5 comments about Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America.

1. This book was not what I really expected for a Beatle biography. Mr. Gould integrates very well how the Beatles fit into the history of the 1960s but, as well, how history also molded itself around the Beatles. For those of us that lived during this time, we are re-immersed in all that went on and not only what The Beatles were doing at this time. For those who are Beatle fans but came to them after they disbanded, it helps to see everything in its context. The Beatles were not in a bubble but were a product of the '50s and '60s. Beatlemania had just as much to do with the time in which we grew up as it did with the Beatles themselves. "Can't Buy Me Love" does an excellent job in showing us that, no matter what other music was being created at the time, however raw or tame one would consider their music, The Beatles were a success because of their timing in history, how they borrowed from others and yet had their own unique and inimitable view of what music should be, where it should be headed. They were defined by their times but also defined their times. Other bands came from Liverpool and were relative flashes in the pan. Other bands disparaged their music, their showmanship, etc., and yet quickly became dated, footnotes in pop/rock history, by following a different muse.
   "Can't Buy Me Love" is one of the most fascinating and engrossing books on The Beatles that I have read in quite a while and is a necessity for any serious Beatle Fan.



2. Unlike some of the reviewers here I felt that this book's major strong points are when the author goes into a sociological and/or cultural analysis of The Beatles phenomena. For chapters like this, the book deserves five stars!
   It's when he becomes a music reviewer that he delves into troubled waters. A few of his insights are interesting, but so many others are way, way over the top analysis-wise, and when he turns negative, whoa!
   Music is something so personal for a lot of people. It's expected that one appreciate other's opinions. Still, no matter how open-minded one tries to be, it can be a bit psychologically unnerving to read such an obviously intelligent and learned individual put down one's favorite songs as either "a muddled-leaden mess" or "awkward-sounding rewrite... with... dreadful lyrics" or "an outright gaffe". It's as if someone is putting down the clothes you're wearing or the type of friends you keep.



3. So much more than a 'fan' book, Jonathan Gould's Can't Buy Me Love (2007) is an astute blending of personal, historical, cultural and musical interpretation. It follows the "Fab Four" from their very earliest days, without undue emphasis on extraneous details of their childhood, up through their coming together as The Bealtes, and then follows their career up to the end of their life together as Beatles . What really strikes me about this book is the amount of insightful commentary on the making of the music, the meaning of lyrics and the context in which each of the albums was put together. Gould is not afraid to criticize certain of thre Beatles compositions or projects; neither is he trying to 'demyth' the Bealtes. This is perhaps the most balanced, engaging account of the Bealtes, their impact, their foibles and their successes I have ever read.
   
   I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the Beatles; I have listened to them since I was five years old--yet I learned a great deal about them in this excellent book!



4. I found this book completely satisfying and facinating from an historical as well as musical standpoint. Gould has taken the Beatles as a musical and cultural force and woven the last 60 years around them to create a complete understanding of the group's impact on 20th-21st century culture and music. This is one of the top 10 must reads for any serious scholar of the Beatles and it's a great read for people who just want to be well informed fans. He also manages to write in an interesting way that keeps you turning pages. One of the best books ever written about the fabs and well worth the 20 odd years he spent researching. A winner all the way.



5. The sentence structure is great and the narrative seamlessly flows. However, he is a music historian and hence goes into long detours when applying context. I would have greatly preferred if he had spent less time on these subjects and more on the actual Beatles themselves. A paragraph would suffice but I find myself skipping several pages. When I skip pages and scan for Beatles or Jon or McCartney, etc. I don't see anything on the Beatles for pages. I know that these long passages are unneeded because even after skipping pages I still understand the context just fine.
   
   Nonetheless, I still give it four stars because it ignores rumors, is rich with language, fills the holes of knowledge that I did not know as someone who grew up in the nineties, and the in depth analysis of songs. A glossary with vocabulary words would be great because he is a musician and as such thinks that all these words are common knowledge.

5 comments about Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota.

