5 comments about Pretty Is What Changes: Impossible Choices, The Breast Cancer Gene, and How I Defied My Destiny.

1. I really appreciate Jessica's candid memoir. It is very helpful to women who are in the same situation. Also, for the friends and family, to help them understand the patients point of view. Thank you, Jessica.



2. I highly recommend the book. The author is a cousin of mine. I learned a lot about the family and her mother was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. I have recommended the book to a lot of people that have a history of breast cancer in their family. She will be informing people and can save a lot of lives. I commend her for writing the book. I know it had to be a very difficult task.



3. I want to thank Jessica for the refreshing and honest story of her journey. I am dealing with the same issue and her book really talked to me. I would recommend this book to anyone!



4. An absolute must-read. The vivid portrayal of loss and hope is so clear-eyed, so honest and so courageous that I was humbled and grateful to have been allowed this glimpse into Jessica's experience. I have already sent this book to more people than I can count.



5. I throughly enjoyed and learned from this book and think Ms Queller is a gifted writer. The reviewers who criticize her lack of indepth information on BRCA testing and genetic mutations are being unfair. Ms Queller is not a genetics scientist or even a physican. (My stepson is a brilliant genetics biologist and, believe me, the average layman would not understand most of what he says.) Jessica Queller is telling this story as a patient, a patient who bravely poured out her very intensely personal experience to strangers to read. I think she deserves to be admired and even thanked. It is interesting to note how similar the critical reviews sound. Perhaps written by the same person using different names? Or maybe this is such a personal topic it has touched a raw nerve in some readers and upset their peace of mind. I don't know, but I do think the book deserves rave reviews. Many nonfiction books are poorly written and bore me to death. This story never bored me for one minute; I was entertained, enlightened, and impressed. Kudos, Ms Queller. I hope you will continue to write about your ongoing experiences and (best wishes) with your family planning.

5 comments about Paula Deen: It Ain't All About the Cookin'.

1. This book is surprising, funny, and you won't be able to put it down! I absolutely loved it.



2. I admit, I am a HUGE Paula Deen fan. My mother-in-law bought an autographed copy of this book for me while we were visiting her restaurant in Savannah (where we got to meet her sweet son, Bobby! Such a treat! And you'll never eat a better piece of fried chicken ANYwhere!). I knew something of her rags-to-riches story before, but I couldn't believe how candid she was in her autobiography. She isn't afraid to admit that she has made some big mistakes in life. It just made me adore her even more! I especially loved how the editor/publishers used her accent/twang in the text. They kept her authenticity and I just felt like she was talkin' right ta lil' ol' ME!
   
   Love and beyust disshus from MAH kitchun ta yuuurrs, Paula! :) God bless ya'll!



3. I may have been the last one in America. When I sat down to read It Ain't All About the Cookin' I was a Paula Deen virgin. I'd never read one of her books; never seen her show. I've seen the line snaking down the block from Lady & Sons in Savannah, but I've never grabbed a place.
   
   Now I feel like I'm about to get a new next door neighbor. Which would be great and not too surprising since I live about sixty miles south of Albany, Georgia where Paula grew up and spent the her early married years.
   
   I understand Paula. We've got lots more than geography in common. I've written several times about how my grandmother used canned biscuits for dumplings--and didn't get caught. The first recipe in the book is for--no kidding--her mother's doughnuts made from canned biscuits. And in the next chapter she rhapsodizes over chicken and dumplings. She's great.
   
   So is this book, and on many levels. Paula's a perfect candidate for Story Circle! She is completely honest. She tells it all, even when she doesn't have to, and we might not miss it.
   
   "But suddenly, somehow, it's time to show and tell--warts and all. I plan to tell some hard secrets in the pages, but it's taken a long time to get up the nerve to do so," she tells us in the introduction. Her nerve holds for the entire book. When we shut it we know the whole woman. And she is a fine one.
   
   Don't waste time being envious of Paula Deen because things have dropped into her lap; they haven't. She's earned every bit of the glory through a gritty nerve, a willingness (try eagerness) to take a risk, stick-to-itivness you won't believe, and, mostly, hard work. Really hard work.
   
