5 comments about Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis.

1. What possesses a European woman to pack up her life and move across the ocean to study the natural world? Did I mention that it was 1699?
   
   Chrysalis tells the story of Maria Sibylla Merian, a woman living in the late 1600s and early 1700s, who is fascinated by the process in which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. She cultivates them as one might cultivate roses. More, she studies them in their own habitat. But how did she do it in a time when women were subject to their men, when witch trials were the norm, and dabbling in insect life was more than suspect?
   
   But Chrysalis is more than a biography. It is a study in entomology. What is the process from caterpillar to butterfly? And why do the chrysalises sometimes produce flies rather than butterflies? Remember this is the time of "spontaneous generation" when scientists thought frogs came from rain and meat produced flies.
   
   Chrysalis is more than entomology. It is religious history. What made the Pietist sects split off from the Lutheran church? What was the call of the Labidists for Merian? And how did she slide by the rules of stripping off worldly trappings in order to continue to paint and study?
   
   And still that is not all. There is her study across the ocean in Surinam. Her return. Her art. The study of microbiology with the invention of the microscope. This book is a comprehensive study of much that was going on in the world. It is fascinating and the art is beautiful. If I have any complaint, it is that the author references pieces that aren't pictured in the book and when the pieces are pictured, there is nothing to note that. I spent a lot of time flipping to the grouped photos in an often fruitless search.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: This is an overall fascinating book that could be improved by better referencing and picturing of the art.



2. [...]
   
   Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis, a nonfiction book by Missoula writer Kim Todd, sounds like a Victorian adventure novel: a fifty-two-year-old woman abandons her husband and European continent to study the metamorphosis of caterpillars in Surinam. But this was before the Victorians. In 1699, more than a century before Darwin, sixty-five years after Galileo's prosecution, and a time when witch hunts were part of the recent past, Maria Sibylla Merian embarked on a journey of scientific discovery in the dangerous New World with only her daughter for company. While the male colonists grew sugar cane on their plantations, Merian's slaves and servants helped her locate insects, reptiles, and plants for her to study and depict in her captivating watercolors. She trusted the natives' knowledge to assist her research, something that would be used against her reputation in the decades after her death.
   
   By the time Merian stepped on that boat to Surinam, she was a mother of two, had published two books about the metamorphosis of caterpillars in her native Germany, and spent five years living with a Pietist religious sect in a castle in Amsterdam, where she argued successfully for a separation from her husband using the sect's beliefs. At the time, a woman's husband was her legal representative and the court ordered numerous women to return to their abusive husbands. But after Merian's successful separation, she lived in Amsterdam and financially supported herself and her youngest daughter. Watercolors were her tool because "guild rules banned women from painting with oils." To get on that boat and to fund her scientific and artistic expedition, Merian sold her paintings and any unnecessary belongings.
   
   Kim Todd who received the PEN/Jerard Fund Award and the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing for her previous book, Tinkering with Eden, vividly describes the cultural, religious, and political time Merian lived in, as well as her artwork and scientific contributions, without overwhelming the reader. Todd also introduces other fascinating, accomplished women of the seventeenth century, and the new, exciting time of natural philosophers (the term scientist hadn't been created yet, neither had biology, ecology, or any of the other -ologies). Spontaneous generation, the idea that creatures could be born from non-living sources, was a common belief during Merian's time. Todd includes some of the recipes. My favorite is:
   
   To get a bee -
   Find a sunny space roofed with tile
   Beat a three year old bull to death
   Put poplar and willow branches under the body
   Cover it with thyme and serpellium
   The bees will emerge
   
   In language as colorful as Merian's paintings, Todd also describes the intricacies of metamorphosis and some of the insects that befuddled Merian and other natural philosophers. Through Todd's gripping prose, I became excited about the tricky metamorphosis of the large blue butterfly (Maculinea arion). Trust me, that's an accomplishment. If you don't believe insects and metamorphosis are interesting, you will feel differently after this book. To experience Merian's life and what happened to her work and reputation after her death, you will need, and want, to read Chrysalis. One hint: Peter the Great is involved.



3. You may have seen the artwork of Maria Sibylla Merian, as it is a staple for pretty but accurate pictures of butterflies, caterpillars, moths, and flowers, and can be found on china or stationery. She was more than a painter or engraver, though. Her life was unique. She had artistic talent, but she was also a keen scientific observer, who advanced the study of insects immeasurably. She was a teenaged bride who left her husband who divorced her, and she had to care for their two children. She was so enthralled with the study of moths and butterflies that at age 52 she traveled to a mysterious and largely unknown land to see more of them, and to bring back pictures and scientific descriptions of their behavior. And she did this more than three centuries ago. _Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis_ (Harcourt) by Kim Todd is a thoughtful examination of what we can know about Merian's life from the few personal documents that remain about her, and a proper reevaluation of her place in the world's scientific effort. It also is a fine resource about the biological controversies that were brewing in the seventeenth century, controversies that had to be settled in order for a basic understanding of insect life to take hold.
   