1. For the rest of my days, when someone browses my CD collection and asks how on earth I ended up with a huge number of hair metal albums from the 80s, I'm passing this book on. Chuck has really nailed for me what it was like to grow up in a a blue collar area during that time period and why so many of us kids gravitated towards the fun time rock.
   
   Usually, I'm slightly ashamed of my hair metal roots. It doesn't resemble my taste in music now, and on top of that, it's down right misogynistic. But this book sure made me nostalgic. That's a credit to Chuck's gifts as a writer.
   
   Now, why didn't I give 5 stars to this book? I actually struggled a long time about giving this 3 or 4 stars. This is really more of a 3.5 star book. I gave the round up to Chuck because this book did make me feel good about my childhood as I read it. So here is what's wrong with this book.
   
   First, my eyes glazed over several times as Chuck tends to get pedantic. What is metal? Is it stupid? Is it sexist? Is it bad if it is? He talks himself around in circles and as a reader, I quickly got bored. I realize that Chuck is a music critic, so he feels the need to explain exactly WHY he likes something, but go and ask me (just a year or two younger than Chuck) and any of our other peers who grew up in that time, and we'd just say that the song made us feel good. We didn't need to know if it was tounge in cheek, anti-satanic, or whatever message Chuck seems intent on digging up for each example. It's a lot like explaining why steak tastes good - it just does, and very few people have the words (or the passion) to delve into it. But it doesn't mean that we don't grow up enjoying the same things. For this reason, I pray that I never meet Chuck in a bar. He seems like a chatty drunk, and it won't be good enough to say that the song on the jukebox is merely "OK".
   
   Some of Chuck's analysis just borders on pontification. He's very impressed with himself. I'm sorry, Chuck, but no matter how many big words you use, you will never be able to convince me that breaking down some Guns 'n' Roses videos constitutes as an intellectual activity.
   
   And finally, what was really wrong with this book, was Chuck himself. You get the impression that Chuck honestly believes that he is the smartest person in the room. Rather than discussing or story telling, he comes across as teaching and talking down to you. Those who don't agree with him are instantly branded as an "idiot" and he's done with that person and his/her opinion. You'd think that someone who is writing a book celebrating a genre of music as maligned as hair metal would be a little bit more open minded to varying opinions.
   
   In summary, this book is great if you were born sometime before 1977 and grew up in a more rural, blue collar setting. Even though you may not have been crazy about Motley Crue, you knew someone else who was, and it's a great trip down memory lane.



2. Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman ****
   
   
   Fargo Rock City in a nutshell is the history of Heavy Metal music with a heavy infasis on 'Glam Metal' or Hair Metal as the rest of the world refers to it. This Chronicles the genres growth from early Black Sabbath all the way up through the late 1990's when bands like Korn, Limb Biscuit, and Powerman 5000 destroyed the genre. All the while we are on the journey with the author Chuck Klosterman as he grows up in small town rural Fargo, North Dakota and how Metal, especially 'glam metal' as he refers to it effected him and the person he is today.
   
   While this book is really, really informative and accurate, it is also very funny, at times I found myself laughing out loud at the humor in his writing and at the hypocrisy of metal in society. It was a very entertaining read which is not some that is easy to do.
   
   The only reason I cannot give Fargo Rock City a five star rating is that in a few spots the book does drag, mostly toward the middle of the second part of the book. This is not through the whole book and only occurs in a small part, and aside from that it was a great read.
   
   For metal fans, especially those who are from small towns (i.e. Fargo, North Dakota) this is will be an entertaining read, but I also feel fans of Klostermans style will enjoy Fargo Rock City as well.