   Stick-to-it? For twenty-seven years this woman stuck to a marriage that she realized was doomed from the gitgo. Then the day came: "But I'm here to report that there's nothing like a little business success to lend a lady some personal courage." When the husband pocketed their son's car payments so many times that the car was repossessed, the camel's back snapped, and Paula showed him to the door.
   
   Hard work? At that time she was making sack lunches out of her kitchen for her son to sell door-to-door or office-to-office in Savannah's businesses. A tough life.
   
   And she toughed it out to reach the success she's most deservedly enjoying today.
   
   Plus, she's a lot of fun, even when she's talking about the hard times, and especially when she's talking about the good ones. There have been plenty of those as well.
   
   While this "ain't all about the cookin'," some of it is. With Paula Deen writing, how could it not be. She talks about cookin', and she shares recipes--many of them family treasures she's never shared before.
   
   These days, I try to be a purist in the kitchen cooking from real scratch, but occasionally I recall that a can of mushroom soup can be a cook's best friend. Paula's convinced of this. No wonder her food is comfort food! Now this Texas girl may never add a can of French onion soup to her chili--or she might--but I'm going to give the Georgia Cracker (yes, it involves a whole sleeve of saltines) Salad a try, and the first crisis that brings on the comfort food craving, I'm for sure making Uncle Bubba's Crab and Shrimp au Gratin. Not only does it involve shrimp, crab, Tabasco and cheese, it calls for a healthy dose of Kraft Cheez Whiz. How can you not love it?
   
   Or love this book?
   
   Next time I'm in Savannah, I'll be in that line at Lady & Sons, no matter how long it is!
   
   by Patricia Nordyke Pando
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



4. Just when you think it's impossible to like Food Network star Paula Deen more than you already do, you'll find yourself enjoying this very revealing read from one of the most famous Southern cooks in the world (as opposed to a chef, which Paula freely claims she is not and was never trained to be). (Although, truth be told, I am not a fan of Paula's southern cooking which, yes, contains tons of fried this and fried that. I get a heart attack just thinking about deep fried butter! I'm not joining the chorus, that's just how I feel.)
   
   Anyone who has ever dreamed that running a restaurant or just being involved in the food business is a cake walk (pun intended) needs to sit down and read the appropriate chapters regarding her start in the food business and just how tough it was (to put it very mildly). I become more exasperated as she explained the intricate details of having to constantly be on your feet all the time, having to make sure everything runs smoothly (which is a headache in and of itself), having to hire all the right people to keep track of everything (accountants, kitchen managers, etc.). Yes, anyone can take a guess at how hard it is to run any business, but it really sinks in after reading Paula's struggle to get her own food business off the ground exactly why so many resturants fail so quickly - it takes constant energy to keep them going and Paula has to be given tons of credit for keeping up with (and even outpacing) kids half and a quarter of her age.
   
   Paula's story is overall inspiring, not just because she was a divorcee starting her life all over again in middle age, but because the part that hit home for me was her description of and dealing with the crippling panic attacks and agoraphobia she was plagued with from the time both her parents died (the late-1960s to early-1970s) to around the mid-1980s. She didn't know what it was that was plaguing her for the longest time until a neighbor she was living next to finally put a term to it: Panic attack. His encouragement helped Paula to slowly deal with her condition and, unbeknownst to her, the way she dealt with her panic attacks has given me much needed inspiration on how to permanently alleviate my own attacks.
   
   I could care less about the fact that she isn't a trained chef (although her confidence makes up for that, when she stated she could cook rings around all those people in those tall, white chef's hats) and I could also care less about the fact that she smokes. I just loved her book from start to finish (so much so that I dusted it off in a day and a half). Her down-to-earthness is incredible (although I love how she showed that snoot clerk at Saks Fifth Avenue she wasn't the pauper the woman took her to be), and it's good to know she has a good working relationship with her sons and her stepchildren (after much time working out the kinks), moreso her stepdaughter. (BTW: Her husband Michael's taste in music rocks and her youngest son, Bobby, is *very* fine!).
   
