divorce comes to mind as an obvious exception) of them are undeserved. Mellon dies near the low point of his public popularity, suffering primarily for sins he did not commit.
   
   I highly recommend this book for lovers of biography and history, it is truly a step beyond a really good biography.



2. What I found interesting about this book is that is a history lesson in American business and early regulatory policies that shaped the landscape we see today. At the same time, it is a story of classic love and betrayal. I found the author doing a great job when the story focused on Mellon's marriage and the demise of such, but he tended to become a bit lost in the details when describing all of the political ups and downs. Overall, a fine book and great American story



3. Though I can not claim to be altogether objective about the subject matter in much of this great book, I must congratulate Cannadine for a masterful study of what has been an extremely closed subject for a long, long time - most of all in the Mellon's home town of Pittsburgh. The late Paul Mellon must be given a lot of credit for breaking with family tradition - first for allowing the book "Thomas Mellon And His Times" to see the light of public day and then to let it all hang out with Cannadine with regard to sources and family papers.
   
   All of the business glories (one wonders at times if Andrew ever really enjoyed his successes), all of the personal agonies (it must have been excruciating on many levels), and much of the rancor between both Judge Thomas Mellon's as well as Andrew's detractors and adversaries are, for the first time, put into print for ALL of the public's perusal. It will be up to each individual reader to judge for themselves how they feel about this man and his father and family.
   
   It came as no suprise to me when Cannadine named my great-great grandfather as being one of the "vexatious litigation" principles who Judge Mellon would only refer to as "A", "B", or "C" in his autobiography. Cannadine is specific about the bad blood between the Negleys and the Mellons after the "eugenic" match (his words) and Pittsburghers specifically will find much new insight here.
   
   However, this long and comprehensive book never lets down as it explores all facets of the Mellon dynasty, how it was aquired (at times skirting legality and even morality), and he leaves very few stones unturned. What Cannadine might have missed was the fact that the rehabilitation of the Mellon name in Pittsburgh was undertaken by Andrew's nephew Richard K. Mellon (Richard Beatty Mellon's son) when "Renaissance I and II" which, along with the Allegheny Community Conference, cleaned up the city of Pittsburgh and made it livable again after over 150 years of take, take, and more take by men such as "A.W." and "R.B" among many others, including Andrew's buddy Henry Clay Frick.
   
   The mystery of "M..." will, I feel, eventually be solved but as was mentioned in a previous review, even as good a sleuth as Cannadine could not hazard even a guess (though I'll bet he had a guess). Notice that she becomes "Mrs. M---" on pg 259. I hardly believe that such a man would be so indiscreet as to write an entree with such a clue, or such an admission of a possible affair - but this entree IS followed by perhaps the most emotional outburst of his heart, "CRUEL", in uppercase.
   
   A flawed man, as are all men, and obviously a tortured one for much of his life, this book will give everyone the chance to weigh the evidence and decide for themselves the verdict which until now was impossible to consider to to lack of full factual disclosure. I found it fascinating the whole way from beginning to end. The source notes are a gem in and of themselves.
   I would also recommend both books by father and son for a comprehensive look at all three men, and how wealth, acquisition, and the drive and pressures of both shaped them.
   "Thomas Mellon And His Times"
   "Reflections In A Silver Spoon"



4. If you like history you'll love this book, it's long and "gets long winded in history" but try stop reading I couldn't, if your over 55 you will really love it. I still don't know how I feel about Andrew, Dick and Thomas Mellon. I found myself loving this book excellent read.



5. You will savor this account of the tumultuous life of Andrew Mellon, an arrogant turn-of-the-last-century industrialist and millionaire. He was torn to tatters by a scandalous divorce and, later, by opposing politicians. However, he transcended those humiliations by establishing the lavish National Art Gallery just before he died. "Andy" Mellon's life (1855-1937) stretched across critical years when the U.S. was transformed from an appendage of Europe to a superpower. His work as treasury secretary was held in such esteem that the Republican Party considered running him for president. However, even given his role as head of the Treasury, Mellon could not curtail the 1920s margin-buying stock market mania that led to the 1929 crash and the Great Depression. He is mostly remembered for the National Art Gallery and for his sex-scandal divorce fight. David Cannadine offers a highly readable biography, which is very balanced though Mellon's son, Paul, commissioned it. However, some readers may decide to skim through the extensive coverage of the politicized "Tax Trial," and Andy's ordinary trade in minor art and small firms. We highly recommend this extraordinary saga.

