No comments about Life of Dante (Naxos Audio).

5 comments about The Kennedy Men: 1901 - 1963.

1. I read The Kennedy Women a few years ago and found it to be one of the most impressive biographical works that I had ever encountered. I was most impressed with Leamer's ability to fully chart the lives of so many diverdse characters.

   I eagerly awaited the Kennedy Men. If I had not read his previous work, this probably would have seemed better. I felt that the Kennedy Women had a broader scope dealing with a longer (and earlier!) time frame and more individuals. This started, really with Joe Kennedy and didn't focus on too many others. A very minor complaint, is that the Kennedy women had a comrehensive time line in the beginning. It would have been useful to include one here as well.

   Otherwise, this is an extaordinarily well rearched volume. What I enjoyed most was the conversational approach taken by Leamer. It is a pleasure to read. I wish that the final chapter "Requiem for a President" was slightly more detailed, but this was a chance to learn not about invididuals, but about complex family relationships and bonds.

   I am glad that I read it and look forward to volume 2!




2. I've read 64 biographys and it's one of the worse.
   There are a few photos.
   some informations are odd, because the author invents them.
   buy not this book, but buy better book like a common good, the thirteen days, the kennedys and the fitzgerald, robert kennedy and his time...



3. In the years since John F Kennedy was elected President two kinds of "Kennedy Myths" have developed. The positive one portrays John, Robert and Ted Kennedy as liberal "saints" committed to a progressive revolution in America. The negative one shows the Kennedys to be rapacious libertines who throw off all social conventions in their personal and political lives. Leamer's book transcends these over-simplistic views and covers the lives of patriarch Joseph P Kennedy and his four sons, bringing out the complexity of this unique group of people.

   Those who hold a negative view of the Kennedys will find much material to confirm their beliefs. In truth, Joe Kennedy seems to be a man with almost no redeeming virtues, a virulent anti-Semite and pro-Nazi, greedy and miserly, manipulative man. The second generation of Kennedys learned not to ask where the family's money came from. Yet Joe Kennedy went on to implement needed reforms in the Security and Exchange commission to which he was appointed, supported the progressive FDR and became the most powerful Catholic in the US.

   Similarly, JFK went on to be an incredibly reckless philanderer who possibly compromised the very security of the US with liasons with women involved with organized crime and possibly even East German intelligence, but at the same time, he inspired young people to volunteer for the Peace Corps and set American on course to landing on the Moon. RFK goes to work for family friend Senator Joe McCarthy and works with the Mafia in order to destablize Castro's regime in Cuba, but then also works vigorously against the same Mafia and institutionalized racial discrimination (and somehow escapes the taint of his association with McCarthy).

   Leamer show that JFK and RFK were definitely not "soft liberals". JFK was the best friend the "military-industrial complex" ever had, pouring unprecedented amounts of money into defense and space projects. They supported a very tough anti-Communist policy in Cuba and Vietnam which almost led to nuclear war and did lead to the quagmire in Southeast Asia. One important point about the book is that Leamer does not demonize various "bad guys" from the positive Kennedy Myth, such as General Curtis Lemay and other military men from the Cuban Missile Crisis, FBI Director J Edgar Hoover who was friendly for many years with Joe Kennedy and showed great forebearance with the many indiscretions of his sons and had good reason to be concerned with JFK's behavior and finally Lyndon Johnson who loyally served the Kennedy Administration and yet was treated with contempt by RFK and many of JFK's advisors (although not by JFK himself).

   Finally, the author has come to the same conclusion that other investigators have arrived at regarding JFK's assassination, namely, that it is very likely that the assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald was motivated, either with or without the knowledge of agents of Fidel Castro, to kill Kennedy in revenge for the Kennedys' attempt to kill him.

   It is not easy to cover the lives of five different men in a singel book, and much had to be left out, but as an introduction to this remarkable tribe of American aristocracy, this book is indispensable.




