5 comments about Sit, Ubu, Sit: How I went from Brooklyn to Hollywood with the Same Woman, the Same Dog, and a Lot Less Hair.

1. A TV producer thinks his oddball life story is more interesting than the TV shows he worked on in this poorly-written book. What could have been fascinating insight into the production of Family Ties or Spin City is instead a mish-mash of unconnected stories about his life that change from year to year. So the first chapters are titled: 1985, 1972, 1954, 1972, 1982, 1969, 1982, etc. They are short and skip around to unconnected events, such as his trip through Europe, his minor jobs as an actor or his producing a TV show. The hyperactive writing style may be "clever" to those within the Hollywood community but it's FRUSTRATING when trying to read a cohesive narrative. By page 60 he hasn't really said anything worthwhile and it makes it difficult to want to finish the rest of the book.
   
   The author was told by his future wife that he was "self-centered, shallow and vain." And much of that comes out in this book. He has the Hollywood-style "humility" where he says he wasn't a very good actor, is gracious enough to admit that he didn't want Michael J. Fox cast in Famiy Ties and wants us to believe that he is just a normal person. Yet in revealing his past we discover that his is totally abnormal and incredibly hippie-like.
   
   The book details quite a bit of his inappropriate behavior--immoral to some, ahead of his time to others. It makes sense when you read that his daughter went on to produce a show like Friends that doesn't have a moral center to it. The reader will see why his is highly thought of in the Hollywood community, but in middle America he is very fringe. It's hard to believe one of the greatest conservative characters on television was created by this man, but even he admits that he created Alex Keaton to come across negatively. It was the casting of Michael J. Fox (that the author had to be talked into) that changed how America perceived the character.
   
   There is an interesting section on Spin City, which makes Micheal J. Fox look like a real bad guy. There are a couple stories where Goldberg admits to violence or being nasty. There is also some quasi-spirituality--such as the opening story in the book where he consults with a psychic! He fits the stereotype of the California rich radical. By the end of the book this is not a guy you want to know.
   
   Like many other books from TV producers, this proves that most of what you see on the screen comes from the somewhat narrow life experience of those who write the shows. There are a few interesting stories here and a couple of nice Familiy Ties tidbits, but nothing out of the ordinary.
   
   He also doesn't have a good sense of television sitcom history. He claims that the sitcom format was "invented by Lucille Ball" and that Seinfeld was "the most successful TV comedy of all time." He is so far off that it isn't funny. And this book isn't particularly laughable. It's just a guy who thinks that because he created one or two successful TV shows a long time ago that people will be interested in hearing about mundane things in his life such as his Frisbee-catching dog.



2. Goldberg writes like people think -- at least people from Brooklyn, the Bronx and those other boroughs. Simple words, simply wonderful. The Goldberg's adventure through life is a map for life.
   Lopriore



3. The thing that surprised me the most in this breezy, charming bio by Goldberg, who made Michael J Fox a star when he created 'Family Ties', is how choked up I got while reading it. It reads like those light, smart sit-coms you're watching and laughing hysterically at, and then suddenly something happens that's so touching, so human, you're welling up before you know it. A large portion of the book is, like so many have previously stated, a love letter to his wife, and it's nice to see Hollywood endings can come at the end of a romantic fairy tale.



4. What a refreshingly funny, sincere, and insightful read. I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. I loved the way he included just the right amounts of different aspects of his life, none dominating the story - his work in television, his adorable chocolate Lab Ubu, his friendships, and his heartwarming relationship with his wife Diana. It was simply delightful cover to cover. I read few books more than once; this will be one of them.



5. I've read sooooooo many books in my day, but this one has the charm, warmth and insight into Gary's humanity, that I couldn't put it down. Now what do I read????!!!! Please, Gary, write another one!!!

5 comments about James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon.

1. Alice's life is tragic. Julie Phillips does an fantastic job of chronicling the life of this brilliant and tortured figure. From a childhood she didn't fit into, to disguising herself to fit into the science fiction world, Alice's life is presented as a woman trying to find herself in a man's world.