5 comments about Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir.

1. As a college drop out I am not what many people might consider well read. While school was never my strong suit, and studying was an event that rarely ever happened, I did manage to read a few great books along the way. My first and best semester of college I read Wait 'til Next Year. While I am not a fan of sports and am not competitive at all, this book was beautifully written and takes the reader on a tour through the author's life, all in the language of baseball. Using the sport as a way to framework the personal story was a wise choice as it gives great metaphors and context to the tale. I suppose I also have good memories tied into the novel as well, considering that I did really well grade-wise that semester and I remember really enjoying this book when I read it at that time.



2. Doris Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize winning author. She is a democrat and mostly she writes about politics. However several years back she took part in Ken Burns documentary film on baseball and portrayed her memories and love of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s and later as an adult in Massachusetts, the Boston Red Sox.
   
   This stimulated her to reflect on her childhood days as a Dodger fan and she decided to write a book about it. But as she carefully researched her memory and her past she found that it was all intertwined with her life groing up as an impresionable girl on Long Island in the 1950s. Her parents her friends and her future wriing career were all tied togehter. So this delightful book is a memoir of her childhood growing up and living and dying for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
   I am 55 years old, slightly younger than Goodwin but I too grew up in the 1950s on Long Island and can relate to many of her experiences. She discusses how she started learning about baseball and the Dodgers when her father taught her how to fill out a scorecard. In the evenings during their quiet time together she would use the scorecard like a cue to narrate the game she listened to on the radio that day. This brought the game to life for her father and created an interest in her in narration that carried on into a career of writing.
   
   The book flows marvelously and you see the world from the eyes of an impressionable grammar school girl. Goodwin is somehow able to go back and put herself back in the mind of that little naive child. We see her devotion to the Catholic church, the fear of polio in the ealry 1950s before the vaccines. I know this so well as I contracted polio in the summer of 1953 though I never got it so bad as to need an iron lung. We here of her confessions as she admitted to her priest that she wished harm on the Dodger opponents. We learn about the kids in the neighborhood, all Dodger, Giant or Yankee fans. I was a Yankee fan but my brother and all my friend that I played ball with as a kid were Dodger fans. The Dodgers were the most popular team in New York. They were the underdogs and the team for the common working man.
   
   Goodwin's first boyfriend was a boy she got to know because he was a Dodger fan and they could talk so comfortably about the Dodgers. This is a story about the Dodger players she admired; Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, Don Newcombe and Carl Furillo and the Yankees and Giants that she dispised, Mays, Mantle, Martin, Berra and others. It is a story about devotion and heartbreak; Bobby Thomson's home run, the story of Mickey Owens' dropped third strike. Billy Martin's heroics is 52 and 53. But it is also the thrill of 1955 when Dodger fans finally didn't have to say wait till next year.
   
   As all this goes on we also hear about her mother's health problems and her childhood girlfriends, the beginning years of television, the Army - McCarthy hearings, the cold war, the civil defense drills and the fallout shelters, memorable events for those growing up in the 1950s.
   
   



3. Most interesting for me since I am a "wait till next year" Red Sox fan. She's an excellent writer and commentator and this lives up to her standard.



4. Ms. Goodwin knows how to tell a good story. In addition to telling us about her childhood in a New York City suburb in the 1950s, she also talks about the changes America was going through in this time period: economic development and the impact on the family, the beginnings of the civil rights movement, the "end" of baseball as the American pasttime. The book is well-written and very enjoyable.



5. Great book. It inspires me to take my two little girls to games. I thoroughly enjoyed it.