5 comments about Under a Wing: A Memoir.

1. Reeve Lindbergh gives a most interesting overview of her very famous parents - her father with his eccentric behavior - her mother with her focus on life through the eyes of a true poet. Her parents would be proud of her writing skills and her father would probably have given her rare praise for this particular book as well as her others. Kathleen Wyatt



2. I really have enjoyed reading Reeve's memoir of her family. She has an amazing memory and can describe details of any past situation like it just happened minutes ago. I am always amazed by people who can do that (especially since I am not one of them). I come from a famous family too and enjoyed reading this book because I have always been fascinated at hearing about someone elses recollections of the past. Reeve's family experience isnt much different than my own family's and in some cases I laugh because some of the stories she has told (i.e. burping a fountain pen) is the same as my familys. My grandfather, who's stories are much the same as Charles Lindberg's, was also raised in Minnesota (St. Paul & Hallepin) so I was delighted to hear Reeve inform the reader of her father's recollections of this same period and place.
   
   Reeve writes her book in a way which makes you feel like your her best friend. She opens her soul to you and pours out all that makes her happy and sad. Although I am confident that this book will be considered one of the best memoirs of its time, I am sure that her family will be very glad she wrote it because she has unearthed the legends of her family's past and how it made them who they are. This is truly a great book...



3. What I especially like about Reeve Lindbergh's memoir is its candid and utterly sincere tone. This is not a dusty historical treatise; it is a simple sharing of thoughts and experiences. The reader is drawn into the life of a young girl with remarkable and famous parents. We already had an idea of what it was like to live with Charles Lindbergh from the diaries of his wife, Anne Morrow. Now Reeve's book gives another view, helping to round out the picture. Along the way she presents us with snapshot images that offer glimpses into his character. Charles Lindbergh wasn't an easy man to understand; and if he is difficult for us adults to get a handle on, what was it like for his offspring? Reeve tells us in her straightforward and heartwarming manner. This book should be an essential part of any Lindbergh fan's library. I highly recommend it.
   
   Richard Salva--author of Soul Journey from Lincoln to Lindbergh [UNABRIDGED]



4. Reeve Lindbergh tells stories that we want to hear about everyday life with her famous, complicated father and her intelligent, artistic mother. Reeve's delicate, precise prose is reminiscent of her mother's style of writing. A reviewer said of Anne Lindbergh that she "combed" her life for meaning and the daughter seems tuned into that same compulsion. It helps that she writes with as much insight as did her mother. The passage that describes the hours mother and daughter spent together after the death of Reeve's child is heartbreakingly revealing of the private Anne and her anguish after the kidnapping and death of her own child. Reeve's reminiscences of flying with her father (she was not an enthusiast) and her longing for her enigmatic father are poignant. She does not avoid discussing Lindbergh's perceived anti-Semitism; she does not attempt to defend him but rather keeps her emphasis on the effect this controversy had (and has) on her connection with him. I challenge any daughter to read Reeve's account of her visit to her father's childhood home without weeping.



5. There can be no doubt that Reeve Lindbergh's memoir is the most touching book about that family that I have read. Through her eyes we go beyond the covers of other books and see what it really meant to be a Lindbergh.

   They were almost a closed society onto themselves, yet they still experienced the same joys and sorrows as the rest of us. We find the man who was depised as an isolationist to be a concerned and loving father who read to his children.

   We dine with the children at their grandmother's house and we soar above the Connecticut house on Saturdays. The famed aviator at the controls and a bored child in the rear seat.

   After reading this book I felt very attached to this famous family. Being the same age as Reeve herself, my only knowledge of the Lindbergh's was the famous flight and the kidnapping as I read in history books. Now, after this book, I feel as though I have become part of them.

   It can only be summed up in one word, wonderful.

5 comments about Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (Vintage).

1. Mixing together family, food, history and culture, Madhur Jaffrey gives us a fascinating glimpse of upper class life in India. Her delicious descriptions of the daily life of the privileged contrast with what many hear of the poverty and troubles of that country. There are amusing tidbits such as "the art of getting thirty people into two cars" and the mischievous "Holi" day celebrations, and an indepth look at the intricacies of life in a large extended family, plus a sprinkling of family photos. Although she delves into the darker shadows of family troubles and the consequences of WWII and political changes, Ms. Jaffrey keeps those experiences on the light side, leaving me with more questions than answers.
   