2. They totally need to make a movie of "Tiptree"'s life.
   
   I also bought this for a relative, who appreciated it too.



3. This book was difficult to put down. Alice Sheldon is a tragic hero. The writer is so engaged with her subject that she makes Alice Sheldon's world come alive. The places that Alice's life cross history are fascinating. There is a sad disconnect between Alice Sheldon and the world. Her life as James Tiptree, Jr allowed her a freedom that she couldn't have as a bright, agressive woman. She got an advanced degree in psychology, she worked for the OSS, she traveled extensively and she experienced first hand the degradation of the untamed parts of the natural world. I recommend it to anyone interested in smart women and their place in the 20th century.



4. This was not an easy read. It took me over a month to get through it and I had to take it in small doses. That being said there were many chapters that helped me understand where modern day sci-fi originated from and it was always a thrill to read an author's name that I know and love. I would recommend it to any fan of science fiction.



5. This story of the life and times of Alice Sheldon is uniquely odd and well-written. Although I haven't liked science fiction since I was an adolescent, this life of a science fiction writer was engrossing and thought-provoking. Written with insight and affection, and an objective eye, we see the gyrations of Alice as she explores her formidable talents and fights her difficult demons.
   
   The biography has several levels - Alice's search for a self-identity, her struggle to define a relationship with her parents, her search for companionship, her search for commercial success, and her search to express her hope and despair in her writings. I found the fantasy themes dragged, and the gender confusion wore thin at times, but the biographical incidents more than atoned for the length of this tome.
   
   A very good biography for readers seeking a peek at a troubled yet impressive life.

5 comments about Sisterhood of Faith: 365 Life-Changing Stories about Women Who Made a Difference.

1. Shirley Brosius has written a beautiful and important book that I would highly receommend for every woman (and even man!). SISTERHOOD OF FAITH provides a stunning array of strong Christian women (365 in all) who have powerfully influenced the world for the better. From Abigail Adams to Catherine Marshall and more, Brosius insightfully captures the essence of their different committment and courage, and she reveals their power through her words. Each woman's story also includes a helpful Biblical verse and a question for thought. My wife and I very much appreciated their stories and the way in which they inspired our own. In a society that is often rocked by demeaning culture, Brosius's book shines as an example of love, courage and risk. It is, indeed, a beautiful and inspiring work.



2. I highly reccomend this book, it shares very interesting stories about others experiences with life, very upbeat and inspiring.



3. This just a great book, and I liked the way it was delieved so fast.



4. At first glance, I thought this was just another devotional book written by the women on the cover. It surprised me that it is not a devo but a collection of inspirational short stories, written by the author, about women who have made -- some who are making -- a difference in the world. Then I discovered the alphabetical order of names, making it an easy reference to locate a woman and read about her. The enormous variety of women was a surprise; one funded a seminary, "Biddy" Chambers published her husband's sermons, one was a martyr for Christ, some were preachers, monarchs, reformers, stay-at-home moms who founded companies, others today are singers, songwriters, and evangelists, and one is our First Lady. What a surprise to discover the scores of websites and resources listed in the back. I'm pleasantly surprised with the easy-to-read format and challenging "My Response" question at the end of each short story.
   
   As a professional speaker and writer on child behavior, I recognize many of my colleagues. This book is well-written and enlightening. It's definitely a delight and a keeper!
   
   The Birth to Five Book: Confident Childrearing Right from the Start



5. I was so inspired by the pages of Sisterhood of Faith. Each page tells of women making a difference for the cause of Christ. Sometimes we look at our lives and struggle with our day to day issues. When I begin my morning reading a page from this book it helps me put my life into perspective. The women of this book took their ordinary lives and focused their efforts towards the cause of Christ. If you are a housewife that needs encouragement, a woman in ministry who is struggling with her call or someone who wants to start her day being uplifted, this is the book for you! You have got to have it!

5 comments about Living My Life (Penguin Classics).

1. I'm happy with the purchase, just typing on the keyboard in the privacy of my own home, selecting a book, clicking on it, easy, quick, effecient. Book arrived quickly, new book. All was well in my world. Only complaint would be that 2 of the 3 books I ordered simultaneously came packaged together in an excessive amount of packaging. Overboard on the plastic wrap followed by extra cardboard for protection, followed by a box. Don't need all that for books. Need to think about the environment Amazon.