4. I give this book a borderline 3 - 4 stars. It isn't bad - it explored all of the Kennedy men adequately but none very extensively. Leamer does do a great job of explaining the relationships among the Kennedy men, especially the complicated relationship that Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. had with all of his children.

   The author offers up stunning and excruciating details about Joe Kennedy Jr's. death, as well as Kathleen's death. These instances were painful to read, but very insightful about the patriarch's emotions.

   I feel Leamer did concentrate a bit too much on JFK's sexual trysts, but that is a topic that no book on the Kennedys will neglect, so it's not really a complaint.

   It would have been nice had the book ended in 1968 and not 1963. Another 100 pages would have given the reader much more great reading on RFK following the president's death and also his run for the presidency in 1968.

   All in all, this is a good book for diehard Kennedy aficionados.




5. Didn't like it. Basically refers to President Kennedy and his time in office. Too boring.

4 comments about Covered Wagon Women: Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails, 1850; the diary of Margaret A. Frink (Living Voices of the Past) (Living Voices of the Past).

1. The second in the series is as interesting as the first.The immigrants now have a bit more knowledge as many have gone before them.There are still many misshaps, disease, lack of water and feed. We now are starting to see many oppertunists who prey on the people. It is interesting to note that the women and Indians seemed to get along quite well and shared hints about many things. We also see the diffrence in the trip for diffrent income levels.This is also where we start to see pollution,as the animals were allowed in the creeks and anything not needed was just left .These books show what life was really like on the trail and what the women went through each day.



2. As Americans we have heard many tales, true and false, of tales of, and about, those brave souls who migrated across the country in wagons and on foot in the 19th century. Beverly's LTD has recorded The personal diary of one such woman, Margaret A. Frink.

   Mrs. Frink, along with her husband, whose first name we never know, and a boy named Robert leave their nice home in Martinsburg, Indiana, for the riches of the California territories. It's not only the promise of gold that spurs this couple on, but of the riches available to those who make the arduous trip.

   Mrs. Frink keeps a detailed diary of the daily distances traveled (how did they m ark this?), the price of provisions along the way, the weather, the many people they run into, and an acute observation of the fashions on the trail. I found that quite interesting, those detailed descriptions of fashion, in clothing, transportation, and supplies, and the daily traveling distance. I also found myself amazed at the mileage the wagons were able to make each day and the price of provisions along the way. In 1851, one onion costs the Frink's one dollar, which is astronomically even in the 2002 market.

   Susan Baxter, an actress at the Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado, gives life to Margaret. By the tone of voice she uses, I suspect that Margaret is a bit of a snob, but she handles the travails of the trail with remarkable good humor.

   It is particularly interesting that the diary does not end with their arrival in Sacramento, but gives a hurried account of life for their life as hotel owners and diary farmers. It is also interesting that the home they dismantled in Indiana and ship by boat, arrived in the new state at almost the same time they did.

   Thanks to the publication of this diary, I have a whole new appreciation of the Old West!




3. Meaningful, first-hand chronicles from six westward women pioneers of 1850.
   As editor Dr. Holmes notes, Anna Maria Morris was the wife of a military commander and as a result was "treated with attention and care". Nonetheless, she describes the relentless heat, lack of water and wood, poor grass, etc. which was typical of travel to Santa Fe, along with daily routines.
   Mary Colby, Margaret Frink, Sarah Davis, Sophia Goodridge and Lucena Parsons all traveled the northern ,more familiar, Oregon Trail. These women give stunning details of wagon travel including: the phenomenal numbers of graves along the trail due to cholera, daily chores and mishaps, the vast numbers of emigrants along the route, dry ponds, abandoned wagons and personal belongings, river crossings, cutting grass for future livestock feed, etc.
   We feel the persistent, annoying stings of clouds of mosquitoes along the Platte, the disturbing sights of countless numbers of human graves, the unsettling smells of innumerable dead livestock left alongside the road, feel their Indian anxieties, the sounds of nerve-racking horrendous thunderstorms, the continual unwelcomed taste of trail dust. These women clearly illustrate what life was like traveling westward in 1850.
   A pleasure to read.