   As with many memoirs, there is some disjointedness, but through it all there is the food - delightful, delicious, descriptions to make one drool. The average reader will undoubtedly find the recipes included at the end of the book to be daunting, but a trip to an Indian restaurant should be a most satisfying ending to this book. I enjoyed this book which offers literally a taste of India. My only question - since Madhur failed cookery in school, how did she learn to cook so well?!



2. Madhur Jaffrey is a personal favorite - I loved her reading of Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance (Oprah's Book Club) & it's a delight to see her pop up unexpectedly in movies like Prime (Widescreen Edition) in small but juicy roles. So, it was a pleasure to read about the author's childhood in this enjoyable remembrance of an India past.
   
   Ms. Jaffrey's family was obviously prosperous and privileged, as attested to by the grand house ("Number 7") that was the center of her early life. You quickly take that standard of life as a given. We get a look at the 'joint family' style of living - all the incomes pooled & the family living under the extended roof and paternal care of her respected and successful grandfather ('Babaji').
   
   You'll want to rush out and order Indian food every night. Each remembrance is embraced with recollections of specific foods and the preparation that goes into making those dishes for a large family. There's a full 50 pages of family recipes that follow the Epilogue.



3. Madhur Jaffrey is one of the foremost authors of indian cookbooks. This book is a memoir of her childhood in northern India during the 40s and 50s. It is packed with all the joys and flavors of an extended family with liberal food descriptions and delightful flavors of multi ethnic indian cuisine. She obviously had a very rich, privileged up bringing which is perhaps not what every indian born child is privy to, but her writing is compassionate, mindful of the privileges she had in comparison to the rest of the country - and allows the reader to really travel visually and enjoy a taste of the same. One cannot help wishing though that she had dealt with, at some length, on some real struggles with a dysfunctional uncle (Shibbu dada), the changes in the family during the post independance era (all families went through a lot of struggle then, particularly privileged ones) or for that matter anything that lets the reader know that the journey was not always a happy or easy one. Read it anyway, and particulary if you are from India, it is truly a delightful nostalgic journey into the joys and flavors and family love that is so typical of extended family life in our homeland and sadly getting to be a rarity for even those who live there.



4. This book brought back wonderful memories of a lovely 6 years spent in India. Her portrait of the lives of the wealthy and privledged of that era were hauntingly familiar. An excellent read.



5. I know the author by her association with Said Jaffrey, an actor of some repute
   in India, and her famous cookery show and books in the same domain.
   Apparently, at one time the author was married to Mr. Jaffrey, but has since
   divorced and is now re-married to a gentleman in New York and settled in the
   same city. I presume she still writes books on Indian cooking. In any case,
   the Jaffrey name and the title were enough of a ruse to get me to read the
   book. What emerges is a tale of a priviledged childhood in pre-independence
   India: her family traces its roots back to the time of emperor Aurangzeb
   (the last Mughal ruler of India) in whose court Madhur's ancestors used to
   ply their craft as writers. The emperor gifted land to her ancestors in what
   would later became New Delhi, enabling Madhur a luxurious childhood by Indian
   standards. Her family was well to do: grandfather was a barrister, father
   owned mills, the family took trips to Europe and possessed two American cars -- and
   this is in pre-independent India, mind you. The book itself is composed of short
   chapters, each one detailing some memory of childhood: cousins, siblings, aunts and
   uncles, grandparent, summer trips to Simla, train rides, traumas, first love, the
   travails of a joint family, etc. A common thread that runs through all the chapters is
   the association of food with the memories. Madhur (which means "sweet, honey-like" in
   Hindi) draws upon her strength -- food -- to permeate each chapter. The writing
   style is informal and colloquial, but enjoyable nonetheless. As an added bonus, the
   last portion of the book contain her favorite recipes. (July 2007)

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 Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death.

1. This book was a dreadful read, confusing, bias and with no cited sources to back up startling allegations. I was disappointed and turned off!



2. If you are a Anna Nicole Smith fan this is a book for you. I read the book in one sitting. This is a book that you can't put down. You will definitely enjoy it. It's worth the money



3. I am a firm believer that Larry Birkhead is a good Dad to this baby.
   I somehow have doubts in the "sex act" that supposedly took place with Larry and Howard. The obvious disdain that the two men have/had for one another make this unbelievable.
   I believe it to be true that Howard is sneaky, dangerous man who liked to control and manipulate, and not to be trusted. He very well could have been the one to take the lives of Daniel and Ana Nichole. Sad for this baby who now has no Mother to grow up with, nor Brother.
   Sad Book, Too bad they could not have had the intervention that they needed to save their lives.
   I think Rita did a good job writing this book. It does hold the readers interest, and moves pretty smoothly and quickly.



