1 comments about The Diary of a Soviet Schoolgirl: 1932-1937 (Glas New Russian Writing).

1. I was assigned this particular memoir for a presentation/paper in my Soviet Russian History class. As with any "forced" reading, my expectations were not good. Yet, I found myself sucked into Lugovskaya's diary immediately. The way she expresses herself in her writing is very advanced and surprisingly deep, especially for a 13-year old. It's just as good, if not even better, than Diary of Anne Frank. I guess you could call it the Russian version of it. Oh, and I got a A on my presentation, too.

5 comments about G.I. Joe & Lillie: Remembering a Life of Love and Loyalty.

1. This book was more than I expected. Joe Bonsall's biography of his parents was beyond what I expected. I highly recommend this to anyone and especially to people who have parents that are veterans.



2. I have been a supporter of our veterans and a fan of the Oak Ridge Boys for as long as I can remember. When "G I Joe and Lillie" was presented to me to read, I could hardly wait. It turned out to be better than I ever expected! What a story of love and dedication to one's country and to each other! I admire and respect Joe and Lillie for their faith and commitment. Their story is one we should all learn from. Thanks "Joey" for sharing your parents with us. You must be so proud to have had them as your mom and dad.



3. Oak Ridge Boy Joe Bonsall is from very good people...and his
   heart-warming account of his beloved parents,G.I. Joe & Lillie,
   is ample proof of this.
   Joseph S Bonsall has written one of the most inspiring books
   that I have ever had the pleasure of reading.He provides the
   moving story of their struggles and triumphs throughout their
   lives.Read of their home life growing up,how they met and reared
   their own children,their service to their country,and their unwavering
   devotion to each other...
   Joe and Lillie are the greatest of examples of those who lived the
   American dream...they are the Greatest Generation.
   I am proud to learn of the story of G.i. Joe and Lillie.I am proud to
   be living in this great country.I am also proud of Joe Bonsall.....



4. This book really hit home. It shows you what sacrafices were made to give all of us the Freedoms that we enjoy today in addition to being a beautifull love story. It brought tears to my eyes. Great Job Mr. Bonsall.



5. I loved this book. My parents were also of this generation and dad in the Normandy Invasion, both from dysfunctional families. They built a long and happy marriage and gave us children a fine childhood. Today's generation can learn from this book. It's another great tribute to a the WWII generation.

2 comments about A Thousand Miles of Dreams: The Journeys of Two Chinese Sisters.

1. Amy was my Grandmother and I learned so much about my family history from Sasha's book. I loved the exploration of the truth between the stories that we heard growing up and Sasha's extensive research on the reality of the stories. I loved Sasha's book and consider it an important part of my roots.



2. Professor Welland proves that extensive research and good storytelling are not mutually exclusive, which does not hold true for many of the academic books I have read. This book is unmistakably academic, with Welland adding a scholarly and critical perspective to the events she describes, but that is certainly not a bad thing. Layered with incredible detail, her graceful writing style made the stories of both her ancestors, and the search to reconcile their differences, extremely engaging. Certainly a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Chinese history.

5 comments about Women of Spirit: Stories of Courage from the Women Who Lived Them.

1. This book is a wonderful find for any woman in your life that needs a bit of inspiration. My favorite short story was written by SARK, in which she discusses her troubled childhood and how she came to terms with it.
   
   The women tell stories that are heartfelt and poignant and are perfect for reading before bed. I bought a used copy and was happy to find it was autographed!
   
   Read it and then pass the book on to someone else. We all deserve a little pick me up now and then. :)



2. I like reading the stories of these women. I also like the individual books about specific women. I highly recommend MY LAST REMAINS by Jill, the girl who was raised by mentally ill parents, in a culture that was twisted.



3. Katherine Martin's Women Of Spirit gathers stories of courage and spiritual insight from the women who lived unusual lives. Stories of spiritual guidance and how these women made a different in their worlds prove inspiration and absorbing, with the book providing sections based on the type of spirit exhibited by each.



4. This book is full of stories from average women who decided to take a stand for themselves or for someone else and suddenly found themselves making a difference in the world. Julie Su was one year out of law school when the slave like conditions of an El Monte sweat shop were uncovered. No one wanted to take the case of illegal Thai immigrants against big business so she did.
   Kathy Buckley was born deaf, misdiagnosed and placed in an institution of the mentally retarded. She didn't start learning to speak until she was 8 yrs old - She now is a motivational speaker for others who are often "unseen and unrecognized." Most of the women in this book live average lives like me and I found their acts of courage very inspirational because I could relate to them. It makes you want to cheer for women who color outside of the lines, "good girls" who don't always behave as they are told. These women face fear and keep going. The chapters are short, inspiring to read, and there are contact numbers for each women in the back of the book. Very cool. It's a inexpensive gift that packs a wallop.



