5 comments about A Thousand Days in Venice (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. This book was recommended as a better read than the current best seller, Eat Pray Love. While they are superficially similar, in that both authors love Italian culture, food and the joy of living, this book is more in depth at giving a flavor of Venice and background into Italian culture, through the eyes of an american visitor.
   The author describes the many steps necessary to make the transition as an american into a country with ancient, almost ingrained customs. Her love of Italy, the food and the traditions, comes through with gusto.
   This is also a memoir of an unlikely middle age romance, which is refreshing, even when things don't go smoothly within the marriage.
   As a counterpart to studying Italian conversation and language, this is a wonderful book about Italy and Venice and Italy's people, and what they've survived. I have gone on to read the 2 subsequent books about the couple's travels and adventures in other regions of Italy.



2. I thoroughly delighted in this true story only after getting through the preposterous, high fructose corn syrup sappy, first 20 pages - factual though they may be. Having guffawed, rolled my eyes, and saying out loud to no one, "I am not reading this!" at page 12, weeks later I picked it up with my interest piqued and didn't put it back down until the end. Marlena is an intelligent writer, never wasteful with her perfect words and allusions. She was enraptured with her Italian settings and immersed in them, not distant from their ancient exoticism like so many authors who prattle on with some cold, repeated, textbook authority. I would read anything by her again in a heartbeat. There is purity and security both in her romance and her writing. Actually she is pretty inspirational by simply following her heart, her loves.



3. If you are looking for a wonderfully human story of pure delight, this is the book for you... It gives you a real flavor for one of the most romantic cities in Italy.... You can almost smell the food... and feel the puch of the tourists... She is steeped in the Italian experience...



4. In a world of multitudes of choices, Marlena chose the road (or actually, waterway), less travelled. She fell in love with someone she barely knew and moved half way round the world in the process. She opted for the unexpected - an adventure. I chose Marlena's story as my "beach read" this summer and it was perfect. It's quick and light - fun! She didn't weigh her story down with complaints about how different we all are - she chose the language of love (and food) to find commonality - yet she still added charming stories that suggested how Italian lifestyle and priorities are a bit different from Americans. Instead or wondering "what if..." - she did it! What a brave soul!



5. Reading De Blasi's story is like going to Venice in person. Love her comments on italian men and all her recipes that come with the book.

5 comments about A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812.

1. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's A Midwifes' Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 demonstrates that an ordinary person's life can shed light and produce a more rich historiographical picture of a time period than solely focusing on prominent figures and events of history. The main thrust of this work is to debunk previous opinions of the diary that found the work not very useful in presenting important matters of historical interest of colonial times such as historian James W. North's comment "brief and with some exceptions not of general interest" or Charles Elventon Nash's comment ""trivial and unimportant...being but a repetition of what has been recited many times" and concluded "Like many diaries of farm women, it is filled with trivia about domestic chores and pastimes." (pp. 8,9) Ulrich debunks these previous interpretations of Martha Ballard's diary by showing that the diary exposes the social history of not only women in rural colonial times but addresses the bigger picture of colonial life in general through the daily activities of herself, her family, and neighbors in the community. Ulrich compares Martha Ballard's diary with three other documents from the community and time period Martha Ballard lived in. These documents were specifically from Daniel Cony who was a medical doctor, William Howard a wealthy businessman, and Henry Sewall who was the town clerk. She uses these documents to fill in information not mentioned in Martha Ballard's diary and also as a counterbalance of the men's perspective of events in Hallowell and what they felt was important to document verses a women's perspective of what Martha Ballard thought was worth documenting in her diary. Ulrich then extrapolates from these sources an interpretive picture of colonial life. On the one hand the heavy interpretive nature of this book forces the reader to wonder if this interpretation is close to the mark of accuracy or flawed in someway. On the other hand Ulrich heavily used other documented evidence to support her interpretation which lends credibility to her interpretation. An amateur historian would have a difficult time painting this picture of colonial life; however, Ulrich seems to do this with great expertise and eloquence. The expertise and eloquence is obviously derived from her academic career which has focused on the social history of women during the United States colonial era.
   
   Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's academic life has consisted of previously being a professor of American history at the University of New Hampshire and is currently a Phillips Professor of Early American history at Harvard University. Ulrich's main research area has been in the fields of early American social history, women's history, and material culture. Some of Ulrich's work in this area include Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Early New England, 1650-1750 (1982), A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 (1990), In The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Making of an American Myth (2001), and Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History (2007). Ulrich certainly has over twenty years of research in the area of social history in the colonial era to make her an authoritative author on the subject and this is demonstrated in her work A Midwife's Tale in which she not only used evidence from documents from that particular community in the time period, but also used her historical imagination, (sometimes used to heavily), to interpret the diary entries to give a vivid depiction of both Martha Ballard's life and colonial rural life in general.
   
