5 comments about Before and After: Living and Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery.

1. This was an awful waste of money. Little more here than... "aren't I amazing, and having a good time now?" I have found some of her advice to be contrary to current medical thinking and I have found some of the products she sells - not to be in the best interest of post-op patients.



2. I really enjoyed this book. Unlike some other reviews I don't think that she came across snobby or stuck up or full of herself. I think she came across as a woman who had finally gained confidence and was finally getting a chance to experience life! Yes, she has money and therefor has the means to travel and go shopping and throw parties, but that shouldn't be a reason to not like this book. Susan Leach worked hard to achieve her goal, and I think her story was very inspiring. The only reason I gave it 4 stars was because I wish the book had been longer. Half of the book is recipes and I think she should have maybe only had 1/3 be recipes, and then most of the book devoted to her weight loss story. I think the only reason people don't like this book is because they are jealous of her life style. But I for one, really enjoyed it and it inspired me a great deal. I recommend it.



3. I have just finished reading this book. It is a great and informative book. Love the recipes!!!!!!



4. This author stole our name for our weight loss company then she put our name on her book--she lives in our neighborhood so I know she knew she was infringing on our name. I have no respect for her and her book sucks.



5. My sister gave me a copy of this book several months after I had
   bariatric surgery and I found I was able to relate to many of the
   experiences that the author captured in this book. I particularly
   enjoyed the author's positive outlook and encouraging way of conveying
   even the negative aspects of having such a life altering operation
   because not everything about having a Roux-En-Y operation is pleasant.
   
   I did not read the recipes she provided simply because my wife is Czech
   and does not allow me to cook anyway, but I am sure they offer some
   great ideas for those people finding it challenging to supplement their
   new diets with some good and healthy things to eat.
   
   It has now been nine months since I had my operation and I am down to
   192 lbs from a beginning weight of 332 lbs. As an engineer, and thus
   one that enjoys torturing data to a confession of what transpired, the
   one thing I would like to have seen the author include was some data
   documenting her progress following her operation. I guess I will just
   have to keep documenting my own progress and write my own book of
   experiences.
   
   On the whole, this is a very good book for someone considering bariatric
   surgery or anyone close to someone considering bariatric surgery to
   read. Prior to having my surgery I read a lot of factual information to
   gain a thorough understanding of what to expect. In retrospect, it
   would not have altered or influenced my decision to have the surgery,
   but I am sure I would have appreciated reading this book beforehand if
   for no other reason than to reinforce the positives of having the
   operation and hear about it first-hand from the perspective of someone
   that had gone through it. Sure, I read many testimonials, both pro and
   con, but none written as a journey of emotions, disappointments,
   failures, and successes through the changes experienced leading up to
   and following having the procedure done like this book captures.
   
   There is a lot more to consider than the obvious and this book does a
   good job either directly or indirectly - of pointing out many aspects
   that one should evaluate before making such a life changing decision.
   It is definitely worth reading and will certainly give you at least a
   few things to think about.

5 comments about The Passion of Ayn Rand.

1. Barbara Branden was associated with Ayn Rand from 1950 until 1968, when she and her husband had their tragic split with Rand. In 1986, she published this biography of Rand. In light of the split between the Brandens and Rand, I don't think anyone would claim that this is the "last word" on Rand. Yet it is a well researched biography based on approximately 200 interviews of people who knew Rand at various times in her life. Branden also interviewed Rand extensively before their split.
   
   Unfortunately, Branden didn't have access to Rand's papers, nor was she able to interview some of those who knew Rand best from the time of the split until Rand's death in 1982.
   
   For reasons I've discussed on the web, I don't think James Valliant and others have undercut the description of Rand presented here.



2. I am currently a law student who has an undergraduate degree in philosophy. I have spent much of my adult life studying Objectivism and integrating many of its principles into my life. I am not an "Objectivist," but I do consider myself a student of the philosophy.
   
   This book is not a fanatical denouncement of Rand, as some of the reviewers giving it a 1 star have claimed. Those that have read this book and have calmly reflected upon it, have absolutely no valid justification in giving it a 1. The author points out her own experiences with Ms. Rand, and gives her own interpretation as to Ms. Rand's psychology. The overall feeling of the book towards Ms. Rand is one of honest admiration, sincere fondness, and regretful sorrow. The theme throughout the book is that Ms. Rand struggled, achieved profound success, and experienced deep tragedy.
   