4. Excellent condition, everything you say is true. I will be purchasing more. Prompt and courteous service. Thanks :) Jan



5. You know I really don't follow any of the tabloids or the television shows devoted to celebrity culture, but when I saw Rita Crosby interviewed on Fox I thought I'd give Blond Ambition a leafing. Somewhat comically, the anchor said to Crosby during the segment, "I saw the title and thought it was about you." In a way he was right because this is a most subjective account of Anna Nicole Smith and her death. I usually don't mention much about an author's style as I'm no Hemingway myself, but I found the writing here to be quite poor. It was a brief text but I kept putting it down due to how ponderous it was. I don't see Smith as having been a bad person so much as I consider her as an individual who could not control her impulses. Oh, I do think that charade with Mr. Marshall was reprehensible but I would never expect honor from a Hollywood star.
   
   The narrator seems to have a high amount of respect for Smith which amazed me. The corresponding vilification of Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead also made no sense. Personally, I would not want to associate with either of those two guys, but they strike me as being no different in their qualities from Smith. They are scammers and societal free-riders who associate who other scammers and societal free-riders. Isn't this to be anticipated? Should this discombobulate us? Further, Crosby's take on her subject's addictions was absurd. She blamed Stern for the drugs Smith did which is fallacious. Smith was an independent, autonomous human being who was responsible for her own actions. Even if Stern obtained them for her (and whether he did or not I have no way of knowing) she still had a choice before taking them. Being addicted to a substance is both debilitating and a challenge, but even low will-power fellows like me managed to quit smoking. It was not easy but preserving your life is worth the suffering it entails. Of course, survival was a priority for me, but, as we see here, it isn't for everyone. The thing that puzzles me most is why anybody admires celebrities in the first place. I'd be no more likely to look up to them than I would a grouper or a mockingbird. I'll never comprehend the allure these rich folks have but this book will not add to anyone else's collective understanding of that phenomenon either.

No comments about Thrumpton Hall: A Memoir of Life in My Father's House.

5 comments about Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq.

1. A trailblazing book, Band of Sisters describes the harrowing experiences of our women serving in Iraq. Although the author profiles only twelve women, this book illustrates the complex human machinery needed to fight a war -- men and women working together as a unit. While some have criticized the book's dry prose (Holmstedt's research became a MA thesis in creative writing), the author has done a masterful job of telling her stories.
   
   Kathleen Winters, author of Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air



2. I have to agree with an earlier commenter. This is most definitely not about a band of sisters. The author probably hoped to increase sales by giving it that name. (Sounding like "A Band of Brothers). Did this person do this for a college thesis? There are many inaccuracies in the book ranging from 7 ton trucks to the lack of proper military terminology, (along with explanations for the layman), to going back and forth from standard to metric w/o warning. The author also seems to exaggerate some of the circumstances to make them seem more exciting than they actually were. And pardon my ignorance, but what is an "OB Tampon"? I recently retired from the military as a Army Medic and spent time in the Air Force as well. I'm glad I got this book from my library and didn't buy it. Would have been a total waste of money! If you're looking for something akin to "A Band of Brothers", look elsewhere. This book isn't it.



3. The author's writing just kind of bugged me, and I see I am not alone. It read like a book one would find in the young adult section of a bookstore. The stories were very good, but I felt the weak writing took away from them. It also seemed as though the author was heavily favoring Marines and making it seem as though other branches of the military are not as disciplined or effective. The book was good and had valuable stories, but it was not what I was expecting.



4. I was wondering how you could say the women in this book don't show "heroic temperament"? Do you know what a hero is? Sorry, but John Wayne characters don't exist in real life. Heroes are these women ... the first black female combat pilot in the marines, who strikes a target to save several of our ground troops; women out searching Iraqi women and children who suddenly find themselves in a firefight; Purple Heart winners; women who leave their children behind to serve our country? What else do you want in a hero, might I ask? Sorry they don't ride horses and shoot Indians. These are real life heroes.



