5 comments about The Pontiff in Winter: Triumph and Conflict in the Reign of John Paul II.

1. Let me preface this review by saying I am not Catholic and though I have Catholic leanings I have resisted converting because of my liberal religious outlook. Seemingly, this is an outlook I share with Mr. Cornwell. I--like him--hold John Paul II in very high regard as a man of peace and one of the most influential agents of positive change in the past fifty years. On this aspect of his papacy, I feel Cornwell provides great examples and writes with appropriate zeal and praise.
   
   However, the areas that are of concern to many non-Catholics, which include ordination of women, contraception, marriage of clergy, and even papal infallibility, are presented in such a negative and sarcastic light that I fear no one will take them seriously. Cornwell claims to be a reform-minded Catholic. Unfortunately, his presentation of real concerns for thousands of Catholics and non-Catholics alike are handled with such vitriol that this book will prove to be more divisive than unifying.
   
   Ultimately, I feel that in spite of differences in belief between the author and the Pope this book could have been infused with a great deal more respect for a man who will be missed by millions. After all, in Cornwell's own admission, John Paul II has done more for peace in the world than anyone. Somehow, it seems that after saying that about someone repeatedly referring to him as "old boy" is entirely inappropriate. I had hoped for an unbiased (although this is seemingly impossible when writing about religion) and thoughtful portrayal of the strengths and weaknesses of John Paul's papacy. Unfortunately, I got a venomous diatribe.



2. A well-written book, which can be appreciated and understood by
   Catholics and non-Catholics alike. (For those who seem to think
   that the only criticism of the late Pope comes from those who
   don't understand the Catholic Church, let me state here that I
   am a practising, progressive Catholic).
   
   There were no great surprises for me - I've long been concerned
   at the high-handedness of Pope John Paul and the Vatican Curia;
   this book confirmed my opinions while supplying a lot of
   background information explaining, as far as anyone can, how
   and why John Paul acted as he did.
   
   Probably the most appalling aspects of John Paul's pontificate -
   to a liberal thinker - were the hypocrisy of encouraging
   rebellion against left-wing regimes while clamping down on
   any protest against right-wing rulers; and the encouragement
   of tale-telling and denunciation of anyone who might even
   vaguely be suspected of harboring opinions not in full accord
   with the pope's own views - a mindset worthy of both the Nazi
   and Communist regimes under which he himself had suffered.
   Cornwell details many such instances of Vatican repression.
   
   There is another major act of hypocrisy - the branding of
   homosexuality as "intrinsically evil", and the refusal of
   needed pastoral care for religious homosexuals at the same time
   that the Vatican has done its best to put the issue of priestly
   paedophiles to one side, and has to this day failed to issue
   either a free-ranging enquiry or to apologise to the victims.
   Both issues are explored in the book, although it could be
   argued they deserve a book of their own.
   
   I suspect that the full extent of the damage done to the Church
   by John Paul II won't be fully realised until the Pontificate
   after the current one, when the only choices for a new Pontiff
   will have to be made from the ranks of those ultra-conservatives
   appointed as Bishops under the late Pope, and the Church will
   find itself hopelessly outdated and irrelevant. Cornwell sees
   clearly the already huge divide between the Vatican hierarchy
   and the Church on the ground, and it's unlikely that the
   division will be healed by Benedict XVI or his successor. Far
   more likely is the scenario that under a succession of arch-
   conservatives, engineered by John Paul, the imortance of the
   Catholic Church will be increasingly diminished in a world that
   is changing faster than anyone could have envisaged at the
   start of John Paul's reign.
   
   This is a valuable book, honest and forthright - if anything,
   it is kinder than it might have been.