   Merian was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1647. She could not have a formal apprenticeship like a male artist in training, and she could not even paint in oils, because the rules of the guild forbade women from doing so. She was, however, able to use watercolors and engraving with beauty and utility to bring her objects of study almost to life upon the page. When Merian studied or painted insects, she included what foods they ate, and how they proceeded from egg to larva to pupa and to the adult, and it was all part of her contribution to science and to the branch that later was to be known as ecology. In doing so, she was working against scientific currents of the time, since it was held that insects could spontaneously generate from rotting meat, dew, or wool. She also was taking a risk in showing interest in possibly satanic insects, especially since she kept them alive, fed them, and kept their cocoons in her kitchen. Women were accused of witchcraft for less. Dutch curiosity cabinets did contain spectacular specimens from the colony of Surinam, but Merian wanted to see the insects as they lived, and used the money she made from her books and her paintings to finance her two-year trip there. She relied on the natives to tell her about the plants and their uses, and she got the first rudimentary understandings of the rainforest as a complex ecosystem; she observed, for instance, that butterflies at the tops of the trees were different from the ones nearer the ground.
   
   Merian left Surinam after only two years because of illness, probably malaria. After she returned to the Netherlands, she published _Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium_ in 1705, full of pictures and descriptions of the colorful insects she had seen on her travel. The beauty of the pictures was praised, but only succeeding generations could appreciate the ecological innovations of her insect portraits. Her reputation suffered after her death; if she were discussed at all, it was to ridicule her picture of a spider capturing a hummingbird. After all, she had no formal education, she accepted the reports of natives who lived among the insects she depicted, and she was a woman. It was only in the twentieth century that her reputation was restored, not just as an artist but as a scientist who insisted on direct observation of the insects she described, and who realized how their cycles linked within a larger natural system. Todd's book has to have a great deal of speculation in it; she includes many sentences beginning with "perhaps" or "probably". This is because the sources are scant. There are Merian's books and paintings, of course, but beyond that are a couple of her legal documents and less than twenty letters she wrote. Nonetheless, Merian's contributions to biology were considerable, and Todd's well-illustrated and thoughtful book helps in the restoration of her reputation.



4. Today Maria Merian is mostly known for her lovely butterfly prints, but back in 1699 she sailed from Amsterdam to South America on an expedition to study metamorphosis - a rare journey for any naturalist of the times, much less a woman over fifty - and spent two years in the tropical jungle seeking out caterpillars and studying butterflies. Her accomplishments were largely dismissed and forgotten but come to life here in a gorgeous biography surveying her life and achievements.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. Ever since "Tinkering with Eden," I have been eagerly awaiting Kim Todd's next book, and, with "Chrysalis," she does not disappoint. Anyone who enjoys a good biography should read this book - and for that reason, it's a great book to give as a gift. The topic sounds obscure, but Todd's vivid prose brings her remarkable subject to life. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Daughter of Destiny: Kathryn Kuhlman.

1. This book was an honest account of Kathryn Kuhlman's life--telling all the sides of KK's personality from someone who knew her well. I had not known much at all about KK. The book was very uplifting to read about her miracle ministry--how it got started and lasted for years. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read about the power of God in healing people and learning about this great figure who was in ministry. She was mightily used of God. There is no doubt about that!



2. Excellent story of Kathryn Kuhlman by Jamie Bucckingham. What I wanted to know was the 2 million plus that went to the people who seemed to force themselves into Ms Kuhlmans life - how did they get all that money and where are they now? I understand she made a second will when she was near death leaving most of her money to these people.



3. I had heard about Kathryn Kuhlman from a number of people so I thought I'd read her biography. The author was very good at giving an open account of her life, her strengths and her weaknesses. In some ways it may have shown too much of her weaknesses. As I read it I became dismayed at her life; her choices. But as I read on it was clear that God flowed through this woman; weird as she was. It also shows that God is much bigger than we think. After reading the biographies of Charles Finney and Smith Wigglesworth and reading a number of books by Kenneth Hagin, this book shows an entirely different side of God in how He operates via the Holy Spirit. Actually this book shows the Sovereignity of God completely contradicts many of the teachings of Kenneth Hagin's theology of God will only do things for you if you have faith. With Kuhlman God healed people who weren't even looking to get healed. People got overwhelmed by the presence of God and collapsed just walking by the door of the building she was preaching in; sometimes they weren't even Christians (though some became Christians because of that experience). I think everyone that reads this book will certainly be encourged by it to seek a closer walk with Jesus.



