3 comments about East Toward Dawn: A Woman's Solo Journey Around the World (Adventura Books).

1. I bought the book after hearing an excerpt on public radio program Sound and Spirit. I was drawn to buy it because the experience of the author in the loss of her son. I had recently had a loss of a grandson due to suicide and was interested in reading more. I found the author had an interesting story but I really didn't glean anything more profound than what had been quoted. I gave it 4 stars because it was still well written. It just didn't really give anything to me.



2. When I saw the title and description of the book I jumped at it because I turned 60 this year and have yearned to do something special to mark the passage. When I saw that she had bought an around the world airline ticket good for a year, I expected a nomadic sort of ramble to strange countries and adventures. I was disappointed to realize that this trip was relatively short and had a set itinerary. Even though she went to exotic places, she had been to some of them before, and she had friends or acquaintances in all of them who put her up and took her around. A nice middle class academic on vacation. Her introspective moments were sometimes moving, but I tended to skip over the poetry quoting and philosophizing. This isn't really a bad read. I guess I was expecting something more exciting and insightful.



3. I found this a fascinating book on two levels. The journey around the world visiting and sometimes traveling with friends was an absorbing story in itself. But the inner journey-the "solo" journey- was a moving and uplifting experience. Everyone has those special birthdays-30, 40, and in the author's case, 60, when one tends to take stock of one's life. The trip was a chance to both see a part of the world we rarely get to see as well as to look back with the author at the process of becoming the person who is taking this trip. I believe a great many people will enjoy taking these journies with Ms Watkins.

No comments about Mixing It Up: Multiracial Subjects (Louann Atkins Temple Women & Culture Series).

1 comments about Diario de Ana Frank.

1. Excellent book. I teach mostly Hispanic students. We read the English and Spanish version simultaneously. It really helped them understand. I always tell them it only takes one person to change the world, even a little 14 year old German girl. Now they understand.Well written, clearly translated.

4 comments about The Hungry Heart: A Woman's Fast for Justice.

1. For many non-Americans and perhaps even Americans, the words Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) are meaningless. Consequently, in order to fully appreciate Zoe Ann Nicholson's memoir, The Hungary Heart,A Woman's Fast For Justice, it is necessary to understand what this legislation is all about.
   
   Suffragist Alice Paul in 1921 drafted the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and it had been introduced into the US Congress in 1923. The proposed law had 3 basic sections:
   Section 1- stated "that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United State or any state on account of sex": Section 2-stated-"the congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article":
   Section 3- stated- "this amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification":
   
   The legislation seems simple enough and on face value it would appear that its passage would not be too difficult. However, such was not the case, and it was not until 1972, when the Congress of the USA finally passed it. However, it needed ratification endorsement by at least 38 states before it would become the law of the land. Furthermore, a deadline was placed on its ratification, June 30, 1982. There were thirty- five states that had ratified the legislation, leaving 3 states short of the required 38. One of these states was Illinois, where Nicholson's story and her titanic struggle transpired.
   
   Nicholson was one of seven women, who assembled in the rotunda of the Illinois Statehouse in Springfield in May and June of 1982, and fasted only on water for 37 days. Their objective was to persuade the legislators and Americans that the equal-rights amendment must become part of the Constitution.
   Illinois was chosen because this state required a 3/5, rather than a majority for ratification.
   
   In the words of the author, she was a "satyagrahi." or an advocate of the philosophy of non-violence resistance, as practiced by Mahatma Gandhi, who had forced an end to the British Rule. When asked by reporters why was she fasting, Nicholson explained that this is the first time where she was putting her body and heart in the same place with the same intensity, and where she was not doing something useless or meaningless.
   
   Throughout the memoirs we sense frustration on the part of these seven women as to why they had not witnessed from others the same rage and hunger for justice as theirs. Nicholson wanted to know what was holding back these individuals from showing their repulsion of a constitution that does not explicitly state that all human beings are equal under the law?
   Perhaps, as the author points out, that a law cannot be legislated unless its "essence unfolds within the human heart."
   