4. My great-great grandparents with an infant daughter journeyed overland from Missouri to California in 1850 and I read this book to learn something of their experience.
   
   As the editors point out few women made the crossing by land and thus their accounts have great significance. This book contains the diaries and letters of six women who traveled by wagon and horseback across the Great Plains and the mountains of the West to a new home in California, Oregon, Utah, and New Mexico in 1850. Amongst their descriptions of terror and hardship are also homely tales of life on the trail and often the generosity and nobility of many of their fellows.
   
   I was impressed most by the sheer numbers of the overlanders. Some 50,000 people took the Western trails in 1850, drawn mostly by the promise of gold in California. Accounts of the dust, the crowded conditions, and the inevitable cholera caught my attention. The journey across the plains and mountains was, as the editors note, the longest voluntary migration in history and one has to wonder why so many people left comfortable homes to journey west. The westward urge -- "Manifest Destiny" -- or whatever it might be called was a powerful force in 19th century United States. Indians and buffalo play surprisingly small roles in the accounts of the crossing. They were perhaps wise enough to keep their distance from the overlanders.
   
   The editors have contributed good introductions to the book and each of the women.
   
   Smallchief

5 comments about Waylon: An Autobiography.

1. This is an interesting book for country music enthusiasts as it provides details reaching back to the Bob Wills days, the Buddy Holley times, the horrible drug use in Nashville and some of those involved. I read it with great interest and I keep it handy on my bookshelf.



2. Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to Richie Valens in that fateful plane crash that claimed the lives of Valens, Buddy Holly and the big Bopper. It would not be the last time he skirted death. A fact filled and story filled book that reads like a Waylon Jennings song filled with bravado, heart and longing. One of the original "outlaws" of country music Waylon was above all else his own man and along with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson formed the legendary "Highwaymen". This temperamental artist tells of his many travails with his personal demons and the love of his life, Jessi Colter. Good stuff.



3. A good view of Waylon with the usual flaws inherent in any autobiography. I attended one of his performances, after he cleaned up by the way, and he was really bad with the audience. He chose to ignore us all and performed as though it was an empty house and he was bored to death. I was disapointed,of course, but I like his music. The book is a good inside look at Country music in the 60's and 70's and if for no other reason it's worth reading. His opinion of the CMA is great. (I heard a popular Country singer of that era call it the Country Money Association). Waylon was certainly responsible to some degree for the increasing popularity of Country music in those two decades. While he comes off as a bit too enthused about himself and his place in Country music at times, it must be remembered that he had a big influence on the music and will continue to have as time goes on. He is like Johnny Cash in that regard. Both had Rockabilly roots and it shows in their music. They both had their own style yet they weren't stylists as most of the over produced singers of this generation. Others will be famous for being who they are. Willie is a good example. Willie will always be famous for being Willie. Where as Waylon, like Cash, was an innovator and will be historically important as time goes on. A good book.



4. This is a pretty good account written by the man himself. It covers Waylons days on the farm growing up, his short time with Buddy Holly, his career long battle with pills/drugs on the way to becoming a country legend, and his life after he kicked the habit by staying out in the desert for a month. This book is written by Waylon so the way he talks/writes is a reflection of the way that he actually talked and rembered things so the account can get a little confusing when the down home country accent bleeds through, also somtimes the narrative can jump decades and back in the same paragraph. That was my only complaint with this book. It does give good insight on how Waylon and the rest of the outlaws changed how country music sounded and how Waylon had to fight to get a fair contract that he could live with. If your interested in his music or how that era helped shape today's country music give it a read.
   m.a.c



5. Jennings is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats of country music, and his autobiography goes a long way to explaining how he got there. Most revealing is the incredible string of mentors who helped fashion Jennings' career, both as an artist and as a businessman, the generosity with which he gives credit to others, and the bidirectional fluidity between his private and artistic lives. Jennings writes openly about both the good and the bad in his life, and is unsparing of himself in describing his problematic early marriages and womanizing, extensive drug taking, and legendary beefs with those who stood in the way of his artistic visions.
   