4. Jamie Buckingham did a tremendous job of purely getting the heart of Miss Kuhlman on paper. In reading this I feel as though I have walked with Miss Kuhlman and stood right beside her through some of her greatest times and most difficult trials. You will find yourself unable to help being caught up in the presence of God as you read this story of her amazing life. It is a story that will propel you to greater things in God! ENJOY!!



5. This was a very good book to read about the life of Kathryn Kuhlman. It was good for me because it encouraged me in some ways, because I know I'm suppose to be walking with healing power like she did. I had wanted to know how she dealt with life and still stay so anointed. The part that I really liked, even though it was shortly mentioned, was about the light of God's glory that appeared around her. It exhorted me in the right direction...

5 comments about What I Saw at the Revolution: A Political Life in the Reagan Era.

1. She's witty, intelligent, well-read, has down-home common sense, loves the Gipper. What's not to like? She tells great stories of a unique historic moment. She does not brag, has no axe to grind. Many beautiful sentences. One of America's great writers and thinkers. Don't miss her editorial essays in the Wall St. Journal on Saturdays. (Would someone please collect all of them, every word, into a book? Ala David Sedaris? PS - Reading DS leaves me amused, but feeling slightly creepier than I was before. PN leaves you sure that the world can and will be a better place.)
   
   I listened to the Audible recording (from audible,com via [...]), which I believe is her reading her own book. It adds a lot to have her read it. But ... audible.com does not bother to identify the reader. It sounds like Audible recorded their version from a $19 cassette recorder, using a $[...] microphone. You have to turn it up all the way and it's still muffled. It's criminal.
   
   I finished the book in a day, every minute a pleasure. Thanks, so much, Peggy Noonan.



2. Peggy Noonan, the girl behind Reagans' words. She is a former broadcast news writer for Dan Rather. She then brought a new voice into the male dominated world of the White House speachwriter. She brings a smile to the reader with her wonderful analogies and her beautiful, caressing, witty, and poetic words. Her knack for remembering the details is uncanny. At times I find her hard to follow----there is a lot going on in that fast paced mind. And she often goes off into a "daydream". This book brings us into the discussions and interactions inside the White House. She begins with her childhood (a world of innocence), then moves to her break from liberalism to conservatism (world of imperialist thought); and this is what she says:
   
   "What had seemed in my youth the party of rich dullards became, almost in spite of itself, the party of the people----it is about me, and what led me to be the first of my family to become that dread thing, a Republican. It is about CBS, where I worked, about the media in general and their dance with politics, a woman in politics, and visitor for five years to its capital............ it is about that too. Most of all, I suppose, it's about Reagan, the man at the center of the big turn, and what his presidency meant, and what I saw at the revolution." And this to some it up: "I just start at the beginning and end at the end. There are times when I express myself in a manner that might fairly be called idiosyncratic. Sometimes I experimented with writing speeches in free verse, which may five you an idea of what you're occasionally in for."
   
   Noonan gives us examples of crucial speeches, the contributors, and the steps that go into putting them together. She expresses her aggravation of the editing process and the words that went into the recycle bin. She is uniquely intuitive and observant of her contemporaries
   
   Noonan, with her heartfelt telling, brings us into the company of this very special, humble, and unassuming man, Reagan. (I'm happy to know him a little better.) Reagan was truly a blessing. His sense of humor was refreshing. Noonan will tell us she saw a lonely man, and through all this, she says, she still didn't know him. The last conversation she had with him, he told her about a reoccurring dream he had about living in a big house----it was clear, "a house that was available at a price I could afford". She concludes with the final years in the Reagan administration and her stint with Bush. Yes, Reagan had something to do with the fall of Communism.
   
   Wish you well
   Scott



3. Peggy Noonan is almost Shakespearean in her command and use of the English language. Her words flow like a soft brook on quiet Sunday morning.
   
   My favorite part was where she was talking about the experience of going to work in Washington, DC. The three steps are:
   1. Awe of those in power.
   2. Thinking "Man, I'm as smart as these people."
   and finally
   3. My God, WE are in charge?
   
   Priceless!
   
   Well done and a great read.



4. Peggy Noonan is a gifted writer with a great sense of humor, and she is certainly an exceptional student of human nature. In this book, she takes a young English major's talents into the Reagan White House and gives us, the reader, a unique picture of what it was like for her to work there writing speeches for the man whom she considers to be the greatest president of her lifetime. At the same time, she paints vivid and often humorous portraits of many of those with whom she worked and interacted, as well as of those with whom she often clashed over the words she chose.
   
   The problem that Ms. Noonan, and other speech writers, faced was that although they were not high ranking government bureaucrats or administration "decision makers," the words they wrote were the words which would be spoken by the President of the United States and, as such, her words would be taken by the American people and by leaders around the world as representing the views and positions of the United States of America.
   