   Ulrich formatted each chapter by presenting excerpts from Martha Ballard's diary and then spent the remainder of each chapter comparing these entries with the other written accounts from that time and using an interpretive approach to decipher what the significance of Martha Ballard's entries meant with regards to the life of Martha Ballard and the community she lived in. Ulrich didn't include the entire diary of Martha Ballard in her book and selectively pulled excerpts from different parts to illustrate the different social factors playing out in the daily life of Martha and the Hallowell community, but did include other entries from the dairy within her evaluation to support her interpretation. Obviously Ulrich could not have included all the entries of Martha Ballard's diary and analyzed all sections due to the constraints a book length imposes, however, some interpretations were based on an entire reading of the diary and the reader is not privy to this broader context of information. Ulrich acknowledges this fact when she stated, "Someday the dairy may be published. What follows in no sense is a substitute for it; it is an interpretation, a kind of exegesis." (p. 34) Ulrich admittedly states this is only an interpretation in which Ulrich seems to read in between the lines and/or provides an interpretation based on what was not said verses what was explicitly said due to the fact the entries were brief, mostly lacked an opinionated tone, and were mostly matter of fact daily details. Even though the other sources of evidence backing her interpretations were thorough there is no true way to know if Ulrich's interpretations are mostly correct, somewhat correct, or completely flawed unless the reader had read the entire dairy and other documents she consulted herself. This leaves the reader to just take Ulrich's word for it that her interpretation of the diary entries are as accurate as they can be. Ulrich in some cases may have used her historical imagination a bit excessively, but overall she presents enough evidence from other sources to make her interpretation for the most part as credible as it can be and never the less very enjoyable to read.



2. Please disregard the 2 stars in the rating. It is a 5 star book. The system automaticaly put 2 stars and would not let me change it.
   
   I can't say enough about how wonderful this book is and how much I enjoyed reading it. This book would be a wonderful gift for anyone in the medical profession. It is a fascinating account of an amazing woman facing the challenges of life in early Maine as well as the every day facts of life necessary for survival. She contributed immensely to life itself as she was the midwife to hundreds of, if not more, women and the birth of their children.
   
   For myself, I used it as a genealogical tool because that is the area of the country where all of my ancestors came from. It is facinating to know the trials and tribulations as well as the joys of our ancestors.
   
   Priscilla Paul
   Memphis



3. I know this is a well respected book but in all honesty I found it to be very repetitious and boring. There are only so many times you can listen to complaints about colic and very similar sounding births before you get bored to tears. While writing the history of ordinary people is important, Ballard lived a boring and uneventful life. Unless you want to hear about the stories of dozens of births steer clear. And i'm a phd student used to dry books.



4. Interesting diary of a Maine midwife. Not the easiest read but enjoyable.



5. I enjoyed this book. Though it doesnt read like a "story" It has alot of information about the way of life back then besides the midwife part.

3 comments about Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers.

1. Riding Shotgun is a remarkably honest and truly heartening gathering of essays, demonstrating with clarity and force the myriad ways that mothers and daughters share love and lives. But you needn't be a mother or a daughter - only human - to recognize what's universal in these painful, redemptive, wise, and often sweetly comic essays. This is simply a wonderful collection!



2. This book is an excellent collection of essays from women who grew up in very different situations, and with very different relationships with their mothers. Read this book with your mother and/or your sister; it's bound to strike a chord.



3. Women are from Venus. Women's Intuition. The Feminine Mystique. Whatever you want to call it, women have a different kind of sensitivity and power from their Y-chromosomed counterparts, and that perception may be the most finely tuned with regard to one's mother.
   
   "We know things, my sisters assure me. We know the future. No, sometimes we know the future, I caution. My dead sister knew who was calling before she picked up the phone. I know when a person is moving toward me across time and place. I think of them and they come back into my life. What does all this mean? I ask my mother. What have you done to us?"
   --from Jonis Agee's "Storm Warnings"
   
   That's just one of the things you'll experience firsthand reading Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers [Borealis Books], a series of personal essays edited by Kathryn Kysar. To rise into and assume the mantle of womanhood means different things to different women, but one thing is clear: no one gets through it without a few scratches--and if you're lucky, some good advice, a proud example, and maybe a few hugs and kisses-- from Mommy.
   
   Just in time for Mother's Day, Riding Shotgun is a different kind of celebration. Grown women from all kinds of backgrounds take a literary look at this intense, sometimes frightening, intimidating, funny, and at best, loving universal relationship between daughters and their mothers. You'll find true-tales from great contemporary writers such as Sandra Benitez, Tai Coleman, Alison McGhee, Susan Steger Welsh, Denise Low, Susan Power, Carrie Pomeroy, and many others. Reading more like short stories than essays trying to preach anything, Riding Shotgun examines women--and humanity-- in a fresh way. No need for sentimental sweet greeting card poetry, or teary apple-pie baking puppy dog tales. This is a new age, a great mix of culture, and a celebration of uniquely feminine power, as daughters, parents, caregivers, cooks, gardeners, friends, victims, bullies, crazy people and everything in between. Because after all, why be cliché? We're different.
   
   Aren't you glad?
   
   Kathryn Kysar, the author of Dark Lake, teaches writing in Minneapolis. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Norcroft, the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts.
   
   [...]

5 comments about Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood.

1. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood is a work of nonfiction by Koren Zailckas, chronicling her love affair with alcohol. The book's organizational structure is telling itself, split into four sections: "Initiation," "The Usual," "Excess," and "Abuse." It begins with Koren's first taste, swigging sips of Southern Comfort on the sly, peer-pressured into it by her friend Natalie at age 14. Koren then moves through high school and college and has what almost anyone would consider a normal relationship with drinking throughout her education, though peppered with occasional moments of blackouts and vomiting. Within months of graduating college, she stops drinking altogether. While her experiences with alcohol aren't unusual, I think her underlying motivations are.
   
   Koren wants the reader to understand that she considers her drinking history overindulgent. She makes this clear on the cover, a seemingly real-life snapshot of the author slumped over in a chair, her hair gratefully covering her shameful face. She also punctuates the text with footnotes and statistics that tear the reader from the narrative, serving as a reminder that this book has an agenda. Heavy-handed tactics like these are informational and clearly prove that the problem is bigger than Koren herself, but give away the author's secret: she didn't think telling her story flat out would work as an allegory to apply to America at large. This detracted from all the wonderful attributes of the book, like Koren's snarky sense of humor, her spot-on characterizations, and completely realistic retelling of the transition from childhood to adulthood, from innocence to wisdom, through the holding tank of extended adolescence called college. What's unfortunate is that these wonderful facets of Koren's writing could have easily made the story a very successful cautionary fable, rendering those distracting statistics unnecessary.
   
   If this were a different story, with a different subject matter, I'm sure I'd love it. I love the author's writing style, and she weaves a wonderful story. Smashed comes off as didactic though, narrating the various shames Koren experiences after drinking too much, the kind of things that are nationally publicized when they happen to today's young starlets. This "Don't turn into Paris Hilton" adage is clear from the beginning, and quickly becomes overkill.
   
   The real problem, rather than Koren's drinking, is her inability to stand on her own. She drinks because she surrounds herself with stronger personalities who drink, and follows their lead. She goes from person to person, admitting that she patterns all of her relationships, both platonic and romantic, after the one with Natalie, who "will be the blueprint for the kamikaze girlfriends... the suicidal personalities who seize the day by letting go of any expectations for a tomorrow." If Koren chose better people with whom to surround herself, or if she blazed her own path rather than always passively going along with what was socially accepted, her life story would read very differently. She even uses alcohol as something to hide behind, something to rely upon to relate to people and use as her mouthpiece. It's not her relating to others- it's the booze. It wasn't dependency on alcohol that thwarted her growth, but rather her dependency on others for identity and self-worth.
   
   All that said, Smashed is still an entertaining, thoughtful, honest coming-of-age story. Koren Zailckas is a talented writer who I look forward to reading again, hoping her careful eye will be trained on personal strength rather than personal weakness.



2. At age 14, Koren Zailckas picked up a bottle of Southern Comfort and took a sip. Little did she know that one sip could lead her on a self-destructive spiral of alochol abuse for years to come.
   Smashed is a brutally honest look at the life of a young alcoholic though her high school and college years. Zailckas went through a stomach pumping at 16, joining a notorious drunken sororoty at 19, and finally turned her life around at 22 when she found herself and a friend in a strange appartment neither of them had seen before. With her honest narrative and humble approach to her story, Zailckas writes an amazing memoir for anyone facing a hard time, not only alcoholism. The story touches on her struggle with depression and introversion, also. I highly reccomend this book for anyone facing ANY sort of emotional issues, whether it be alcohol, drugs, or depression.



3. I loved this book. I had to read it for a college class and I think that everyone entering college (especially those who are living on campus) should be made to read this book. I definitely recommend this!



4. I became attracted to this book by a Readers Digest exerpt. The exerpted part was about Koren's "almost death" in high school. I was fascinated and raced to the library to get it. I was deeply disappointed. Koren takes no responsibility for her own actions, she blames everything and everyone but herself for her drinking. I do blame her parents, they seem to have ignored her issues which were clearly so evident. Where the heck were they? I don't really care if she's an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic, but she isn't dealing with her issues and is probably going to fall back either into drinking or some other self-destructive habit. It's not a particularly well-written book, content aside. The four-letter words are annoying. I personally think that people use them as filler when they don't have much of substance to say.



5. In a nutshell, I was extremely disappointed by this book. For starters, as many others have mentioned, the author's writing was often quite painful. Certain metaphors are grossly overused, and cliches abound. The second half of the book lapses into extremely whiney prose that is essentially a catalogue of various parties. At times, I wondered why she was glorifying alcohol and how wonderful it made her feel, in a book which she claims is about the destructiveness of alcohol abuse.
   
   I was disgusted by how she handled the question of whether she was an alocholic. She writes about how she emailed a chemical dependency professional, who wrote back and assured her that she was not an alcoholic. I work with addicts on a daily basis, and am quite sure that anyone who truly wants to address their chemical dependency/abuse problem must do more than send an email to some anonymous treatment provider. In later interviews, the author claims that she consulted with other treatment professionals, who also confirmed that she was not an alcoholic. If this is true, I wish it had been included in the book. As it's written, the book certainly doesn't suggest that the author consulted anyone else. The result is incredibly misleading and seems destined to convince young women in situations similar to the author's that drinking to the point of being impaired on a nightly basis, and being incapable of adult relationships is normal behavior. In fact, the book comes close to claiming that no young woman is capable of using alcohol responsibly. News flash: there are plenty of us who made it through college without once throwing up, blacking out, or ending up in a stranger's bed.