5. In a time of terrorism, violence and uncertainty, Women of Spirit showcases courageousness, spunk and fortitude - true American attributes. The stories are both uplifting and fascinating. A great gift for the person in your life who is seeking inspiration.

5 comments about How She Does It: How Women Entrepreneurs Are Changing the Rules of Business Success.

1. If you're expecting a feminist manifesto here, you won't find it. Margaret Heffernan, CEO of five companies, lets stories do the talking as she shows how women manage their businesses and break new ground. In fact, whether you're male or female, your business can benefit from the principles of these entrepreneurs. Anyone with an open mind can adopt the book's key points, attitudes and cultural guidelines, as reflected in an array of educational and often humorous stories. getAbstract thinks Heffernan's cast of female business leaders points entrepreneurs in the right direction and offers plenty of ideas to consider while on the road to success.



2. The takeaway from How She Does It is less about diversity than it is about alchemy. The CEOs profiled in the book have built profitable, high growth businesses without venture capital -- quite a feat in itself. Heffernan profiles dozens of companies who have created something out of virtually nothing, and that alone makes this book recommended reading for all entrepreneurs. It's a pity that most of these companies are private, because they would all be attractive investments.



3. 
   This book is about the current growth and success of women-owned businesses. It is more an inspirational book FOR WOMEN who want to start a business than an instructional book on how women actually start them. And since the title refers to the latter rather than the former, it is hard to rate this book particularly high. After reading the book I think the title should have been: "Women Can do It, and Why They Do It."
   
   I plucked this book from a shelf in the business section of Barnes & Noble last weekend when I noticed it had a 2007 copyright date. I thought the book would be something I could recommend to my SCORE clients, many of whom are women. But I don't make it a practice to recommend inspirational fluff. And that is the way I view this book.
   
   The book is divided into three parts as follows:
   
   I. Fire in the Belly, Skin in the Game (Chapters 1-3)
   II. It Ain't What We Do, It's the Way that We Do It (Chapters 4-11)
   III. The Only Failure is Not to Try (Chapters 12-14)
   
   From reading the titles to the three parts can you see how this book is about "how she does it?" And to make matters worse, look at the headings for the 14 chapters listed below. Do they look like chapters that help to explain "how she does it?" I think not.
   
   1. The Need to Achieve
   2. Zeitgeist
   3. Niche is Nice (and Margins are Marvelous)
   4. The Value of Values
   5. The Power of People
   6. Leadership as Orchestration
   7. Customer Love
   8. Improvisation
   9. Help!
   10. Staying Power
   11. Money Isn't Everything
   12. M&A: Marriage and Acclimatization
   13. Birth of a Saleswoman
   14. The New Norm
   
   Society has been changing dramatically during my lifetime. I was born in 1962. Many of my female classmates from elementary school went on to college. Half my classmates at law school were women. And it seems that most of the women going to college (and law school) are going to work and making careers for themselves in the business world. I'm told that this has not always been the case. Women used to simply become homemakers.
   
   But anybody who works for a W-2 today knows that it is hard to get ahead financially working for someone else. And if you are a woman working for a W-2, then it is even harder to get ahead financially because many of the powers-to-be in the business world still think of women as homemakers or wanta-be homemakers. So what are women doing about it? The answer is simple: starting their own shops.
   
   This book was one of stories. I didn't particularly like it. But it was OK. 3 stars!



4. I applaud Margaret Heffernan for writing this book. Having worked 17 years for a global, multi-billion dollar corporation, I can totally relate to her findings. I do believe that empathy plays such a strong role and is missing in our MBA-run companies. Our 6th sense does matter. And, there is such a thing as the glass ceiling in traditional businesses. Congratulations, Ms. Heffernan. I loved the book and have recommended it to all my women friends.



5. Ah, the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial life...for a woman. Finally, we get companions, colleagues, a community and a coach. Clearly, the author has been there and done that and has lived to tell not only her own lessons but the lessons of some other fine women who she clearly has wisely selected.
   
