5 comments about High Infatuation: A Climber's Guide to Love and Gravity.

1. I read High Infatuation as a way to gain some inspiration to keep me rock climbing and also to get some insight into the sport. Steph Davis is one of the top female climbers in the world and has accomplished several firsts for women in the sport so I was excited to get her book and read about her experiences. When I bought the book I had expected it to be more of a memoir, but I have to say I was really pleased with the essay format.
   
   High Infatuation is a collection of journal entries, photos and published articles by Davis as she finished difficult climbs through the years. While I probably would have preferred the essays to be in chronological order, or at least given more background so we understood where she was at the time and where she was coming from, I don't think it was necessary. Once I got to the end of the book I could see why she ordered it the way she did. If I had to read six essays about Patagonia in a row, I may have ended up getting bored with the book. Each of her quests was amazing to read about, with the last one (the Salathe wall in Yosemite) being my favorite. Her attempt of the Salathe in Yosemite was a difficult climb for her and it made me realize that even the pros still have challenges when it comes to climbing (that's why they're still climbing, right?).
   
   The photos in the book really helped me to understand better what she was talking about. They also made me want to get out and climb right away. Unfortunately my climbing partner has a bruised rib so we haven't been out in a few weeks, but hopefully we'll get out there before the weather gets too much warmer (it was 103 here yesterday!). This book definitely inspired me as much as I hoped it would ... but it also made me realize how much I still have to learn about rock climbing. There are about ten techniques I have written down that I have to go look up now and beg someone to teach me about. But then I just have to remind myself that Steph Davis has been climbing for more than 15 years and I feel a little better about my novice climbing skills.
   
   In the book I also loved the short clips she included. There was one about running that was only about two paragraphs long, but it was a beautiful image of running and why it feels so great. If you're a climber and want some inspiration (and tons of words you may not have heard before), then I'd recommend checking out this book.



2. Steph Davis has done it all in climbing and in life. This is one inspiring read that will have you selling up, packing the car and just wanting to climb.
   
   Details her career from humble beginnings at university, Patagonian epics, to first big wall ascents and Yosemite. Follow the tale of how one woman had the courage and will to live the life of her dreams.



3. As climber Steph Davis recounts her many adventures, travels, routes, and hang-ups, High Infatuation becomes a sort of journal, a stockpile of experience and reflection. When I began reading the book, I expected a standard narrative, a chronological movement through her climbing life. What I found instead was, as I mentioned, much more like a conversation with an energetic friend- one who tells a story as it comes to mind rather than as it happened.
   
   Depending on the sort of reader you are, this might be appealing or disappointing, but I imagine that, if you are a climbing enthusiast, you will enjoy it nonetheless. Davis does succeed at recounting her climbs with detail and drama. She introduces an emotional element into the sport that you just can't get from most climbing books. And she includes dozens of photos from her travels that add even more depth and realism to her stories.
   
   On the whole, Davis never lets the reader forget her humanness. She gives an honest account of her life as a climber and, perhaps more importantly, as a female climber. She is vulnerable, at times eloquent, at times not, full of questions, and persistent- in both her climbing life and her thinking life.



4. A climbing memoir, less self-obsessed and more literate than most, often humorous, sometimes philosophical. Contains chapters on various expeditions and adventures. I got tired of Davis' complaints about Yosemite rangers but otherwise would definitely recommend this to readers interested in the topic.



5. Steph gives an honest and open view into what drives her as a climber and as a human. She offers hope as to what is possible mentally and physically. She truely demonstrates how the decisions we make, sometimes in a quick second, can alter our lives forever. I will read this book again and again whether I am looking for inspiration in climbing and in life. thanks!

No comments about Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries Of Housewife, 49.

4 comments about Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism: A Woman's Crusade (Politics and Society in Twentieth Century America).

1. Ms Schlafly's world-view would be laughable if it were not so intolerant.



2. Donald T. Critchlow has written a timely and much needed examination of the rise of conservatism in American political culture through the life of Phyllis Schlafly. For too long Schlafly's importance has been obfuscated by historians intent on discrediting her rather than noting her importance. Critchlow fills this gap. He brings to life Schlafly's political career beginning in the anticommunist fervor of the 1950s to her role in shaping Republican defense policy during the 1970s to the fight over the ERA. He also includes an important assessment of Schlafly's present political activities.
   