   I hate to be cliche, but this is one book that was difficult to put down. You just want to learn more about Paula the more you read. The whole book is like your best friend talking to you without putting on any airs (as she stated on Page 213 that she didn't want to get so uppity that she forgot where she came from. She's done a hell of a job keeping that promise). Even her encounters with former President Jimmy Carter were humble endeavors on both their parts (it seems to me).
   
   This was a very enjoyable read and I would gladly read it again. - Donna Di Giacomo



5. Didn't really know too much about Paula Deen until I read this book. What a Great Lady. As she says, a little "bawdy", but she had guts and gumption...and she loves her family! A MOM who was not afraid to work, and work hard to make a living...and WHAT A LIVING... for her sons and herself. Great inspirational, encouraging book! I can't wait to read it again!

5 comments about Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me.

1. I have to agree with many other reviewers. Although I was born in 1965, I became a huge George fan and always envied Pattie's life and looks. It was very interesting to read about her childhood and early modeling career but we want to read about her as a Beatle wife and That Triangle. I was pulling my hair out at her jumping from one year to another. one minute a story is a married story, the next is a premarried story, etc. Unlike the official review, I see no "scandals" that I didn't already know. Sure we read about a few drug stories and a cook's meal or two, but what about any explanation for her leaving George for a very seedy-at-the-time Eric? Pattie was always an enviable muse, but when she talked about trying various drugs like LSD because as she writes "I would try anything!" I lost a lot of respect. She speaks about that in such a flippant way as if she's talking about riding a roller coaster or trying calamari. This woman must have 50,000 pages of unknown Beatle stories, and they don't all have to be sordid or hurtful, and we don't read much of anything. We just wanted a book of new things!
   I bought the book as a pre-order last fall, and I am sorry to say I cannot remember much else about it. If people had asked her for fifteen years to write her story, this could not possibly be "it."



2. This woman is so boring it's incredible! How could someone who has lived such a fascinating life write such a horrible book? Her time lines are completely screwed up. Her misery about not being able to conceive is a bore. Some people weren't meant to have children! Her whining and complaining in general is laughable. If you're looking for a book that makes you dislike Harrison and Clapton, this is the book for you! More then that, if you want to HATE Pattie Boyd and all her vapid whining nothingness, buy this book!



3. This book is written in a plain and understandable way. Not massively insightful but her perspective makes it very meaningful as 60s rock history. Pattie names names like few others so you can launch lots of research from her work. Being a woman's account, she tends to focus on ambience such as the food, the fashions, the wallpaper, the furniture, etc. Her memories benefit from having a diary but her depictions of John, Paul & Ringo as individuals are not very sharp. For instance, John Lennon is hardly mentioned in this book.



4. This is a unique perspective coming from the Beatles inside circle. Pattie Boyd's view of the Beatles's history tied a lot of things together for me. I was one of those fans that found about where the Beatles were staying and places they were visiting when they came to L.A. back in the mid to late '60s so I was able to get there and hang around and wait for them to appear. I didn't realize how much they were annoyed with us and frightened by us, how the fan's behavior turned them off to touring. I'm really enjoying reading this book and recalling the past and my youth as well as the Beatles'.



5. I was intrigued with the story of this woman who ended up married to not one, but TWO brilliant musicians and complex men in general. The vignettes were interesting, with plenty of detail and insight into the people in her life, but it was all over the place! I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride, going from one timeframe to another.
   Also, some of the chapters had quickly listed facts and I felt like I was being rushed through from one time period to get to the next.
   All in all, it was worth the read to live briefly in the magical time of Beatlemania and the sixties and seventies, but I can honestly say that this was the first time that reading a book caused me to take motion sickness medication.

5 comments about My Life in France.

1. A delightful book for foodies and Francophiles. At last a story of a happy marriage of two successful people.



2. This was a wonderful memoir about Julia Child. I especially found it interesting that she fell into cooking at the age of forty. Her passion to learn about cooking and gastronomy, as well as, her love for good food and wine were contagious. It made me want to get in the kitchen and whip something up. I think what Julia said at the end of the book, sums up what I learned by reading My Life in France, "Learn how to cook-try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!".
   