5. While this is a subject that could certainly command a wide reader audience, the stories are so-so, the women portrayed are competent at what they do but don't show much in the way of heroic temperament or charismatic personality. They would show up a whole lot better if the writer had more skill. This reads like high school essays with girlish overtones. The insertion of military terms and jargon where indicated just do not ring true as part of the overall battle experience.

5 comments about Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Quest for the Sacred Feminine.

1. This book DID literally hit me over the head - in a book shop! I was browsing through the books and this novel fell off the top shelf landing on my head before it hit the floor. At the time I was more interested in the books I had under my arm so I placed it back on the shelf....but 6 months later I regretted that decision and trackedit down.
   
   I have a large interest in Avalon - I find that era particularily fascinating and this book was a great insight but more importantly it was just a great read about one womens journey and connection to Avalon. There are so few books like this around (that I can find) - I am grateful this one smacked me over the head to be noticed, lol!



2. This book was appreciated from perspective of a younger woman also, so not only midlife women will enjoy! Made me think!



3. I just read this book as I approach my 60th birthday and am having some discomfort with reaching that age. I had read Crones Don't Whine several years ago also by this author, but didn't connect it when I purchased Crossing to Avalon.
   I found this book so interesting, enlightening, and helpful that it will go on the shelf with other books I lend out but always want back. I was able to connect the Goddess ideas with the Jungian archetypes and then directly to how I feel personally in a more direct way than with any previous books I've read. I would highly recommend this book. I'm not sure if it would have made the same great impression on me if I hadn't earlier done some reading on these subjects.



4. Crossing to Avalon is part of the Goddess Movement that many women are finding after being raised in male-dominated religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Goddess of Ms. Bolen is almost a material, earthy Person as opposed to the spiritual sky God. The author makes several interesting points about opening oneself to Spirit and accepting the Body as sacred as a monstrance or a shrine. Other reviewers have given their opinions on the strengths of this book, so I will not repeat them here.
   
   The book has many of the same weaknesses as others in the Goddess genre. Avalon posits that before the horrible men got into power and forced their horrible male gods on us, everyone worshipped a Goddess figure and celebrated female things like menstruation, menopause, birth, etc. There was little violence and women ruled over men with their profound wisdom and magic powers.
   
   It does not bother Ms. Bolen, who is a psychiatrist, that there was no writing from these times and therefore no way to really know what the people said or did about almost anything. Feminist spirituality devotees can write a novel about a little figurine that looks like a pregnant (or perhaps obese) female and turn it into the Venus of Willendorf. Reality on the historical front is not as important as creating a misanthropic mythology that puts the Female front and center. I doubt Ms. Bolen would be as open-minded about the medical information she reads in psychiatric review journals. She would want footnotes and facts and testing done, something that is not a part of Goddess History.
   
   I found Ms. Bolen's musings on pregnancy, birth, breast feeding, and menstruation to be fanciful. I doubt that it was "patriarchy" that decided to call menstruation "the curse." I imagine it was coined by women who were sick and tired of bloating and cramping every single month and feeling exhausted and bitchy. There is a reason the birth control pill that allows a woman to bleed only once or twice a year is wildly popular. A lot of male-created religions have menstrual taboos and I used to think they were ridiculous until I thought, "perhaps women started them to give us an excuse to take a break once a month. 'Make dinner? I'm on my period; you know I can't touch your food/go to the mosque/have sex with you for a week!'"
   
   Ms. Bolen's ideology of Body as Sacred ignores that it is our Body that we have in common with every other mammal, and it is only our Minds that have evolved beyond them. A dog menstruates, gives birth, and suckles. It is precisely our Body that gives us a disadvantage to men -- before antibiotics and hospital births, women died years and years before men. Before chemical birth control a woman could expect to become pregnant every year until menopause, and traditional families all over the world had more kids than you can count with your fingers. Before formula, children sometimes died because their mothers did not make enough milk to sustain them. Women are on the average smaller, weaker, and slower than men. This sort of feminist spirituality seems to take what makes us vulnerable to "patriarchal oppression" and celebrate it. It reminds me of Buffy the Vampire, where anorexic Sarah Michelle Gellar would fight off males who could have snapped her neck in a second and not broken a sweat. THAT is the reality of the female body.
   