   Based on extensive archival research from various libraries and institutions, Critchlow's examination of Schlafly deserves the attention it has already received by the academic community and the press, including such publications as the New Yorker. This prestigious magazine included Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism as one of its fall book selections, which testifies to the book's important insights and balanced interpretation.



3. Finally, Phyllis Schlafly gets her scholarly due. While historians have focused on the periphery of politics -- dwelling into ever narrow corners and cracks of the American Left -- Phyllis Schlafly has had no honest assessment. Plenty of dishonest, superficial assessment based on hand-me-down "that terrible woman" stories, but little more. (...).
   
   Professor Critchlow is the dean of U.S. policy historians and he has taken a brave step tackling a figure so unpopular among academics. Then again, I am reminded of that member of the chattering classes who said, "I can't believe Nixon won , I don't know a single person who voted for him!" Critchlow batters that academic insularity to explain how and why Schlafly's message spawned "grassroots conservatism." Let's hope some who would rather not hear, do listen.
   
   The alternative offered by Critchlow's study is, to take a quote from one of her best-selling titles,
   
   "A Choice, Not an Echo" of the silly things constantly said
   about her and other movement conservatives.
   
   Wake up historians (left or right), you have nothing to lose but your ignorance!
   
   Jonathan Bean
   Southern Illinois University



4. Donald T. Critchlow, the ever-prolific profssor of policy studies has performed a daunting task. In this book, he wrote a critical but balanced biography of Phyllis Schlafly.
   
   Schlafly is the female new right activist who claims sole responsibility for defeating the Equal Rights Amendment in 1982. Previous biographies about her were blatantly partisan projects because their authors either attacked or fawned over their subject. The long-time far right activist engenders strong feelings among people familiar with her work; you either love or hate her.
   
   Phyllis Schlafly first appeared in national politics in 1964. That year, she wrote `A choice: Not an echo' which tried to explain why Goldwater was the `sensible' choice. Yet, because Johnson then-rode public sympathy over the Kennedy assassination, he won a landslide and she temporarily receded from public view. After fallout with the National Federation of Republican Women, she formed her own women's organization, the Eagle Forum.
   
   The Eagle Forum's veritable heyday came in the late 1970's/early 1980's when Schlafly came back onto the national stage. She became the New Right's favorite speaker against feminism/`Women's Lib'. Although Schlafly herself was a Harvard-trained lawyer and accomplished political activist, she instead emphasized that she was `just a housewife' who genuinely enjoyed mothering six kids. Schlafly consequently allowed the male conservatives to oppose ERA ratification efforts without themselves appearing sexist; `They' also supported women participating in politics.
   
   This woman speaking out against women's liberation also made for effective media coverage because it exposed political divisions among women themselves. The women who joined anti-ERA ratification efforts were older, more religious and had less formal education than their pro-ERA counterparts. Viewing homemaking as their identity, `pro family' women felt that the ERA ultimately called their own self-worth into question. Because they were so content with their homemaking role they did not want to concede that the same role was fact limiting for other women who wanted something else/more and freedom to pursue their freedoms. Having strictly defined social and legal limits thus gave ERA opponents the illusion of security even if the world did not always run as smoothly.
   
   Schlafly ironically has experienced her own sex discrimination. In spite of her best efforts, Ronald Reagan did not appoint her Secretary of Defense. She also has failed to get herself elected to public office. Despite MANY attempts made over the past 30 years---the `giant citizen base' which she always claims to speak on behalf of ultimately never transformed into electoral votes. These failures alternately prevent and save Schlafly from being held accountable by the `taxpayers'. She would not be able to function in an environment which demands a certain degree of party and/or ideological bipartisanship.
   
   Schlafly's positions for creationism, one-size-fits all reading instruction, and opposition to vaccines are noticeably downplayed by many other conservatives. Many other conservatives know that those areas do not deliver enough voters in order for them to win an election. Because most people continue to support the `liberal' position in these areas, Schlafly's influence ironically is restricted to certain `women's issues'. For somebody who considers herself an `honorary male' such political limits must be the ultimate irony.
   
   Critchlow notes that she continues to control the Eagle Forum, despite the token mentoring of younger conservative women who now join this organization through collegiate and youth chapters. The Eagle Forum remains an active force in American politics, but increasingly is being supplanted by `younger' organizations like the Independent Women's Forum who have a `fresh' appearance and concede the feminist movement has some merits such as the Independent Women's Forum. Because any organization needs regular officer elections/leadership changes in order to keep their group fresh and responsive to member needs and the charter, I am curious what will happen to the Eagle Forum when Schlafly dies?
   