   The book begins slowly with the requisite description of Jennings' childhood, but picks up as he turns into a teenager. His early association with Buddy Holly is extraordinary, both for his service as protégé to one of rock 'n' roll's early architects, and for the sophistication with which the 20-something Holly tutored his charge. Many of Jennings later run-ins with Nashville can be traced back to career advice he received from Holly. Jennings' descriptions of his early years as a performer in Tucson are vivid, as are his associations with Bobby Bare, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Jack Clement, each a seminal figure in Jennings' development. His move to Nashville offers up terrific details of great songwriters with whom Jennings crossed paths at the Boar's Nest, Harlan Howard's office and various bars, lounges and clubs. His portrait of Chet Atkins remains sympathetic, even as their relationship moved from hero worship to adversaries. Jennings convincingly explains that transition as a combination of and the individualist rock 'n' roll inspired ambitions first planted in him by Holly and the effects of Jennings' drug abuse.
   
   Unlike the "Outlaw" press packages that suggest Jennings got fed up and broke free all at once, he describes a dissatisfaction with Nashville that grew in bits and pieces. Nashville's tight-knit, in-bred business world left artists starving on the road, while the insular major label promotion staffs in Los Angeles and New York ignored their country music counterparts. Worse yet for a road warrior (and early rock 'n' roller) like Jennings, the labels insisted he record with studio hands that had no grit and couldn't swing. After giving Nashville their shot at making him a star, he grew estranged by its limits and his lack of success, and after Atkins saddled him with less sympathetic producers, he launched a successful battle for artistic freedom.
   
   Jennings describes how a canny New York lawyer (Neil Reshen) helped him break free of Nashville's constraints (both artistically and financially), and how a fraternity of like-minded musicians, including Tompall Glaser, Shel Silverstein, Kinky Friedman, Guy Clark and Jimmy Bowen developed an alternate way doing things at Glaser's Hillbilly Central studio. Jennings and his co-writer do a good job of pulling the early threads through the story, giving the reader a sense of why things happened, in addition to what happened. There are some terrifically insightful passages on touring, such as "the shows become stop-overs, the highway is where you spend most of your time. In transit. In transition." Jennings shows uncommon introspection about his career and his relationship to his audience and fans, and though his recitations on drug use get repetitious, they provide the set-up for his eventual recovery. A few writerly turns suggest the hand of Lenny Kaye, but most of this autobiography sounds like Jennings.
   
   A few redundant passages would have benefited from tighter copy editing, but overall this is a compelling and informative read that will magnify any fan's appreciation of Jennings' work. 4/1-2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

5 comments about What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.

1. I really enjoyed this book. I have read all of E. Lynn's work and by far this was the best. I cried, laughed and got upset several while reading this book. Truly it was remarkable.



2. What Becomes of a Broken Heart. In it, E Lynn Harris offers a tough and tender glimpse of the man between the covers of more than a few literary sensations. The raw emotional honesty is heartbreaking at times, yet redeeming at others. Through some of the roughest storms, he blooms, beautiful and strong.



3. Follow Harris on his journey of revelations about life and love in this well-written, east-to-read memoir. Within the first couple of pages, I burst into laughter, then as the story unfolded, I felt kind of bad for Harris. The abuse he suffered at the hands of his step-father and then the destructive life he led during his adult life makes you wonder how he survived it all, suicide attempts and everything. I think I've read all of E. Lynn's books and this one really shows you from where all of his prior offerings evolve. I'm glad that at the time this was published he had found the love he was searching for. I hope that love continues.



