3 comments about Past Is Myself.

1. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I am surprised that nobody has reviewed it and I am also dissapointed to find out that it is not available to buy at the moment. I read it a few years ago and when I get the time, I will definitely read it again. Once you start you can not stop and it is a book you will remember for the rest of your life. Read it!



2. I am so sorry this book is not available. It is a fasinating story of a woman's ability to survive and keep her family in tact in WW II Germany. I met Mrs. Bielenberg a few years ago and she is still as interesting as she was in her book.



3. I read this book a few years ago, when living in the United Kingdom, and wanted to recommend this book to my Book Club in the USA for our next discussion. What a disappointment to find it is out of print, as this is one of the most readable and insightful autobiographies I have read! Dear Amazon team, please campaign for it to be reissued!

5 comments about The Making of a Blockbuster: How Wayne Huizenga Built a Sports and Entertainment Empire from Trash, Grit and Videotape.

1. I liked the book really well. I was suprised that Wayne was completly a self made billion-aire. When other guys like Donald Trump was in private school wayne was doing odd jobs to earn money. I just wish I had invested in Blockbuster when I was in high school.



2. This book tells the story of a guy w/ modest means and how he created two of the best businesses in U.S history starting w/ nothing. This is not just some ego pumping motivational biography. This book tells you exactly what is required of you if your goal is to build a business starting from scratch and putting everything together working over 100 hours per week and eventually listing your company on the NYSE and becoming a billionaire. Wayne is the ultimate deal maker, and you can see very clearly in these pages how one can reach the highest levels of business succes through extremely hard work, and single minded determination and drive. Bottom line if you want to know what it really takes to build a 2.5 billion dollar net worth and get your name on the Forbes 400, and also building an international multi billion dollar company from scratch... well than spend your money on this book you won't be dissapointed... Blake bldgassets247@yahoo.com



3. This is a great book that shows the natural born ability of a deal maker. This book shows how Wayne can spot a business that has a lot of potential and take it over to make it a giant. This was a great book,
   
   B. Fitz



4. This is a great book that shows the natural born ability of a deal maker. This book shows how Wayne can spot a business that has a lot of potential and take it over to make it a giant. This was a great book,
   
   B. Fitz



5. That's the return an investor in Blockbuster in Jan. 1987 would have had. And for Wayne's investment, $17.5 million, that grew to $600 million in 7 years.
   
   This is a truly intriguing story of how Wayne (and team) built TWO multi billion dollar companies, Blockbuster Entertainment and Waste Management. The author, Gail does a great job of taking you through Wayne's early days when all of his garbage company's credit lines were exhausted and meeting the day to day expenses were a struggle, up to the point that he realized that the best bet was to go public so he could use the stock as currency for rapid expansion. And rapidly expand he did. In the 10 months between March and December 1972, Waste Management bought 133 different businesses.
   
   During his forays in the water business Wayne and his right hand man Steve Berrard scooped up 16 water companies in eight months, going from zero to the thirteenth largest bottled water company in the nation, which was sold to Clorox for a profit of $16 million within 3 years.
   
   Berrard's deal making skills:
   -Don't paint yourself into a corner
   -Never say anything that won't let you come back in the front door
   -Don't say something is a deal breaker
   -A deal is never dead if you don't let it die
   -Always let the other side set the initial price
   -Always leave room to back up
   -Recognize what the other side really wants out of a deal
   -Know when to walk
   -Don't take no for an answer
   
   Talking about Blockbuster Wayne would point out that the stores were paying for themselves in roughly 3 years from the cash flow. (mental not for business buyers)
   
   As anyone who reads my other reviews or my blog knows, I zero in on the structure of the deals mentioned in the book. Interestingly you get a good idea of how the whole Blockbuster - Virgin deal was structured. Blockbuster was to be an even partner in Virgin's 15 stores in Europe and have 75% ownership of the US stores (other than the LA store which they had 1/3). Virgin would retain managing control along with its 25%. Blockbuster would fund the expansion.
   
   Great Quotes:
   
   "The biggest lesson I learned is that when you say you're going to do something, be darn sure you do it."
   