   Upon reflecting on Nicholson's memoir, I could not help reminding myself of the well-known saying of the famous Pharisee, Rabbi Hillel, who stated: "If I am for myself, who is for me? And if I am for myself only, what am I? And if not now, when."
   Perhaps, this best sums up the author's concentrated involvement of her mind and soul in a conscious awareness for a worthy cause- although, unfortunately, the outcome was not what she and the other six women had in mind when they first set out on their fasting venture.
   
   No doubt, this book could not have been written so honestly without the author's emotional attachment to a cause that she probably would have given up her life.
   
   The ERA has still not become the law of the land and the only incontestable right women have in the American Constitution is the right to vote. In the 108th Congress (2003-2004) the ERA had been introduced and these bills placed no deadline on the ratification process.
   Controversy and discussion still surrounds the issue and it is no small feat to predicate if or when the ERA will eventually be legislated into the Constitution.
   
   Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures



2. The Hungry Heart by Zoe Ann Nicholson, an account of one woman who traveled to Illinois in 1982 to join a small group of women fasting for justice, for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. It is a poignant story of women's strength and endurance in the saga of the hundreds of thousands who struggled, starved, and died for equal rights for men and women in the US Constitution. As it is now 22 years later and we only need 3 more states--I am spearheading Florida's ratification and there are other states with ERA bills, this book inspired me to keep forging on.
   I needed this. YOU need this. (And Amazon is unique in that it doesn't apparently have a book category 'Women's Issues' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAAAAAT?
   
   Sandy Oestreich, ERA Inc (Florida), representing 342 organizations, 290 000 supporters, an ERA Action Team in every major FL city and all of Florida's County Commissions endorsing the ERA plus several newspapers and 88% of the voting public-men and women.
   
   'Equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.' Written by Alice Paul,1943. www.RatifyERAflorida.net
   
   Sandy Oestreich
   Prof. Emerita; fmr elected official, author of pharmacology ref. texts



3. The Hungry Heart: A Woman's Fast For Justice is the personal story of Zoe Ann Nicholson. Twenty-two years after the fact, she speaks of the summer of 1982 when she joined six women in a fast to support the Equal Rights Amendment. Traveling to Illinois to gather support for ratification of the ERA, her firsthand experiences with the U.S. women's movement, the NOW leadership, and the legislators of the day are put forth in sweeping, unforgettable, personal terms, taken from own journal of her experience. For over thirty days, she subsisted on nothing but water, putting her body on the line for the sake of her beliefs. The experience transformed her, teaching her more about what she could live with and live without. Her revelations and message of strength and self-respect unfold clearly within the pages.



4. The Hungry Heart is now one of my favorite books about the women's movement. It is a passionate and moving account of Zoe Ann Nicholson's Fast for Justice during the struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment. From the first page to the last, Nicholson shares her most intimate thoughts and experiences during her non-violent resistance to social injustice. She draws you into her incredible personal journey of passion, sacrifice and sisterhood, and reveals her spiritual transformation along the way. Just try and put this book down - I couldn't! You will laugh, you will cry, and your heart will be touched.

5 comments about Dark at the Roots: A Memoir.

1. I was captivated with this book from the first page. Sarah reminds me so much of myself, it is scary. We are about the same age, and grew up in the South in lower middle class families. I also wanted another name (Lisa or Sandy), was fascinated with pornography and Nazis (played death camp with my Barbies in the back yard with a hole as the "pit" and a Jane West doll as the evil guard). Always trying to get clothes to fit in with the "in" crowd and not quite succeding, worked in jobs with strange customers and employees, etc. I can see where some people would not "get" or enjoy this book, maybe men or folks from prividedged backgrounds, but I LOVED it!!! It is spot on.



2. ....but it's just not that funny.
   Great title, great book cover, but stale as a 2 week old loaf of Wonderbread.
   Save yourself the money and effort....buy anything by David Sedaris instead.



3. Sarah Thyre is a BAD girl and she's written one of the most twisted memoirs to prove it. "Dark at the Roots" is shameless (in a really funny way), and one of my favorite chapters has to be "Smell It Like It Is." In it, Sarah explores her fascination with her father's collection of "Playboy" and "Penthouse" magazines.
   