   Persons giving this book a 5 star rating, then going on to attack Ms. Rand's philosophy are despicably dishonest. The author's treatment of Objectivism is very positive. The only objections she has towards the philosophy are some of its applications to psychology (regarding free will and the origin of emotions). The author only really denounces the minority of individuals in the Objectivist movement that lack independence. If you want to understand Objectivism, read and think for yourself. But do not understand it through this biography, or the weak context-dropping reviews on this site. I suggest starting with some of the fiction if you aren't familiar with philosophy or the non-fiction if you are (either way, read the fiction eventually!) Then judge for yourself whether this philosophy is a great, complex, and powerful achievement, with positive practical application to all realms of man's life, or whether it is the 'over simplification' which the pseudo-intellectuals ramble on about in their reviews.
   
   I give this book a 4 because it doesn't adequately discuss Objectivism, which is central to understanding Ayn Rand. The author does make clear that any claimed problems in Ms. Rand's psychology were not a result of Objectivism, or vice versa. Ms. Rand was a great woman that gave to this world amazing works of fiction, and a philosophy which has already significantly impacted our culture. I do not know if everything said is correctly interpreted, or if every relevant context was given, but I do not believe that the author was being dishonest. If you want to get an inside look at Ms. Rand, read this book, and make sure to read some other sources too. Do not judge her philosophy based on your conclusion on this book, and do not judge her completely based just on what you have read in this book.



3. If you wish to continue hero worship or hatred of Ayn Rand, don't read this book. If you want a balanced view of this great Philosopher and Writer, it is a must read. I made an important decision after reading this book. I took my copies of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" and donated them to a local library. It gave me closure. It is a happy ending to the story that psychologist Nathaniel Branden was to go on professionally and evolve beyond Objectivism. He puts out an excellent tape called "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand." All praise to Barbara Branden for this book. Highly recommend reading Nathaniel Branden's "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem," his opus. Enjoy hearing the good parts of Objectivism combined with an understanding of human emotion in that book.



4. A biography of Rand written by the wife of the man she shared with Rand! Another chapter in the bizarre history of Ayn (rhymes with "mine") Rand. Not bad, but likely not too reliable as biography given that the early part of Rand's bio is based solely on her notoriously unreliable recall of past events, and that the latter part of it is based heavily on Branden's personal experience and memory, likely not to be objective (ha!) given her emotional closeness to the subject.
   
   However, it certainly appears more reliable than the weirdly awful Walker book reviewed elsewhere.
   
   Just read Atlas Shrugged, and if you really have to learn more about Ayn Rand, read this book with a jaundiced eye toward specific events and focus as much as you can on the good and bad of Rand.



5. Barbara Branden (and Nathaniel Branden) were two of Ayn Rand's closest associates from the time after publishing The Fountainhead through Atlas Shrugged and "the Collective" years. In the late 1960s there was a split between the Branden's and Ayn Rand following what Branden alleges was a 14 year affair between Rand and Nathaniel.
   
   In this book, Barbara Branden formulates a biography of Ayn Rand, from her childhood in Soviet Russia to her early years in Hollywood to her death in the early 1980s. She portrays Rand as a powerful mind who had the ability to captivate people that met her and as a woman of great genius. She also portrays Rand as having an array of psychological problems, particularly during the writing of Atlas Shrugged and the years that followed. She argues that Rand often repressed many of her psychological desires and wants in favor of her rational faculties, often at the expense of others. She details Rand's alleged affair with Nathaniel Branden and the events that lead to their ultimate split in 1968.
   
   I haven't read James Valliant's response to this book yet, however I am familiar with the standard Objectivist response to *anything* by a Branden. I don't think that Branden was as unfair to Rand. While she does point out Rand's failures, she also demonstrates Rand's powerful philosophy, intense motivation, hard work, and her genius. Frankly, I could care less for the drama between the Brandens and Objectivism. However, I do care about the work of Rand and the story of her life. I highly recommend this book to both Objectivists and non-Objectivists interested in Rand and her philosophy.