   Not only does Margaret weave in her own deep wisdom and experience but she incorporates her very own fine art of storytelling to deliver not only the messages but the deeper meaning behind those messages of the women she writes about. Her choices of stories cover a wide spectrum and I cannot imagine a women entrepreneur not identifying with more than one of them.
   
   This book is bound to touch and teach any reader in the midst of their entrepreneurial career, at a crossroads in that career or just beginning to think about the possibility.
   
   As a thirty-plus entrepreneur myself, the book provided immediate support, encouragement, as well as head nods and smiles. Margaret is a straight talker. She describes the uniqueness of our contributions to the leadership of our companies and shows us where we still need to do some growing. Her last chapter is inspirational and a strong charge to leaders of all organizations to consider the contribution that women already make and can continue to make to the changing landscape of organizational life.
   
   Be aware that this is absolutely not only a book about women. Any male entrepreneur or business leader can lean a great deal form this perspective and straightforward advice and ideas.

1 comments about Princess Spider: True Experiences from a Dominatrix.

1. It is definitely boring and very very repetitive.
   She keep saying the same things and repeating the same concepts.

5 comments about Witness: One of the Great Correspondents of the Twentieth Century Tells Her Story (Schocken Paperbacks on Judaica).

1. I never heard of Ruth Gruber before, after reading her adventures Hollywood should make a movie of her life, not for theatres, but HBO, or Showtime. Theatrically it would be a financial flop. But for cable a success.....



2. Ruth Gruber has witnessed so many of the great events of the 20th century. Lucky for us, she can write and photograph with real skill. You will not be disappointed with this book.



3. A ground-breaking photojournalist, Ruth Gruber did the work that many considered only men could handle; traveling about the world, writing and documenting with her exceptional photography skills stories that needed to be told.
   
   I was fascinated and impressed by Gruber's tenaciousness as well as her courage in going to those bleak, wild places to find compelling stories. Her contacts in the government for sure helped, but it was Gruber's own legwork that really got those jobs done.
   
   One of the most poignant aspects of her career was seeing how Jews who had survived the Holocaust were treated; it was like being back in internment as they tried to get to Israel, and she did well to document their plight.
   
   In sum, a great lady, who did it all magnificently.



4. "Witness"
   By Ruth Gruber
   Review by Phyllis Johnson
   Landing assignments her male colleagues hadn't, flying to the Soviet Arctic and then to Europe, seeing an exodus from a country ravaged during the Holocaust, Ruth Gruber was quite a photojournalist. She writes her memoir in "Witness" and serves as an inspiration to anyone spending his or her life tracking down a story, particularly one that may change someone's life for the better.
   A life full of adventure and passion for human justice is evident in her 257 page book published by Schocken Books. Sometimes smuggling a notebook in her bra, she ran the gamut from studying Eskimos in Alaska to talking to exiled prisoners in Soviet Gulag.
   Photos, black and white images, showing the Soviet Arctic and Alaska documented images of rustic living and reflections of the soul. She wrote of seeing the Aleuts in harm's way of the Japanese, then photographed their exodus. Her photos also show the exodus from the devastation caused by Hitler during the Holocaust in World War II..
   A master at capturing intense emotion found in hardships, she knew how to get down in the trenches to get the best possible photos to tell a story. She went behind the scenes, sometimes dubbed as a simulated general to avoid a worse fate if captured as a spy.
   Later, she got stories from the refugees onboard an army transport and then pulled into the NY Harbor on August 3, 1944- the same day Anne Frank's family was betrayed. Ruth was accompanying to the United States 1,000 refugees invited by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt while day and night Adolph Eichmann was rushing cattle trains carrying 750,00 Jews into the death camps at Auschwitz.
   She records her travels to Europe, the Holy Land and the Arab World, and how she came to be witness to the Nuremberg Trials. Seeing the plight of the Jews trying to come home to Palestine, she interviewed both Arabs and Jews, and followed the journey of Iraqi Jews to Israel. Seeing compassion in a lawyer and social activist named Phil, she was moved to marry him.
   Ruth Gruber's account of the ongoing struggle for those seeking justice and fair treatment in life is both vivid and poignant in her book, "Witness."
   