   He also examines the contradictions between Schafly's public gay-bashing and herself having a gay son. In 1992 John Schlafly was outed as gay, verifying that GLBT people do come from all families. Schlafly is the first to insist that she did everything `right' and promoted heterosexuality, but still cannot explain away her son's sexuality. Presently, Schlafly does less public attacking of gays than the other new right organizations, but she still labels them a threat---essentially labeling her own son a threat. John's public support for mom's political activities actually might belie a more complicated private relationship as a result.
   
   This book's only real flaw is that in addition to a portrait of Schlafly, Critchlow then attempts to talk about the American right in general at some depth. He argues the conservative movement impacted American politics, even if not in the exact ways which the groups and/or public figures intended.
   
   Although it's necessary to know that Schlafly's ultimate start in politics came as a researcher for the infamous red-hunter Senator Joseph McCarthy (R Wisconsin), a discussion of the right in general does not work in this same book. Agreeing that some comparison of leadership similarities and differences among other new right women is needed at some point, I think that he veered off his thesis during a lot of this other material and forgot what this particular book was supposed to be about during those points. These portions of his book are still scholarly, but subsequently become a case of trying to do too much with too little pages. Critchlow would have been better served by writing a second general book on the American right and gender.

4 comments about War Child: Growing Up in Adolf Hitler's Germany.

1. I was honored to be able to buy this book directly from the author when she attended our women's Spring Luncheon as our Guest Speaker. She was so kind as to sign it for me with a German dedication. Although I was born an American, my children both carry German passports. I am glad for this opportunity to share with them the story of their country through the eyes of someone who was there to experience it all first hand.

   We are already planning to buy her next book, War Bride, and read more about her experiences with immigration.




2. What a book! What a storyteller! I remember a few snippets from freshman English class that you shared with us, but the opportunity to glimpse the whole picture was a rare treat I've been looking forward to.

   I once read an account by an "undercover" war correspondent- who attended a speech by Hitler, and found himself so moved and overwhelmed by his speaking prowess that he suddenly found himself cheering and shouting with the rest of the crowd. You communicated that same spirit, that same awesome power of the prevailing tide. I feel one lesson that Nazi Germany teaches us is how dangerous unchecked government can be: how it can creep into and start to control our daily lives -with the best of intentions- and soon compromise our freedoms and even our right to independent thought. I very much appreciate and value your perspective as one who has lived through such a strict (and successful!) propaganda machine. I strongly feel if we just trust in our elected leaders and let them satisfy our wants and desires in exchange for ever-increasing tax rates the United States will soon cease to exist as we know and love it.

   On the other hand, I'm forced to be impressed by what the Third Reich was able to accomplish; how a broken and defeated nation at the end of WWI was able to come within a stone's throw of conquering the world. It's been said that if Hitler hadn't imprisoned all of the (Jewish) scientists... Germany would have developed the A-bomb before the United States and ended the war on their terms. Germany already had a more reliable rocket (V-2) than we did! What also strikes me is the wealth of development that Germany saw before and early in the war - the autobahn, fine, new schools (for loyal party members of course), the housing and works programs and impressive social motivations to join the Nazi party always reflected Hitler's genius side (not the other side of his personality that wrought great suffering and evil). How insightful he was regarding human nature though - how else could he have enticed so many to join his crusade.

   In one part of your book I actually stopped reading and contemplated how beautiful the writing is - how descriptive and wonderful the wording; when you described the morning of your departure and the breathtaking surroundings you were so familiar with that I truly felt the natural wonder - and the love you had for your home.

   Thank you again for letting me share in your story. I will be recommending this book to my friends!!




3. We are grateful to have learned of this book when it was first published in spring 2003. It gives an unusual and unfortunately rarely noted perspective about German life from 1933-45 as experienced by an ordinary person and family in a small town. Annelee tells her own story in a very open and honest way, from the early days when she wanted to wear the uniform of the Hitler Youth, to the terrifying end days of the war when urban Germany was virtually destroyed. This is not an academic study of war theories; it is about what really happens to a people when their government chooses a tragic course.



