3 comments about The Woman That I Am: The Literature and Culture of Contemporary Women of Color.

1. This book is an interesting collection of well-known and lesser-known authors of short stories, plays, poetry and essays. All works of writing portray the lives of colored women. It is a varied group of writers who really, have little in common. However, the book is lacking a cohesive momentum that it was probably trying to achieve. Interesting addition to a book collection.



2. I first came upon this book in a senior seminar in college. At the time I apppreciated it for the varying voices of women. I was able to see women like and unlike myself and be warmed by the fire of this sisterhood. I had no idea that when I wrote my Master's thesis how important this text would be. Unfortunately there are few anthologies like this one that covers so many bases so effectively. Madison has collected well known and lesser known talents into an invaluable research tool. It should be required reading for anyone interested in stepping into the world of writing by women of color.



3. "The Woman That I Am;" an anthology containing such literary geniuses as Gwendolyn Brooks, Jamaica Kincaid, Amy Tan, and poet laureate Rita Dove; seethes with life and vitality. Essentially a collection of poetry, short stories, plays and essays on the lives of colored women, the focus for the anthology lays within the diversity of the writers selected. Synthesized in this collection are the lives of women from all walks of life completely free of judgment. "In loving ourselves for who we are --American women of color-- we can make a vision for the future where we are free to fulfill our human potential. This new framework will not support repression, hatred, exploitation and isolation, but will be a human and beautiful framework, created in a community, bonded not by color, sex or class, but by love and the common goal for the liberation of mind, heart, and spirit." (Merle Woo) A celebration for all womankind, whis book is a must read for colored women, lesbians, conservatives, breast cancer survivors, daughters, mothers, wives, students, mentors, bosses, plebeians, independents, mujeres, lovers, writers, readers... humankind. Buy it now and enjoy it tomorrow.

3 comments about The Vanderbilt Women: Dynasty of Wealth, Glamour and Tragedy.

1. I HAD NO IDEA HOW INDUSTRIOUS THESE WOMEN WERE. I LIVE NEAR THE BILTMORE AND THIS INSPIRED ME TO FOLLOW UP ON THE HISTORY OF THIS FAMILY. THE MEN ARE INTERESTING BUT THE WOMEN FANTASTIC. THEY DID IT ALL AND WERE A GUTSY BUNCH. I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN ANTICIPATING THE NEXT ROUND.



2. Though the men built the fortune, their women spent. They also took up social causes not always popular @ the time..... Their standing memoirals are the Mansions and gardens they created.



3. This is a must read for anyone interested in the Gilded Age. The Vanderbilts were a huge part of it, and the women of the family are as dynamic as the men, in spite of the Commodore's opinion of them. Included in the book are little known figures, such as the Commodore's much put-upon wife and daughters. I found this book hard to put down and highly recommend it, especially in the newly available paperback form.

2 comments about In the Footsteps of Faith: Lessons from the Lives of Great Men and Women of the Bible.

1. This is a simple tour through the life of fourteen biblical characters who exhibited lives of faith. Some of the all-stars on display include Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, Peter and Paul. But some lesser lights are also highlighted such as Rahab, Lydia and Epaphroditus.
   
   This is a straightforward, relatively uncomplicated book suitable for a Sunday school class or Bible study. It even includes a study guide for that purpose. I personally found the last chapter on Jesus Christ to be the most helpful.



2. Though I am very familiar with the Bible, this was an enjoyable overview of the faith of several Biblical people. Not only did I enjoy it, but I based a Devotional I gave at a baby shower on one of the stories. I have also given it as an earned study book to some of the children in my 5th/6th grade Sunday School. It is also an encouraging gift to someone who is ill and wants only shorter, but meaty reading material while they recuperate. You'll find it's one of those "little gems" you'll want to pass on.

No comments about Telling Histories: Black Women Historians in the Ivory Tower (Gender and American Culture).

5 comments about Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda.

1. I spent four years in Rwanda, at Mudende, less than 1/2 a mile down the road from where Roz Carr lived. My wife and I got to know her quite well. This book brought back a lot of memories. She was as good a hostess as she is a story teller. Her love of the country and its people truly come through in this book. She also paints a vivid picture of life there. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to read about winners and survivors.



2. A fascinating read and historical insight into Rwanda and it's neighbours. Ros Carr's fortitude and life described in the book was truly inspiring. To start up an orphanage in one's 80's is amazing. If visiting Rwanda a visit to her loved home and orphanage 'Mugongo' makes this book come alive. Great to see her good work continuing since her passing.