   I admit that I hold to an Aristotelian view of the Primacy of the Mind and not the Body, and I am not an epiphenominalist as I think Jean Bolen appears to be. This influences the way I read books like this. I get the impression as I read that Ms. Bolen is soooo spiritual that she can miss that "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Women consoling each other becomes a Goddess infusion in her mind, rather than the very physical brain response that people and animals get when touched and comforted. The fact that the author is a psychiatrist interests me, since she does not appear to hold that emotions and responses are related to a physical brain but are instead part of a numinous Thing that lives within us, perhaps the Goddess.



5. You know, I have to say - this book is awesome - especially if you are a woman.
   I am not.
   I am reading this as a women's studies requirement at a "womens centered" university I attend (what can I say?).I am struggling to read this book and find parallels to the male journey... argh. If you are a guy, skip this!
   I know all of you are going to click on the "no" helpful voting button for this review - I don't care.CLICK IT TWICE FOR ALL I GIVE A RATS TUSHY. I just spent more than 800 bucks AND WASTED 3 MONTHS OF MY LIFE to take this class called the 'Psychology of Women' that took me on a womans mid life spiritual quest. Men, stay away from this book. Women, bare your teeth and vote NO to this review because I am evil. Thank you.

5 comments about Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.

1. I certainly enjoyed this book. We will be reading this book as a choice for a book club. There is a lot to discuss-from the family life to the unrest that is pertinent to what was once Rhodesia and is now suddenly thrust into the spotlight as Zimbabwe. Ms. Fuller takes you to a place that few in today's world will experience. She is honest in her depiction of her family and one is caught up in each of their personalities. I wish more books could offer such insight and descriptions that will both educate and entertain at the same time.
   
   Gail Boyd, Washington, Ga.



2. Although mostly well-written, this memoir is very depressing. I was expecting more about Africa from this NF book, but it's largely the tale of a highly dysfunctional family that suffers blow after blow, bringing much of it on itself. And no one seems to learn anything from their mistakes. The Book of Job is uplifting reading by comparison.



3. I found this in audio at an audio rental store. The front intrigued me so I read the back and decided to give it a go. I liked it so much that my husband decided he wanted to listen to it too! What an interesting life to have lead at such a young age!



4. This family is composed mainly of fighters, people who decided to forsake the clotted cream comfort of their native England for the thorny bush country of, what was then known as, Rhodesia.
   
   In poetic prose that the reader occasionally stumbles over, Fuller takes us on a dense tour of her life in Africa, thesaurus in hand, and describes the stunning beauty and hopeless squalor of the land with a series of adjectives and adverbs that occasionally seem shoehorned in but rarely off-the-mark. This makes for an occasionally jarring, though still beautiful, journey, much like what the young author must have experienced perched on the spare tire of her family's bucking Land Rover. Some of Fuller's descriptive metaphors, however, are quite luminous; they stay with you.
   
   Still, she hits home with her prose more often than not, and produces a thoroughly readable if somewhat detached report on the life of her family, and how they bear up as trauma eclipses joy after a series of dismal events, including the deaths of small children and runs for the border of several African nations as things (i.e., the political landscape, war) shift and change. These things would loom large in anyone's life, and they are told here with an air of inevitability and acceptance . . . even excitement.
   
   Here's a family who thrives on adventure.
   
   There were several times Fuller had me right there in the back of the Land Rover with her. I was unsettled and awed by what we saw together. She's an amazing writer when she gets going.
   
   Great read.



5. Okay, now as a former and recovering English major I'm going to admit that Ms. Fuller is actually a decent writer, But I do want to point out a few things the other reviews don't cover.
   First, Ms. Fuller is stridently politically correct and distorts the historical facts of the former Rhodesia in an effort to demonize the whites. The distortion does border on reverse racism, however much I hate to trot out the r-word.
   Secondly, this woman is absolutely obsessed with toilet functions and other bodily things and takes any opportunity to describe them--particularly her own. She takes an almost narciscisstic delight in describing herself in these terms.

5 comments about My Story: Illustrated Edition.

1. I have always been a fan of Marilyn Monroe. I finally decided to read a little more indepthly about her and thought there would be no better place to start than with her own words.
   
   The book is just fascinating. Although parts were miserable (mostly about her childhood), it was such a brief glimpse that her light spirit remains intact. Since I find her absolutely fascinating, so this book was a real treat.
   
   The eerie entries that almost seem to foreshadow her gradual demise are so coincidental, I wonder if that was not her friend Ben Hecht embellishing after the fact. And even though some people say she could not have written this, I see her voice in the phrasing and choice of words. My only complaint that the book, like her life, was too short.
   