2. This is the best autobiography I've ever read, because her life was lived with such commitment & independence. Certainly, she was hugely influential in her time, but her success was scratched out of nothing, with no support, and huge opposition. The difficulties and the times are conveyed amazingly well. The book will make you look carefully at your own life ... in ways that can only change it for the better.



3. NOTE: THIS IS VOLUME ONE ONLY! It's a great book but it is not labeled as just the first half of the memoir.



4. I could not disagree more with Goldman's ultimate philosophical conclusions, but I enjoyed this book, and volume II as well. Her essential humanity emerges, and it is a good case study and an interesting read, historically, philosophically and personally. She is no Mark Twain or Billy Faulkner, but her life was interesting and her prose adequately conveys the milieu she became enmeshed in. A fair degree of antecedent historical knowledge is necessary to fully enjoy this book, but you most likely have that or you wouldn't be reading about Emma to begin with. If you don't, or find that you are getting lost in the history and sequence, it would pay to do a little research to better understand what she lived through. It will also help you spot bias on Goldman's part. I heartily recommend this book. It is informative, enlightening and entertaining to boot.



5. In her autobiography Emma Goldman explains her life, narrating the experience of marching to her own drummer. Depending on the reader's political expectations, Emma's life is either inspiring or downright terrifying. Those who believe in social conformity would probably be more comfortable moving on to other fodder.

   Nevertheless, this eyewitness account of American and Russian history, ought not to be trivially dismissed. Emma fought for things we have taken for granted in modern life, such as birth-control and the eight-hour work day; she went to jail in the struggle to obtain these for us. This book explains how she lived her commitment to individual liberty, choosing who she would love, advocating revolution, and harrassing those of her "allies" who compromised on these principles.

   Perhaps the most interesting portion of the book is her years in Russia. Here she describes arriving at the "Promised Land" of the peoples' revolution and how that mutated into a sense of disillusionment and horror at what she saw as the betrayal of that revolution by the "dictatorship of the proletariat."

   Her writing style is nothing exceptional, but the story she weaves from the material of her life is nothing short of fascinating. Another reviewer suggested taking a break between volumes--I couldn't! I had to know what happened next.

   Although there are a lot of pages to wade through, I will give this book as a gift to the young women in my life. I believe that Emma can serve as a role model for living one's own life, not living out the expectations of friends, family, or society. In a dysfunctional world, we have too few people who model this.

   Emma gets three stars for writing style, but the powerful and plentiful content bring the rating up to five stars. Not to be missed.

   (If you'd like to discuss this book or review, click on the "about me" link above & drop me an email. Thanks!)

5 comments about Unaccompanied Women: Late-Life Adventures in Love, Sex, and Real Estate.

1. From the first sentence, I was hooked. Her outlook is so unusual, quirky and her style an academic/down-to-earth melange is enchanting. I enjoyed every "embarrassing" moment.



2. Do you enjoy listening to elderly people whine? Then this is the book for you.
   
   Jane complains (endlessly, interminably) that there's no man in her life. But whenever men call her, she immediately hangs up on them. Well, no wonder she's lonely.
   
   Seems she'd rather stay home alone and brood over her hunky, young former lover, who's moved on and gotten married.
   
   She can't afford to live in Berkeley, yet refuses to do the sensible thing and move somewhere less expensive.
   
   She complains about being out-of-shape, yet does nothing to get herself in shape.
   
   She wants a rich man to buy stuff for her, but when she gets one, she finds something in him to complain about.
   
   Seems to me that most of Jane's problems are self-inflicted.
   
   If you want to read a book by a feisty, sexy senior, skip this one and buy something by Helen Gurley Brown.