5 comments about Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry.

1. Very inspirational and faith building book. Akiane has not chosen this path, she's only following where God leads her. There are always going to be nay sayers about anything, specially in this world of instant information. I choose to believe that she is what she says she is, and does what she says she does, because with God anything is possible.



2. The first time I saw this book, I was on a cross country plane ride and had the fortunate experience of sitting next to a kindred soul. She shared this book with me to pass the time. And the time passed quickly. After looking at the paintings of this young artist, Akiane, I had a kink in my neck because I couldn't turn away. But it was worth it. I ordered the book immediately and have enjoyed sharing it with my daughters and displaying it on our coffee table.
   
   Akiane is an artist and a poet and an inspiration. She believes she's been touched by God, and one look at her work will make you a believer as well.
   
   From the author of A Line Between Friends and I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner.



3. This book is a good introduction into the girl behind these amazing paintings and poetry. Her insightful artwork is reproduced well. This girl's visions and understanding of who God is and His heart of love for people of the world is astounding. (Especially when you consider her mom USED to be an atheist) The poetry is a little beyond me, but the art work speaks volumes.
   Lovely. Keep up the great work Akiane.. your goal is being reached!



4. Akiane's story has always inspired me. I directed a friend of mine to her website recently to show her the amazing art, and she told me after surfing it that it restored her faith in God. When I read this book, it only accentuated my love and admiration for Akiane. You don't have to be religious to appreciate this girl. Her story is still a powerful message of how faith can change your life. If you're an art lover, you'll be inspired by the reproductions of her paintings and be stunned by her use of color and imagination. Her art is so realistic, but so mystical too. If you prefer the written word, read dozens of Akiane's poems. They are guaranteed to blow you away.
   
   All in all, this book helps you remember that there is goodness in the world.



5. I got to meet Akiane in San Diego for a show. She is truly an inspiration. Her gift is enough to make a believer out of an athiest!

5 comments about Coaching Millions: Help More People, Make More Money, Live Your Ultimate Lifestyle.

1. 
   I loved this book. It's a gem. As a SCORE volunteer counselor I regularly look for small business books that talk about how to start a successful coaching business. Up until I read this book my favorite was "Four Steps to Building a Profitable Coaching Practice (ISBN: 0595296602). Now I have two favorites. If you are looking to start a successful coaching business, then I highly recommend you get a copy of both books.
   
   Both books talk about the importance of creating a program so you have a product to sell. People generally don't buy coaching services without having already sampled a product that the coach has authored. The idea is that coaching clients will devour the coach's product or products and ultimately want some one-on-one instruction. It's when the clients seek the personal instuction that the coach starts making money as a coach.
   
   In Coaching Millions the author points out eloquently that successful coaches start out selling products online. They start by selling an ebooklet or ebook or even a regular book. When they find a winner that sells, then they build a "program" around it. You know, the kind of program that has books, cassette tapes or audio CDs. Maybe a DVD video would be included. They sell such a program for a couple hundred dollars or more. If sales for that product take off, then they ultimately will get people calling them for personal coaching services.
   
   The author in this book explains how this all works. There is really a goldmine of information contained in this book. I have recommended this book to a number of my SCORE clients already. And I expect I will be recommending it to many more in the foreseeable future. Other titles I suggest are complimentary to this wonderful tome are: Web Business Success (ISBN: 0974924504), Secrets of Successful Blogging (ISBN: 0978806018), The Entrepreneurial Itch (ISBN: 1551807351), and The Chic Entrepreneur (ISBN: 9781934759042). 6 stars!



2. After having been recommended to read this book by a fellow coach, I am blown away by the amazing information provided by Milana.
   
   I wish I had this book 3 years ago when I first finished my NLP training - having said that, I believe that the necessary information comes to you when you are ready to receive it, so now is the perfect time for me to be reading this book - it may be for you too.
   
   The most important aspect of the book I believe is the information on getting a "Niche". So many coaches that I have spoken to (myself included) have thought that it's sufficient to get your qualifications & away you go - you want to coach anyone & everyone, because who knows where your next client will come from.
   Milana clearly shows that by narrowing your focus to a very specific and targeted niche (specifically something you are interested in or passionate about) can make all the difference in getting your coaching business on the right track.
   
   This book is an absolute must read.



3. This books opens up your mind to different possibiities of marketing and developing coaching products and programs.



4. I'm not a coach in the traditional sense, but I do offer consulting, training and a lot of other resources for my clients. A coach friend recommended this book and I'm so glad she did! I have been selling information products for years and even wrote a book about it (From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with books, E-Books and Information Products), and I have been mulling over offering group training programs for quite awhile now. Milana's book helped fill in a few blanks for me and confirmed a lot of things that I suspected. It all comes back to offering solutions to your audience's problems. If you can do that in a way that suits your core beliefs and your desired lifestyle, it will be well worth it in the long run. I am grateful to have discovered this gem of a book and recommend it to anyone who wants to share their expertise and grow their business by educating groups of people.