4. At some point I felt as if alot of his friends reflected many of his characters which and while after reading you discover they did lend him inspiration.It must have been very difficult to point out his flaws to his readers , and it was done very well at that. Most people prolly wouldnt want to reveal there past so openly to the public but E. Lynn did it and I can respect that.



5. This book isn't terrible. If I could I'd give it 2.5 stars.
   
   E Lynn Harris is black, and gay. This fact is stated so many times in the book that it is a wonder the book isn't titled "MY LIFE SUCKED BECAUSE I'M BLACK AND GAY, BUT MOSTLY BECAUSE I'M BLACK!!!! DID I MENTION I'M GAY!???!!!!!!" Seriously, all in caps, just like that, that should be the title of this book.
   
   Lynn Harris is exactly the type of person I have zero interest in knowing. Nothing is ever his fault. He doesn't work hard, fails at everything, gets a second chance due to being the same race as his boss, or is accepted without proper qualifications because of affirmative action in the 70's.
   
   But then... then he starts to succeed. He becomes a salesman, and you know what, he's good at that. Sure he didn't have the qualifications for the job and was initially hired because he was black, but it turns out that he is actually -good- at what he does. So does that success and greatness become a large part of the story? No, of course not, outside of work his entire life is a mess and he goes from closet case guy to closet case guy wondering why they treat him so poorly... while these guys still have girlfriends. Nothing is ever Lynn's fault of course.
   
   Give me a break.
   
   If you want to hear what it's like to be a complete loser, this is the story for you. You'll be fascinated by how self defeating one man can be.
   
   The kicker is that at exactly 7 hours and 30 minutes in Lynn nails it down perfectly "...who would be interested in reading a story about a sexually confused black man who basically wasted ever opportunity given to him." Not me.

5 comments about Leading with My Chin.

1. Jay Leno has been entertaining the world as host of The Tonight Show every weeknight for over 13 years. His monologues covering current events are consistently funny. But his rise to this pinnacle did not come overnight. In fact, all the way up to his surprise crowning (over David Letterman) as the replacement for the retiring Johnny Carson in 1992, he was still known for little more than being a respected stand-up comedy veteran who had gained an extra reputation as a solid guest host for the show when Johnny was on vacation, as well as for his funny visits to (former) good friend Letterman's Late Night program that followed Carson.
   
   This autobiography tells in hilarious detail, through a series of anecdotal episodes, how he struggled for years to make it in show business. From humble beginnings as the son of Italian/Scottish immigrants in Boston, through experiences with various shady characters on the mean streets of Boston, New York, LA and other places- agents, club owners, hippies, mobsters, strippers, prostitutes, johns, hustlers, rednecks and con men of every stripe- as well as discrimination in LA-LA land against his trademark chin-strong image- Leno shows how perseverence and hard work can succeed in the end, and how his desire to make people laugh kept him driven to make it, despite the odds and endless obstacles.
   
   There is also a bit of a stand-up comedy history interwoven in the narrative, describing the rise of comedy clubs like The Comedy Store and The Improv during the 70s and the concurrent rise (and sometimes fall) of Jay's contemporaries like Letterman, Richard Lewis, Freddie Prinze, Jimmie Walker, Andy Kaufman and others.
   
   The book winds down with the story of how he met and bonded with his wife Mavis, his ascension to the peak of the late night talk show mountain, and a touching dedication to his deceased parents. The laughs don't come quite as often, but it is a good way to finish off the tale.
   
   Whether or not all of these occasionally hard-to-believe stories are the whole truth is moot- it's all a riot, and will have you rolling.



2. I have read this book at least THREE times. I've given it to almost everyone I know. I gave it to my nephew when he was 14. One day, we saw him shaking and crying on his bed. When I asked what was wrong, he rolled over and handed me this book!!!! He couldn't even speak, he just pointed to the part he wanted me to read. It is soooo funny. Whenever my mother feels down, she just opens it up to any page and it cheers her up. If I ever met Jay, I'd tell him this is my favorite book. I made the mistake of taking it when I was waiting to see if I would be picked for jury duty. I kept laughing out loud and everyone kept looking at me. It really is funny. I don't know if his life was this funny, or if he left out most of the bad stuff, but if you have ANY sense of humor at all, GET THIS BOOK!