3. I bought this on the recommendation of Martin Popoff, and was terribly disappointed. If you want to read an insightful, entertaining, and fair review of heavy metal, this is most definitely NOT your book. Klosterman's "appreciation" of the form starts and ends with glam. He spends most of the book in postmodern smirky hipster mode, which means he continually trashes the music from a musical point of view, and chooses to battle for its "validity" in the more easily defended realm of "what it meant to me as a kid." As cultural studies, this is crap, and as a book about heavy metal it is an utter waste of time. He elevates glam (Poison, GNR, Cinderella, etc) and simultaneously slags Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica and the host of other metal bands which were the meat and potatoes of any real metalhead of the time. He has no appreciation for what most metal fans would actually grace with the term "heavy metal". As you will quickly be able to tell, this is masterfully well done, in that he affirms what most of the snobs have been saying all along about metal--all the 5 star reviews are from people who are...gasp...not metal fans--whilst and at the same time pretending to be a true fan. Hipster dreck at its worst. You are better off reading Ian Christe's "Sound of the Beast", or even Walser or Weinstein's books. Better yet, check out Sam Dunn's documentary "Metal-A Headbanger's Journey." Dunn and Christe are real fans of the music, and they don't spend all their time perpetuating all the stereotypes of the form.



4. If you grew up enjoying hard rock and/or heavy metal of the 80's and early 90's, or are just a fan of that music, then you simply must read this book. It will bring back fond memories of your developing musical tastes and make you laugh out loud.



5. Personally, Chuck is my top 3 favorite writer. I think he hit me hard with his styles and topics in all of his books. So if you're like me:
   
   - Love Rock and/or Heavy Metal music*****this is very important for this book
   - Enjoy reading about popular culture topics
   - Love sarcastic and funny books
   - is in the age range of 18-30 (I'm 24)
   - Like to explore all kinds od writings and books
   - is not one who tend to OVERTHINK AND OVERCRITISIZE books and writing styles
   - is open minded
   
   Then, this is probably your kind of writer too. Good luck and enjoy!

5 comments about Homesick (Puffin Modern Classics).

1. I gave this book four stars because I didn't like the sad parts. The book was well-written. The author helped me see the story of a ten-year-old girl whose father works for the YMCA in China. She knows she's going to go home to the US but that there are lots of obstacles. After reading this book. I understand more about the history of China and the coolies and the culture. I am a fan of Jean Fritz books in general.



2. Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz is a story about an American girl who grows up in China. She spends a good part of her life wishing she could be in America, where she belongs. WHen she's not doing that, she's
   corresponding with her grandmother,
   trying to make friends with some young chinese children,
   and learning british culture in school.
   As you can see, Jean Fritz would be an excellent storywriter had she made it up. However, this story is an autobiography, and is in almost no way fictional. Jean Fritz is an excellent storywriter anyway, though. Jean Fritz describes the setting as if her pen were a plane ticket. Her story line makes it difficult to locate the plot, or even understand the full story. The autobiography is punctuated by emotions. All in all, this is a fine educational history text, but is not, in my opinion, a fitting storybook.



3. This book was a perfect book for any junior student. It had the perfect story and it was perfect for any pre-teenage child. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I am sure that others will too. The idea is wonderful and the way this was written is also wonderful....it is a MUST read!!!!!!! Please, read it....u have not read any book if you have not read this book....



4. I had the pleasure of meeting Jean Fritz when I was 8 years old, when she spoke at an awards program for a youth writing competition, and having my copy of Homesick autographed. I very much enjoyed this book as a child, and just recently re-read it as an adult and found it every bit as entertaining and charming. Although it's categorized as youth reading, and written from the point of view of young Jean, I'm certain many adults would find it a good read as well. She tells her story with humor and longing, and paints a vivid picture of China in the 1920s, and of the culture clash between China and America, both while she's living in China and after she comes to the U.S. I highly recommend this book for any age. A perfect story for parents to read with their children, that will entertain both.



5. Homesick is a great, interesting story that summarizes her childhood life. Jean Fritz uses wonderful, descriptive words about how she felt during her life in China. This book kept me hooked all the way through and I would defiantly recommend it to all age groups.

5 comments about The Tiger's Child.

1. I am absolutely addicted to Torey Hayden`s books. Each book is a masterpiece that you can`t put down.



2. This is a follow up of One Child, I could not put this down. I wanted to she how Tory's impact affected her. It does go over in the first couple of chapter's some of the history of the child but If you read One Child first it explains a lot more of her past and give you a true understanding.