   The National Security Council (NSC) members, the Defense Department, the State Department, and others were, therefore, concerned that what was said actually represented their understandings of America's stances and positions on the various issues. They didn't want any room left for misinterpretation or misunderstanding, yet they were terrible writers. This, of course, led to many contentious arguments with and among the various reviewers before the comments of perhaps forty or fifty reviewers could somehow be reconciled or discarded and a speech could go forward to the president's desk for his final approval. Peggy Noonan tells this story in an often surprising and humorous, yet insightful, way making this an interesting and fun book to read.
   
   Two of the buzz words often used by managers these days to prod their employees are "delight" and "surprise" as in "delight and surprise your customers." When I began writing this appraisal, that phrase kept coming to mind. Clearly, Peggy Noonan has succeeded in surprising me and her book obviously delighted me.



5. What an amazingly wide-ranging memoir Peggy Noonan wrote! Read this book if you want to know--
   
   * what it was like growing up in the Fifties, Sixties, and Seventies,
   * what it was like to work at a major news network (CBS) as it made the awkward, transition from radio to TV,
   * how the White House speechwriting process worked,
   * what went on inside the Reagan administration,
   * what it was like to be a woman in a field dominated by men,
   * what it was like to be a working-class, Fairleigh Dickinson-educated Jersey girl in a town populated by the old boys network and the Ivy League,
   * what Reagan was like in person,
   * how elements of the conservative movement fought and cooperated in the White House, and
   * much, much more.
   
   Having come to Reagan administration from CBS (where she worked for Dan Rather), Noonan spent only a few years at the White House in the mid-1980s -- long enough, though, to write some of Reagan's most memorable and moving speeches, including the Challenger and D-Day speeches -- but she saw, and participated in, so much. She describes her experiences with wit and humor and candor -- and, of course, the wonderful writing for which we've come to know her.
   
   Despite her own conservative politics and love for Reagan, this is not hagiography. Even as she stands clearly in awe of the president, he remains a mystery to her, a distant enigma. She is uncertain whether Reagan's aides are actually manipulating him, or whether it's Reagan who's really doing the manipulating of his aides who seem always to be at odds. And even as she stands clearly in awe of working in the White House, Noonan is quickly frustrated by the in-fighting among staff members, the bureaucratic fights among departments and agencies. This is particularly the case with the "staffing" of speeches, in which each department -- State, for example, and the National Security Council -- reviews a speech and basically tears it apart. Nor are Noonan's impressions of Nancy Reagan and Maureen Reagan particularly positive.
   
   In short, I think it's fair to say that the book is a classic of the genre.

5 comments about Blown Away.

1. This book is one of my favorites. If you love true adventures, and real-life drama, read this book! Herb Payson does a wonderful job in drawing the reader into his boat and taking us for a ride! You will have a mixture of dread, excitement, and anticipation as they cruise along from island to island. This book will make you want to sell everything you own and move into your own boat. But don't let their setbacks discourage you. They have several mishaps while out at sea... But I won't spoil the fun and tell you what happens ---- This is good reading and I dare you to put the book down before you are finished!!! Happy armchair sailing!



2. I'm landlocked in Colorado, with no real desire to cruise on an ocean or even a bay, yet I really enjoyed reading this book. Herb and his wife, Nancy, were ordinary people except with perhaps even more limited funds than most Americans. Yet they impulsively decided to take to the sea. Somewhere along the way Herb started writing articles about his adventures (they almost always needed extra money because something else on the boat had broken). Eventually that led to this amusing, laugh out loud while reading it, book.
   Herb displays a fine sense of humor that never comes across as mean, just amusing as he describes himself and the people he meets along the way. This is a good book for sharing with others, then tucking it away on the bookshelf for another read next year. And if any cruiser is trying to explain to a landlubber what it's like on the water, this book would be the perfect gift to share both the bad (lost in the middle of a pitch black night surrounded by dangerous coral heads) and the glorious (a village throwing a party in honor of your visit). A charming book that is aging extremely well.



3. Both of these books ("Blown Away" and "You Can't Blow Home Again") are great and should be read one after the other (The second is the continuing saga). The true story of a family that sells everything to buy a boat and sail around the world. They only make it as far as the south pacific, but it makes for year after year of adventures. As a sailor myself (coastal, not blue water) I felt he did a great job of capturing the sharp contrast between the elation, exhilaration and sheer terror that can be found in sailing. Mr. Payson's honest, care free and "oh well" attitude is something that I wish I could capture for myself. Someone who does not mind laughing at himself.