5 comments about In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution.

1. Imagine a time when there was no such phrase as "sexual harassment" yet its practice went on unchecked, a time when there were no domestic violence shelters for battered women, no rape clinics for victims of sexual violence, a time when the classified ads were divided into columns for "Male" and "Female" jobs...

   "In Our Time" is an excellent first hand account of Susan Brownmiller's experience of the women's movement. She has successfully integrated her own personal experience (as a journalist then as a scholarly writer) with that of her friends and enemies, the movers and shakers of the women's movement. Her work is infinitely readable and having both a scholarly reflection of the sequence of events coupled with her emotional account is riveting.

   Two major things emerge from this book. First, like most movements the women's movement was intensely grass-roots with all its heated emotions and disorganization. Made up (with a few exceptions) of young women, initial efforts at organization suffered from awkward leadership and infighting. Second, nevertheless, the issues women were fighting for struck such a chord across America that eventually the movement was comprised of women from all races and backgrounds - resulting in the successful passage of important legislation.

   Brownmiller's book would be an excellent addition to a women's history collection - one warning though, there are a ton of names of movement leaders peppered throughout the book and someone new to the history might be confused initially. A reading of a more scholarly book might be a good preface. Thanks Susan for a super book!




2. This was the most memorable book of my summer reading list. I loved it. Susan Brownmiller has thought carefully and insightfully about feminism's herstory. The little gems she recalls, like the (reluctant) appearance of 'feminist media stars' on particular television shows, grounds the larger story she is trying to tell. These little moments give the grander story that she is trying to tell a richness and an intensity that is unlike most histories (whether they are about feminism or any other movement).
   I know that the patterns and shifts that Brownmiller describes could only have been identified and interpreted with the passage of time. Still, I left the book with a sadness because I was born just enough too late to enjoy the heady days of feminism that she recounts in these pages. I am grateful that she left me convinced it was worth continuing to fight in the (vapid) post-feminist age that we are supposed to be living in now. I shall return to her words when I need a refill of feminist energy.



3. Many of the accomplishments of the feminist movement are now banal: the acknowledgement that sexual harassment is a real phenomenon, the acceptance of the principle of equal work for equal pay, the idea that women have rights in bed...Susan Brownmiller reminds us that until recently this wasn't the case and gives us her first-hand version of how these struggles resulted in a better reality for women today. She tells us about the early genesis of the movement and its links to the civil rights struggle, the anti-Vietnam war movement, and the New Left; and how in a short time it emerged a distinct force of its own.

   Descriptive and analytic without ever being polemical or strident, Brownmiller also describes her own role in the movement with candor and humaness -- and with the sense of humour that feminists were often accused of lacking.

   For those of us on the latter-peripheral end of the 60s and early 70s movement, this is a wonderful summary; and so that we treasure the progress that has been made, it should be read by those who care about social justice and how it is achieved.




4. Like the rest of the world I was fammillar with Ms. Brownmiller through her 1975 classic on rape, I was previously unaware to this time, the extent to which she had been involved in the feminist movement.

   Certainly, with Rosalyn Baxendal/Linda Gordon and Ruth Rosen, there is no shortage of insider accounts of the women's liberation movement, but this book manages to take the reader--whatever their perspective on feminism---to a deeper level than the other two.

   Aside from some clearly defensive behavior towards Gloria Steinem's popularity and past involvement with a Helsinki festival (Brownmiller uses emotion-ladden words to infer Steinem knew exactly how shady her actions were--but did it anyway) the book is impartially written and balanced, not an easy task when chronicling your own victories. Because the names mentioned in this book may be unfammilar to a large number of Americans, this book could have wound up as an enlarged ego trip, but name dropping is balanced with clear examples of street actions and demands.

   It would have been much easier to write off or down play the erractic behavior of some of the media-annointed (many of the early groups with New Left refugees rejected a hierarchy in favor of collective consensus) leaders of the women's movement, but Brownmiller sympathetically and crtically examines their contributions to the larger goal of eradicating sexism. As far out as some of these women were, their flamboyant media personalities were in retrospect what the movement needed to have impact long after the male left was delegitimized.