   Review by Phyllis Johnson, author of "Being Frank with Anne" -poetic interpretation of Anne Frank's diary. (Community Press- end Nov 2007 release)



5. I have just listened to an interview with Ruth Gruber with Sara Ivry on the 'Nextbook' site. Gruber is ninety- five years old. Her voice is weak but her mind is absolutely clear. In the interview she tells about how she got her start in journalism with the International Herald Tribune, and how on assignment with it she witnessed the rise of the Nazis in Germany. She also is asked about the heroic endeavor in which she helped bring one - thousand orphans to America. She also tells of her witnessing the brutality of the British in boarding in waters outside Haifa the ship 'Exodus' that was packed with Jewish refugees from Nazi Europe.
   Gruber in her thirty years as a correspondent traveled wide and far. The one - hundred ninety pictures in this book are in themselves a stunning testimony to her dedication in witnessing the vagaries of the human drama.
   However what comes through most strongly is those chapters of her life in which Gruber was not simply witness but active rescuer of others. When asked which photograph made the strongest impression on her. She said it is one from the Shoah in which there are three small children, two brothers protecting their small sister. One brother is smiling happily
   but the sister who is the youngest of the children has the saddest eyes Gruber has ever seen. She feels the child looking out from those eyes towards the parents who are not there and who will never be seen again.

2 comments about This Little Light of Mine: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer (Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century).

1. Mills' biography is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature on the civil rights movement. The well-documented work explores the life of Ms. Hamer, an important figure in the '60s Deep-South struggles whose name may be unfamiliar to some.

   Fannie Lou Hamer was a poorly educated woman who, like most of her contemporaries growing up in pre-Depression Mississippi and beyond, endured virtual apartheid for a good portion of her life. Voting rights were essentially unknown to African-Americans in the state, which was controlled for decades by opponents of civil rights locally and through the state's federal representatives, most notably James O. Eastland, a senator who consistently stalled civil rights legislation through his control of the Judiciary Committee.

   Ms. Hamer was among the first African-Americans to challenge Mississippi's voting registration practices, which were designed to bar blacks from voting. For her troubles, she was arrested, detained in a small-town jail and beaten so severely that she sustained injuries that eventually shortened her life.

   Mills paints a vivid picture of Ms. Hamer's indomitable spirit, which was symbolized by her powerful singing voice, frequently employed to boost the courage of her local comrades and of the black and white workers who came to Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964 in an attempt to challenge the white supremacists who ran the state.

   Nowhere does her spirit come through more clearly than in Mills' account of the 1964 challenge Hamer and others leveled at the Democratic delegation sent to the presidential convention in Atlantic City. The challengers persuasively claimed that they represented thousands of disenfranchised African-Americans who had been denied their right to participate in the political process. The Democratic presidential candidate, Lyndon Johnson, and his running mate, Hubert Humphrey, Mills recounts, dragged their feet on addressing the challengers' claims, only belatedly offering a weak compromise that Hamer and some others fiercely opposed.

   "I question America," Hamer memorably said during hearings on her group's challenge of the white-only delegation. Mills is careful to explore the arguments and motivations of those within Hamer's delegation who argued in favor of accepting the compromise, but it is clear that her heart lies with Hamer's courageous stand.

   In the end, the 1964 challenge failed, but in 1968 another challenge succeeded and Hamer was seated, along with others, at that year's presidential convention. The victory, which deserves special mention in American history, was tempered and largely forgotten due to the street violence for which the 1968 convention is now largely remembered.

   Mills also does a fine job of relating Ms. Hamer's attention to the plight of the poor and her attempts to build political power for the impoverished. One gets a strong sense of the sacrifice that Hamer made to live a life committed to political struggle.

   It is only when Mills attempts to summarize the major events of the civil rights movement that the book's strength flags. I found the first couple of chapters negligible because I'm familiar with the big events of the movement and frankly they've been done better elsewhere.

   When she turns her attention to Ms. Hamer, however, Mills delivers a story worth telling in strong prose that reveals her admiration for her subject without sacrificing her critical judgment.




2. A well writen documentary of an inspirational woman. This book gives life to significant events taking place in the fight for civil rights. In particular, reading about her Freedom Ride on a bus through the American South gave chilling reality to the ordeal. Fannie Lou Hamer is a pivotal figure in American history.

3 comments about The Education of Jane Addams (Politics and Culture in Modern America).

1. Victoria Brown's book on Jane Addams is a well written 421 page book with some photos. 298 pages are text and pages 299 to 399 are notes. There is a selected bibliography and an index. I liked the photos and as mentioned the writing style. The book moves nicely. She gives credit to the work publishing the Jane Addams papers by Mary Bryan. But let us look at the title, The Education of Jane Addams. It almost mirror's the title by Gloria Dilberto, "A useful woman, the early life of Jane Addams." The Dilberto books was published in 1999.There are no new primary sources made available between the two publication dates. Dilberto writes as well as Brown and cites the sources better including Ron Beam's booklet.
   