   I only have one critique of the books. Mr. Payson uses nautical terms and the names of boat parts as if they are a part of everyone's daily vocabulary. I sail a simple sloop configuration and can name every component that is applicable to our boat. But his repeated use of terms unique to multi-masted, wooden masted, bow-sprinted boats kept sending me to the nautical dictionary. Since the book does not appear to be targeted at highly experienced sailors, a little more explanation would have been nice.




4. This book is one of the best all-around, just-your-average-guy, kind of sailing story. There are many, many books about guys who have been sailing their local waters all their life. They have always owned a sailboat and have always known that some day they would take off over the horizon. That is not the kind of guy Herb Payson was.

   The author and his wife just happened to decide that sailing was the answer to a life that did not seem to be giving them the joy they were seeking. Nevermind that between them they had very little sailing experience. It's this type of spirit for adventure and desire to explore the unknown that many of us aspire to.

   The book is well written and truly a joy to read. The author takes a witty and low-key approach to their sometimes eventful escapades. What this book represented most of all, however, was that you don't have to have decades of sailing experience or incredible endurance to take to a life of cruising. It is an inspirational piece and required reading for anyone thinking of doing the same.




5. My dad gave me this book to read during our first week-long cruise on the Chesapeake with his new 34 Catalina. Not only was this book an instant favorite of mine, it was a perfect selection while I was enjoying the sea myself. It made me want to buy a boat and cruise the world. I'm envious of his travels! It's an endearing and hilarious read.

5 comments about The Dorothy Dunnett Companion.

1. I absolutely love Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. They are by far my favourite book series. I first read them and loved them without this companion. I then reread them using the companion and it was like discovering a dear friend all over again and on a deeper level. The translations add depth to the dialogue and explain the subtle innuendos the text hints at. I also found that I spent hours flipping through page by page of the companion reading the historic background of the characters the companion also includes. It is possible to read the splendid series without this book, but you get so much more out of it if you keep it immediately next to you while you read; I highly recommend getting this! Don't be confused either- you need volume one of the companion, as volume two only covers the references not included in the first. It does not replace volume one.



2. I was fortunate to buy a copy of the Michael Joseph hardcover version of the Companion when it was first released in 1994, and have used it extensively.
   
   The first Companion was published before the last books in the House of Niccolo and so it only covers the Lymond Chronicles and the first five books of the House of Niccolo. While written as a comprehensive guide to Lymond and Niccolo, the Companion gives us some history, literature and - thankfully - translations of some references that are obscure to many readers.
   The Companion can be enjoyed on three levels:
   a glimpse into the research undertaken by Lady Dunnett;
   a starting point for some of the historical events and people introduced into the novels; and
   as 'a cornucopia of things'.
   
   I like the layout. It invites me to browse. I go to find one reference, and emerge at least half an hour later having been side-tracked by all manner of things. Such is the world of Dunnett!
   
   It is well worth acquiring a copy of this version of the Companion if you were not able to obtain a copy of the first edition. Volume II complements this book, it does not replace it.
   
   Highly recommended to all Dunnett fans!
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith



3. I read the Lymond Chronicles years ago when they first came out and wish I'd had something like this then. I was running between the story and a French/English dictionary through the whole set. However, it is one of the most fantastic pieces of "fiction" history I've ever read and I've never found anything that held my interest for as long since.



4. I found both of the Companions difficult to use in relation to the novels. They would have been much more helpful if Ms. Morrison would have begun with either the Lymond or Niccolo Series and followed it through with references page by page from, for example, The Game of Kings, then from Queen's Play, etc. then doing the same with the other series rather than placing all references from all books of both series at the same time in alphabetical order. Also, sometimes I would search for terms or quotes that I felt should be included based on those already in the Companions but didn't find them so do not know what the criteria was for including some and not others.



5. Unless you are Francis Crawford reincarnate, you will need this book to get through the Lymond Chronicles (and I assume the same is true for the Niccolo series as well).
   
   I constantly found myself looking up songs, quotations, names, etc. that came up in the six books.
   
   The book is well researched and obviously a labor of love on the part of Ms. Morrison.
   
   The one problem and I think it is substantial was the decision to provide entries in an alphabetical format rather than a format that followed the books.
   
   The book would be much more helpful if it was arranged so that entries appeared in the order they appeared in the books -- so the entries that appeared in the Game of Kings would come first, followed by Queen's Play and so on -- rather than in alphabetical order where there are quotes from a Pawn In Frankincense next to a quote from Checkmate next to a quote from Disorderly Knights.
   
   This would make it easier to use as a companion to the books as you are reading -- instead I have to put down the book, pick up the companion and look up the quote. This may sound petty and if there were only a few quotes to look up that may not be so bad -- but when there are dozens and dozens (Checkmate is brimming with quotes) it slows the reader down tremendously and forces them out of the rigorous concentration required.
   