5. Milana gets right to the point and effortlessly takes you step-by-step through the coaching process. Her style is frank, and her years of experience show through. Many books are referred to as a "must have," and this is no exception. If you are looking to move your coaching business from where it is now to six figures or more, get Milana's book, take her advice, and refer to it often.

5 comments about Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition.

1. This book is a great place to start learning about Therese. Includes the full text of the autobiography, and some supplementary material incl. a introduction to the autobiography and life of Therese and some of her letters and prayers. You can get much of this stuff online, but the book is a delight, with many pictures.
   
   Therese is a very special person, and I recommend a familiarity with her beautiful soul.



2. Excellent book and in her own words unedited. Also a good little book on St. Therese is 'Heart of a Soul'. This book Iam reviewing is A MUST Read.



3. Rev. Thomas Taylor's early 20th century translation of the memoir of St. Therese of Lisieux was made from the only manuscript then available outside her monastery, one substantially rewritten by Therese's sister Pauline, who made five thousand changes. Scholars interested in the documents which gave rise to the cult of St. Therese may wish to consult it. I urge those who want to read what Therese wrote to read the third edition of "Story of a Soul" translated by Fr. John Clarke, OCD, and published by ICS Publications in 1976. The Clarke translation, made from the unretouched manuscript written by Therese (which was published in French only in 1956), is recognized as the standard throughout the English-speaking world. No other translation compares to it. Whether you have not read "Story of a Soul" or have read only earlier English translations (Taylor, Knox, Beevers), the Clarke translation will open the world of Therese to you. Don't miss it. You'll find it at Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition



4. It is a well written, inspirational text. I really liked the historical aspects as well as the religious excerpts. Great book for anyone experiencing an ongoing illness. It helps to put the disease in perspective. :)



5. From her own words, we can see how this important and popular Catholic saint dedicated her life to the unconditional love of God. Through a life of simplicity and obedience, she came to be one of the most revered saints in the history of the Church. The book takes us from her childhood to her death and clearly outlines her path to sainthood. An inspiring and uplifting book for someone who already knows Therese of Lisieux, as well as for those interested in learning about her life and her "little way."

5 comments about Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle.

1. Paul Johnson remains one of the few serious writers who combines an immensely accessable prose style with an intellect rarely encountered in contemporary non-fiction. In his vivid snapshots he compresses larger-than-live historical figures into human beings while simultaneously making the case as to why they are "heroic". Many of these insights are cleanly fresh and restorative to a reader like myself who has read biographies of them all. Johnson explains his criteria for judging who and why he chose who he did as a hero. And in the process makes a powerful case for each individual, even those who are frankly a little tough to swallow. Among them deGaulle.
   From other works (Malraux's "Felled Oaks" for example) and lengthy biographies, my own assesement of deGaulle never changed. I'd always considered him a mostrously egotistical chauvanist who'se WW2 credentials mainly lay in his lucky proximity to true greats like Churchill, Roosevelt and Eisenhower, who in one way or another tolerated his insufferable ego and pretentions.
   Louis X1V presumably said, "c'estate ce moi" I am the state. In a seventeenth century king it's one kind of conceit, but in a 20th century military and politcal leader of a free democracy, it is a disgrace. Or so was my conclusion. However, Johnson's book brought me a new veiwpoint. I didn't conclude I'd been totally wrong, but Johhnson made me see that had deGaulle not existed, he probably would have had too be invented. And in a way, it wasd probably on balance, more fortunate for France that he was the invention, rather than some of the absurd French leaders who preceeded and
   succeeded him. Johnson made me see that. And in that respect and in all the other sketches, ever new lights went on.
   Paul Johnson is one great writer, historian, thinker. And to me, in this age when so much garbage flows from the media.
   Strongly recommend it and all his other books.



2. This is the first book I read of Paul Johnson and I really enjoyed it. In this book, we are introduced to well-known figures in history who are regarded as heroes. But a hero to one might be a villain to another. Genghis Khan was a hero to many, but a murderer to many others as well. Paul Johnson uses the example of Samson. Samson is a heroic figure in old Judaic scriptures. He was a Nazirite, and God had blessed him with extraordinary strength. However, in order to keep his superhuman strength, he had to make sure he never cut his hair. One day, however, he admits to Delilah that the secret to his strength is his hair. She then lulled him to sleep on her knees and called a barber to shave off his hair. The Philistines then seized him, gouged out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. There they bound him with bronze fetters. Eventually his hair grows again, unnoticed by his enemies, and his strength returns. When the Philistines take him to their great feast in the Temple of Dagon to taunt him, he gets a little boy to guide him to the central pillars. Calling on God to give him the power, he pushes aside the pillars from their bases and brings the entire temple down, killing all the people who were in it. According to the author, this ruthlessness in heroism makes Samson the first suicide-martyr-mass killer, adumbrating the suicide bombers of today's Middle East. Samson's act was a brutal unconcern for human life, whether guilty or innocent. Samson kills all the Philistines, including the innocent child who had befriended him and many of those in the crowd who had nothing to do with his capture or blinding. Nonetheless, Samson was honored, and became a hero in the teeming biblical pantheon. The Jews loved Samson, and still do. (p. 18-20). The author says, "Anyone is a hero who has been widely, persistently over long periods, and enthusiastically regarded as heroic by a reasonable person, or even an unreasonable one."
   