   "Huizenga held fast to two rules: Don't loose a deal because you're not paying attention to it and never talk about it until its done and in writing."
   
   "His father says, Wayne is still driven by the same force that's driven him since the purchase of that first garbage truck in 1962. (The Deal) The excitement of making the deal. I think that's what drives him"
   
   By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups and Downs From Wall Street to Real Estate Leading to Phenomenal Returns

3 comments about Shelley: The Middle of My Century.

1. Though it can be argued that Shelley Winters has assisted in creating her own legend (her ego is the real star of both highly entertaining autobiographies), there is a real flair to her writing and her memory for details (even allowing for the usual embellishment) is impressive. Her place in cinema is probably in question; two Oscars was a bit generous and her seeming insistence that she deserved to win Best Actress for "A Place in the Sun" over Vivien Leigh's Blanche in "Streetcar" is merely laughable today. But she did produce an impressive body of work (and relationships) on screen and stage and deserves credit for being larger than life, a trait that some actress of today could take a lesson from. Ms. Winters takes pride in her work and the craft of acting, which is to also be applauded, and she never paints herself in an angelic light when not appropriate. Overall, these are among the very finest autobiographies of any kind, celebrity or non-. Is it too much to hope for a third act to these treasured volumes?



2. I liked this even more then the firt memory book.
   It makes a light on all of a period and point of view, I do like to read about words different of mine.
   She is (was?) a hard worker, a survivor, and as she recognises in her book not always a nice person to be with. But I like her and was very interested in how she sees the world.



3. I absolutely loved this book. Shelley tells her wild and crazy story of an actor's life in the 1950's. This includes the intense and gratifying work of being an actress and the world famous people she worked with, socialized, lived with and loved. I can say that there is drama, tragedy, humor and love on almost every page. What an exciting life she lived and she's still a young beautiful woman at the end of this book. Buy this book today!!!

5 comments about Chief: My Life in the L.A.P.D..

1. As I am a criminal justice/police science major is college, I suppose I have a slightly biased opinion towards police officers. However, even I was slightly irked towards Chief Gates for the whole "Rodney King" scandal. However, as it was one of the books on the college library's shelf that I hadn't read yet, I figured...why not? As I delved into the text, I was totally enraptured in the tale. This man has seen and done some fairly impressive deeds, and encountered unique situations. I have never met Chief Gates, but after reading his book, I will always respect him. Chief Gates is a remakable man, who was not worried with what was politically correct, but what was right. He stood by his officers in the way that a father stands by his family. He was not pretentious, as he wore the same uniform as street officers, with no additional adornments. The book goes into detail as his roots from a working class family, attending college with the ambitions of becoming a lawyer. Gates took the job as a means to pay rent, and get an edge on his competition. He had no intentions of remaining as a police officer. However, he describes the addictive love/hate relationship of policework, and the unique culture that exists within a police department. Also discussed in depth are never before revealed details into the patrol and investigative efforts of the LAPD. A must read for anyone in the law enforcement field.



2. I lived in L.A. during Gates entire tenure as police chief. All I ever knew of him, I learned from the media. What a complete distortion! I now live in San Diego and have just finished reading his book. All I can say now, is I respect him and I'm ashamed of myself for letting the media shape my former attitudes of him. Daryl, if you ever read this, I want you to know I have now developed a deep respect for the LAPD. I sincerely hope that you write again and keep us abreast of the situation in Los Angeles.



3. A really good read that gives incite into whta Gates is all about. I also liked "BOOT: An LAPD Officer's Rookie Year" by Dunn. That's a must read for any law enforcement fan!



4. Don't believe everything that the media tells you about the LAPD. If they worked their beat and walked in their shoes, they might think different.

   Chief Gates gives the insight of 42 years with the LAPD, complete with the backstabbing and infighting that has become common with several department in this country (Denver, San Francisco, etc.) When Chief Gates was replaced, the status of the department suffered greatly.

   A must read for ALL police officers.




5. Here we have a wonderful book by one of the most successful law-enforcement officers in the entire world. Chief Gates became known around the world as a founder of a first SWAT team, as someone who initiated an International DARE program, and did so much for his department. His career is a good proof of that almost everything is possible in your life.