   Having said that -- the book remains a necessity -- If you are going to read the Lymond Chronicles (and I highly encourage you to do so) buy this book - you should have this with you at all times. It is well researched and fairly comprehensive.
   
   I just wish it was in a different format.

3 comments about Voices for Change: Women's Words to Politicians.

1. Thank you to the editors and writers of this thoughtful and important resource. In this time when our voices as women need to be heard clearly, this book will serve as a tool to represent each and all of us. I plan to share this book with my key elected officials - this will allow them to know about women in a deliberate and powerful way.



2. Should be required reading for all politicians and all citizens who want to know what the majority of women believe and why they believe it. In these "less than friendly to women" times, what a great reminder this book is!



3. This is a MUST read for politicians who want to know what the largest voter population is thinking. Women share their ideas/visions for the United States. Both those in office and those seeking office will be inspired by this book. Sharon McHone

5 comments about Change Me into Zeus's Daughter: A Memoir.

1. This memoir is not just Barbara's, but is the story of everyone who has grown up in an alcoholic family. I could empathise with her trials, fears, anger and perceptions, and would often find myself nodding subconsciously as I read along. I felt I knew her well. Thank you so much for courageously sharing your story.



2. Change Me Into Zeus's Daughter is a powerful and poignant story of impoverished life as experienced by Barbara Moss.
   
   Surrounded by poverty, alcoholism, abuse, malnutrition and facial deformities, Moss could easily have allowed herself to be trapped in that negative world. Instead, through determination and the kindness of a few strangers along the way, she rose above adversity and has been able to escape the clutches of childhood demons.
   
   In 1996, Moss won the Gold Medal for Personal Essay in the William Faulkner Creative Writing Contest. Her winning essay became the first chapter of Change Me Into Zeus's Daughter. Her life, her determination, and her writing acheivements serve as an inspiration to the aspiring writer in me.
   
   When I first read this book, I was working through the emotional impact of having undergone facial surgery to remove a malignant melanoma and recreate a nose. At the time of that first reading, I was more tuned into the parts of Moss's story which dealt so poignantly with the emotional effects of her deformed face and people's unkind reactions to that deformity. Her drive to find a way to resolve the situation was nothing less than admirable. Now that I am a few years beyond my surgery and have re-read her story, I find her desire to become Zeus's daughter (the goddess of beauty) pales in comparison to the beautiful person who writes this remarkable story.
   
   With grace and insight, Moss takes us back in time to a place where life seemed to surely be waging war against her. In what she calls an effort to heal wounds and reclaim her family, she writes of both the challenges and the triumphs of childhood, adolesence and adulthood. Throughout the story, Moss interjects memories of a humorous nature - proving that even in the most desparate of situations, it is possible to find joy.
   
   In what can only be described as a "wise beyond her years" approach, the ninth grade Moss wrote a list of eight things she wanted to do to improve herself. At the top of the list were "1. Remove moles on face, 2. Get braces on teeth, 3. Fix face." It is incredible that one so young would seize such determination and not let go until she had accomplished these seemingly insurmountable goals. Shortly after writing these goals, she began to act upon them. Her book reveals the ways she accomplished them. With remarkable insight, Moss writes about how each achieved goal created both negative and positive issues for her.
   
   Moss's writing talent is evident in this deeply personal and moving story. Her gift to her readers is the lesson of redemption and grace in the midst of life's biggest hurdles.
   
   by Lee Ambrose
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



3. I could not put this book down! I got so caught up in this memoir, I couldn't wait to finish it. Then, when it was done I wished I hadn't read it in 4 days! It is filled with gut wrenching stories, sometimes so incredible it seems they can't be real. The part that takes place at Christmas was especially moving to me.
   
   I can't recommend this book highly enough.



4. 
   a heart-wrenching true memoir that is almost unbelievable to imagine. how children can cope with the harshest
   
   abuse,emotionally and physically, with a mother standing by silently shows what resilience the human spirit can endure. looking forward to the sequel"fierce"



5. I didn't know much about about this part of the United States..I have been reading more memoirs set there since I read this book.

5 comments about I'm Not the New Me.

1. I thought this book would be good--but I was very frustrated by this book. I tried on two different occasions to get into this memoir but I gave up each time. I know I won't try again that's for sure.



2. After viewing all the reader feedback, I was eargerly anticipating the arrival of this book. I'm sorry to say I purchased this one. For those of you who can tolerate frequent (not rare or even occasional) profanity in the form of "f" this etc...this book is one you can get through. This read more like a version of "Bridget Jones Diary" with occasional references to the weight loss journey. The author uses comedy to poke fun at her experiences and, I believe we can all find things to heartily laugh at in this book. But for me, comedy doesn't come in the form of crudeness, or belittling others so the one or two laughs didn't overshadow the more frequent cringes. I don't doubt some will enjoy this book. But for others, please know that if you're looking for a clean read, full of insights and exploration of a weight loss journey, this may not be one for you.