3. "The Pontiff in Winter" is eighty percent hagiography. It glosses over Pope John Paul's culpability for 20 million AIDS deaths, citing his opposition to disease-preventing condoms in one place and the statistical consequences of that policy elsewhere, but leaving it to the reader to make the connection. But Cornwall does quote the UN Secretary General's assertion that the current Roman Catholic theology is one that favors death rather than life.
   On the issue of Karol Wojtyla's much-touted ventures into ecumenism, Cornwall leaves no doubt that the only ecumenism the pope was willing to consider was the other side's unconditional surrender. To Wojtyla, all non-Catholics were in a "gravely deficient situation," and Lutherans and other Protestants were "not Churches in the proper sense."
   To the Vatican hierarchs currently dominating (some might say enslaving) the world's half-billion Catholics, right and wrong are whatever the hierarchs say they are. When four bishops denounced the archbishop of Vienna for his child molesting, a bishop from the Wojtyla faction told a TV station that the four would "roast in Hell." When Boston's cardinal Law covered up the crimes of pedophile priests, the pope initially ordered him not to resign, and later appointed him to an influential sinecure in Rome. And Wojtyla personally suppressed reports that priests in 29 African countries were infecting nuns with AIDS, and had impregnated more than thirty of them.
   Previous carefully censored media reports of the "third secret" prophecy by the surviving perpetrator of the Fatima hoax were consistent with the alleged prophecy being newly composed for political purposes. Cornwall's printing of the entire prophecy supports the interpretation that it really was composed in 1944, since it was so far removed from reality that even National Inquirer would have been reluctant to claim so many mistakes by a "psychic" as a hit. As Gary Wills wrote in the New York Review of Books, "Either the Virgin's crystal ball was clouded in 1917, or Lucia's imagination was overstimulated in 1944."
   As a virtual insider, with almost unrestricted access to the Vatican hierarchy, Cornwall was able to see for himself that, for at least the last five years of his papacy, John Paul II was less than compos mentis. After Wojtyla met with the archbishop of Canterbury and other Anglican dignitaries, he asked an aide, "Tell me, who were those people?" Cornwall concludes that, "John Paul was at best only partly in control, either of his own mind or the decisions of his close associates."
   Despite practising-Catholic Cornwall's attempt to write a charitable and balanced account of John Paul's pontificate, it is difficult for anyone to read this book with his brain in gear and fail to conclude that, as long as tyrannical popes are able to appoint the oligarchs who will choose their successors, the Roman Catholic Church is going to remain the most oppressive, totalitarian religious tyranny on earth, with the Scientologists and Moonies not even close contenders.



4. Cambridge scholar George Holmes analyzes the long reign of Pope John Paul II, the former Karol Wojtyla. He discusses the pope's accomplishmnets and his views on controversial issues including birth control and abuses by the clergy. The author seems to be making his case for critizing the centralization of papal power. Though he does show us both the good and the bad affects the policy of this pope has had on the world. We see him as pope and a person. The book is well-written, but does not answer any questions. I am pleased I read a library copy. But I do suggest you read it and make up your own mind.



5. It's one thing to disagree with the Pope it's another to write a mean spirited pack of half truths. I bought this assumeing it was a biography of the Popes final years. WRONG it is an angry polemical agenda driven anti-JPII book. Waste of my $.

5 comments about The Golden Mountian: Beyond the American Dream.

1. Okay, may be the story is quite emotional, but it definitely did not come across that way. Lines such as "Won-hoy got married to a rich wife, and had 5 kids" goes on and on... giving the reader no motivation to continue.



2. I enjoyed this book enormously -- not only for what it taught me about Chinese culture -- but for what it taught me about the universality of women's experience in patriarchial cultures. As always, I am both awed and humbled by the resilience of the human spirit. Irene's story offers hope and inspiration to anyone who has ever felt trapped by circumstances.



3. I loved this book. I could not put it down. The Golden Mountain is about Irene Kai's journey to claim her power and authenticity. It's a memoir of four generations of Chinese women, but it's really "every woman's" journey. It shows her transition from Hong Kong to the U. S., and how she breaks free from the restrictions of her ethnic background in a way that her mother and grandmother could not. In America, she achieves wealth and success as an artist and businesswoman. But Kai's story of what's possible doesn't end here. She eventually leaves her business and her marriage and moves to a small town. There, she explores and heals the family patterns she realized were still influencing her, even after she thought she had broken away from them. In the process, she creates a new life and a new dream, one that takes her beyond the American dream to live her own authentic destiny.



4. I loved this compelling, richly textured, vividly descriptive story. Not only was I transported into Chinese culture over four generations of the author's family, but into how family patterns and cultural mores impact us all. I was also inspired by the hope in this book. The author transcends many obstacles, including family abuse, and courageously builds a meaningful, new life.



5. Irene Kai writes of her struggle to escape boundaries imposed upon her by her Chinese family while the words of her grandmother to be a dutiful daughter and wife haunt her throughout her journey. She writes of her great grandmother, her grandmother and her mother using the creative non-fiction device of imagined conversations.These conversations draw one immediately into the life of 19th and 20th century rural China, then, Hong Kong and New York. I particularly enjoy reading of overlapping time frames from the points of view of different people, and Kai does it well.
   
   A child of a loveless arranged marriage, she is unwanted, unloved and abused physically and psychologically by her mother, who is struggling to find love. Kai's background material is especially important in helping us understand her mother and to understand Kai's radical rebellion in her teen and young adult years. She sweeps us into her wild, tumultuous exploration of art and sexuality. And when the rebellion is over, she becomes the dutiful wife, driven by her husband and her desire to leave behind all of her Chinese past. In doing so, she finally realizes that she, too, is neglecting her children, just as her mother did. Slowly, slowly, as she begins to discover herself, she finds the strength to leave her lavish life style and become attentive to her children and to her own needs. She reclaims parts of her own culture and becomes whole.
   