3. As a comedian starting the biz in 1990 myself, I enjoy reading these comedian autobiographies. It is very interesting to see how different the industry was back when some of these guys, who paved the path for the rest of us, started. I've always heard great things about Leno, that he is the hardest working guy in show business and one of the friendliest guys in the industry. He is supposedly very supportive and I know he did a free show every year at Zanies in Chicago for all unemployed people, who showed their unemployment checks to get in.
   
   The book tells some of the best stories I've heard of coming up in the business. Leno started back when there weren't comedy clubs, more playboy rooms and strip clubs. He was one of the first club regulars and no doubt his skill, along with the others at that time, helped make the comedy club scene big. (Although I've heard criticisms about his Tonight Show monologues, Jay is known in the industry to have been one of the most talented comedians ever back when he was touring regularly.)
   
   Jay recalls episodes of his life in an easy-to-read style and isn't afraid to tell stories revealing his strong respect and love for his parents. My favorite story wasn't a funny one at all; it was the one where Jay got his first car, even a passion back then, spent lots of time and money to get it all fixed up and was sitting in his high school classroom, staring out the window at impending sudden doom of rain, looking at his convertabile with the top down. He couldn't get to it. Suddenly, his parents drove up and... you'll have to read the book for the rest of the story.
   
   It's also really cool to read about the other up and comers Jay came in contact with in his early years, as well as those who didn't make it or passed before their time. Among them are Jerry Seinfeld and Robin Williams. A fun, quick read for anyone who enjoys standup comedy or wants to read about a grateful star, of which there is a great shortage of today.



4. Sorry I don't usually swear...but the message I took away from this book was a standup comedian's life is hell! And Jay Leno deserves to make millions a year for being stick-to-itive. While hitchhiking, he was picked up by mean men. He slept in a garage near a car because a manager of a comedy club claimed he provided comedians with a "condo". He worked in tacky, dark places. It was awful. I'm glad he made it big! He didn't have a super affectionate family. But Leno describes them with loving acceptance.



5. Comedy is difficult to rate because personal taste accounts for a large degree of one's perception of the material. I have always been a fan of Jay Leno and appreciate his sense of humor, hence Leading With my Chin was very enjoyable. It falls right in line with the sense of humor you anticipate from watching the Tonight Show or any of his stand-up routines; however it is not merely a series of jokes as Leno presents an account of his life growing up in Massachusetts. If you appreciate Leno's wit and have interest in discovering the life that helped developed his sense of humor, you will enjoy this book.

5 comments about Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing.

1. Chameleon journalist Ted Conover trains as a prison guard and works in Sing Sing, giving readers an intense look into prison life and the dynamics of the guards and guarded.
   
   Intense, intensely personal, and full of insight into the prison system itself.
   
   Best part is his history of the US penitentiary system, which most of us don't study in US History classes! Highly readable, well-researched section that should be of interest to all US citizens.
   
   An incredible journey, a well-written account.



2. While on the surface, the idea of Conover immersing himself into the NY maximum security prison system as a corrections officer (CO) seemed to be a recipe for an exciting book, Newjack did not live up to its hype. Somewhere in the book it was mentioned that to become a mature CO, 4-5 years of work experience is necessary. Consequently, the one year Conover spent in New York's Sing Sing maximum security prison was hardly enough time to learn and build the kind of relationships necessary for a thoughtful and entertaining book. Instead, the parts of the book I found to be the most interesting were the historical accounts of who had the most influence in how the U.S. and NY prison systems evolved.
   
   Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of new ground covered through Conover's personal experience during guard training or in Sing Sing. The old clichés of prison guards as mean SOBs and apathetic prisoners beyond rehabilitation were reinforced.
   