3. This is the sequel to One Child so it's best to read that one first. This book is fantastic. I loved it. It continue's the story about Shelia as a teenager and how she had blocked a lot of her childhood out. Her memories came back the more she talked with Torey. Also worked with Torey with some disturbed kids which was good for awhile. This book tells how Shelia overcame her very abusive childhood and how Torey encouraged and helped her long after she left her class. If you read "One Child," then you must read this one!
   
   Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"



4. Sad story, will make you cry. Too bad some children have parents that abuse them and make them suffer.



5. In "One Child," Hayden first told the story of Sheila, a seriously abused, violent six-year-old who was placed in her special ed classroom as she awaited placement in a state mental hospital for setting a younger child on fire.
   
   Although just about everyone else -- including her own alcoholic father -- had given up on Sheila, Hayden realized the little girl was keenly intelligent. Doggedly, she began testing and teaching Sheila, all the while showing her patience, love and understanding. And despite the occasional setback, within months, Sheila was an entirely different child.
   
   Then the school year ended, Hayden took a different job out of state, and she lost touch with Sheila. Despite searching for her former student, Hayden was unable to connect -- until a coincidence reunited the two when Sheila was 13. Hayden was ecstatic -- and Sheila claimed not to remember the time they'd spent together.
   
   Undeterred, Hayden persisted, inviting Sheila to help out with a summer program for disturbed children she and another clinician were running. Soon the bond they'd once had seemed resurrected. Yet each time Torey and Sheila's friendship seemed to be going smoothly, something happened to test it fiercely -- interference from Sheila's father, or a facet of Sheila's own unpredictable adolescent persona. Despite her best intentions, Hayden often wondered why she persisted -- was there any point? Was she hurting Sheila more than she helped?
   
   Hayden's experiences with Sheila and her other students serve as complex and engrossing material for this book, a simple yet realistic portrait of the world's ugliness -- and the few, stubborn individuals who are determined to make a difference in others' lives.

5 comments about Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989.

1. I agree with all the negative reviews of this book, which I found profoundly disappointing. Indeed, as I have indicated in the title of this review, the book actually depressed me as a sign of just how ill-educated the general American reading public has become. The entire book read like the academic equivalent of cotton candy. You don't have to be a trained academician to be disappointed with Bescholoss's mamby-pamby history-for-the-masses style. Other popular historians such as Doris Kearns Goodwin (Team of Rivals), Joseph Ellis (His Excellency George Washington, Founding Brothers), David McCullough (John Adams, Truman) and Walter Isaacson (Benjamin Franklin) all run rings around Bescholoss in terms of the depth and weight they bring to their books, without sacrificing readability and enjoyability in the slightest.
   To me, the most damning aspect of Beschloss' pathetic entry in the popular history market is his tendency to give such short shrift to knotty historical details as to render his statements misleading or even false. One of the most egregious examples occurs in a chapter on Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, where Bescholoss writes: "[That] July, he [Lincoln] summoned his Cabinet and read them his draft of a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. On New Year's 1863, 'all persons held as slaves within any state' would become 'forever' free." (page 109) This is the closest Bescholoss ever comes in the book to telling the reader what the Emancipation Proclamation actually said. Actually, the full text was as follows: "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." Beschloss simply omits any discussion of the fact Lincoln's proclamation only freed the slaves in the Confederacy, over which he had no actual power, and failed to free the slaves in the Union slave states over which he did have power (specifically, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, and West Virginia).
   One is left with the unmistakeable impression that Bescholoss either doesn't have the patience to go into the political and strategic reasons Lincoln had for making this distinction; or else Beschloss doesn't think his readers are clever or patient enough to understand such a historical analysis. Either way, the complete absence of any discussion of more subtle issues like this demands a poor review for this overly pretentious book.