   Especially poignant is Kai's struggle to balance her desire to always please her wounded mother with her need to protect herself and her children. The moment of courage when she looks into her mother's eyes and takes charge of her own life must ring as true for many other women as it did for me.
   
   I would love to know more about this woman. Has she continued her art? How does she feel now? When she looks back, what are her feelings? Now that she has written this fascinating autobiography, will she let us into her life again?
   
   Golden Mountain is an uplifting read.
   
   by Judith Helburn
   for StorycircleBookReviews
   www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
   reviewing books by, for, and about women

5 comments about Woody Allen: A Biography.

1. When I first picked up this book, I knew very little. When I put it down, I had become a lifelong "Woodyphile". It is a great introduction to Allen's life and work. By having exclusive access to Allen, Eric Lax presents a side of Allen that the average person could never know. A must read for anyone, whether they be a friend or foe of Woody Allen



2. I read this book long before Woody Allen's personal troubles became public. (I've always been an admirer of Allen's films.) It is, hands-down, the worst biography I ever read. Lax is more than reverent of Allen; he is obsequious and subservient. At a very early point in the book, I began to sense that every word had been approved by Allen. By the end, I though Allen's publicist and psychiatrists had probably signed off too.

   P.S. If I had an option of giving this book no stars, I would have done so.




3. I read this book long before Woody Allen's personal troubles became public. (I've always been an admirer of Allen's films.) It is, hands-down, the worst biography I ever read. Lax is more than reverent of Allen; he is obsequious and subservient. At a very early point in the book, I began to sense that every word had been approved by Allen. By the end, I though Allen's publicist and psychiatrists had probably signed off too.

   P.S. If I had an option of giving this book no stars, I would have done so.




4. It's a commonplace that many artists have questionable private lives. What Mr Allen does or doesn't do in his private life is of passing interest to me. That he likes younger women doesn't make him much different, maybe unfortunately, from millions of other men (is Rupert Murdoch a classic example or what?) If I want gossip I read a magazine. Mr Allen's work on the other hand interests me very much. This bio by Mr Lax is good for excerpts from Mr Allen's comedy routines and in revealing the movie making experience from the editting point of view, shooting, casting, writing and rewriting. I don't think the prose skill of Mr Lax is especially high but the book's subject matter is interesting enough, and Woody Allen's writing amusing enough, to carry it along.



5. A natural stage in my succession of becoming a Woody Allen freak was picking up a biography. Any single one would have suited my needs, because I knew only as much as somebody who had seen ten or so of his movies and was beginning to show some serious interest in this singular personality.

   It turned out that by accident I had picked out just the right book. Eric Lax delivers over 400 pages of what seems to be a very detailed and reliable account of Woody's life. Contrary to the tabloid-like obsession with Allen's women which many writers of today appear to revel, Lax's primary emphasis is on his work, influences, and progress as a comedian. A special section was added to the end of the book to summarise the events of the last ten years (the first edition of this biography was published in 1991), including the row with Mia Farrow and Woody's marriage to Soon-Yi Previn. But it remains a biography of the man it boasts in the title, not a collection of second-hand conjectures and prejudices about what he might seem to be. Indeed, this is left to the army of Woody admirers who like to derive his character from the roles he has played or written.

   The shattering of preconceived images that surround the private self of Woody Allen is probably one of the major strengths of Lax's book. Woody is shown as somebody who has been engaging in his beloved trade for years and now shows genuine surprise about all the fuss that is being raised around his straightforward life. Nevertheless, I refuse to buy such a portrayal, simply because I am one of those blind followers who have merged Woody on-screen with the real-life Woody. True or not, it is an illusion I am prepared to live, for that is the main attraction of his movies.

No comments about Pocahontas: My Own Story Library Edition.

No comments about Whicker's War.

1 comments about On the Big Blackfoot.

1. "On the Big Blackfoot" is a series of readings and narratives by Norman Maclean and his son, John, plus an interview with Norman Maclean that I found to be the most interesting part of the recording. The focus of the discussions is quite naturally "A River Runs Through It," but they do go a bit beyond it. If you are a fan of any of Maclean's work, then hearing his voice is a treat.

No comments about Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream, Library Edition.

2 comments about Paul McCartney (Beatles).

1. The author explains at the start of the book that he was obliged to write it as part of a contractual agreement to deliver seperat books on each of the fab four. He clearly has no empathy with McCartney and treats him as a run of the mill songwriter and performer with a knack for commerical success. The problem is that this renders any subsequent analysis half hearted and also leads him to write far more about McCartney collaboraters such as Denny Laine than of McCartney himself. So we never get under the skin of the artist nor come any closer to understanding the creative tension and impact of his music. I can only reccommend for the completist who wants to get a reference to secondary Macca sources.