3. I am conflicted about Jane Juska. On the one hand, I really liked this book. Say what you will about the woman, she is no slouch in the writing department. I know she liked teaching, but by being a teacher and not a writer for her whole life, she has denied readers what would have been many great books, I'm sure. The title is misleading. "Adventures in Real Estate" the most so. She is not looking to buy a house, she's trying not to go homeless. People will scoff at that, thinking writers are millionaires, but they're not. There isn't really much sex, and a lot of times she goes off tangent, but you really don't mind since she's such a great writer (though she does construct some oddly grammatical sentences at times). She's honest, sometimes embarrasingly so, and she puts her heart and soul out there--no easy feat. That being said, she is probably one of the most pretentious writers you will ever read. She either thinks she's wonderful (everyone recognized me at Berkeley) or awful (I couldn't bear to put my photo online). Usually, though she thinks she's wonderful. She's her own worst enemy pining over a married younger man, when there are plenty of nice available men she could be with. She is also a little anti-arab, as one previous person mentioned, and she seems to put down other people do, in a very sly way that almost flies under the radar but not quite. Still, this is definitely worth reading because the woman has a way with words.



4. UNACCOMPANIED WOMEN: LATE-LIFE ADVENTURES IN LOVE, SEX, AND REAL ESTATE follows on the heels of Jane Juska's best-seller A ROUND-HEELED WOMAN, surveying women's fears of growing old, being alone, and never settling down. Stories of women who, like her, have yet to find love but are determined to find it provides insight, humor and irony and will make the perfect gift for any unaccompanied older woman still looking for love.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. First, I give JJ credit for having the guts to put herself out there. But I'm confused: she went after sex, so why is she continually whining about not finding love? Perhaps if she put the intention of "relationship" out there with the same zeal as her initial ad, then she'd attract one. And why NOT go online??? You know, I'd like to think that with age comes some wisdom, but even I, single and about 18 years younger, don't write drunken emails or sob continually about lost love and then claim my feminist credentials. It's a bit much to see that at 71. I kept wanting to tell her to Get a Life! Enjoy the travels! Make yourself happy!
   
   The other whine I found unattractive is the "I'm poor, so buy me..." a diamond, a house, a free dinner. When a guy tells me he'd like to buy me a gift, the LAST thing that would ever occur to me is to suggest a HOUSE. But in materialistic California (and Berkeley qualifies, despite its granola reputation) there's so much money that envy is common--and so is this sense of entitlement. JJ appears to have lost her manners. All this whining that others need to provide "stuff" for her--we all make decisions about our lives and hers was to teach, then to retire, and then to write. If I were JJ I'd figure out how to leverage my modest "fame" into enough money to buy a place myself, if it's so important to her. Or I'd have used the proceeds from my original sale, added to them and then bought a small place. Take responsibility for yourself!!!
   
   As far as the book goes, it is all over the place. It's really more like a collection of loosely connected essays. I might have enjoyed them more if they had some coherent point and if she wasn't continually whining about her lost "loves" and her financial condition. It got old. Was disappointed in the book.

5 comments about Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries, Second Edition.

1. McGrayne chronicles the discrimination faced by female scientists in the 20th century. Even by those who would eventually achieve the highest prize of the Nobel. She also includes biographies of a few women who never won the Nobel, but were acknowledged later by many to have merited it. Lise Meitner, of course. She was doubly disadvantaged. Being female and Jewish in Germany during the 1920s and 30s. The story of how Otto Hahn won the Physics Nobel shortly after World War 2 for work that he did jointly with her is well known to physicists.
   
   Jocelyn Bell's work on pulsars is also described. Bell's advisor would later garner the Nobel for this, though Bell made the crucial observations and deductions from those.
   
   Both these chapters can be exercises in frustration to a reader. Injustices that were never remedied. Though Bell is still alive, and so there is a chance that the Nobel committe might redress this oversight.



2. I found this book really excellent--I was coming at it from being a female scientist (chemist) myself. Good from beginning to end....no complaints!