   While I was reading My Life in France, I watched the video "Julia Child! America's Favorite Chef". I found it to be a good compliment to the book. It was like a visual summary of everything I had read.



3. "My Life in France" by Julia Child w/ Alex Prudhomme, ©2006
   
   I love how this book reminds me of Julia, from seeing her on television. You can just hear her expressing herself, in person, about something, just that way.
   She had a love of life and her husband. Of course she was a bit privileged and her husband earned a good salary with the fringe benefit of living in foreign countries, like France and Norway. But the privilege and life she led seems to be less important than her attitude: she truly was having fun.
   This book is not limited to her life in France. She describes her childhood, how she met her husband, her parents, where they lived in Washington, her politics, etc. It is more her memoir. A more fun memoir can not be imagined. It is wonderful she and her great-nephew got this done.



4. It all began with a new bride wanting to learn to cook and progressed to owning a share in a cooking school, writing classic cookbooks that will be in print for many years, and becoming a television celebrity.
   
   During her last years, Julia Child and her husband's grandnephew, Alex Prud'homme, met frequently to record her memories. The heart of the narrative is her first years in France, where she arrived in 1948 as a newly wed whose cooking repertoire was comprised of a bad job of boiling water. The serious home cook, who has dabbled in a variety of cuisines (and most certainly French), may reap the most enjoyment, yet her story is intensely interesting, on a personal and public level, and very well written. There were moments when I wished I had a French dictionary at my side, but those moments weren't frequent enough to spoil a good read.
   
   Considering her age at the time of the writing, Prud'homme most certainly would have been responsible for the organization and undoubtedly did the bulk of the writing. But his contribution and his great aunt's voice are seamlessly interwoven. As I read, I could hear her warbling, high-pitched voice and was reminded of her wit from her television cooking shows.
   
   I read the last page with a smile, shut the book, and felt as satisfied as if I had just finished making her recipe for Cream of Mushroom Soup and found it to be perfect in every respect. I get the feeling that Julia looked back on her life with that same sense of satisfaction. She doesn't apologize for her privileged background, and she doesn't complain about being a somewhat homely, well-educated, quite bright, six-foot-two-inch woman who didn't marry until she was well into her thirties and never had the children she and her husband wished for. She mentions her sadness at not being able to share a close relationship, or even a viewpoint, with her father, but she doesn't wallow in it. She incorporates names, but never drops them. She is unpretentious, natural, and disarmingly honest.
   
   So many people look back with harrowing tales of disappointment and unhappiness; Julia gave us her joys and successes to share. I liked her before I knew anything about her life; now I like her a lot more.



5. I love this woman, and this book! Viva Julia! It made me want to cook again.

5 comments about Why Women Should Rule the World.

1. Both men and women are capable of unspeakable atrocities and unconditional love. Not one is better than the other. It's not ok for a man to ridicule a woman or for a woman to make fun of a man. This book has male-bashing in the guise of humor. Feminists would be all over this if a man wrote this book with the title "Why Men Should Rule The World".
   The marketing world is predominantly women. Male-bashing has become chic in commercials. The trojan comm. with the pigs at a bar full of women. Commercials that potray fathers as inept morons with mothers swooping in to save the day. Undermining men much! Men have done horrible things to women in the past, but that doesn't mean we're not making up for it.



2. "Why women should rule the world" is a book where men get made fun at, poked, insulted, challenged and disrespected. In the beginning I had high hopes with this book, having heard NPR reviews and even on the Colbert Report, where Dee Dee pushed forward the argument of shared responsibility (both men and women ruling the world), but after reading the first 15 pages disillusionment set in.
   
   While exhalting women's different virtues, which includes the ability to read people's emotions and levels of comfort, she seems to have forgo that same rule herself when applying to the "other" gender that might read her book and instead launched forward a series of deep-end attacks on the male constituency, doing very little to remedy what Dee Dee is trying to fix. At others I don't think Dee Dee delves enough into her arguments to convince certain readers, her conclusions, while not quite invalid are so far-removed from the premises that it needs more explanation than one sentence.
   