5. This is a most unusual work: a far-ranging account of a major social movement through the eyes of someone at the heart of the storm. The cast is enormous, with many well known personalities sharing the limelight once again with those whom history has unfortunately forgotten. Brownmiller is as involved and passionate about her cause (and prone to her trademark wiseacre remarks) today as she was then, and has things to say about many of her former compatriots that may cause embarassment. For all that, she has a lot of important thins to say, and I believe that this is an important book, that deserves to be read.

5 comments about It Seemed Important at the Time: A Romance Memoir.

1. It is quite irritating to read and re-read comments about Gloria Vanderbilt being unloved by her mother, her 'less than lucid' mother, or being harmed by a self absorbed mother. Perhaps those who believe these descriptions would do well to read "Double Exposure" by Gloria M. Vanderbilt and her twin, Lady Thelma Furness. This autobigraphy relates her mother's side of what happened at the custody trial (when wealthy, connected Aunt Gertrude 'won' little Gloria she no longer had an interest in her), the court allowed heresy and libel to colour testimonies and soil the reputation of mother and widow Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt as 'unfit'. Gloria M.'s own mother, Laura (little Gloria's grandmother) testified against her daughter at this trial with outrageous lies and unmotherly love. Read more about Grandma Laura's unstableness, selfishness, and self absorbsion (she left her oldest daughter at school in Paris during WW1 bombing seige). Grandma jetsetted around Europe shuttling her children to various boarding schools; she allowed her twins to move into a Manhattan apartment by themselves at age 16 to live there basically unsupervised. This was in 1922. Modern medical knowledge would most likely diagnose Grandma Laura as suffering from a neurological disorder. One wonders if it was passed down through the genes.
   Learn of Gloria M's motherly love and pain of being torn away from her only daughter and the lies spun on both sides to keep them apart. "Double Exposure" should be offered in tandem with any Gloria Vanderbilt autobigraphy. Both sides of the story should be known before one can truly pass any judgement, and even then pause and ask yourself if either one is truly glorious and deserving of gushing praise for a life of having a 'good time' and 'getting lots of lovin'.



2. This book lacks depth and leaves the reader feeling that we still don't know Gloria Vanderbilt. Also, why does she give the impression that she only has one living son? What kind of mother would disregard her two older children? Very sad.
   
   A much better book on the Vanderbilts is "Fortunes Children". I recommend it.



3. I never received this book. A notice was sent to me saying the book was unattainable at this time.



4. The book was much shorter than I thought, and the writing was a bit too scattered, too many side notes - but good. I would average it out to be a 3.5 and you will find it funny, interesting if you know the characters or have read much about them. When you think of them as people it becomes harder to grasp, but characters seems a more realistic yardstick to use. I love Gloria Vanderbilt, I admire her and feel that she deserves applause and praise, but this one didn't do it for me. Maybe a good book to take traveling.



5. Dear Gloria Vanderbilt, i am enjoying reading your wonderful book. Thank you!! sincerely,
   Joan Clement

5 comments about The Lois Wilson Story: When Love Is Not Enough.

1. For all those struggling with loved ones with the disease of alcoholism, this book is excellent.



2. The Lois Wilson Story: When Love is not Enough
   By: William G. Borchert
   Hazelden
   Center City, Minnesota 55012-0176
   
   Lois Wilson was an amazing, wonderful woman and the world is a better place because she and her husband were in it. Author William G. Borchert used his words to express this woman's life, her trials, tribulations, and sanctification. Lois Wilson was the co-founder of the Al-Anon, and Alateen fellowships. Her husband Bill Wilson was one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.
   
   This amazing book about her life starts as a flash back. It begins with introducing you to a very unhappy Lois in the early 1930's. Then it shifts to her beginnings. The book takes your hand and walks you through the entire life of Lois Wilson, her family, and some of her friends. It gives you explicit details about her life, how AA came about, Bill, and Al-Anon.
   
   Lois met her husband Bill, who was four years her junior, in Vermont. This would prove to be a love that stood the test of time and alcohol. They married in January, before he went of to fight in WWI. They had a beautiful wedding in her parent's house in Brooklyn, and they were married for fifty-three years.
   