3. Why so few? This is the question which the author put on the first page of the book. More than 300 scientists have won the Nobel Prize since its establishment,however, only 10 of them are women. Why? Why have so few women won the Nobel Prize in science? Some people might say this small number could be evidence for old prejudices. But the author tried to find a different answer through this book. This book contains stories of 15 women scientists who won the Nobel Prize or had a critical role in Nobel Prize winning works. Although this book takes the style of a biography and also describes all the scientific details quite well, it is neither just a biography nor just a science book for general readers. It is more than both of them. These women scientists had gone through lots of difficulties. All of them had experiences of being rejected from the opportunity of receiving a higher education. Most of them had more than once been mistreated and disregarded of their abilities as well as their works. And some of them, such as Rosalind Franklin, still have not received the full credit which she deserves. One might say that all the scientists who did remarkable works had faced and overcome many kinds of difficulties. But these women had to carry the added burden of being "women scientists". So, as the author pointed, another question should arise when the book is finished. Why so many? Why have so many women challenged themselves with such difficult works in spite of all the obstacles? The answer is simple. They loved science. And, through this book, the readers will find a love and a understanding for these fearless women as well as their lover,science.



4. Nobel Prize Women in Science is a superb collection of hour-long biographies of women who either won a Nobel Prize or worked on a project that won a Nobel Prize in science. The biographies are full of memorable vignettes and quotes and lucid explanations of the scientific discoveries. This reader found the book liberating because it debunked so many myths she had had about good scientists. This book makes great bedtime reading and excellent gifts for both men and women.



5. I was enthralled by this delightful, healing, and eye opening crediting over the wonder works of scientific endeavor made by woman--unsung heroines who did not flinch one bit from their true calling, what for all the drowning out and dumbing down of class ostracism inundating them and their sisters in their times. These Ladies are the truest measure of what is called a benchmark in the progress of humanity to wake up and rise to The Greatest Challenge: to free the mind, the spirit, the yoke of history's circumstance, to unite us in peace, recognition, respect, and unqualified defference to all who carry forth the Light. From my heart, Thank You Sharon Bertsch McGrayne! And for those for whom it is easier to quip, 'a woman's place is in the home, raising children and so forth....' I'll just add, we got BILLIONS of 'em.

5 comments about Running With Angels: The Inspiring Journey of a Woman Who Turned Personal Tragedy into Triumph Over Obesity.

1. I picked up this book at the Library the other day. It is really terribly sad what this woman and her family has struggled through, however, I thought it was too much about her "loss" of children and not about her weight "loss". I really sympathize with her tragedies and wonder how one can truly hold it together while dealing with life. However, the reason I got the book was for its "journey of a woman struggling with obesity". While reading the back cover of the book it focuses and leads the reader to believe that the book is about trying to reach goals, particularly weight loss goals, and her struggles and successes with weight. I think this book is best as a self help book for families dealing with losses and not a weight loss book. The whole Mormon religion/blessings throughout the book was a bit too much for me as well. Pass.



2. Don't read this book without some tissues! Loved it, loved it, loved it!



3. To me this book was not so much about losing weight, grieving and running as about setting goals and doing your best to reach them even when it's hard. It's also about making time for yourself, prioritizing, having a postive self image, and just doing the best that you can. I enjoyed the book all except after she lost 50 pounds, it stopped telling the story and started talking for a long time about random stories of how she felt when people looked at her, etc. It seemed out of place and too long but that may be because I don't have those kind of feelings. I'm sure a lot of other people would relate to the stories. Over all it's very good and inspiring and I would recommend it to any woman even if they weren't struggling with weight.



4. This was a wonderful book. I could'nt put it down.



5. I read the book that Pamela Hansen has written, Running with Angels, and I thought that it was a very beautiful book. We are in a book club at our church and we read it for that. I felt it pull my heartstrings because I am a very obese person myself. I have started walking with my children. They are still young, so they can go a long way. I do struggle everyday, just like Pam did. It was a lovely book, I suggest it a must to read to anyone. 5 stars!

5 comments about Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience.

1. Jill Nelson is the modern day Harriet Tubman, leading the mentally enslaved from the chains of industrial oppression to the freedom of self-determined realization. If you read this missive and don't ask yourself if you've ever compromised your integrity to further someone else's capitalist agenda, you've missed the point of this brilliant body of work. Angst, inner turmoil, and introspection abound on the pages and tell the tale of a woman trapped in the web of office politics and backstabbing that eat at your joy, that erode your sense of self-worth. What is the price of voluntarily whitewashing your identity to please people with an agenda that does not validate or acknowledge the talents you bring to the table as a person of color? It's so much more than the reflections of a sista who got a position with the Washington Post who got a case of buyer's remorse and didn't like her job. This is the impetus to assess what it is that is important in life and to run towards freedom.