   At other parts, her reading feels confused. On one end (pg 69) Dee Dee creates the premise that there isn't that much difference in intelligence between men and women, but by the end of the chapter she's quoting Brizendine which says that women have "outstanding verbal agility, the ability to connect depply in friendship, and nearly psychic capacity to read faces and tone of voice for emotions and states of mind, the ability to defuse conflict..."
   
   At other her book shows a nice cautionary tale of what is to be the First Women Press Secretary. The book feels is carrying a developing story on her memoirs as press secretary that need to be nurtured out.
   
   In all, after reading Dee Dee's book as a "man" , is a wonder that I can walk straight, read, be socially adept, and actually attract someone from the opposite sex. My main issue is that even though her intentions are good, and she is definitively right in that there is a lot of injustice being done to women, her tone and prose leaves the "male" readership alienated. My guess is that Dee Dee's tone encourages women to stand together, but that same tone deepens the divisions she's trying to overcome.
   



3. I will say at the outset, this book was required reading, and as such I was offended, but have grown to expect misandry on campuses being the perpetuated norm. Despite the overt misandry which I find wholly unacceptable, the book does address two areas that I think are valid. One, more equality in numbers between men and women in government, and two, that men and women do work at problem solving differently. I think she makes valid cases for this assertion. Ms. Meyers also spoke at our campus regarding the book and lamented the title and said she meant it tongue and cheek and blamed the publisher; that said, I would have expected her to apologize to the male students and not resort to some victimization at the hands of the publisher excuse, I hold her accountable. Plus I did not realize that she considered a sexist title humorous as in tongue and cheek, so that level of misandry is inexcusable to me. Also, another flaw in this book is that it overlooks, that most of the legislation and programs for the last 50 years have been directed for the benefit of women in education, health, reproduction and social services. So a question she did not address was would women in power be willing to address the inequalities in society that men face in the same manner that male legislators have done for women. Sadly, based on the anecdotal examples and interesting stories from her her book and her campus visit, I would say the answer is no. Lastly, I feel sorry for her son, what a role model as a mom, one that thinks a title disparaging men is tongue and cheek. Sorry Dee Dee, the writing is fine, and the memoirs aspect is decent, and yes you make some valid points, but sadly I cannot excuse the misandry and sexism- those are unforgiveable. I feel badly for your son.



4. Ms. Myers' book is terrific; especially considering this is her first effort. She must love excelling at being the "first." It is packed with fascinating research and interviews, yet is a breezy, fun read. But more importantly than the brilliant way she weaves the reader in and out of stories of her family, suburbia childhood, splendid insights into her early political campaigns, fly-on-the-wall peeks into the real "West Wing," the Clinton White House and her current gigs, it is the cover picture of Dee Dee that is worth the price of the book! She looks beautiful with perfect hair, clothing, make-up and lighting. Okay, if you've read the book, you know what I really mean. It is truly the substance, not the style (even though she does look hot) that has made me recommend the book to everyone I know - male, female, young, old, blue state, red state.
   
   As Myers writes on page 90, "It's not that women are so much smarter (though sometimes they are). It's just that they provide an enormous and, too often, untapped source of talent and bring a different perspective - which by definition creates opportunity."
   Myers is not saying the sexes are same nor does she discount the male accomplishments in history. She repeatedly pushes the same message: the sexes are different and we should as a society acknowledge, embrace, appreciate and value those differences. Moreover, we should use these differences rather than ignore, to make the world a better and more peaceful place. This means value women as much as men. Then imagine the possibilities.
   
   I learned so much in this book, yet this isn't a textbook although should be a mandatory read in schools. The fact that almost all medical research studied only men up until 1990 is mind-boggling! The interviews with the who's who of women pioneers - Feinstein, Ride, Lansing, Goodall, McHale, Mitchell, Herman, Lee, Hutchinson, Roddick, are astounding. Plus I learned a fancy new word: verisimilitude and to be careful of a man named Panetta.
   
   As a man, I don't remember many of my male friends ever worrying about how to balance marriage, parenting and a career. For most of us men, we only focus on one thing (well, maybe two things); the career. Speaking of careers, Myers points out that college enrollment usually has more females yet what happens to them in the work-force when only small percentages end up in those studied fields from medicine to radio management.
   