   Lois's life with Bill was full of ups and downs. He was in the Army, and then an investigator on Wall Street. Bill was a genius. He began his drinking days when he was overseas, and it continued as it was seen as acceptable in his profession. This later carried on into him becoming an alcoholic.
   
   Lois was forced to be the breadwinner of the family as Bill's drinking got worse and cost them everything that they had. Through all the years that she went through with him having this horrible sickness, she began to change and harbor much resentment. To add to her pain she was unable to have children, and when they tried to adopt, a friend put a stop to it because of Bill's drinking. Later Mrs. Wilson came to realize that it was for the best that they did not have children, and she looked at all the alcoholics in AA as her dear children.
   
   As Bill started to recover after many hard years of his illness, Lois was still hurting inside with deep resentment, and anger. Bill formed Alcoholics Anonymous with Dr. Bob Smith, in Akron, Ohio. He found that the only way for him to stay sober was to be with another drunk. This revelation only injured the already wounded heart of Lois even more. She had wanted to be the reason and the one that caused her husband to be sober and to stay that way.
   
   As the fellowship of AA continued to grow, one day Lois went out on the porch and noticed that there were other wives just sitting in the cars that lined the street. She went out to the other women and invited them in. She had a revelation that there were others out there hurting just as badly as she from this horrible alcohol demon. Thus started her little kitchen group. As the years progressed, this kitchen group concept developed into what is now Al-Anon. They followed the same twelve steps that AA did, but they also had their own twelve steps to follow as well.
   
   Once it was realized that the children were being left out Lois, and some of the volunteers who helped with Al-Anon decided that something needed to be done for them, thus the dawning of Alateen. It was headed by one of the original volunteers, and each group was set up to be fostered by an Al-Anon member. Lois took particular interest and joy over the group for the children.
   
   Because of the will and determination of Bill and Lois wisdom, there is now what is called a "cure" for alcoholics, and their families. Alcoholism is a disease that effects all members of a family, co-workers, and even some people in the community. Monumental steps were made by these two amazing people, and none of it would have happened if Lois had not stayed by Bill's side.
   
   This is a story about heartache, pain, stamina, faith, and above all love. God had both Lois and Bill Wilson here for a reason, and I believe that they fulfilled their calling. Mr. Borchert did a wonderful job of telling the story, and letting the reader feel that they also personally knew Lois Wilson. This was a hard life to read about, but I learned a lot from the experiences in the pages. I hope that God will use this book to expand understanding about alcoholism, and the strong family that it takes to support one.



3. This book should be available through every public library for those who do not have it on their own shelf.



4. This was very well done, and I think illustrated Lois Wilson's personality. One topic I wish the author had added a little more detail on is the issue of co-dependency.



5. Excellent book and tranaction. Received as promised and in excellent shape.
   Thanks you Seller

5 comments about Comfort from a Country Quilt.

1. This is a read that can be completed in one day. It's full of inspiration and humor that Reba fans will enjoy. Courage, hard work, passion are the family values that are hard to find in books these days. Thanks, Reba for sharing what everyone needs to hear.



2. Generally speaking, if you are looking for a breezy, cheery little book with a relentlessly positive spirit, you will not be disappointed.
   
   There were many things I enjoyed about this book, the chatty snippets from Reba's childhood, her proud stories about her son Shelby, "backstage" stories, like how she broke her leg and performed anyway, and so on.
   
   And while I enjoy her cheery tone, at times I consider this tone to be a weakness, because everything is discussed through this rosy-lens, even when some of the subject matter would seem to merit more sober treatment. Take, for example, her literary treatment of her sister Alice, who has a seriously disabled child. At one point she writes that her niece has taught everyone, "Being perfect ain't all it's cracked up to be," which, without more clarification, sounds almost - well, dismissive of disabilities. I have no doubt that Reba is wonderfully empathetic and supportive and all those great things with Alice, but that doesn't really come across in the book.
   