2. Is there any possibility of giving this book zero stars? What a
   tedious and most forgettable read! I completely agree with the previous
   customer comment; this book has more to do with the business peripheral
   to Paul, not Paul. But in addition to that, Alan Clayson's writing style is
   absolutely torturous.
   
   The entire book is composed of weak, endless, one-sentence paragraphs
   that meander across perhaps five subjects, adding clause upon wandering
   clause, dropping name over unknown name. By the end, you have no clue
   what in the world you have just read. I had to read and re-read it
   until I could decipher the text's meaning. Alan, do yourself a favor
   and brush-up on your basic writing skills.
   
   I learned more about Paul in one 45 minute interview with Larry King
   than from this effort by Clayson. This book, unfortunately, is a
   complete waste of time, and makes Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago"
   feel like a light and happy read.

5 comments about Rebuilding the Indian.

1. I really enjoyed Fred Haefele's Rebuilding the Indian: A Memoir. This book is a delight. I liked it on several levels...there is real wrench-turning and parts hunting tales...there are colorful characters...there is a man undergoing a self-actualization and maturity coming to realize just what it means to be a man. He figures out where he fits in between his dad, his grown kids and his first and second wife and new baby all the while building a big motorcycle and running a arborist business. And it is fun while he is doing it.
   I gave it to my wife (a high school English teacher) and she gave it to some of her 11th grade reluctant readers who are more at home turning wrenches than they are writing essays. It appealed to these kids tremendously.
   I don't have a motorcycle and I am not going to build one but I do love reading about it. I found this to be a great book. If you like this one you may also like A Cliff Walk by Don Snyder.



2. I picked this book up at a garage sale or some such and had it for a while before reading it. What a delightful surprise it was. Author Haefele, whose life is in a bit of a mess (divorce, career problems, kid problems), sets about restoring an Indian Chief. The Chiefs were the premier line of the once-great Indian motorcycle company and highly valued now by collectors.
   
   Along the way he encounters an eccentric cast of Indian motorcycle enthusiasts. Skilled artisans of sheet metal and engine restoration populate this book's pages, some in dingy, crowded shops, others in clean, professional places. Haefele records the trips tracking down Indian parts and the real characters he encounters along the way. His partner (Chaz, I believe) packs a pistol on one exploratory trip.
   
   As the restoration goes along Haefele finds his life mending too. A new wonderful woman in his life, along with a beautiful baby girl, and his professional life reviving too. Whatever the reason, the gradually resurrecting Indian seems to pace his life coming together too.
   
   He paints it Midnight Blue, definitely not a factory color, but one that works. His description of the first ride on the Indian is vivid--I had no idea how difficult it would be for modern motorcyclists to use a foot clutch, hand shift, left-hand throttle motorcycle. A satisfying book to read, and it's nice to know that another Indian motorcycle was rescued from the dumps.



3. 'Rebuilding the Indian' is not a step by step "how to" book on motorcycle restoration. It is the personal journey of a man finally beginning his dream. He had to do it with limited finances but with the support of a great family. Having taken similar journeys I found it a great read. It was fun to learn the same characters can be found in Montana collecting and saving rare motorcycles and parts as in the more densly populated areas of the country.
   The author was not only a motorcycle enthusiast but writer that was able to become published.



4. I found "Rebuilding the Indian" on the clearance shelf of a bookstore in Napa, California; for just $9.99. Being a motorcyclist, I figured I'd pick it up. If it turned out to be an awful book, well, only ten dollars wasted.
   
   But what a pleasure it turned out to be. Not just a book about restoring an Indian, it's more about the Author's journey through life, his failed first marriage, his blissful second marriage, and the birth of his third child. Putting the bike back together seems to be a metaphor for his life, as he attempts to resurrect his writing and teaching careers. The restoration itself is an exercise in frustration and hilarity, and an experience I can entirely relate to; doing whatever it takes to get the bike running at the very end, when you need that last nut or bolt, it's midnight, and nearest bike shop is closed. It's no Hemingway novel, to be sure, but it's easy to read, entertaining, and touching to the soul.
   
   If you're into motorcycles at all, or have ever contemplated buying a basketcase of your own, this is a must read. Highly recommended.



5. Ladies - if you're husband is an "Indian Motorcycle Lover" this is a great present for him! I gave this to my husband last Christmas and it was by far one of the best presents he ever received in our 23 years of marriage. He couldn't put it down. A must have for anyone who has an Indian Motorcycle and especially who rebuilt it. Hope this helped - blessings to all! Anyone reading this - do you have another Indian suggestion for me - I'd love to give him another great book for this Christmas!

No comments about Kingfish: The Reign of Huey P. Long.