   If I had known Sarah in elementary school, I'm certain she would have gotten me into a whole lot of trouble and I would have loved every minute of it!



4. I loved this book. Sarah is absolutely hysterical. I found myself laughing out loud in bed reading it at night. My only problem is that she hasn't written anything else. Please, Please, write something else, and hurry.



5. To call this book horrible would be like referring to the surface of the sun as "a little warm." What a disappointment! I love "Strangers With Candy", worship both Amy and David Sedaris, and consider Andy Richter hilarious. By all accounts, this book should have rocked my world. The only reason to crack the cover is the flattering photo of the author,(for those of you who watched, she was the scary ugly gym teacher in "Strangers"). The writing falls flat and you feel no sympathy for ANY of the characters. Every member of her family is truly horrible, including her mother, who Thyre tries to portray as a modern-day saint, but comes off as a complete whack job who shouldn't take care of houseplants, let alone children. The description of the book includes the word "hilarious." Don't be fooled. At no point in this ill-conceived jumble of words does anything triggering laughter occur. In fact, I might go as far as to say this book may be laughter's very antithesis. Sarah Thyre comes across as a self-absorbed, whining brat with delusions of grandeur. Everything about this "memoir" is unpleasant. After finishing, I literally felt grimy, as if I'd walked through a swamp. For those of you expecting some sort closure at the end, be prepared. The book just ends. I actually threw my copy away; in good conscience, it would have been wrong to pass it on to other people. They could spend time reading a good book instead of this dreck.

2 comments about A Life of Her Own: A Countrywoman in Twentieth-Century France.

1. I read this book quite a few years ago and it remains fresh in my memory. There was nothing about it I did not totally love, especially Emilie. I was sad to see that there was only one other review of this excellent book. Everyone should read it, it is absolutely beautiful.



2. This is a book about endemic people, who, like plants, are rooted to a certain time and place with a specificity that is hard for a lot of us alive today to know. Emilie's tale of her tough life in the rugged mountains near Italy is told with such a wonderful conversational and error-laden english - completely engaging and romantic, with photos of people in the story she is telling. I read it while at my best friends house in Grenoble, and then we drove to the very town in the alps that Emilie grew up in. It was like a time capsule except for the cross country ski inns that have popped up and started a commercialization process. But the story she tells is of people who are like certain french cheeses made in a certain valley, that if you went over the mountain and into the next valley, that cheese could not be replicated. This is a great story and you will fall in love with it if you are someone who is nostalgic for a time and place when harsh weather, rugged mountains, and lots of work to do at home made a journey of 20 miles felt like it took you to another planet.

2 comments about Winning My Wings: A Woman Airforce Service Pilot in World War II.

1. This was a wonderful book. I belong to a book club and I like to choose books about women. I was visiting the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington several months ago and came across this book. It looked so interesting that I decided to choose it for my book club to read. Everyone LOVED the book and we plan to read more books about the WASPs. You will thoroughly enjoy this book --- I love how a lot of the book is written through letters that Marion Stegeman Hodgson actually wrote to her mother and a man friend, whom she eventually married. The only thing I wish is that the book was LONGER!!! It was one of those books that you can't wait to pick up again!! ENJOY!!



2. Marion has written an excellent insight into the experience of flying. As a fellow pilot, I greatly enjoyed reading about the experiences of Marion and the other women pilots during WWII. The story is filled with joy and tragedy splashed across her story of becoming a military pilot. Just as important as the flying, she relates how she came to marry her husband of over 50 years, Ned Hodgson. This is a wonderful book that anyone interested in flying and the romance of the air should read.

4 comments about Oprah Winfrey: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

1. If you have millions of dollars in America, a country not known for its generosity, it's normally accepted that you are a very "kind" person, thus explains the aura which surrounds the scream queen Oprah. Her empire not only includes millions of dollars, but questionable investments throughout the world which include sweat factories and exploited workers. I for one found this book rather tedious as it attempts to make Oprah a saint who does no wrong. I'm waiting for her fall from grace like Martha Stewarts.