   Gates gives in his book a realistic account of what it is to be a police officer on the street, what it is to feel the pressure from "upstairs", and he also gives negative feedback so realistically that I felt like I had been standing next to him while he was explaining things.

   This book is absolutely wonderful, and as a someone who plans to become a law-enforcement officer -- it is MUST! Gates has written a book of the time. It is very informative and covers all the major turns on his career including WATTS riots, 1982 Olympic Games, and Rodney King case.

   Thank You Chief for writing such a nice account on your life!

5 comments about A Monk Swimming.

1. I'm sorry that I wasted my money on Malachy's book. Unfortunately, the author did not inherit any family talent for story telling.
   His stories of habitual drinking, raw language usage and continual celebrity name dropping over and over again made for an extremely boring read.



2. Malachy is not Frank, and thus has a very different style. I have recommended this book to others. Worth the read.



3. The worst book I've ever read. Alcoholic pomposity and constant name-dropping does not a good book make.
   Holy smokes was this bad. Can I have my time and money back?
   I wish I could give negative stars, much less zero.



4. 
   
   He was a charmer this Malachy McCourt. That soon becomes clear in his candid, hilarious, racy, I'll-go-you-one-better memoir A Monk Swimming (title drawn from the young Malachy's misunderstanding of the Hail Mary phrase "amongst women.")
   He was also self-congratulatory, allowing that a party wasn't complete "without my wit, my erudition, and my exuberance, not to mention presence."
   A prodigious drinker, womanizer, and gold smuggler, he was an angry young man, intermittently furious with God, his parents, the Catholic church, specifically Cardinal Spellman, the St. Patrick's Day Parade, all things British, and, at times, unsuspecting bystanders.
   Admittedly dedicated to self-gratifying pursuits, he writes, "Indulgence is mine...having been the victim of other people's ideas of sin, original and otherwise, from the time of birth." Mr. McCourt seems to have been fond of one person - Mr. McCourt. And so is the reader, perhaps because beneath the blarney and braggadocio is an unmitigated pain born of destitution and a longing for the father he sought but never found.
   Many are familiar with his poverty stricken childhood as traced in brother Frank McCourt's vaunted Angela's Ashes. Now, we hear Malachy's story of the years between 1950 and 1962, years spent and wasted on the streets and stages of New York City.
   After arriving in "the U.S.of A." at the age of 20, Mr. McCourt found work on the docks. He also discovered that one could avoid bills by stamping "Deceased" on the envelopes, and, that if he were entertaining enough, his bar glass was freely refilled.
   His ready way with words earned him some stage roles, plus a stint on the Jack Paar Show. This minor celebrity led to a partnership in the opening of an eastside saloon, "Malachy's," just around the corner from the Barbizon Hotel for Women, "a large building throbbing with post-pubescent sexuality."
   Soon, "Malachy's" habitues included Grace Kelly "generally accompanied by ugly, thuggish, beetle-browed types," Gig Young, Barbara Streisand, Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton, Richard Harris, and Mr. McCourt's soon to be "Jewish Presbyterian" wife, Linda Claire. A union so objectionable to his mother that she redevoted herself to Catholicism, and rendered a "poor old, shure, begorrah, close-to-the-grave, Irish mother act." Despite "the mother's" dramatic diatribe this marriage produced a son and daughter before ending in divorce.
   Upon taking his first "serious drink" at the age of 11, Mr. McCourt felt he was "nearly exploding with joy, with the rapture of freedom from the poverty of the world." Although he was never to feel that alcohol induced euphoria again, liquor was his constant companion. Besotted and burdened with a body vest holding gold bars he caromed to different points of the globe where he delivered his illicit booty then drank and whored the time away. He wandered "...self-pityingly through the streets, yearning for the company of the woman I loved, only because she didn't love me."
   A Monk Swimming rollicks along from one unforgettable scene to another - a drinking bout in Robert Mitchum's trailer, a red bearded Mr. McCourt floating sans bathing suit in a swimming pool he believes belongs to Richard Harris, and his unsolicited top-of-the-lungs delivery of countless Irish ballads during a trans-Atlantic flight.
   Yet beneath the hilarity there is heartbreak, building toward Mr. McCourt's final confrontation with his father.
   Does he embroider his yarns? Is his brogue too broad? Few may care because Malachy McCourt, champion of charm and chicanery, spins an amazing story. All escapades considered, perhaps most amazing is that he lived to tell it.
   - Gail Cooke