2. It is ironic yet predictable that most of the people who don't "get" this book, tend to be individuals who are either not female, African American or both. Jill Nelson wrote an honest critique of the experience that many African American women go through when trying to attain the proverbial golden rings in corporate America. I am sorry some folks could not relate or understand Ms. Nelson's book because the points she brings up are true and still reflective of the socialogical culture most African Americans live in today--approximately twenty years later. The patriarchal blindness that many in this culture experience that prevents them from understanding or relating to another individual or cultures experiences is sad yet expected The best that Ms. Nelson and other writers like her can do is just tell the story and let those who get "it" get it.

   Were some of her experiences hard to hear? Most definitely. Were the experiences unique to her? Absolutely not. Ms. Nelson says on in chapter 2, that she has been doing the standard Negro balancing act which is "blurring the edges of [her] being so that they [white people] don't feel intimidated." There are few African Americans, I would venture to guess, who haven't experienced this feeling at one time or another, yet it is virtually impossible to communicate this experience in a way that is understandable to someone who hasn't had to always be "aware" of how they are perceived and how those perceptions can affect other African Americans as well. Ms. Nelson does an excellent job explaining these details and if some people are still clueless, well, it's through no fault of her skill as a writer.

   Keep on shedding a spotlight on these issues Ms. Nelson. There are a few out there who are truly looking for the light.




3. Volunteer Slavery is STILL the book! Family, friends and coworkers are probably sick and tired of hearing me raving about the revealing, blistering and gossipy tell-all memoir! It's been nearly 10 years since the book was published, but I still regularly reread certain passages when I need inspiration, a good laugh, or a clearer understanding of the journalistic imbroglio with which I frequently have to deal with--after more than 15 years in the business!! Celebrate the anniversary of the BEST book EVER written about what it's REALLY like being a black journalist on the plantation...the newsroom at a daily newspaper!!



4. As an African-American journalist, I found Jill Nelson's book to be very real. Those who criticize the book because Nelson strikes them as naive are missing the point, on at least two levels.

   In the first place, though she naturally gets into certain generalities, the book is primarily about HER experience. It's not intended to be a handbook for reporters who are climbing the corporate ladder. Given her past, and her particular personality, this is the story of how she happened to react to a specific set of circumstances. How one judges her actions should be different from the way someone judges the book itself.

   And secondly, to the extent that the book does have a larger intent, it calls for the dismantling of an outrageously unfair system. Should we all just accept the status quo, and find clever ways to navigate our way past pettiness and stupidity, or strive for a sane alternative?

   The fact is that Nelson has done just fine since she left the Post. Viewed in that context, the book is a testament to her courage, and her insistence on personal dignity.




5. The only other author I ever read who so effectively combined self-pity and wry humor was Erica Jong. Jill Nelson turns a wicked phrase and makes her characters and her situations jump to life. I laughed aloud at her description of her teenage daughter telling her "Mom, get a life!" in response to her lecturing about black conciousness. All through the book I kept wondering where Ms. Nelson's gripes came from. Because her dad left her mom for a white woman, as recounted in the book? She grew up in plush surroundings, with summers on Martha's Vineyard. As the number of unread pages shrank, I kept wondering if Ku Kluxers in white sheets were going to suddenly show up in the book to explain her bitter feelings about white males. Ms. Nelson said that white men are priveleged, but believe me, we too can be put through the grinder. I'm also a former newspaper reporter, born the same year as Ms. Nelson. When she complained about her reporting duries at the Washington Post, saying "I was too old to chase fire engines," I had to laugh. That's exactly what I was doing at another paper at the time she said that. I don't buy what Jill Nelson says, but I did enjoy the way she tells it.

3 comments about Sky Dancer: The Secret Life & Songs of the Lady Yeshe Tsogyel.