   Anyway, this book mostly works as a folksy country backporch talk, or a cozy conversation with friends, or even a collection of random interesting memories. I'm just not sure why it is billed as a book of comfort. If you've got real problems, I doubt you'll find real inspiration here. But then, if you've got real problems, you probably know that one book alone won't help you solve them.
   
   Reba is due for another book. I'd be quite interested in the same type of book, an interesting, random, upbeat collection of memories of motherhood, vacations, being on Broadway, working on Reba, and so on. Especially if it was illustrated (hint hint!!)
   
   But I'd also love if she wrote a book that took a more serious, honest look at - well, whatever she felt like sharing with people, whatever she was willing to reveal, or thought was important to say. But perhaps that is the type of book people don't like to write until they slow down. And for now, Reba shows no signs of doing that, with everything she's got on her plate.



3. Book was ok at best. I had previously read her book, My Story so I didn't expect this to be more of..."My Story". Anyway, brain candy kind of book.



4. I enjoyed reading this book immensely. It was so touching and inspirational. Reba is a very loving and kindhearted person. She expresses her true feelings in this book. It's a book that will remain on my nightstand forever. Don't miss out on reading it. You won't regret it, believe me.



5. I found myself reading with Reba's voice in my head. Very good reading.

3 comments about All Cracked Up: Experiencing God in the Broken Places (Women of Faith).

1. I have gone to a women of faith conference,and i love this author.I was thoroughly prepared to enjoy it,and i did. Patsy really is a petite woman, but she is a dynamic speaker irl, and it translates to her book. I could just hear her voice in the pages.
   If you are contemplating going to a WOF conference, i recommend it. It truly is a life changing experience.



2. Patsy Clairemont's book is great. You can use it as a devotional and her outlook on life is so funny, yet she shows you God is in it all.



3. It's a funny yet serious book.....I have bought one and sent it to a friend. Mine I read then share with others, Pass Around the Good Feelings You Get From Reading Them. This was a great great book that I think any woman can relate too, and leaves you smiling.

4 comments about A Backward Glance: An Autobiography.

1. This autobiography which really gives a feel for the times in, which Wharton lived as well as for her own life experiences, contains some the most stunningly succinct annecdotes I've ever read. Wharton is truly brilliant at conveying the importance of literature in her life and sharing the possibilities of the literary life with her reader. She reaches through time to inform us of universals and redefine our value systems without being the least bit pedantic. She is a genius. And her autobiography is as entertaining and resonant as a great novel.



2. Such a lovely child, so patient and well behaved. New York and its society are made magic by her eyes. The opening sections of this memoir are a delight as Mrs. Wharton recounts the sights and feel of New York City in the 1870's. I liked it that she gave us a knee-high view of taking a walk with her beloved father and meeting his friends along the way. (She could never tell what the people's faces looked like, as her view only extended to their knees). Her total recall of her very best bonnet is amazing, and a very pretty bonnet it must have been.

   If there is such a person as a "born writer," Edith Wharton is that person. Before she could write, she made stories, and situations "flew around her head like mosquitoes." The world she lived in had no place or interest in a writing lady, so she made her own world, and it was a life-long undertaking.

   When Mrs. Wharton received her first acceptance of publication, she was so excited she "ran up and down the staircase in glee." I couldn't have been more surprised if I had read that George Washington played kickball in the back yard. Mrs. Wharton rarely lets you see anything but a very reserved and proper Victorian lady. Yet she did get a divorce (though it is never mentioned.), she lived almost her entire adult life abroad; she compartmentalized her friends like a butterfly collector, and had no interest in being part of the New York society she describes so well. When she was well into her writing career on a family visit to New York, she was invited to a dinner party where she was told a "Bohemian" would be one of the guests. When she got there, she discovered that she herself was the "Bohemian" in question.

   The book has a wonderful introduction by that fine author of New York manners, Louis Auchincloss, who is obviously fond of Mrs. Wharton, but not intimidated. Mrs. Wharton has a couple of insightful (and often hilarious) chapters on Henry James that are alone worth the price of the book. But then there are the "friends." I felt I was being buried in endless pages of formal introductions to people I had never heard of, who wrote books that were never read, who gave parties which are long forgotten, and men who were great conversationalists according to Mrs. Wharton, though the witticisms she quoted were so arch and refined, I felt they belonged in bad drawing room comedy.