   With her refreshing and educational style of writing, I can't wait for Myers' second book.



5. Whether you're a stay-at-home-mom or a corporate CEO, you will be nodding your head in agreement and laughing out loud throughout this insightful look at women and their place in every aspect of our world. Though the title is attention-grabbing yet tongue-in-cheek, the content provides a multitude of real-life examples and scientific evidence to support Ms. Myers' theory that when women are involved, whatever the endeavor, everyone benefits. I can't wait for our college bound daughter to read the book too; it lends itself to great discussion. Young women will see that the goal is not to replace men (although we can think of a few that should be replaced) but to work in equal partnership with men, using our feminine perspective and judgment to make the world more peaceful and productive. The reader also gets a first time look at the author's experiences in the Clinton White House as well as her life now as she successfully balances a more flexible a career and young family.

No comments about Stolen Innocence: My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs.

1 comments about Shakespeare's Wife.

1. This book, ostensibly about Ann Hathaway Shakespeare (1556-1623), is packed with fascinating research, but a lot of it is not about Ann directly, and some of the connections are a bit tenuous. Because of this, I found it a difficult book to get into; but having finished it, I think it was worth the effort--it is important, provocative, and very informative, especially about the lives of Stratford women who were peers and contemporaries of Ann. It also sheds a little light on the mysterious woman who was Shakespeare's wife.
   
   Greer aims to rescue Ann Hathaway from the traditional view that she coerced William Shakespeare into marrying her, that he consequently left her and the children to seek his fortune in London, and that he ultimately slighted her in his will. Greer examines the evidence (or lack thereof) for each of these points, and advances (sometimes many) alternative interpretations, often based on meticulous details about similar women.
   
   Against the first point, Greer persuasively argues that Ann didn't entrap Shakespeare by pregnancy, but rather he wooed her, although Ann had "good reason to resist Will's advances: he was too young; he had been trained to no trade that we know of, and his family, having nursed pretensions beyond their means, had run into serious financial trouble." He probably stood to gain more from the match that she did: "Will was certainly young and witty, possibly handsome, but he had nothing else to offer the kind of girl, who, as a sober, industrious, patient, frugal wife, would help him repair his family's ruined fortunes." The young lovers probably weren't forced into marriage, but instead followed the tradition of handfasting (a family wedding ceremony), then consummating the union, and upon pregnancy going to church to solemnize the marriage. By the end of Elizabeth I's reign, the Anglican church would have (mostly) ended this practice, but handfasting was still common in 1582, as borne out by the examples and statistics that Greer musters.
   
   After William went away to London, but before he became successful, Ann must have supported herself and her children, probably by brewing ale, curing bacon, and baking bread, with perhaps some haberdashery on the side. She may also have been instrumental in the brilliant match of their eldest, Susanna, to the physician John Hall. Greer suggests that a condition of the match may well have been making Susanna the sole heiress of William Shakespeare's estate. If so, then Will leaving Ann only the "second best bed" in his will would not be a slight, as it is usually interpreted. Aside from the bed (which was probably their marriage bed and quite valuable) and a possible dower right of one-third of the estate, Ann would have been able to choose things from their personal effects before his death. Some of Will's papers, revisions of the plays and so forth, were conceivably among those things; and Ann (probably literate, as Greer argues early in the book) could have been an important part of the First Folio project.
   
   In the process of rehabilitating Ann, Greer sometimes goes too far, I think, in the other direction, disparaging Ann's husband (and some of his biographers, like Stephen Greenblatt). In addition to the often sarcastic references to "the Bard" and "the bardolators," she reverses the usual interpretation of his leaving Stratford as escaping his wife:
   "Ann Shakespeare could have been confident of her ability to support herself and her children, but not if she had also to deal with a layabout husband good for nothing but spinning verses . . . When the chance arose to send him off to London in the train of some dignitary or filling in for someone in a group of players, she could well have jumped at it and sent him south with her blessing."
   