2. I had high expectations for this book. It let me down a little. It just wasn't that engaging. Some of it is very well known like JFK's battle with civil rights. I was looking for a good analysis on the different presidents and their actions. I didn't find that. I found that Mr. Beschloss just told about the different incident but didn't offer any new insight to it. I was hoping that he would even use them to give perspective on what is happening now but he didn't. I rated this book 3 stars because he does include several presidents and topics that I was unaware of. For that it was worth my time reading it. This is a very basic book so I would recommend it to people that are wanting to learn about the presidents and their thought processes concerning major events in their presidencies.



3. Like the rest of us, our Presidents have been flawed people -- each with his own limitations, prejudices, and conflicts. And yet, through our history, at times these men have risen above their limitations to exert extraordinary leadership: grasping a moral imperative with uncommon clarity, and finding the strength and passion to use the powers of the office to follow that moral imperative despite great risk to their own political fortunes -- and, in some cases, to their very lives.
   
   "Presidential Courage" tells the stories behind nine such moments of courageous leadership. In none of them is the protagonist portrayed as an all-knowing superhero. In each, we see the President wrestle with a challenge in a profoundly human way -- beset by the uncertainties, self-doubts, pride and fear that are familiar to all who struggle with a moral dilemma. In each case, the President ultimately comes to the painful decision that the right course of action is contrary to what his advisors recommend or public opinion demands. And yet he chooses to throw himself into the breach.
   
   The author's research is impressive, drawing upon unpublished papers and (for President Reagan) interviews with people who witnessed personal dimensions behind publicly reported events. As a result, the stories contain many human details that do not make it into our school curriculum or popular awareness. These details are not always flattering. Kennedy, for example, is portrayed as being dragged only reluctantly to the "right" side of racial equality. And for Truman, his own anti-semitic bias was a key obstacle that he had to overcome. But to a large degree it is precisely the humanity of the way these men struggled with -- and triumphed over -- their personal limitations that gives these stories such inspirational impact.
   
   One aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the transitions between chapters. The author searches out connections between these men, suggesting almost spiritual ways in which the legacies of past Presidents have in effect enabled them to reach forward through time to inspire their successors. It gives hope that the best moments in our presidential history will yet empower future leaders, at least from time to time, to rise above their limitations to achieve great things as well.



4. How did Michael Beschloss get to be "America's Leading Presidential Historian?" I can only assume it is because he has a talent for getting himself on TV again & again...because it certainly isn't because of dreadful efforts such as this.
   
   Setting content aside for a moment --- how can any literate person regard this as well written? It reads like a Power Point presentation, or more specifically, like research notes which were never revised into a coherent narrative. It's hard to have narrative at all when your chapters are only 5 pages long! Suffice it to say, I found the writing to be such an irritant that I ultimately never finished the book. Life is too short to read crappy writing.
   
   As for the content itself, this is all ground which has been well-covered many times before and Beschloss' conclusions are generally quite unremarkable. When he isn't stating the obvious, Beschloss is dumbing down the subject matter to make it appear more simple than it really was.
   
   Just as an example, I would point to Andrew Jackson & the Bank War. Exactly how is this courageous? Jackson was enjoying tremendous popular support when he went in for the kill against the 2nd BUS, and he was as convinced of his own rectitude as any man ever has. Also, it is grossly inaccurate to characterize the 2nd BUS as corrupt. Nicholas may have been a ruthless autocrat, but nobody could accuse him of corruption. That label would be more accurately applied to Jackson's "pet banks" into which Jackson put government deposits, and which were largely responsible for the catastrophic Panic of 1837. Does Beschloss provide anything more than the most shallow of analysis? Of course not.
   
   I never would have purchased this in the first place, but it was part of a book club shipment which I opened by mistake, thinking that it was another (better-written) book. It was only the first of many regrets.



5. I recommend this book be read by everybody in America-in order to learn more about some of our finest Presidents. I was educated on things that I had not learned before-FASCINATING!

5 comments about Through My Eyes.

1. I really loved this book, it has a lot of pics and information about the time everything happened. This girl is such an example for everyone...