5. I listened to Malachy McCourt on radio long before I ever read Frank's books, so I looked forward to this book. I also knew that his voice and delivery were everything, so be sure you get this on audio.
   
   The stories are very funny, but McCourt ultimately cannot let the reader into his soul enough to show how he, apparently, gave up the drink and straightened out his life. His stories don't always glorify his drunken revelries -- his regret for his alcoholism does come through. But he has the honesty to report the fun and comraderie that can come with the early more pleasant stages of the life of a drunk.
   
   McCourt also is able to build to a very moving and honest story of a confrontation with his alcoholic father interwoven with early memories of a more pleasant time with his father. This final story is what redeems and commends the book.
   
   McCourt's failure to discuss and confront his recovery from alcoholism diminishes the book's value significantly, and sometimes causes it to read like a nostalgic memoir of someone who wishes he were still drinking. The abridgement is also a bit too extreme.
   
   On the whole, I like McCourt and can forgive him his shortcomings. Not all readers will be so forgiving, so be sure you are predisposed to him before undertaking the book. And be sure to listen to him rather than read him -- too much is lost in translation.

5 comments about Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned.

1. I've been a fan of Alda's work for a long time. The man is so talented it's unreal. Now to be able to see where he came from and how he got into the spotlight is amazing. He uses certain elements in his life where, had it happen to you or someone you know, it would be depressing, and turns them into amusing learning experiences. I am a constant reader, however 99% of what I read is fiction, nonfiction never grabs my attention. But I could not put this one down. Please read it. You wont regret it.



2. Alan Alda titled his new book Never Have Your Dog Stuffed -- and Other Things I've Learned. But rest assured he didn't write it as a guide for self-improvement. He doesn't aim to be your guru. "I tried to tell as good a story as I could," he sums up. The resulting narrative, at 224 pages, is as lean as its author, and as engaging, and as flush with ideas and observations. "There are things that were very, very difficult to put into words," says Alda, at 69 an entertainment veteran actor who had written numerous screenplays but never a book. "That was what I had the most fun with - the things that don't want to go into words. "But the hardest part was how to take a life and make it one simple story, not just a bunch of anecdotes. I didn't like the idea of writing a memoir or an autobiography. I only put in stuff that moved the story forward." The story: One man's advancement toward accepting the uncertainties of life. Letting go, notes Alda, is a drawn-out process, "so you don't just decide to do it. You have to creep up on it. Practice it. Get used to it. "I think the guy who winds up at the end of the book would say, 'Destiny is just what happens. " Alda should know. A lot has happened for that guy this year. He got an Oscar nomination for his role in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, a Tony nomination for his Broadway performance in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, and an Emmy nomination for The West Wing, in which he plays flinty Republican presidential hopeful Arnold Vinick. He continues this season on the NBC political drama, and, for its Nov. 6 episode, Sen. Vinick will square off against the Democrat (Jimmy Smits) in a debate aired live. Which candidate will succeed President Bartlet (series star Martin Sheen) by season's end? " I wouldn't spoil the surprise even if I knew," Alda replies when pressed for details about his contractual commitment to the series. But then, flashing his incandescent grin, he pledges to remain "as long as necessary to turn this great country around." When he isn't shuttling to Los Angeles to shoot the series, Alda leaves his Long Island home to hit the campaign trail for Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. Its first sentence establishes the book's matter-of-fact, often darkly witty tone. "My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six, but she must have shown signs of oddness before that," Alda writes. He was the son of a mentally ill mother and an actor father, Robert Alda, who was subject to the vagaries of show business during a career that ranged from the hardscrabble vaudeville circuit to Broadway in the original production of Guys and Dolls. All in all, it was a dizzying childhood for Alan. But by age nine, he had decided he would be an actor, too, setting the stage for his push-pull life of embracing make-believe while defiantly inquiring into how things really are. He is a man in love with facts and verifiable truth (his decade as the gung-ho host of Scientific American Frontiers makes that clear). But he has also studied what it means to yield control to forces beyond reason.