   A hero is also created by our own perception of him, and might not be at all the way we perceive him to be. The author gives as an example President Ronald Reagan. Reagan gave back to the United States the self-confidence it had lost, and at the same time tested Soviet power to destruction. He is credited with ending the cold war. He cut taxes, freed Americans from unnecessary burdens, and enlarged freedom whenever consistent with safety and justice. He had a great sense of humor, his smiles were genuine, and he was a charismatic leader. He was viewed as a hero by the American people and the rest of the world. However, according to the author, Reagan was superficially, and also profoundly, ignorant. He did not seem to know how bills were put together or passed through Congress, or how the entire budget process took place. He had little education, and no desire to acquire much more in a general sense, at any rate through books. He was intellectually lazy, and he did not read one word of the carefully prepared briefing book on the eve of the world economic summit in 1983. During his presidency he spent more time watching movies than doing anything else. Sometimes he believed in fantasies, such as that the United States really had much larger hidden oil reserves than the whole of the Middle East. At other times he appeared incapable of speaking coherently about the simplest matters without reference to the cue cards in his left pocket. In some ways he was ill-equipped to run anything, let alone the mightiest nation on earth. He was deaf and sometimes could not hear what his staff was telling him, even with the volume of his hearing aid switched right up. He confused names and faces. He thought his own secretary of commerce was a visiting mayor. He believed Denis Healey was the British ambassador. He addressed the Liberian president Samuel K. Doe as "Chairman Moe." (p. 256-258). Yet despite these deficiencies, he is viewed as an American hero.
   
   This is a really fascinating book that will show you a different side to well-known heroes. The author discusses the human flaws of such heroes as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Henry V, Joan of Arc, Thomas Moore, Lady Jane Grey, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, Walter Raleigh, George Washington, The Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Emily Dickinson, Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II.
   
   I really liked the chapter on Mae West, and feel encouraged to read more of her books. Mae is really a fascinating character study. I was surprised though that the author included Marilyn Monroe as a hero. I learnt things I never knew about her, like the fact that she suffered from Syphilis and severe depression.
   
   One beautiful quote from this book will be stuck in my head for the rest of my life. Henry Ford once said, "It is a disgrace for anyone to die rich." I truly believe in giving, and being a philanthropist. For this reason, I view Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, among many others, as true heroes. Here's the irony: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, among just a few, are viewed today as heroes, despite the fact that they killed millions of people. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, among a few, are also viewed as heroes, but for different reasons: they save the lives of millions!
   
   I recommend this book to all readers who are fascinated by the lives of great people (and some not that great but still viewed as heroes).



3. Paul Johnson, the well known historian, writes a less weighty book that looks at heroes through the lens of history and these peoples contributions to politics, culture, religion, and yes, entertainment. All of these things are often intermix, yet, they can also be studied in isolation if needed.
   
   Johnson starts off with the Hebrew (or Jewish) heroes. It must be of some interest that Moses is briefly mention and is Judaism's greatest heroes and prophet, Johnson spends more time on Deborah and Judith, Samson and probably rightly so, David. His analysis of Samson is interesting and it goes beyond the Sunday School version or the solely negative critical and sees Samson as a hero with great strength and "tantalizing weakness."
   
   The next Chapter, "Earthsakers" is tied for one of the best in the book. Foibles and greatest are revealed when the reader is once again acquainted with Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Johnson provides a quick bio, yet, highlights enough "heroism" and "villainy" to make this more than an encyclopedia version of these two men and make them leap of the page. Hopefully, it will spark others to read more on these two, arguably great and fallen figures.
   
   I have always liked the story of Joan of Arc. Every movie has failed in bringing her to life, although many have tried. Johnson briefly reminds me why she is so spectacular a heroine. She is the proto-Wonder Women, except she was real, alive, fighting for France. Yet, she may have been a proto-Protestant, yet, in many ways still distinctly Catholic. She was such an enormous figure that today many English Churches are named after this French heroine.
   
   There is more of course such as interesting work on Churchill (whom Johnson met in 1946) and Reagan, Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II. Lincoln was necessary for this book, but Johnson here didn't bring anything really engaging in a way I hadn't read before. I found, however, the chapter with Mae West and Maryland Monroe to be a bore - I just didn't care. Maybe it is because, there are better "Hollywood" heroes such as Audrey Hepburn, Sean Connery, Alec Guinness, or Bruce Lee not too mention possibly Cary Grant, Charleston Heston, Angelina Jolie, or Christopher Reeves.
   
   In total, this is a great book. It is difficult to provide so many stories on so many figures on 300 pages; but, Johnson does a pretty good job of it.



4. There is no doubt that Paul Johnson is one of the great historians of our time and one of our leading public intellectuals.
   
   In this volume, Johnson attempts to explain heroes and heroism within the context of historical setting. The effort is a mixed success. Consider, for example, his use of Mae West and Marilyn Monroe as examplars of female heroism in the 20th Century.
   
   Both portraits make their point and make it well. Both West and Monroe were more accomplished than most might give them credit for. West was a dynamic self-promoter for all of her life and an accomplished writer, actress, comedian and business person. But Monroe was a different story. She never fully actualized the person she wanted to become, though Johnson leaves no doubt that she did want to be viewed as a different kind of person. Does Monroe's failed effort make her a hero? Not to me, though Johnson draws a sympathetic portrait.
   