3. I chose this book to learn more about Rwanda and it's history. I learned alot in addition to the account of the author's life there. Even though we hear negatives about many places- it was nice to see both sides for a change. I think the more we learn about other countries and their history a better understanding we will have of the people.
   
   I plan to do more reading in this area.



4. Land of A Thousand Hills is an autobiography by Rosamond Halsey Carr. She lived in Rwanda from 1949 until her death in 2006. Originally the owner of a flower plantation, she went on at 82 to open an orphanage for children left parentless during the Hutu-Tutsi genocide.
   
   I had higher hopes for this book. Which isn't to say that Land of a Thousand Hills is a bad book. It isn't. It is certainly interesting biographically. Carr was a fascinating woman. The sheer strength of her decision to stay in Africa after the collapse of her marriage in order to run a flower plantation on her own is really impressive-- more so considering the time. At 82, I hope that I'm the kind of woman who will return to a war zone to start an orphanage. It was also fascinating to read her stories about Dian Fossey. Carr certainly knew some very interesting people.
   
   I suppose that I was mostly disappointed because I expected it to say more about Rwanda as a country. Given her obvious personal strength, I expected her to be a more unbiased observer. She clearly was not that, and to her credit I guess that she never pretended to be. I didn't feel as though I learned much about the politics of the time that she lived through. Worse, I didn't really feel that I trusted much of what I did learn.
   
   One exception to this is that so few people are willing to write about the Tutsi at all critically, following the genocide. Carr actually builds a hesitant case for the defense without excusing Huti excesses, something that probably took a fair amount of personal courage. That was interesting.
   
   The book is not terribly well written, although the prose is generally clean. They may have done better to have it co-written by someone with better credentials than being a relative of the primary author.
   
   If you have some time to spare, and are interested in the fading days of European empire in Africa, you may well find this a good use of time. But walk, don't run, to the book store.



5. I always read everything I can get my hands on about Africa, having had the luxury of visiting Kenya & Tanzania a few years ago. Once you visit, you'll always want to return, even if it is only through the eyes of others. This book is at the top of my list, along with Mark Ross' "Dangerous Beauty." I commend Ann Howard Halsey for helping her aunt write this story about life in Rwanda. What a treasure! With all the material things Ms. Carr lost during the tragic events of the genocide (and all the people she loved who were killed by senseless murders), happily, Rosamond Halsey Carr's heroic story will last forever! This book reads "like butter!"--beautifully written, yet deep and provocative; never boring. I only wish I could have known Ms. Carr and seen the beauty of her adopted country that she saw for over 50 years!! (I would have a thousand questions to ask her, too.) What a horrific, under publicized period of history she lived through (and miraculously lived to tell the story). Most of the book is of the 40-50 years she spent in Rwanda which lead up to the events of the genocide--there are plenty of happy times, but it wasn't an easy life. I enjoyed Carr's stories about her friend Dian Fosse, too--she didn't romanticize the truth! The authors do a great job explaining the politics and culture of the country as well. Bravo! This book is worth the read!

2 comments about The Book of Jon.

1. Father's Day, I was in Santa Barbara visiting my daughter. We got sandwiches on lower State Street at the Greek Deli, which, along with Joe's Bar (one of the places I used to look for my old man), I told my daughter that was about all that was left from the 60s and 70s when lower State was Santa Barbara's skid row, and her grandpa lived in the YMCA in that's now a parking lot across from the Greyhound Depot. I could see the more I went on about it, anyway, the distant past held little interest on a day when the sunny boulevard was full of tourists and students shopping boutiques, hopping from sports-bar to dining on tapas in fountained patios. I shut up about her grandfather (who everyone else recalls only, when they bother, as the most essentially alcoholic of men), unable to shake his ghost in parking lots and single occupancy furnished rooms that no longer exist.
   