3. I thought this book was kind of cute. It has no tips on losing weight. It is just one woman's story about dealing with life in realtion to diet issues. It was not an inspiration to me but for the price. I thought it was a decent break from dealing with my own life.



4. Wendy's book is way more honest about the ups and downs of weight loss than all the "nothing tastes as good as thin feels" b.s. I've read elsewhere. I laughed all the way through this. If you're looking for a weight-loss cheerleader this isn't the book for you, but if you want to hear what the experience is like from the perspective of a sharp, witty writer, then read this book. Wendy dismantles the fantasy that weight loss suddenly transforms all of life's other worries; at the same time, she shows how her willingness to blog about her own experiences connects her to a huge community of other women. Great reading.



5. Just the Weight Watchers cards in the middle of this book almost make it worth the purchase price! They are SO FUNNY...
   
   But the rest of the book....ehh...just ok.

5 comments about Laura Ingalls Wilder Country: The People and places in Laura Ingalls Wilder's life and books.

1. This gorgeous book has pictures of all the places mentioned in the Little House books. William Anderson's narration is interesting, but the pictures carry this book. Good for LHOTP collections!



2. Laura Ingalls Wilder Country by William Anderson is like a museum in a book. It is especially useful when doing a unit study of the Little House books and the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book contains many photographs of the places, people, and personal family heirlooms that appear in the Little House books and is great to use alongside the books as a constant resource. Anderson includes interesting background information and history, as well as a map and timeline of the events and places in the Little House books. This book is a valuable addition to our library.



3. I bought this book as a follow-up gift to the Little House series for my husband, a big, burly OTR driver who has had the opportunity to see "Little House" country. He loves this book! He shows it to politely bored other adults, then we have to wrest it from their grasps. The pictures and text lead to so many thoughts and discussions.



4. Well-written, with lots of autobiographical detail and quality photos. Highly recommended for fans. We are using this as a resource to help plan our vacation this summer.



5. I borrowed this book from the library and read it cover to cover. There was a lot of good information about Laura and her family in the book. There were many pictures of all the places that she lived. I really felt like I understood her a lot better after reading this book. It also talks about how Garth Williams went to the places that she lived and saw them firsthand, to try and reconstruct memories of her childhood into the drawings in the Little House books. This is a great book for serious Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, who want to learn more about what happened to her and her family after the Little House series ended.

5 comments about I Can't Forget: A Journey Through Nazi Germany and WWII.

1. I just read this book and it blew me away. This account is so personal and so compelling, I couldn't put it down. On one level, it is a coming-of-age story that begins with earliest memories of a little girl and follows her as - against all odds - she blossoms into an accomplished young woman. But there are many more levels to this book because it unfolds against the overwhelming background of World War II and its aftermath.
   
   In the beginning, the war is a minor character in the distance. A tranquil childhood with youthful adventures and discovery is in the foreground. Before long, however, the war emerges as a major character in the story. Innocence is ripped away as the writer and her family suddenly lose everything and become refugees fleeing the horrors brought by the advancing Soviet army.
   
   Based on her own uncolored recollections, the author describes this trek through a seldom-described hell. Society and all its infrastructure are in ruins. Any sense of order is gone as Germany crumbles in the final throes of defeat. As the war ends and the Allies consummate their victory, those larger events create new terrors and more carnage as millions of displaced casualties flee to the west.
   
   Most readers know the many events surrounding the Allies and their hard-fought victories. Similarly, everyone already knows the heinous stories about the Nazi crimes that led to war and continued throughout that tragic era. Less known are the atrocities that accompanied the Soviet advance through the smoking ruins of Germany and the other countries that would soon fall behind the Iron Curtain.
   
   As I looked at some of the other reviews posted here, I was surprised to see a few people who just didn't get it. Those few only want to read the same history they've already read before. Too bad for them. A closed mind is a terrible thing.
   
   For everyone else, I highly recommend "I Can't Forget: A Journey Through Nazi Germany and WWII." It's tightly written and loaded with amazing photos and details. The book is a great read for anyone who wants to discover a different perspective on a history we all think we already know. I would like to thank the author, Gudrun Everett, for sharing this unique and firsthand viewpoint we rarely have the opportunity to experience. This book would make an awesome movie.