3. This tale contains much more about lessons of life than a famous TV star's autobiography. Alda discusses everything from his best moments on the road with his father's traveling stage-show to dealing with the mental illness of his mother. This is a must for any MASH fan who wants to know the unique journey of its star. You will not want to put this one down.



4. First of all, let me start out by saying that I have been in love with "Hawkeye Pierce" since girlhood. I grew up watching reruns of M*A*S*H and wishing I was a nurse, girlfriend, or anyone who could be close to this dynamic persona that was Alan Alda. I purchased the book, eager to know more of my childhood crush and was not disappointed. Alan Alda has a sincere writing style that makes you feel like you are in his living room as a trusted friend--rather than as a mere reader trying to find out more about his life. Many times, I laughed out loud at his wonderful stories and recollections. I am very eager to start his next book--which could not be disappointing if only half as good as his first. Thanks Alan Alda--but you will always be Hawkeye to me.



5. As a lover of M*A*S*H I jumped at this book and I'm glad I did.
   
   Alan Alda paints the portrait of his life with beautiful detail. I learned about the relationship he had with his parents. I didn't find the relationship he had with his dad to surprising. I sensed that a lot of who he is today comes from the foundational relationship he had with his dad.
   
   His mom on the other hand was very interesting to read about. I could sense his pain as he described what their relationship was like and at times how he wished it could have been.
   
   I wish he had spent more time on MASH memories and such, but I don't think he should have taken out anything that was in there.
   
   In short you sense the person he was that made him the person he is. I really enjoyed it. Anyone who loves MASH, or is just an Alan Alda fan should grab this book.

No comments about The Autobiography of William Zeckendorf (Newstrack Executive Classics).

1 comments about Passive Music for Accelerated Learning.

1. This product should be out of the market or re-design and presented in CDs. I purchased it based just in the title and price - I didnt read the little print "tapes"- I assume mistakenly that nowdays nobody will sell TAPES. The quality of the media presented is terrible, specially if you need high quality sound it should be presented in a more reliable media. Tapes are obsolete this product is extremely overpriced ! Pls dont Buy it. look for similar items on CDs so you can appreciate this beautiful music.

No comments about The Road Ahead.

5 comments about Hollywood Animal: A Memoir.

1. I am not a huge fan of Eszterhas' movies, but I had heard some of the 'legendary' stories about him, Don Simpson et. al. from the 80s and so was interested in reading this purely for entertainment value.
   
   I picked it up not expecting at all to be captivated by Ezsterhas' story. He has a very engaging style of writing - he definitely understands the value of keeping stories short and to the point - but he also has a raw honesty in his writing that is incredibly compelling. I could hardly put the book down once I picked it up.
   
   Although Ezsterhas does some very schmucky things, he is so honest and forthright about his shortcomings it's impossible not to root for him. I actually found the "Hollywood excess" tales not nearly as compelling as Ezsterhas talking about his life - his relationship with his father, growing up in Cleveland, his relationship with his second wife - and wish there had been more biographical information in the book than there was. I would have particularly liked to hear stories from his days at the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Rolling Stone, interviewing celebrities and doing news reporting. Perhaps Ezsterhas is saving those stories for another book. The exposition about his relationship with his father, pre- and post- the OSI investigation into his father's war crimes, was just fascinating. Ezsterhas is so honest about his feelings and his struggles to forgive his father for unforgiveable acts that you can't help but feel for him.
   
   Ultimately the book is about a man who admits he is deeply flawed and ruled by appetites, but seeks redemption anyway. It's honestly one of the most compelling personal stories I have ever read. People who read this expecting just Hollywood dish and glitz are probably going to be disappointed, because to me the best parts of the book are about Ezsterhas, his family, and his struggles to be a better man. Fascinating reading and highly recommended.