4. Ms. Woodstrom's first publication will help you understand the reason so many Germans viewed Hitler and his promises the way they did before and during WWII. This book is a first hand account from the author, presented in her voice at the various stages of her life during this time. She tells of the day-to-day life of her family and community and captures the perceptions that people had about Hitler, the economy, the reasons for this war and the drastic changes in their lives. It's a real insight into the struggles and the challenges and yes, even the joyful times. "War Child" not only kept me reading far into the night, it also left me feeling like I want to know more...what happened to her family, her neighbors and her town after she left? I have a new appreciation for the freedom and abundance here in America. This book is suitable for all ages.

5 comments about Granuaile: Ireland's Pirate Queen C. 1530-1603.

1. Anne Chambers is the authority on Granuaile O'Malley, and she has written the definitive scholarly work in this biography on her.



2. Anne Chambers' book provides a fascinating and inspiring glimpse into the life of an extraordinary Irish woman. Ms Chambers does an excellent job painting a picture of life in Ireland during the 16th century and the role of women in Ireland through the ages. Anyone traveling to Ireland or interesting in Irish history and the role of women in Irish society will benefit from reading this biography.



3. It's my fault really but this book is just not what I was looking for and I could not get through it.



4. This book was excellently written. To the person who said the anti-christian statements were not true- Let me guess? Your a christian right. Thats the problem with christians, they still deny the truth no matter what. Christianity has always been a man's religion and its the most degrading religion to women and womens rights that has ever existed. I'm glad this author had the guts to be more unique and unconventional to tell the TRUTH. Sorry Christians. I know you never appreciate that.



5. I'm an O'Malley, so you can bet I was looking forward to this book. However, with all due respect to the author, at least in the early going, this book contains some anti-Christian, radical feminist claims that put into question the integrity of the rest of it. For instance, on page 17-18 (paperback edition) the author states: "The writings of the early Christian saints, such as Paul, John, Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine, reflected the degraded position of women in Roman society. Augustine wrote of the 'horrible beastliness of women'..."
   
   Not surprisingly, the author can not substantiate this claim and therefore does not give reference to the original source documents in her endnotes as she does with other claims. Don't get me wrong, there is no doubt that the period in which Granuaile lived was male dominated, and at times, shamefully so. However, that doesn't give an author a license to try to right any injustices by yet another injustice.
   
   It's a shame that the apparent good intentions of this author were laid waste by her seeming desire to bash males and Christianity. A biographer should, at the very least, seek, know and uphold the truth, and then tell the good, the bad and the ugly in an even handed way. This isn't too much to ask.

5 comments about Autobiography of a Geisha.

1. This book almost brought me to tears. It really, really did. Sayo's life, as depicted in her memoir, was filled with such unhappiness and pain that I just can't figure out how she was able to live through it. And she did.
   
   The book starts out with Sayo's earliest memories, working as a nursemaid, knowing no kindness, only sorrow and pain. Finally she is sold to a geisha house, where she is tormented by her Elder Sisters and the Mother of the house. She eventually has enough of the geisha life and heads out into the world, only to be stricken with poverty and more pain. The rest of the story weaves the tale of her becoming a prostitute, involved with a Korean gang, finding forbidden love, and her beloved brother's suicide. Even until the very end of the book, she has nothing and no one. It is only in the new epilogue do we find out that Sayo was able to make a fine living by becoming a chef and opening a bar/restaurant.
   
   This book was so moving and touching. It shows that the life of geisha weren't all glamor, kimono, white faces, and popularity. This book actually shows the pain and suffering certain geisha went through. I think because of this, this book changed my life. It showed me how good my life is and how I should never take anything for granted. I should do everything in my power to help other people who are less fortunate than I am, which was a point stressed very much so by Sayo.
   
   The writing was strong and fluid, never once wavering and I'm sure it stayed true to the power of the Japanese version. I felt for the characters in this book and how tragic their lives were. All in all, this was a great book. Heartwrenching, but great. It really, truly was.



2. Although her writing style seems sparse, Sayo clearly illustrates the wretched life she lived from childhood into adulthood. Despite the many misconceptions of what geisha really are, this book showed another side of what it was like to be a geisha. Not all geishas lives were full of money, fame, and glamour. And I think that her story ought to be recognized among the readers of "Memoirs of a Geisha". I think that it'll give them a another, more realistic view of what it was like for most Japanese girls who were sold into being geisha.



3. I was expecting a difference from Memoirs, but WOW! What an intresting and sad life for these women. Makes me more than ever to be proud to be born an AMERICAN woman!