   Overall, Johnson's portraits do indeed make the case that heroism comes in many guises and that men and women can be heroes. As well, the qualities of heroism remain constant, a steady moral compass regardless of what the crowds are doing.
   
   While interesting, though, "Heroes" is never totally engaging. It is a pleasant and informative read, but not a particularly challenging one. Johnson is telling us his views here set in historical context.
   
   Jerry



5. 
   We all love heroes, brave ones, achievers we can admire, try to emulate, and set forth as examples. To a greater or lesser degree, the lives of many of these men and women are known to us yet there is always something to learn as we revisit their accomplishments and the challenges they faced.
   
   Noted British historian Paul M. Johnson is a prolific author having written some 40 books ranging from Modern Times to The Quest for God. He has lectured throughout the world and often contributes to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal among numerous other magazines and periodicals. His choice of subjects for Heroes is eclectic and, to some, may be surprising. Lord Nelson is almost to be expected but Marilyn Monroe? She is noted along with another blonde bombshell in Chapter 12, Heroes Behind the Greasepaint.
   
   You see, Johnson's heroes, whether they be Samson, Caesar or Margaret Thatcher, are very human thus flawed. They are not presented to us on pedestals, not as stone figures but as flesh and blood beings, subject to all the temptations and constraints that mortality entails.
   
   The author begins his stories of heroes with God's Heroes - Deborah, Judith, Samson, and David, noting that "No people were more in need of heroes than the Hebrews." Next we meet The Earthshakers - Alexander the Great and Caesar, and from there his subjects are presented in chronological order, closing with the present day. Thus, we are privy not only to entertaining and enlightening visits with those who made a difference but to mini history lessons as well.
   
   Radio host, author, and managing editor of London's Sunday Times, James Adams, has narrated a number of books for Blackstone Audio. He's the perfect voice for the work of British historian Johnson as the slightest bit of a British accent can be detected in Adams's clear, crisp diction. Enjoyable listening!
   
   - Gail Cooke

5 comments about Teach With Your Heart: Lessons I Learned from The Freedom Writers.

1. Many others have written detailed reviews. This is merely an attempt to throw mine in the ring. I will begin by saying that I do not believe this book was ever intended to be a "How To" manual, but rather it is Erin telling us her story. One reviewer's title stated it was "Difficult to Replicate." I would take that one further and state that it is IMPOSSIBLE to replicate (it is HER story!) and we would miss the point if we tried.
   
   Her ability to take these kids to screenings, and meet screenwriters, and dine at the Marriott, and meet Miep Gies, and attend the Holocaust Museum was due in part to their geographical location. Granted, all of these resources were available to other teachers in the area -- but my understanding is that no one was taking "those kids." So her willingness to take these students to these places was a large part of what changed their lives. However, depending on where you live, some of these things just are not an option!
   
   The bigger lesson is not to replicate (we would all try & fail!) -- but rather to figure out what is it that I can do, where I am, with the resources I have in front of me. Otherwise, we could excuse our inaction for lack of resources. For me this book served as a means of self-evaluation -- and I came away deciding that someone raised the bar, and it's time to step-up.



2. I've seen the movie, read the book. The Freedom Writers Diary, that is.
   
   I found Erin Gruwell to be a touching and inspirational woman and have visited the Freedom Writers website to see what she and her students have been up to since the time of the book's publication. She ran for congress--and, sadly, lost. We'd have done well with someone like her in public office, someone with a love for and sincere concern for today's youth and education.
   
   Since leaving the high school classroom, Gruwell has had her share of changes and obstacles and also, as one would expect, great successes. The book retreads a lot of the information gleaned from the book/movie, but I care about Erin now...I want good things for her. And her students. This was a way to catch up.
   
   If you feel the same way, the book is worth your while, but if you are trying to learn more about educational techniques, this isn't the book you're looking for.



3. A very wonderful tale except the last bit of the book had little to do with teaching. I enjoyed and learned some new methods on gaining the respect and attention from students. however i learned nothing after she got that from her students except that it helps to know a rich ceo.



4. Thank you Erin! You are an absolute inspiration to all future teachers!! I didn't care what kind of writing this book was in. I was just taken back at what this lady went through. Amazing journey! Must, must, read!!



5. Erin Gruwell's memoir illustrates what can happen when you forget to think before you say "yes," AND when you're a person who keeps your word. You work harder than you ever dreamed possible, and sometimes, if you're lucky and have support, good comes from it. It also shows what can happen before a teacher "knows better" than to take time to teach to the moment, not that s/he doesn't want to but because s/he is forced to stick to the test prep curriculum.
   
   Depending on their experiences, teachers may be heartened by, or feel cynical about, this book, but I know most would be pleased to read about what Gurwell was able to draw out of her students, and the lengths she went to (but not without a cost--possibly her marriage) to help them. Thank goodness for "yes." Thank goodness for teachers.
   
   Note: I have not seen "Freedom Writers" or read THE FREEDOM WRITERS
   DIARY, so my thoughts are based only what I read in this book... and from having been a teacher.
   