   But Brown is wise enough, unlike Dilberto, to note the utter complete lack of evidence pointing to a close physical relationship between Jane Addams and her intimate associates including Ellen Star and others. She wisely covers the subject in a foot note. She would be wiser still not to bring it up at all. Does the modern progressive nature of academic publishing by an academic press require a mention at all. Brown writes "[ I] must decline to define either Addams or Starr as lesbians simply because we do not have evidence of genital contact...." She then goes on for another whole single spaced page citing supposed sources about women's relationships. I sense she cut even more speculation on the topic then she printed. Such diversions might help sell the book to the faculty at Grinnell, and Oberlin but the truth of the matter is that the wildest rumor and speculation about a historical person now can be published in an academic press and passed off as history. Better to save the trees. Better to put the writing talent to romance novels.
   
   James Weber Linn's "Jane Addams" 1935,is also well written, more informative, and does not need to be censored. It has good photos. It is in all respects a better book. I also call to your attention if you wish to read the papers without the speculation, the Selected Papers of Jane Addams Volume 1, Preparing to lead 1860-81,edited by Mary Bryan, Barbara Blair and Maree De Angury published by University of Illinois Press.



2. Victoria Brown has written the definitive biography of Addams to date. She takes advantage of recent discoveries and her own meticulous research to write the best intellectual biography of Addams available. Brown deals with controversial aspects of Addams life with neither the sexism of some of Addams's biographers nor the romanticization of others. Those who think they know Addams will find new insights and readers not familiar with Addams will discover one of the most important figures of the 20th century. Wonderful photographs and thorough citations.



3. This clear and accessible biography offers an intriguing examination of Jane Addams' early life and social and political ideals. The tone of affectionate even-handedness captures Addams' personality and makes her real to the reader. The book is thorough and carefully researched.

3 comments about Faith in the Service: True Stories from Latter-day Saint Servicemen and Women.

1. This collection of stories is a wonderful depiction of the 'other' side of the war. Too often we hear of the horrors of war. Yes, they exist, but through this book we can read of good things that happen and how the faith of these service men and women, contractors, and family members has been strengthened through the experiences in which they are blessed to be a part.



2. I loved this book. My sister is in the Air Force and says taht we don't have any clue what is really going on because there is no positive media reports. This really shows the good things that are going on and how faith sustains people in hard times. Thanks to all who serve our country!



3. In many ways, Chad Hawkins' book `Faith in the Service' is an indispensible primer for families who's Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines or civilian workers are yet to deploy or redeploy.
   
   As it turns out, `Faith in the Service' is a wonderful mosaic of praise, practicality and promise.
   
   When I was writing for the book, I had in mind not only to share a testimony of what our son Loren had gone through in Iraq, but also the true story of hope that developed as a result of it. I drew from our families' experience - Loren's whilst on duty with the 1st Cavalry Division (and as previously written about by ABC reporter Martha Raddatz in her book, The Long Road Home) - and ours as we shared in his assignment.
   
   With our sons, Ryan and Logan, also facing imminent tours of duty in Kuwait and Iraq with their Alaska National Guard units, we were highly motivated to devise a practical signal method that would allow us to know when to be extra concerned. Think of it as knowing that you can step back, breath, ease off a bit emotionally, knowing that yes he's still in a war zone, but not necessarily in a deadly force-on-force situation. We all agreed that we'd refer to the cue term as `hunting trips'.
   
   As we'd speak or write emails, if Loren responded that yes, they were shortly headed out on a hunting trip then we'd know (and Ryan and Logan subsequently experienced) that our prayers and supplications to the Lord would increase accordingly.
   
   The fact is Heavenly Father put this true gem into my mind. I had prayed for some relief, some way in which not only these young men would be safe during the challenges they were to confront in faraway war zones; but, also that we could cope, endure and provide loving support they needed most at that time.
   
   Loren recently returned home after completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. This practical signal method we'd previously designed served us well again - as it had with his brothers, Ryan and Logan, who'd returned safely just six months prior.
   
   It is these simple things that relieved tension, increased resolve and allowed us the ability to truly endure to the end. I am grateful for the many testimonies expressed in `Faith in the Service'. You'll find each story is a purposeful expression of truth; a testimony of mercy, kindness, resolve and determination.
   
   Mike Haller