   In spite of the shortcomings of her book, Germaine Greer should be applauded for this fascinating and important study about the woman who was Shakespeare's wife.

5 comments about The Life of Elizabeth I.

1. I love reading books on the royal family,and this is a great book. Lots of history, very interesting, best book I've read in a long time. She was a great lady. Get ready for a LONG read!



2. Weir does a great job of giving the flavor of the times and the Virgin Queen. However, she gets bogged down in too much detail sometimes. There are hidden bits of humor that are fun to find, as well.
   
   Overall I believe this is a good biography of the Queen, however, it isn't for those looking for a quick or simple read.



3. This magnificent book has me convinced that a woman can rule a complex country. My mind is changed and I think it's time for this country to elect a female president.



4. This book reads like a history book and not a story book so might get a bit boring for some. But I liked it. It gave insight on even the smallest things in QE1 life (clothes,her teeth,household, etc) I think this book covers alot of things in her life and I am glade I bought this book!



5. While I recognize that her neverending courtships, both for politics and her own vanity are important, I do feel that this subject dominated the book. Of course Dudley and especially Essex reflect her faults. The book does not focus on many other very important aspects of her reign. It seems to want to be a "love story" as opposed to a complete biography. I did find it to be "easy reading" for a book of this kind but I must recommend Anne Somerset's biography for a more well rounded and informed view.

3 comments about Dear First Lady: Letters to the White House.

1. The wives of American presidents have been impressively diverse in personality and their interpretations of the role of 'First Lady' of the nation. Now for the first time in our political history we have a former First Lady actively seeking to become president in her own right -- which would make her husband, a former president, our unprecedented 'First Gentleman'. "Dear First Lady: Letters To The White House From The Collections Of The Library Of Congress & National Archives" is the collaborative work of Dwight Young (Senior Communications Associate, national Trust for Historic Preservation) and Margaret Johnson (researcher, editor, and author of four previous titles for the National Geographic Society). Profusely illustrated with historic photos and full-size facsimiles of the original correspondences, readers are treated to an informative, intimate 'window' into the lives and concerns of these women and the people who wrote them letters that range from the amusing, to the tragic, to the heartwarming. From British artist John Trumbull informing Martha Washington that is he sending her an engraving of one of his portraits of her husband (which engraving still hangs in Mount Vernon today), to Queen Victoria offering consolation to Mary Todd Lincoln, to a girl with a pen pal in India asking Jacqueline Kennedy if she can accompany the first lady on a trip to that country, to Laura Bush writing a letter to the children of American after 9/11 to reassure them that people love and care about them and are looking out for their safety, "Letters To The White House" is a compendium of bits of heretofore obscure White House history that spans two hundred years. Simply stated, every school and community library should have on their shelves for the benefit of their students and patrons a copy of "Letters To The White House.



2. This book is a nice supplement to the very thorough and enjoyable book by Cathy Knepper, Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters to Eleanor Roosevelt Through Depression and War.



3. I bought this book for my 99 year old mother. I thought it would be a good Mother's Day gift. At my Mom's age, she's been familiar with a whole lot of first ladies. I had heard about it on NPR.
   I was disappointed with the layout of the book when I opened it. The author's present the original letter (hand written mostly) on the left page, then followed by comments about it starting on the right page and beyond.
   What I want prospective buyers to be aware of is - most of these letters are handwritten, and in a lot of cases, very hard to read. I assumed the authors would have transcribed these handwritten letters into type, so they would be easier to read. Some of the letters I couldn't decipher at all. Some are shown on yellowed paper in handwriting from before 1900.
   So the 3 star rating is not based on the content of the book, but on the layout.
   I'm not sure I'm going to give this book to my Mom now, she might not enjoy it because not knowing what the letters say kind of kills the whole idea.

5 comments about Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books.

1. After reading reviews I decided to give this book a try. Unfortunately I couldn't make it very far. This book was beyond boring and every time I picked it up it would put me to sleep. Maybe if I was able to push through the beginning of the book it would have gotten better but I just couldn't. Which is unusual for me because I try to finish all books that I start reading.
   I would definitely not recommend this book to anyone.