4. The flavor of a Japan gaijin -- and many locals -- never see. I've always loved the romanticized versions of geisha life, but this portrays the everyday, humdrum details as well as the not-so-pleasant aspects. I pay lots of lip service to the luck I had being born in the latter half of the twentieth century, with enough money to allow me to get an education and chart my own life. Reading this makes me realize again that, for many people, my life is beyond luxurious.



5. I ran across this while browsing in the library so I decided to check it out. Interesting story about Sayo Masuda and her life as a poor girl from Japan who winds up becoming a Geisha in the hot springs district. I didn't find the story particularly sad, in fact, I really didn't feel any kind of emotion while reading this story. Her experiences and recollections gave good insight into her life as a Geisha and her life after she left the profession. She struggled but eventually overcame. OK. The writing style really made this a reader-friendly story and the translation was quite good. I couldn't help but think of the movie Memoirs of a Geisha while reading this. Worth a read.

5 comments about Mr. Jefferson's Women.

1. Thomas Jefferson is one of the most troubling characters among America's founding fathers. He penned the immortal ideals of freedom and equality in the Declaration of Independence. We, from our modern perspective, also like the fact that he was an intellectual and that he brought refreshing informality to the White House. In recent years, his reputation has been tarnished by re-examination of his disturbing political tendencies. (See for example, John Adams and Negro President: Jefferson and the Slave Power). This book provides additional insights into Jefferson's character by examining his relation to the women in his life, and the insights add more tarnish to Jefferson's reputation that go beyond the understandably archaic attitudes that might belong to a man of his time. As clearly documented here, "all men created equal" applied no more to women than to blacks in Jefferson's mind. Each woman discussed here provides additional perspective. As to the Sally Hemings controversy, Kukla carefully lays out enough circumstantial details to undermine the most strident doubter.
   
   A fine book, worthy of a wider audience.



2. I really enjoyed reading this book. The author wrote it in a way that both educates and compells you to read more. I found it hard to put down. My favorite parts were very personal, real-life events that made Mr. Jefferson even more real to me. My favorite is, during his presidency, an account of his chosen attire while welcoming a Rep. of the British King. He was wearing well worn slippers that he tossed around on his toes (priceless!). I also found the additional quotes and excerpts of letters from people such as Abigail Adams and others a welcome addition. Kudos to the author for such an insighful, wonderful, well thought out book about Jefferson and the various forms of relationships with women during his life.



3. Just when you thought you had read everything...Jon Kukla presents a very readable portrait of Jefferson's "relationships" with women--which leads to new insights about this great man--and, more interestingly, his attitudes towards women in general. The final chapters about his broader view of women as a threat to republican government place Jefferson in the context of his time. There is a remarkable discussion of Jefferson and Abigail Adams' letters. The book is eminently fair about Sally Hemings and gives a new meaning to the notion that "all men are created equal". Thank you, Jon Kukla, for beginning a lively conversation that is well worth your engagement.



4. Why does even the prospect that Jefferson was with Sally Hemings bother you so much ?



5. There is not a scintilla of evidence linking Thomas Jefferson with Sally Hemings and her brood.Nature magazine TIMIDLY "corrected" itself for its faux pas in 1999, however, the media has continued to ignore the fact that there is NO EVIDENCE.Kukla just capitalizes on the public's juvenille tendency to support these ficto-spectacles,P.T.Barnum was correct about "suckers."

5 comments about The Real Bettie Page: The Truth About the Queen of Pinups.

1. I won't waste anyone's time arguing about whether or not this book is true. I wasn't there, I've never met Ms. Page, and I therefore have no idea about which version of events is correct.
   
   I will quote the book from its introduction: "I know Bettie doesn't want her secret past revealed, but I opted for the truth."
   
   ...What?
   
   This man that dares to call himself a journalist thinks he has the right to air Bettie's dirty laundry? He thinks it's okay to humiliate and hurt her because, what, he's a fan? I guess by that logic it's okay if I look into his life and told the world about (hypothetically--obviously I don't know Richard Foster anymore then Bettie Page) his erectile dysfunction or the way he beats his kids. Everyone has skeletons in their closet. What makes it his right to reveal them?
   
   Real journalists put themselves out on a limb to expose stories that are important. This horrible person who decided to ruin Bettie, profit off of it and then justify himself by saying it was for her own good doesn't deserve to call himself anything but a garbage spewing vulture. Whether the information is true or not makes no difference; what matters is that Bettie didn't want him to tell, and as the information in this book is in no way important to anyone's life Foster had no right to tell it.
   