   I commend Conover's dedication to compiling material from firsthand experience, but Newjack was mildly entertaining and even less educational in terms of observations of inmate behavior, or new ideas in improving the system. Newjack would have had richer content had Mr. Conover been allowed to shadow an experienced CO as he set out to do initally, but was denied.



3. Awarded a 2001 National Book Award and selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Newjack Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing has become a sociological classic, a gritty, eyewitness account of the escalating tragedy afflicting the American penal system. As a journalist-turned undercover prison guard, Conover demonstrates the sweeping irony of a prison system that has engulfed certain minorities on such a massive scale that prison culture has influenced popular culture through trappings such as baggy, beltless, low-slung pants or laceless sneakers, all with a pervasiveness that reflects a dark reality: "Prison has unwittingly given rise to its own empowering culture," observes Conover, "...one that keeps inmates resentful and resistant to incarceration's `reformative' goals...."
   
   The failure of prison to reform its inmates not only fails the incarcerated, observes the author in this hard-hitting narrative, but our entire society, which pays millions of dollars each year to warehouse dysfunctional human beings and must face the broken families they leave behind, in a vicious cycle that expands exponentially with each new generation.
   
   A string of powerful and insightful anecdotes portraying the wastefulness of inmate life and the struggle of both guards and prisoners to maintain their humanity in an inhuman environment buttresses the author's point: Investing in preventative measures to strengthen families and communities would reduce childhood trauma, provide hope, and avert the far higher societal and financial costs of rampant violent crime. In sum, Newjack offers a suspenseful, cinema noir style that engages the reader while conveying a bleak, cautionary vision, one that we ignore at our own peril.



4. Average prose, a real cure for insomnia with some interestging tidbits. It's a book I now own that will forever collect dust.



5. It has been said that good writers must suffer for their craft. But few would have voluntarily gone to the lengths Ted Conover went to in order to gather information for this important, informative book. Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing chronicles the author's experiences as he worked incognito for a year as a rookie corrections officer at world famous Sing Sing, one of New York State's maximum security prisons.
   Conover calmly tells it like it is in the little seen but ever expanding world of corrections. He describes the soul sapping indignities that officers and inmates alike contend with on a day to day basis, bringing to life a hidden world that few outsiders will ever see or even want to think about.
   For an informed, nonsensationalistic look at modern day prisons and the men and women who guard them, Newjack by Ted Conover is without equal. Highly recommended.

5 comments about The Eagle and the Rose.

1. I read this book after the death of my brother. It brought my out of the darkness and back into the life that continued to move on around me. It is an enlightening book, even for those who have traveled far on the path.



2. After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that Rosemary Altea may be sincere, but she is greatly deceived. The bible clearly states to stay away from psychics or mediums. She supposedly channels a spirit called Gray Eagle.
   
   These psychics get their ability to have partial knowledge about you and your present situation directly from demons. No human has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen to you in the future or anything about you in your present condition if they have never met you before. And if they do seem to have some type of personal information about you that could only be supernaturally picked up, then that knowledge is being transmitted to them by demons or they deceive people by doing "cold or warm readings".
   
   Cold readings are where they make an educated guess about something about you, buy picking up clues, by what you say or do, or your appearance or age. If you tell them the information is wrong, they use a number of ways to distract you, for example some will tell you that they are getting information from a "playful" spirit that tells them false things, etc..... warm readings are where they have microphones in the studio before their show and they listen in, as people talk to friends that have come with them about deceased friends or relatives, and then they pick those people in the audience that they listened in on and use that information to make those people and others think they are getting a message from a spirit.
   
   The bible says "And the person who turns after mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and him off from his people." (Leviticus 20:6)
   
   If you want to see some damage done by new age teachings and psychics, I suggest a book by Sharon Beekmann called "ENTICED BY THE LIGHT ". She trusted the "spirit guides" that promised her fulfillment. By the time she discovered their frightening, true identity, it was too late--they had taken control of her mind....tormenting her, attacking her sanity, and pushing her to the brink of suicide.
   