2. I have listened to the CD of this book, all the comments pertain to that edition.
   
   I picked up this CD from the public library before a long road trip. I had no idea who this man was or who most of the other "larger than life" stars were. The story, I found out, is fascinating, well-written and Scott Brick's delivery helps to bring out Eszterhas' personality. The author himself ... I can't stand. Or can I?
   
   This is a story of transformation and redemption and the trick is - as another reviewer has commented - indeed, for the writer not to get ahead of himself, but leave things to be discovered, let the complexity of his personality peel away like layers of an onion.
   
   In a series of flashbacks that show Joe as a Hungarian boy and ones that show him as an American man, we witness how a scared, geeky, immigrant boy with quite a temper becomes first a successful millionaire Hollywood screenwriter who learns to play the Hollywood game of power, then gains some perspective via the experience of throat cancer, finding God and learning to value less glamorous things such as being able to breathe while walking. Obvious things apparently take a long time to understand if there is a lot of money, drugs and pussy on the other side.
   
   Honesty and integrity are at the core of his tale in Hollywood (defending his script from changes, incursions into his creative freedom even when the odds are against him) and I rooted for him as a screenwriter right through his fight with Ovitz where he puts his career on the line.
   
   Honesty and integrity are missing from most his private life, where he cheats on his wife every chance he gets and identifies "strains" in his marriage as he is working to hack it apart. By contrast, Bill MacDonald, his would-be wife's former husband, is not into cheating, for which he labels him a "prude" and attributes this strange attitude to his "Catholic upbringing."
   
   Eszterhas' twenty years fit well into a Hollywood that uses up starstruck, ambitious young women hoping to make it and spits them out half-destroyed, but too stoned to notice. I am not sure which is worse: the women who would do "anything and everything" - in the book's returning phrase - to make it or the men who know they can and therefore will do whatever with them. Eszterhas happily assists, honesty and integrity do not play here. The lifelong liberal democrat, who abhors atrocities toward the weak and the poor is caught in a strange blindspot here.
   
   In defending his ambiguous scripts Eszterhas is right that the audience can handle and even like ambiguity. He has written a book that reads in part like a soap opera, that gives enough clues to alternative readings to that you are tempted to sort out where you stand with regard to this man, someone you have never met and most likely never will.
   
   Well done.



3. I'm midway through the book - it's one of THE most compelling biographies I've ever read. Like hundreds of snapshots of a very interesting life. I'd read about the infamous screenwriter, so I was hesitant to read his book for fear it would be angry or crass, and although he DOES tell some raw stories, it's not offensive. It's a life, with it's sins and shortcomings, honestly told. His writing style is smooth and even though the timelines change, it's never confusing. There is humility and wisdom in his writing, things one doesn't learn from an easy life.



4. Ask yourself what is the greatest gift one man can offer another, having never met him, having no knowledge of his life or his existence.
   
   Joe Eszterhas gives that gift, honestly, profoundly, beautifully.
   
   Life is a gift. To share that gift with a stranger is rare. To share it honestly, profoundly, beautifully... having no clue what impact you might have on a stranger reading... a gift of inspiration. A gift of consolation. A gift of hope and of appreciation and of acceptance. Of finding meaning. Of finding love. Of making love count. Of having the courage to change your life and let it change you.
   
   Best autobiography I've ever read. And if anyone got their feelings hurt by this, they need to understand that Joe Eszterhas didn't turn his whip on them... they merely got in the line of fire as he turned it on himself.
   
   Hollywood Animal is a gift that "Thank you, Joe" doesn't begin to cover. Nevertheless:
   
   Thank you, Joe.



5. Wow, this book took me a long time to get through, but it was worth it. It's a story of the excess and ego of Hollywood, but it's also the story of a man who rose and fell and rose and fell and finally found equal footing. I can see how one would dislike Joe Esterhaus, yet at the same time admire him.
   
   The book is written such that he takes you back and forth in time. This seems like it would get confusing, but it actually makes his story more interesting as you get to see how his past is reflected in his future.
   
   A really good book.