1. This book is a wonderful addition to the library of any Tantrik practitioners. Yeshe Tsogyel was an incarnation of the Goddess Sarasvati, and this book documents her life and adventures. I found it a little tough to get into the language at first, but then I was hooked!



2. Keith Dowman has had the extraordinary good fortune of learning (and learning well) from very skilled teachers, among the best really, including Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche. The reader of Dowman's translation benefits much from the depth of his learning and engagement with the material.
   
   And what material! What a joy it is to read psychotropic hagiography, the revelation of many gifted hands. (This text is a terma, or what Gurdjieff might call a 'legominism.' Interested?) In short: first order reading of first order importance for men and women engaged in the Tantric Buddhist path, and those interested therein.
   
   A weakness: I found some of Dowman's exclamations on gender in the commentary a bit undercooked. Just to listen in, I would love to share a pot of coffee with him and Judith Simmer-Brown (have you read her book Dakini's Warm Breath yet? Good stuff, mate!). At least Dowman's honest and well-intentioned.
   
   Thinley Norbu Rinpoche's forward is perhaps as indelible as any other aspect of this text; the interested reader may wish to explore his volume Magic Dance, regarding the manifestation of the dakini.
   
   Finally: Tarthang Tulku's translation of this biography, entitled Mother of Knowledge, is very much worth the reader's time and attention.
   
   Homage to the dakinis!



3. yeshe tsogyal. apology accepted if you don't know of her. she is the consumate female yogi, and the events of her life-story, with its sweet and bitter struggles as a stunning village-beauty offerred in marriage to the king of tibet, to her tantric initiation and education and subsequent practice (under the guidance of her consort padmasambhava, the mystic yogi credited with bringing tantra to tibet), all serve to exemplify the triumph over ignorance and suffering. this book is heavy at times (she went through some tuff stuff) but you will be a better woman for reading it (males and females alike!)

5 comments about Zelda: A Biography.

1. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Zelda Sayer Fitzgerald (1900-1948) was regarded as a rather eccentric character from an early age, a child, teenager, and woman who had no qualm in acting on impulses that frequently flew in the face of all that was regarded as proper in the pre-feminist era. At the time such behaviors launched her to fame as the embodiment of the Roaring Twenties, but given knowledge of family history and the benefit of hindsight, they now seem percursors to the descent into insanity that marked her adult life and for which she is now best known.
   
   In many respects Nancy Milford's biography is brilliant, for she renders Zelda as not so much as an influence on husband F. Scott Fitzgerald but as a uniquely gifted person in her own right. ZELDA a memorable portrait of a tempestuous woman whose personality was so completely in tune with the times that she seemed the embodiement of everything about the American youth of her generation. Zelda Sayer Fitzgerald was indeed one of the figures who made the 1920s roar, one of those "bright young things" who was already for a fast car, a midnight swim, and a shot of bootleg hooch--and who set the tone of the times.
   
   The work is also astonishing in its depiction of Zelda's descent into insanity, a descent from which she now and then surfaced but never fully recovered. Relying heavily on Zelda's letters to Fitzgerald and his to her in turn, we have the painful truths of a woman who is often concious of her own illness and the ways in which it ravages her. It is worth pointing out that if her doctors were correct, Zelda suffered from a form of mental illness that was to a certain extent inevitable; her habits and her way of life doubtlessly spurred it on, but the crash was built into her genes in the same way a motor is built into a car.
   
   If the work has a flaw, it is that it tends to support the notion that Zelda was a gifted writer who might have had a literary career but for her husband and the mutually destructive nature of their marriage. To her credit, Milford never says this and is extremely specific about the shortcomings of Zelda's writings; at the same time, however, she never specifically raises the idea in order to refute it. It is true that Zelda had a remarkable gift for turning a truly unique phrase and in doing so for capturing mood. Had she had more self-discipline she might have developed into a memorable poet--but the words "self-discipline" and "Zelda Fitzgerald" do not belong in the same breath, and so far as fiction is concerned any one has read her works can attest to the fact, as Milford herself notes, that Zelda had no gift for sustained narrative.
   