   For awhile I was involved in the New Age teachings and a book that really opened my eyes was "THE LIGHT THAT WAS DARK' BY Warren Smith. It is excellent!!!!



3. This book was very interesting. The author is aware that many skeptics are reading this book and doesn't try to convince the reader of anything. I found this book very helpful after the recent loss of two loved ones.



4. Now this is the book everyone should read.I loved it and have shared it with many friends and all the same LOVE it.It is such a healing book for anyone who has lost a loved one.I recommend it greatly.Its another one of those books you just can't put down.
   Thanks



5. The Eagle and the Rose: A Remarkable True Story
   
   Absolutely loved this book. What a touching and at times heart-wrenching bibliography. I could just see Grey Eagle standing there, from the way he was described. Good reminder of how negative messages are given to children and how that affects their entire life.

2 comments about Debbie: My Life/2 Audio Cassettes.

1. i just listened to this audio book ......what a pure pleasure! debbie has a knack of drawing you vivid pictures ..with her words..of just how it is to live her life......the hours pass in no time as you listen to her story..of her life with her family, career, loves and losses...she is a joy to listen to......once again i say BRAVO DEBBIE.



2. Debbie brings you right into her life. You are there with her every step of the way. I have read the book and listened to the tapes several times and enjoy it each time.

5 comments about War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars.

1. I actually read a review about this book and gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law who teaches high school history. She LOVES it and told me it was an amazing collection of actual letters. She said all of the teachers that she works with have been borrowing it!!



2. I received this book as a gift because my family knows I love reading personal histories from those who lived it and "War Letters" seemed perfect for that. I enjoy learning what life was like for the average citizen in an era, whether its someone riding the Erie Canal in 1840, a foot soldier in the American revolution, or a journal from the Civil War.
   
   This is a remarkable book and taken individually there are many, many heart-rending emotional stories that probably need to be read by many people. It does in fact put a personal face on war. Because it is a collection of letters, the book is easily read in short spurts; you don't want (and shouldn't) read this book quickly.
   
   I only gave the book 4 stars because I actually found it hard to read. While the personal letters (the spelling, mannerisms of the authors) help tell their stories, it also keeps the book from developing any flow. Some letters are agonzingly slow to read and understand. I'm certainly not faulting the authors or their stories; but if you're looking for a great, well-written, smooth-flowing story that you can't put down, this isn't it.



3. i only gave it three stars because many of the stories were more about patriotism than about the war themselves. Of course every book has its bias so its still a useful and moving read when taken with this grain of salt.



4. This book is a great read. It is refeshing to be able to read words, thoughts and dreams from people as they perform such honorable duty overseas. This book is powerful and should be required reading for all, especially Americans.
   
   Some anti-war activist may think it is "pro-war" but it isn't just that. This book reveals personal thoughts and challenges faced by American military personnel in wars from the Civil War until the later conflicts in the 20th century. It is pro-war, anti-war and everything in between.
   
   This book reminds me of the sacrifice that so many make for their country. It is a great tribute for those who have served.



5. There are letters from `very' different types of people such as George W. Bush (after he was shot down) and from George McGovern (who was a bomber pilot). I really don't care whose side (politically speaking) the authors of the various letters represent as long as it deals with the stated topic (WAR LETTERS). This is why I only gave the book 3 stars. What in the blue blazes are letters from Helen Keller (who is writing about a friend she once knew who is now in jail for being an American commie) & a letter from the American commie traitor Alger Hiss doing in the book? Neither of these letters even remotely have anything to do with an American War.
   There are other letters which also have very little to do with a U.S. war but I looked over these as they `sort of' and that is a stretch - were leading up to a war. I do not know for sure - but I believe the author is a left of center sort of guy and it comes through in the letters he chose.