   I stopped reading the book right after the introduction and threw it away, and I suggest you do the same.



2. As others have clearly opined, this is a juvenile and cliched bit of writing ....that Bettie's lost past is revealed is what it is... she lives in a group home for the mentally ill with regular meetings with a psychologist.....(at the time of this writing 1996) as others including her brother jockey for her rights and profits is....well the under belly of the american dream...what would be of worth is a biography that is based on her and others remembrance of what she did, how she felt and her dreams or thoughts....there is no depth here , some fact, many assumptions. However we are not going to get any reliable information from a very lost woman who must be visited by a case worker every week....there is no amount of money or fame that can change that fact....may she find some peace if not in this lifetime but the next...and as a footnote....why would anyone make assumptions about a person they see in a photograph?



3. A very sad tale of a woman broken by her fame and tortured by her problems. Wonderful pictures of Bettie in her prime and overall a very good book. I will agree that it is written in a tabloid style -it's not war and peace but it is a good read about an american icon.



4. This is the only reveiwer who can seriously keep it real for any of you potential buyers of this Bettie Page book. Everything in this book is horribly written, and ENTIRELY made up, it is EXTREMELY easy to see that, just look at the sample (if they still have it, if not, don't dish out a single penny of yours for this book, it's not worth it in any way.)For any of you idiots who believe this stuff- GET A LIFE!! This book actually wants you to beleive that at some point in the recent years of her life she-having made millions and million of dollars from her career, and still making money from her legacy- is so poor that she moves in with some stranger to room with in a tiny house, and out of the blue trys to kill her roommate one night because she's so crazy now? That is THE biggest load of crap I have ever heard. This book is not worth anyone even considering buying. All it is is media hype (that was never in the real media, might I add) that some sad pathetic liar poor excuse for an author who doesn't even know how to write past a fourth grade level wants you to believe! If any of this crap was true, don't you think it would be easy to track down Bettie in the real media and expose her on tv and in newspapers?? The only place you will ever hear any of this stuff is in this horribly written, made up pile of lies. It's a waste of time to read this book, and anyone who believes this crap is almost as pathetic and in need of A LIFE as the author is. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK THAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WAY TOO LONG TABLOID WRITTEN BY A FOURTH GRADER!!



5. I used to see Bettie's picture nearly everywhere : magazines, books, albums... I knew about her and always thought "that's too much, she's too beautiful, a female jaguar with black hair, perfect face, perfect body"... This book shows the very human side of Bettie page and I was immediately drawn to her as a human being. This book showed me that she was all human and struggling to make it in Hollywood - but she stood her ground and did not fall prey to the infamous casting couch.
   It's a beautiful and sad story at the same time. Can't wait to see a film about her.

No comments about Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower (Gender and American Culture).

4 comments about The Lizzie Borden Sourcebook.

1. Although this book is somewhat different to other true crime books, it's still a great read. A compilation of hundreds of newspaper articles, it is interesting to follow the personal opinion of some of the journalists. Some of them aren't even looking for the truth, they just want to give the gory details. The book shows articles, starting with the discovery of the bodies untill Lizzie's death. I guess no one will ever get to know the truth, but isn't that what makes the story of Lizzie Borden so great?



2. This is really a collection, a plethora of old newspaper articles written following the murders, at the time of the trial, and after. It's unique in giving the reader a "feel" for the time and atmosphere of Fall River at the time of the murders.
   
   David Rehak
   author of "Did Lizzie Borden Axe For It?"



3. This book is a compilation of hundreds of newspaper articles in chronological order about the Lizzie Borden case, from initial coverage of the "shocking crime" to news accounts about Lizzie's death decades later. Many articles surprise the reader with their blatant factual errors, while others impress with eloquent writing. Some of the journalists who covered the Borden trial were insightful and gifted writers. The book has no photos, but it does have several dozen pen-and-ink drawings. The book also includes the complete transcript of Lizzie Borden's testimony at the inquest. I would recommend the book to any Borden buff.



4. Did Lizzie Borden murder her father and stepmother with an axe? This book will not provide you with an answer to that question but it will provoke the reader to begin a journey for the truth. The Lizzie Borden Sourcebook is interesting because it contains copies of all the original newspaper articles written about the double murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Adding to the book's authenticity, are the many enjoyable pen and ink drawings of the key players and landmarks pertaining to this puzzling murder mystery. I certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in mysteries, true crime, or Lizzie Borden.