   The book reads well, except for the stretches of introductions. Mrs. Wharton firmly believes that if you can't speak well of someone, you shouldn't speak of him or her at all. Not a bad idea at that




3. In this orderly collection of autobiographical sketches Edith Wharton - generously and with nearly photographic recall - begins by inviting readers into her early life in nineteenth-century New York. We are treated to its cast of characters, old New York, country life up the Hudson River, the clothes, the houses, and the remarkable (and unremarkable) personalities - Washington Irving was a friend of the family - as well as the sensibilities of a sociable, bright, and wonderfully observant little girl.

   Edith began to read so early that it surprised her upper-class (but unintellectual) family. Before long she became an "omnivorous reader," happiest plowing through the volumes of the classics in her father's library. She soon found that she required time alone - to invent characters, to make up stories. She knew that she had to write fiction - from childhood on, despite realizing by young adulthood that "in the eyes of our provincial society authorship was still regarded as something between a black art and a form of manual labor." Of the social imperative to closet one's writing urges she elaborates: "My father and mother were only one generation away from Sir Walter Scott, who thought it necessary to drape his literary identity in countless clumsy subterfuges, and almost contemporary with the Brontes, who shrank in agony from being suspected of successful novel-writing." The idle rich, Wharton makes clear, were intended to stay idle - and not busy themselves with writing, especially for (horrors!) pay. Her descriptions of her early popular successes are memorable.

   In subsequent chapters Wharton lays out her well-thought-out opinions regarding childhood, self-discovery, the formation of the writer's imagination and intellect, and the importance of finding one's own way - as an intellectual and as a social being. There is dry humor, too. She treasured good literature and good conversation - and pursued (and found) them throughout her life. She loved beautiful things and places, too. Finally, she describes her sojourns abroad (mainly England, France, and Italy) and the relationships and places that sustained her and nurtured her creativity, her productivity - and her soul.

   Lifelong friends play a central role in much of this memoir. She describes people well, without breaches of privacy or confidences. This is not at all limiting. She writes tenderly of the blossoming of her friendship with "American gentleman" Egerton Winthrop, a man of "cultivated intelligence," a shy, physically awkward man whom Wharton considered "the most perfect of friends." Others were George Cabot Lee, Vernon Lee, Howard Sturgis, Geoffrey Scott, Percy Lubbock, and most of all, Henry James, who is drawn wonderfully (and not uncritically) in this book. Of her friendship with James she remarks "The real marriage of two minds is for any two people to possess a sense of humor or irony pitched in exactly the same key, so that their joint glances at any subject cross like interarching search-lights."

   I loved this memoir, and greatly admired Wharton's ability to reveal herself and her world so fully and well.




4. Edith Wharton wrote "The Age of Innocence" (I believe it won the Pulitzer), the only fiction she wrote that I have truly liked--and an excellent book. She also wrote much nonfiction, and I have enjoyed her travel writing very much.

   In this book, Ms. Wharton reflects on her childhood and adulthood to middle age. (A short biography of her life is included in the introduction by Louis Auchincloss.) She speaks of her parents and growing up in 'Old New York' and living on the Gold Coast of New England with her husband.

   Ms. Wharton was a great friend of several men of letters who were prominent during her era, including Henry James. Her writing describes these relationships in part. She may have had an affair with one of them (not James), but unlike writers of today, more is not said than said. Mrs. Wharton divorced her husband in an era when it was not the best thing to do if one wished to remain a member of high society. She seems to have cast off New York society and moved to France to live permantly after her divorce. If you're interested in the story behind the story in "The Age of Innocence" this book is a good resource.

   In addition to her early years in America and later years in France, this book covers some of Ms. Wharton's travels in France and the Mediterranean. The most evocative sections cover her experiences in a trip to the French front in WWI. During WWI, she became a reporter and sent information to a New York newspaper on a regular basis.

No comments about The Souls of Purgatory: The Spiritual Diary of a Seventeenth-Century Afro-Peruvian Mystic, Ursula de Jesús (Dialogos Series).

5 comments about Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak.