   This small flaw aside, ZELDA is a powerful and memorable experience, easily one of the most exacting and yet most readable biographies in print. Strongly recommended.
   
   GFT, Amazon Reviewer



2. This book is a sad and tragic tale. If you are looking for a carefree, full-bodied portrait of the 1920's, look elsewhere. Zelda's story starts with zest and endless hope for the future. Unfortunately, Zelda's life would turn out to be far from happy.
   
   Zelda seals her fate when she marries the bright, charismatic Scott Fitzgerald at 19 years old. Although their relationship started off happy and carefree, things would soon decline. Both Scott and Zelda brought out the worst in each other. Scott turns to alcohol, and becomes cruel, neglectful, and often abusive. Zelda has an untamable personality, is strangely manic, and often falls into suicidal depression. When the Scott and Zelda move to the French Riviera, things slip further into hell, until the reader's only choice is to go along for the ride.
   
   Scott could be very controlling. He used her diary and personal struggles for material for his novels, and often based his troubled characters on their own struggling relationship. Zelda's own budding desire to be recognized for her talent is quickly squelched by Scott, who often expressed his negative opinions on whatever she did. Soon Zelda falls off the edge for good, and she becomes insane. In this book, you relive her hell through letters and her often bizarre writings and memoir, as she describes hearing voices, and seeing strange apparitions, and becomes increasingly paranoid around her family and friends. She is entered into an insane asylum several times without any improvement, and eight years after Scott's early death, she dies in a fire.
   
   It is an exhausting read, and emotionally charged. Although much of it takes places in the heyday of the Roaring 20's, the reader does not get as good of a look at the era as one might guess, for the book mostly concentrated on Zelda and Scott's personal turmoil and struggles.
   
   All in all, this is a story of love, deeply flawed and tormented as it was, Zelda and Scott deep down cared for one another. They held a bond that would last till the sad end, and their lives still remain legendary.



3. I couldn't put this book down, but I often wanted to. This is a real tragedy that Milford makes engaging. I can't stop thinking of this woman.



4. i am a huge f. scott and zelda fitzgerald fan, but you can usually only find books that are mostly about scott. this one about zelda gives you such insight into her personality and her mental illnesses, as well as her relationship with scott. it's also a great read for anyone who loves the 1920s and 1930s.



5. While most people know of "The Legend of Zelda" as a video game, in fact the game takes its name from the real Zelda, the wife of F. Scott (Francis Scott Key) Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was without any doubt a superlative author in his own right. However, an interesting and lesser known fact is that his work comes very much out of his own personal experience with his wife Zelda.
   
   Milford's book, which reads like a novel, is an incredible example of what can be done when one combines intense research skills with extraordinary writing acumen. Zelda was a Southern Girl from Montgomery, Alabama, the first capitol of the Confederacy. It was also the home town of Jefferson Davis the only President of the Confederacy. The Southern ways stuck long after the end of the Civil War in Montgomery and Zelda was truly a child of the era.
   
   What is fascinating about Milford's book is what happens to Zelda and Fitzgerald after they marry and move to New York. Fitzgerald produced two very successful books, the second of which was "The Great Gatsby" and then basically expatriated to France where he was in the good company of Ring Lardner, Ernest Hemingway and many others of that ilk. He and Zelda were friend of Dorothy Parker and Gertrude Stein and the list goes on.
   
   Zelda though, was the creative mind behind "The Great Gatsby" and was the one who created the visual image of the character that Fitzgerald used as the basis of his book. Even more interesting is that Zelda, after a wild life with Fitzgerald in their early marital days became a serious alcoholic and had a horribly debilitating mental disorder that kept her in insane asylums for the better part of 12 years. She never did overcome her problem and ultimately died in a fire when serving one of her many commitments as the building was wood, along with the fire escapes.
   
   The book is perhaps one of the greatest biographies ever written and tells a tale of a lady and her famous author husband both of whom lived at the end of an era that shall never return. It is highly recommended for all readers of F. Scott Fitzgerald and makes a superb biographical connection between Zelda and her famous author/screenwriter husband.