   Note: Some reviewers have complained this book is too much about Gruwald, but who else is it supposed to be about? It's a memoir.

5 comments about Truth & Beauty: A Friendship.

1. I don't like memoirs, but I read this one in one day. The two writers Anne Patchett and Lucy Grealy meet at Sarah Lawrence and later are roommates while pursuing Master's Degrees at the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Fate deals them both great success as writers, yet their personal paths take completely divergent courses. The bond of friendship spans two decades and countless heartbreaks. Anne Patchett does portray herself to be the 'saint' in this friendship but you would almost have to be to endure the suffering that being friend to Lucy Grealy demanded. The themes of friendship, art, loneliness and love are rendered with realism and depth. Patchett's obvious love for writing and her poet friend is shared in this gift of a book.



2. I'm giving this book 3 stars because I like Ann Patchett's writing very much, but the story isn't as interesting to me as a woman in my mid-40s as it would have been had I read this in my 20s. In my 20s, this would have been a grand sweeping tragedy - a life changing book, a standard by which to judge loyalty and friendship. In my 40s, I went "eh." I read this as the story of two highly dysfunctional people in a suffocating relationship. It feels like Patchett wrote it as a way to exorcise her grief; and also perhaps examine her own less than healthy behavior. It did make me want to read more of Patchett's fiction. I picked up a copy of Patron Saint of Liars and am going to give that a try next. Part of me wants to say, Ann just forgive yourself already. We've all been there and done that. Maybe not in such an extreme way or for so many years... but we've all been sucked in by a charming selfish user. Learn a lesson and move on.



3. Readers will likely recognize the author's name from her previous novels, including Bel Canto, which won the PEN/Faulkner Award, and The Patron Saint of Liars, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Readers also may recognize Ann Patchett from her articles that appear in such publications as Gourmet, the New York Times Magazine, and the Paris Review. No doubt, some readers will recognize Patchett's friend, Lucy Grealy, as the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Autobiography of a Face.
   
   Truth & Beauty is the story of the friendship shared by Lucy Grealy and Ann Patchett. It is at once tender, heartwarming, heartbreaking and complex. Truth & Beauty is neither the story of Lucy nor the story of Ann, but of the parts of each life that were shared. What one lacked, the other offered for the relationship. What one shared, the other reached out to receive.
   
   Ann and Lucy met in the early 1980s while attending college. At the Iowa Writers' Workshop, they began a friendship that would become a lifelong process. This is no ordinary friendship. It is one riddled with emotional upheaval, creative successes and disappointments, health crises, and ultimately the lecherous hold of drug abuse.
   
   This is a phenomenal look at the way in which two exceptionally creative people lived, loved, wrote, and grappled with the realities of life. It is also an extremely sensitive description of the way a woman wrought with illness, despair and depression can one minute create beauty and the next minute search for ways to destroy herself.
   
   Truth & Beauty is the story of two friends who loved one another through the best and worst of times. It is a portrayal of loyalty and devotion over more than twenty years of friendship, and a haunting, heartbreaking portrait of the belief in the invincibility of one who lives so largely despite their diminuitive size. Only to find that no one is invincible...no one.
   
   by Lee Ambrose
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



4. The reason I even looked at reviews for this book is so that I could gage how trustworthy other book reviews on here are and how seriously I should take them. Now that I look at the negative, totally ridiculous critiques of Truth and Beauty, I'm never trusting another sour review on here again! When somebody asks me, "What's your favorite book?" I used to say something by T. Capote or M. Angelo, but now I reply, without hesitation, "TRUTH & BEAUTY by Ann Patchett!" Seriously. This book is awesome and I'm annoyed even reading other bad reviews on here about it. Patchett writes in a way that makes me stop, re-read the page, and then say to myself, "Damn, this is great stuff! Why didn't I think of something like that?" I think if you are an aspiring writer, or just somebody who appreciates intelligent, well-written prose, then you should read this one. Do not trust the other reviewers on this page - they're probably the kind of people who'd give a Harlequin novel 5 stars.



5. I didn't know anything about either Lucy Grealy or Ann Patchett before I picked up this book. I bought it because I thought it would be about one friend living in another friend's shadow. I liked the parts about the women when they were younger, trying to get published. I don't know much about what it takes to develop as a writer, so that part was interesting to me. But the book really started to drag towards the end, as Lucy became more and more difficult. It's obvious to me that this is a codependent friendship, with Ann and others enabling some extremely bad behavior on Lucy's part. Like other reviewers here, I just couldn't see what made Lucy so attractive as a friend, or what Ann got out of the friendship - it seemed like Ann was always cleaning up Lucy's messes, and Lucy didn't seem very concerned about any of Ann's problems or her victories. And am I the only one who thought it was odd that after Lucy's leg surgery, Ann carried her everywhere? Couldn't she have gotten a wheelchair? That's when I really started thinking that this was a codependent relationship.
   
   I can't fault the book for the quality of the writing. Patchett is an engaging writer, and I'd like to check out some of her fiction. This book was just so sad and difficult towards the end, it is hard to separate the writing from the subject, so I'm giving it a three. Quite frankly I'm glad to put the book behind me.