1. This is a collection of essays from a liberal feminist point of view, a side of Islam that isn't normally represented in mainstream media. The women represented are mostly involved in change, whether it be of their religion or society around them (as liberals often are).
   
   This is an important book for those who think all Muslims think the same way to read. Whether you agree with what the women say or not--and I imagine many people will not--at the very least it can show you that there are different views of Islam just like there are of Christianity and Judeism. Just like Christian liberals who think the church must change for its own good, these liberals talk a lot about how their love for Islam makes them want to shape it for the modern age. You don't have to agree with them, but you can feel their devotion to their religion and have to admire their strength.
   
   Living Islam Out Loud is a challenge to pretty much everything--from conservative Islam to the prejudice facing Muslims from mainstream America. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it, and that is a place to start from.



2. This book isn't very representative of most Muslim women in America or the issues they face and consider important. I've been a Muslim since I was 10 and have lived in two different cities. Of all the Muslim women I have met, none really cared about being an imam, including Muslim women raised in the US all their lives (that's a majority of the Muslim women I know). None have ever wanted to lead a mixed gender salat. We realize that some brothers do have a rather patriarchial understanding of Islam but we try to change from within the framework of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. That's why we're Muslim. We believe that the Qur'an and Sunnah should be our ultimate guide. Too many of the women in the book seemed to have an utter disregard for the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Fornication is wrong according to the Qur'an and Sunnah and there is no way to justify it as a Muslim. Homosexuality is wrong according to the Qur'an and Sunnah and there is no way to justify it as a Muslim. Hijab is mandated in Qur'an and Sunnah and it is mandated for Muslim women to marry Muslim men in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Somehow the essayists of this book missed these points.
   
   In addition, I didn't find any of their suggestions (which weren't many) to be revolutionary. Asra Nomani says their need to be more women on the board of directors of masjids as if there aren't any masjids in America where there are women on the board. My mother has been on the board of her masjid for quite some time. In addition, she chairs two other committees. Most of the women who my mother has befriended also hold leadership positions and are working, professional women.
   
   Many of the essays seemed like whiny tirades about mistreatment and abuse that may or may not have been the result of a warped interpretation of Islam. Frankly, many of their issues can be seen in any culture, Islamic or not.



3. This book is very inspiring and motivational in its depictions of several Muslim American women activists and feminists and the obstacles they've had to overcome in voicing opinions that are often unheard or, worse, intentionally ignored by chauvinistic Muslims. I'm glad they came out with a book like this, especially one that is more reflective of the progressive outlook which many Muslims (myself included) would like to see more of.
   
   However, I do think readers should be aware much of the content described in the book probably isn't reflective of the opinions held by most Muslim American women. As another reviewer noted, most of the women in the book are activists working for a change in their communities in the face of what they see as oppressive or patriarchal attitudes. The positions taken by some on women prayer leaders in mixed congregations, segregation in mosques, sexuality and homosexuality, and even women in leadership roles are not issues many religious Muslim American women see as a 'problem' or anti-female and in need of reinterpretation. Many would most likely disagree with these authors' solutions, as I'm sure some of them might probably disagree on certain issues amongst themselves.
   
   Hopefully with more honest and open-minded literature by Muslims like this book, Muslim men and women alike will at least be better aware of the 'reality' of Islam in America which we must deal with, whether one agrees with others' viewpoints or not. Hearing everyone's voice is the most important idea to take from this book.



4. I wanted to find out how Muslim women in the USA live their religion. For me, therefore, I didn't want to only hear from Muslim feminists rallying for their cause. I wanted to also hear from American Muslim women who were satisfied with the way they lived their religion here in the USA and what they liked about their religion and why Christianity didn't seem fitting for them. I didn't get that. And many of the chapters simply seemed like "rah, rah, let's change this and that!" It was like going to a political rally for one side. I didn't feel like I learned a heck of a lot.



5. As an American woman who is considering converting to Islam, this book gave me a much needed window into the life of Muslim women. The personal stories told in this book present both the positive and the negative aspects of Islam in terms of a female experience. I consider it a useful resource for any woman is considering Islam, or anyone who wants to get a realistic understanding of the position of women in Islam.