   I read this book dutifully, thinking, "Okay, I'll do my duty---but we've lived this story, so do we have to read about it, too?" My guess is yes. We haven't heard the end of it yet, and we haven't heard about it in this way before. The untold stories, post-mortem dreams and oblique inferences Sikelianos composes for THE BOOK OF JON cast smoky shadows of hope in the pungent colors of lived experience. Instead of another regurgitated tell-all memoir in the genre as currently marketed, instead of detailing in conventional melodramatic or operatic naturalism the body blows causing the wind to be knocked out of all the childhoods under these kind of fathers, Sikelianos structures THE BOOK OF JON tellingly and evocatively through elision and inference juxtaposed with a poet's snapshot-apt observation. Someone close to me (who's back in rehab again at the moment) once yelled at me, "Never, ever write anything about me! My problems are not the subjects of your poems!" And Sikelianos's BOOK OF JON isn't playing back her father's self-destruction for dramatic effect, for an evening's entertainment. She's not selling her own damage for the sake of authenticity in the market for reminiscences. Instead, with hard looks and casual bluntness, she's made a book of beaded moments that blesses both father and daughter even-handedly. THE BOOK OF JON honors that difficult duty. Its courage reminds me of another memoir, William Stafford's DOWN IN MY HEART, which describes a poet-turned-firefighter's experiences as conscientous objector during a popular, and perhaps necessary, war.



2. while our backgrounds are somewhat different, I could relate pretty explicitly to the world from whence this book comes--a kind of poisonous vernacular. And also the subject matter: the father as an unreachable, doomed anti-hero. Sikelianos engages with the subject matter in a vital fashion, interacting with it on its own terms, but never becoming poisoned by its refulgent mediocrities. A kind of postmodern rethinking of "On the Road," peering unflinchingly at the realities behind the myth of "rugged American individualism." Though it atones all involved with its reaching, a kind of absolution by way of narrative blurring, an alchemy that turns plastic fake wood panelling into gold...

5 comments about If You Don't Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails: And Other Lessons I Learned from My Mom.

1. Barbara's wit is as enjoyable as her wisdom. A very easy read, this book puts a fun spin on the typically boring side of business management.



2. Should be required reading for anyone in real estate sale, new to the business or a seasoned agent.



3. I ordered this book thinking it was different from Use What You've Got & Other Lessons I Learned from my Mom, which I bought in hardcover and enjoyed. It is not, it is the same as the older book. They simply retitled it.



4. Yes - I have a personal connection to it because of the tie in with my background. Barbara started her real estate agency on a bootstrap just like me! BUT this book should not just be read by real estate business owners. It's witty, relevant to any business owner and beautifully crafted. While I of course admire Barbara for what she did turning a $1,000 investment by her boyfriend into one of Manhattan's largest real estate groups - my admiration grew when I read this sensational book.



5. I review sales and marketing books for a living, and this is without a doubt one of the best sales books I've read. Not only is it full of well-grounded, sound business ideas and principles, it's also hilarious! I love Corcoran's style, wit, chutzpah, and self-deprecating humor.
   
   Whatever business you're in, you'll find something of value in this easy-to-read, laugh-a-minute, book.

1 comments about The Talented Women of the Zhang Family (Philip E. Lilienthal Books in Asian Studies).

1. If you enjoy Chinese history, this is a book you are sure to treasure. The writer takes a slightly novelistic approach [which is carefully explained and justified] to create good history and an amazingly good read. I was sad when I came to the end.

5 comments about 'Tis Herself: An Autobiography.

1. I've always liked Maureen O'Hara, especially in 'The Quiet Man', and it was great fun to read about her personal life, and her thoughts about what was going on behind the scenes in the different movies I have watched so many times. The chapter on her comments about the making of 'The Quiet Man' and about her friendship with John Wayne were my favorite part. Her writing showed her weaknesses and mistakes made in her life in a balanced way that made me like her all the more. If you like Maureen O'Hara at all, you will not be disappointed in this book!



2. Walt Disney's last dying gasp was to call Maureen the B word. Uh-huh. Riiight. That's all he had on his mind. That's what consumed his soul as he bid this world goodbye, his venom for Maureen O'Hara. Walt couldn't stand Maureen because Walt had wanted to give Hayley Mills top billing for The Parent Trap. Not (mind you) because little Hayley deserved it and ought to have been recognized. Oh no. Rather Walt the Schemer, Walt the Destroyer was intent upon keeping Maureen down by listing her name after Hayley's. Maureen had to stand up for herself. Maureen had to stand strong. Maureen insisted her name be listed first and Walt never, ever forgave her for gaining the upper hand in that situation. So, on his dying bed, his last concern was to call her a nasty word. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This lady hates a whole lot of people.