2. This is a great read, all women (and men) should read this and find out what really exists in the mid-east. This is written by a woman that lived there before and after the revolution.



3. 
   The main "character" of the book is Azar Nafisi. She teaches American literature to young Iranians at the University of Tehran, but when she gets dismissed for refusing to wear a veil, Nafisi decides to teach a select group of students at her house. I read the controversy and love they had towards books they read, which include Jane Austen and Vladimir Nabokov. Reading Lolita in Tehran is filled with Nafisi's explanations of how these books relate to the 20th century lives of her and her students.
   
   The things these women go through are unlike anything I've ever heard of before. I was astounded by the oppression they had such as, always having short nails, being in public with only their brothers or husbands, and not being able to read Western classics since they were taken away from book stores. I was depressed to learn about the lives of these women but it was good to know that they keep persevering. What seemed to keep them going was having weekly readings discussing fiction and becoming engrossed in stories and lives of characters that they knew they could never have. "Works of imagination that did not carry a political message were deemed dangerous." (Nafisi 277) Unfortunately, reading fiction was highly frowned upon in Iran because books that did not have politics in it were censored by the government. Not only did they discuss books, this was mainly a time for them to escape their lives and comfortably sit together and tell stories of the past, present and future. Although I enjoy non-fiction once in awhile, fiction is a great way of stepping out of your own life and becoming involved in someone else's. I don't know how I could live without having a good piece of creative literature and not being afraid of being punished because of it.
   
   Religion for these women play a huge part in their lives, it may even be the only thing they know. "The worst fear you can have is losing your faith. Because then you're not accepted by anyone--not by those who consider themselves secular or by people of your own faith." (Nafisi 327) Being attached to faith as much as these women are made me wonder if they somewhat became dependant on it. After all, religion was all they know and all they did. One of Nafisi's students, Yassi is worried if she ever were to lose it she probably wouldn't be able to sufficiently go on.
   
   Everything about their lives were powered by government and faith. Hardly ever did they get to things, at least publicly, that their heart desires. "She walked freely, hand in hand with Hamid, wearing a T-shirt and jeans. She described the feel of the wind and the sun on her hair and her skin." (Nafisi 326) This is a description of one's student trip to Damascus when she was able to walk on the street freely without being scared of going to jail. Reading this quote made me take for granted the fact that I'm able to walk outside in an outfit I wear because I want to not because I have to. There was so much emotion in one experience that it gave me the impression that she would probably not forget being free.
   
   "Peppering my account with justified and unjustified accusations against the root cause of all our woes: the Islamic Republic of Iran." (Nafisi 278) This quote sums up how these women were simply unhappy with the situation they had in Tehran. Reading this memoir gave me a better understanding of how lucky I am to live in America at a time when there is more women teaching, learning, working then any other time before. I have opportunities of traveling, marrying who I want, and even wearing a t-shirt instead of a veil. All of which these women couldn't freely do because of the Iranian revolution. It was a challenging book because it bounced back and forth between times and places. Also, I didn't have much of understanding of Iran's revolution and unfortunately the classic books, but I'm glad to say that reading "Lolita in Tehran" only makes me anxious to learn more about the two. The author now lives in America and a couple of other girls moved away from Iran to start a new life, but could they really leave it? "I left Iran, but Iran did not leave me." (Nafisi 341)



4. This book is remarkable, intense and thought provoking. I had to read it slowly to digest every chapter. Very well written.



5. I wish I could say I loved this book, but I didn't. I read it primarily to find out what life was like as a university professor in Tehran after the Revolution and after I had left the country. What I found out was that I am glad I left! The author does put a very personal face on the repression of women and intellectuals, and for that expose I am grateful.
   
   However, the book lost more and more of its punch the longer and longer it got. I think the book can't figure out what it wants to be...a personal memoire, an expose on repression, or a detailed and lengthy course outline on certain works of literature. The book would have been infinitely better if it had been condensed to 300 pages max and had left out the analyses of works of Joyce and James. I couldn't figure out what they had to do with the central theme, anyway. The contrast and comparison ot Nabokov to life in the Islamic Republic of Iran was right on, but the book just went downhill after that.