2. Purchased this book for a college report and found it to be very informative.



3. 
   I love Oprah and loved reading her biography. Her life story is exciting and inspiring and should be shared and read by people who wish to succeed against all odds.
   
   Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in 1954. She is an Emmy Ward winning talk show host and magazine publisher. In 2003 Forbes magazine proclaimed her the first black woman billionaire in the world. She has appeared on Time magazine's 100 most influential people list more frequently than any other woman, and considered by many to be the most influential woman in the world.
   
   Oprah is one of America's greatest philanthropists donating generously to charity. Not only is Oprah's personal charity giving unmatched by any other show business celebrity, but she has one of the most generous audiences in show business, raising money for various causes.
   
   Oprah was on the first national broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1986. In the mid-1990s the shows adopted a more serious format; addressing issues that Winfrey thought were of importance to women, such as infidelity, child abuse and cosmetic surgery. She often interviews celebrities on issues that directly involve them in some way, such as cancer, charity work, or substance abuse. In addition, she interviews ordinary people who have done extraordinary things or been involved in important current issues.
   
   In 1985, Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg's epic adaptation of Alice Walker's award-winning novel "The Color Purple". She earned immediate acclaim as Sofia, the distraught housewife. The following year Winfrey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but she lost. She has also acted in other films. Winfrey publishes two magazines and she has co-authored five books.
   
   Winfrey has never married, but it is widely assumed that she has lived with her partner Stedman Graham for almost twenty years. The relationship of Oprah and Stedman has been documented through the years with numerous romantic tabloid articles often accompanied by color spreads of the couple at home and on lavish vacations.



4. This book by Helen S. Garson is quite subpar. Most of the "facts" that she gives are things that can be found (...)from watching cable shows that talk about Oprah. Oprah has set the new standard of what talk shows should be, but Ms. Garson did a poor job in showing this. She even describes Oprah as "clowning" for her viewers and audience when she gets excited about something on her show. Yes, I consider myself an "Oprah supporter," and was very disappointed in this biography. The next time Ms. Garson wants to write a biography about a celebrity, she should get her research from more places than the local library.

5 comments about Writing Home: Collected Essays and Newspaper Columns.

1. This book of domestic essays by Michigan journalist Cindy LaFerle is a major delight. The rich topic of LaFerle's family life, from delivering newspapers on dark Sunday mornings with her son to remodeling her historic home and baking bread for peace, is comfort food without the calories. The essays pair especially well with a warm cup of tea on a cold afternoon. LaFerle's calm and compassionate humor will remind readers to be grateful for the many blessings of home.



2. From the preface: "At a writers' retreat I attended several years ago, author Madeleine L'Engle posed a question, "Why do all of us want to share our stories?" Her answer affirmed what each of us knew but couldn't express as elegantly: "We share our stories because we have faith--faith the universe has meaning and that our little lives are not irrelevant." I found this profound and wanted to read deeper.
   
   Cindy has put together some wonderfully arranged thematic essays. The essays are funny, poignant and show a slice of life. The essays are fun reading them in book sequence or skipping around (Sorry Cindy. You probably wanted them read in the sequence published.). I enjoyed reading them.
   
   Cindy's writing style in this book is like a conversation between friends. There is a sense of humor mixed with plain down to earth speech and common everyday situations that anyone can relate to. Most essays are short, easy and fun to read.
   
   The Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, Country Gardens, Writer's Digest, The Oakland Press and The Royal Oak Daily Tribune have all published Cindy's essays and columns. Cindy lives in her home town, Royal Oak, Michigan, with her family.
   
   I found this book easy and fun to read. I don't know when these essays were first published, but they just a relevant. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting something entertaining to read. Since there a re a series of essays, there is no real need to rush, reading from cover to cover. You can pick up this book at anytime and read one or more of the essays when you have a few minutes to spare while relaxing. I would rate this book as a great read and worthy of consideration by readers.
   