3. The content of the book is not unusual. The same things happened to many female movie stars. They married husbands who were drunks, who physically beat them, psychologically tortured them, stole all their money, whored around, and refused to work. Movie queens were preyed upon by a certain type of man. You can read the same stories over and over again in the lives of Lana Turner (whose abusive lover was stabbed to death by her teenage daughter in her bedroom), Judy Garland whose husband used to slap her across the face in restaurants, Hedy Lamarr whose husband wanted to tie her up and burn her with cigarettes, Lucille Ball whose husband was an alcoholic addicted to sex with other women, Bette Davis who was beaten "many many times" by 4 husbands. Many of these actresses stayed for considerable amounts of time with these abusive husbands, putting up with it, and hoping for change, just as millions of women do who are not actresses.
   
   What happened to Maureen is nothing compared to what Doris Day reveals in her autobiography.
   
   From the way Maureen has written this book I take it that she used this autobiography to release all the resentment and anger at people who she feels betreayed her or abused her over her lifetime. Near the begining of the book, she writes "Allow me just a smidgeon of lattitude here. I've waited seventy years for this!" And then POW! A lifetime of rage comes pouring out. It's powerful stuff, and not easy to read.
   
   Repeatedly Maureen writes that what she was doing, and what was being done to her, was confusing. Her life was full of contradictions, some of which she has no answer or explaination for. The book is certainly thought provoking.



4. Having watched the Quiet Man again recently, I was interested in learning more about Maureen O'Hara. As I read this book I was rather surprised at the contradictions in her life.
   
   The woman who fought her own battles, some of which are legend, had difficulty in her earlier career saying no to men, and ends up marrying one man she had no interest in. He calls her to his apartment, and unbeknownst to her has a preacher there to marry them. Shocked, she felt her intellect was sitting in a couch on the corner watching her make a dreadful mistake. She boarded a ship to America several hours later, and never sees the man again.
   
   She later makes a similar ill fated and disastrous mistake with her second marriage. Ten years is a long time to put up with that kind of BS. Finally, with Charlie Blair she finds true love, but will fate intervene?
   
   Most surprising is the relationship with John Ford, the brilliant director who won five academy awards for best director. At times, she was his muse, and at times he was her tormentor, sometimes using her in his movies, sometimes interfering in her life, and getting her fired off one movie, and also directing her most memorable role. He would not hesitate to use his influence in a negative self serving way. A complicated relationship. His presence haunts this book.
   
   Less surprising is the friendship with John Wayne, and the book gets quite emotional towards the end, as you can imagine. This book is very readable and flows quickly, and has plenty of drama to keep it moving along. If you were hoping for any insight into her craft, as I was, you will not find it here. Nevertheless, this is an interesting read.
   
   I hope you find this review helpful, and if you do, please click yes.



5. 'Tis Herself - is a wonderful read for anyone interested in Miss O'Hara or in the "Old" Hollywood when stars were STARS.

5 comments about Still Woman Enough: A Memoir.

1. I loved this book even more than her first, as it was more complete and honest. However, I still question whether or not Loretta was so faithful all those yrs knowing her husband was always cheating and she had so many opportunities. It seems like maybe she left something out, making her look a little too perfect, maybe because of her children. I did really enjoy the book.



2. This book was so easy to read, I could hear Loretta speaking to me!!! She writes like she talks, which is not all that common...but a definite plus. A must-have for Loretta Lynn fans.



3. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to put down. I bought it in West Virginia at one of her shows. I hadn't read her first book but after reading this one, I also bought it. She had a facinating life and I still enjoy going to see her shows when I can.



4. This is the third Loretta Lynn book that I've purchased. I first got "Coal Miner's Daughter" then I got, "You're Cookin' It Country." Both of those books are true Loretta and this book is no different. It's sort of "Coal Miner's Daughter" Part Two. She tells stories in an easy to understand way and the book flows as if Loretta is in the room telling you the stories face to face. It is a really great book



5. Having read Loretta Lynn's memoir, "Coal Miner's Daughter" and seeing the movie, Coal Miner's Daughter, and having recently visited her Ranch and also her homeplace, I couldn't wait to read her latest memoir, "Still Woman Enough". I honestly could not put the book down. Loretta Lynn proves she is a pillar of strength as she describes the trials, tribulations and secrets of her marriage, and the demands of show buisness, much of which she did not mention in her first book. She is friendly and down to earth throughout the book and is an inspiration to many women.
   
   MBL