2. I just finished "I Can't Forget" and have mixed feelings about the book. It is an interesting read as the book is written by a woman (civilian) and on the 'losing end' of WWII. The story enfolds like a historical family album with lots of (excellent) pictures. The description of the flight from Poland for the oncoming Russian Army as a 13 year old, the fear for the Russians (which is interesting as I've read this in many accounts of Germans and I'm still unsure what lay at the basis of this fear in the '30s (pre-war) and '40s), the chaos and the arrival in safer Bavaria are very good. Describing life in the first post-war years is interesting as well with many small details on day-to-day affairs. What is lacking though in my few is the total lack of insight in the thought of the writer and family members on their lives in Nazi Germany under Nazi rule? How did it affect them in their choices? What were people thinking? Hence you are kept at a distance of the true feelings of the writer and her family resulting in not feeling anything except wonder.
   When reading the book one could come to the conclusion that everything just happened and that's that.
   What bothers me in this repsect is the unhidden bitterness over the treatment of the German people and destruction of German cities and infrastructure by the Russians and Americans notwithstanding the horrors inflicted by the Germans on peoples and countries in the first place. Had this book been written directly after the war I would not have been bothered by the tone. Given the fact that the book was written in 2004-2006 one wonders how the writer, more than 60 years after war's end, was not capable of balancing her thoughts or at least provide the reader with more insight in why her judgement - after all these years - is still what it is.
   I regret as well that the writer has not given more information on the family after the war (what has become of them at this day and age?).
   In all I would recommend this book as - fair enough - the story is apparantly the writer's true experiences of life in Nazi and occupied Germany. I do emphasize that one should read other books on the subject as well to deny a one-sided few on the events!



3. I just finished reading "I Can't Forget" and am bothered by several aspects of it. It does give a different side to WWII victims but it still bothered me. Gudrun Everett tells the story of her childhood first in Germany where her father was mayor of a Bavarian town. This part was fine as it told her life in pre-war times. Her father obviously a Nazi was given a position in Poland where he oversaw a large district. The family moved there and Gudrun described her perfect childhood with animals and living in huge and beautiful home all this taking place in the country where millions were dying in concentration camps at this very time.
   
   Their perfect life came to an end in 1945 when the Soviets came and they became refugees and from Jan'45 to June of that year were on the road fleeing for survival along with millions of others. She describes their hardships after they were finally settled in Bavaria in June of that year. [...]
   
   I am glad to have read the book and can recommend it as the pictures were excellent and it was good to read the other side however I found I could not garner up much sympathy for her. She found a good life in America judging from the picture of her on the back cover but was very critical of America's part in and after the war.



4. World War II ended in 1945, but interest in that conflict remains high. I CAN'T FORGET by Gudrun (Koppe) Everett is a memoir of her "journey through Nazi Germany and WW II." Published in 2006, this book is a BookSurge product.
   
   My copy is securely bound, well-illustrated with black and white photographs, most of which aren't credited. Furthermore, I haven't seen most of these before and suspect that they might be from the author's collection. There are also some helpful maps and line drawings.
   
   I carried this book around for a couple of weeks while I was reading it and am impressed to see that the binding is still tight and the pages still secure. The quality of this book is comparable, or better, than the quality of most paperbacks in my opinion.
   
   The author provides some unique insights into the catastrophe she survived. Her father, for example, was assigned to be the mayor of Dolsk, Poland, and she arrived there with her family a short time after the "Bromberg Bloody Sunday" slaughter of September 3, 1939. Polish mobs reportedly hunted down German speaking residents of the area and murdered many of them. The author's book includes what appear to be snapshots of the aftermath of that little-known atrocity.
   
   I'd heard of the treks trough the blizzards in January, 1945, when the Red Army initiated its massive offensive. The author gives a dramatic, evocative account of her own trek with her family and the narrow escapes including one in which Red Army units overran the town in which she and her family were sheltering.
   
   If you're interested in European History, World War II, the Eastern Front, or epic tales of survival against long odds, you'll want to read I CAN'T FORGET. I like the book and gave it five stars.



5. I have been fascinated, appalled, depressed and mesmerized by the author's story. She has written a vivid and poignant picture of her life and time in Germany and Poland, and of aspects of the war and the post-war period that many of us in this country know little about.
   
   I am sure that much of what happened, not only to Jews of course, but also to Germans and other nationalities from all over Europe who experienced the War and its aftermath in their own country, is still influencing the psyche and the politics of millions of people, even of the younger generations, who are not really conscious on a first-hand basis of what actually took place.
   
   The pictures and maps, (some of them rare) that accompany the text, make the author's narration even more expressive - all those mountains of rubble and bodies!
   
   Also, I think that most Americans have no idea how it really was for the civilian population, nor do the younger Germans (or others) who were born later than about 1950. And of course the reasons and the consequences of the division of Europe after the war, including the Cold War and even up to the discussions about Israel, Palestine, Iraq etc. are certainly very unclear for many.
   
   On the whole, it was a very good read!