   Bob Medak, Allbooks Reviews



3. 
   Cracking open Cindy LaFerle's debut collection of columns and essays is the equivalent of chatting with your best friend at a coffeehouse. She talks about everything under the sun -- from the love of her deceased tabby cat to the ubiquitous mean mommy syndrome we all face at the PTA. Her steady, flowing writing lulls you into the comforts of her world. It's not all rosy, however. Her discussion of the Iraqi War or Martha Stewart's decline are timely issues to be taken seriously. Nonetheless, you feel you are in trusted hands with Ms. LaFerle. She won't let you down. In every one of her 294 pages, she never does.
   
   
   
   The book is a compilation of over a decade of newspaper columns in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, Michigan) and essays which have appeared in notable magazines such as Readers' Digest and Better Homes and Gardens. Since her background mirriors that of many work from home mothers, she is a highly relatable writer both in intention and in content. Her tone is never preachy. It is truthful and without pretense.
   
   
   
   This nurturing scribe has stopped her column. Her local readers in Michigan must mourn the loss of their regular commentator. As she recently sent her only child off to college, she may have been concerned that her home life would not yield a full column's worth. She quotes Aldous Huxley at one point (page 64):
   
   
   
   "Everyone who knows how to read has it in their power to magnify themselves, to multiply the ways in which they exist, to make their life full, significant, and interesting."
   
   
   
   Cindy LaFerle does that with her writing. She magnifies her own world to make it our own. We can only hope she will be inspired to continue the quest with her pen. Her obvious talent to weave honest, yet striking tales is definitely something to write home about.



4. Rebeccasreads highly recommends WRITING HOME as a lovely bouquet of womanly thoughts about things little & big, sad & funny, & topical to today's modern life.
   
   Cindy La Ferle's essays are grouped together by subject rather than eras: first she welcomes us into her House and Garden, & then introduces us to the muggy swamp of Child Care; to her Social Life (such as it is being a work-at-home-parent & spouse); to the philosophies of Kitchen Duty, & to her Creature Comforts.
   
   Then she gets as serious as she can about Work Ethics before opening the Family Album. She also shows us how she's Keeping Up Appearance & Keeping the Seasons, & as with all things, she gets Older and Wiser & into Soul Caring.
   
   Oh, & she's into organic produce, herbs, overnight retreats at a Jesuit monastery, walking with her women friends, & a life of prayer & peace. & she likes to laugh!
   
   WRITING HOME is for everywoman who thinks about her world, & would make a perfect reading group selection, & gift, no matter the season!



5. "The sacred is in the ordinary. It is found in one's daily life - in friends, family, and neighbors; in one's own backyard."
   
   The above quote comes from a thank-you note Cindy La Ferle keeps in an "altar" above her kitchen sink. Its simple observation pretty much sums up the philosophy expounded in her book, Writing Home. A columnist for a Detroit area paper and freelance article writer, La Ferle writes about what she knows best - home - and how our home life shapes and colors who we are.
   
   My personal favorite essay is "Quit Picking on Barbie." The big-breasted fashion doll has been getting a bum rap for years... Most little girls just enjoy dressing her up and designing homes and careers for her. She doesn't scar our sense of femininity at all. Another column, "Recovering Perfectionist," stirs up many familiar emotions as well. Women do seem especially susceptible to perfectionistic behavior, La Ferle observes. Our "people-pleasing" impulses prevent us from attempting many worthwhile endeavors because we're afraid we won't be able to do them perfectly. We need to let go of this need to "be right or look good" all the time. In the humorous "Seeing Red" we learn about the pros and cons of being a redhead - or at least the Miss Clairol version of it.
   
   From "Baghdad and Banana Bread"- finding security from the horrors of the world in simple baking - to "The Lost Art of Loafing"- an art I really need to take advantage of this summer- Writing Home wisely reminds us that truly there is no place like home. -- Cindy Appel for the FEARLESS REVIEWS

No comments about Convents Confront the Reformation: Catholic and Protestant Nuns in Germany (Reformation Texts With Translation (1350-1650). Women of the Reformation, V. 1).