   Highly recommend.



2. Lately I have been on a Marilyn Monroe reading Jag (I do recommend "Misfits Country") that was brought on by watching most of her films. This book offers unique insights as it is Marilyn in her own words. She covers everything from her early childhood, to her rise to stardom, and her rocky marriage to Joltin Joe DiMaggio. There are nuggets here that explain much about how she went from Norma Jean to Marilyn Monroe, and some interesting foresight as to her demise. The books only weakness is that it is way to short, there is so much more I wanted to hear Marilyn talk about....



3. This book is amazing!! Marilyn vividly descirbes her good/bad expierences and her dreams of becoming a famous actress. When reading the book it feels like your going back in time and watching Marilyn grow into one of the most memorable, sensitive, and discredited actress of all time. During some parts I have to admit, I felt chills up my spine and was a little spooked. I have never been able to complete this book because I know that it will not have a happy ending and will forever be incomplete and that Marilyn will never have a chance to try some of the things that she longed for. I would highly recomend that you would read other books on Marilyn before reading her autobiography. You should know some of the people and events in her life because there are no explainations and a reader my get confused.



4. I was so impressed with this book I brought a copy for my friend, this book is really easy reading (great for bedtime) and quite an insight to Marilyn Monroe's own personal biography, the pictures are fantastic and this is a must for any Marilyn Monroe fan an absolute must for any fan's collection. Most enjoyable, if I hadn't broughtit already I'd buy it again.



5. I've read that this book was not actually written by Marilyn. Despite this, I do like the way the story was put together/told. Even though it leans toward depressing, it's still a very interesting read. This book would be better as a much smaller paperback with fewer photos. We know what she looks like. The space fillers can distract. They are great photos, but perhaps limiting them, making them smaller and fitting them onto smaller sheets of paper, or placing them at the end might be better. Smaller paperbacks are easier to take everywhere with you.

5 comments about An Unfinished Marriage.

1. In An Unfinished Marriage, Joan Anderson chronicles some of the events that took place in her relationship with her husband in the months following her year's "vacation" from the marriage. Through ups and downs, the two struggle to readjust to one another, to living together in what had been their small vacation home, to Robin's retirement, and to Joan's newly-developed independence.
   
   Anderson summarizes the book, and the relationship, well when she writes that "...age brings with it the stolid reality that there are no sudden transformations, that the real work of becoming a couple never ends, and that even though we've been married for half our lives, we still haven't figured out how to get it right."
   
   Nevertheless, she ends the book on a cheerful note, on their thirty-second anniversary, leaving us to conclude that, while they may not have figured out how to get it right just yet, they're making progress in that direction.



2. Joan is always open, honest, fresh, clever and puts things into perspective. Wish she wrote more books!



3. I think every married woman should read this and Joan's previous book 'A Year By The Sea.' I read this several years ago and could easily identify with it then. I just reread it and being a little older and even deeper into my marriage, it just hits home. I have read this off and on for the past week and have found consolation from my own marriage woes and commraderie in knowing that I'm definately not alone in working through certain stages and feelings of marriage. Makes me feel even stronger really for working through the muck and mire instead of throwing in the towel which can be a mighty tempting and attractive option depending where you are.
   
   The memoir picks up where 'A year By the Sea' left off. They are re-entering their marriage. The book reads kind of like a journal, or maybe a personal conversation with a close friend. The chapters are divided by months and seasons of the year. I love the detail and open honesty of it. I like that she not only talks about her marriage, but the changes she and Robin are experiencing as parents while they watch their son transition into his own family.



4. A sequel to "A Year by the Sea", this book follows Joan Anderson's journey as she and her husband reunite after she spent a year alone at her family's cottage by the sea. I did not quite know what to expect from the book, as frankly, I loved her first book so much, I really didn't want him to come back! Joan is brutally honest with the reader about her feelings as she deals with her struggles of his return, feelings to which I think many women can relate as we deal with the men who come in and out of our lives. Joan's candidness creates a common bond that makes you cheer for her in the good times and cry with her in the bad. This is another great book that speaks to women of all ages as we navigate life's journeys. I highly recommend it!



5. There are so many things that the author describes in this book that everyone can relate to at one time or another in their life. She expressed on paper what most of us are thinking when in a relationship but never say. I thought the book was thought provoking and empowering. A delightful read and highly recommended.