2. This inspirational story, told by Ruby Bridges herself, can help children understand some of the struggles of African-Americans during the 1960's. Ruby's courageousness and determination is the message young readers are presented with. The real-life photos give readers a visual account of the hard times that Ruby and other African-Americans endured. Also included in this autobiography are quotes from many of the people that Ruby encountered in her life including her mother, her first grade teacher, Barbara Henry, and her childhood psychologist, Robert Cole. A quote from a 1963 speech by Martin Luther King is included which further supports the civil rights theme in this book. Excerpts from text such as The New York Times and Good Housekeeping gives readers even more factual information about the time period. The book includes photo credits as well as text credits with copyrights to ensure the reliability. This text can be used with children in grades five through eight studying the civil rights movement or school integration in the 1960's.



3. I chose this book from my summer reading list because I have a special interest in the Civil Rights Movement. I learned about Ruby Bridges during African American Month at school and got really interested in her story. I liked this book a lot because it taught me about integration and segration in a way that was easy to understand. The photographs brought the story to life, and I liked the way the story was told from Ruby's point of view. I would really recommend this book to kids my age (third grade) and older who are interested in this kind of book. My parents really liked the book too!
   
   Sophie K.



4. Through My Eyes is one of the best books I have ever read to my children. As an African American, it is extremely important to me that my children know their history. The story about Ruby Bridges helps children (and adults) to understand that no matter what obstacles are placed before them in life, failure only happens when you give up and accept defeat. In other words, what someone else thinks of you is not necessarily how you should define yourself! I encourage everyone to read this book to their children.



5. This book is fantastic and I bought it for my students. The problem is she uses the N word so much. I had to comb through the book and ink out the word. I do not want children using that word to each other, and yes my students ARE BLACK, and especially don't want my white student learning he can say the word too. Then again it seems very immature that 1 can use the N word and the other cannot. It's a word that nobody should be using. Bridges could've just said "the whites shouted angry slurs" kids, of all colors, will pick up on what those words are through inappropriate means. Otherwise, I would still recommend to buy this book at is a wonderful book and has plenty of history and information.

5 comments about Jane Boleyn: The True Story of the Infamous Lady Rochford.

1. I enjoyed Ms. Fox's writing style. She does a good job of converting non-fictional material into a fictional-style telling of a story. However, the editing is HORRIBLE! By the time you get through wordy lines of text, poorly placed commas and interjected "by the way" thoughts, you've forgotten the intent of the sentence. Had the editor used more periods, the flow would have been easier to establish.



2. I agree with several of the other reviewers. It was a rehash of Tudor history with Jane being inserted into it. I quit after the 3rd chapter. Very disappointed!



3. I will admit that I know absolutely nothing about Jane Boleyn, the infamous wife of George Boleyn, other than what I've read about her in historical fiction books. This book pique my interest because I wanted to learn more about the woman who sent her husband and his sister to their deaths based on her testimony. Julia Fox worked to disabuse the reader of the old legends/myths that still prevail today.
   
   Jane Boleyn is a book written about a woman that Fox presumably did her research on. How much of this is historically accurate, I don't know. At this point, I don't care because this book was interesting and fascinating. Not only did Fox tell the story of Lady Rochford, she explained customs and ceremonies that went on in the Tudor times. Here is a woman of some means married to a man whose rising star was linked with his sister, who the king favored. This is a woman who danced with the king's own sister and his wives and attended to them during their years of being the king's wives. This is a woman who survived the great fall of the Boleyns and managed to escape the king's wrath till she overstepped her bounds with his fifth wife, Kitty Howard. Then she met her end, ironically like her husband's.
   
   This book disabuses of the popular notion that George Boleyn hated his wife and that she was a horror to those around her. She was a young noblewoman who was caught up in the schemes of more powerful men than her. Even her father, a respected peer of the realm couldn't save her. This is a woman who was in the midst of the court for many years and who kept her counsel wisely to herself. Fox just merely reconstructed her to show her argument that this is a woman who fought to survive those tumultous years in Henry's court and managed to slip up at the end only because of her inclination to help Kitty Howard. Fox presented the argument that Jane couldn't deny her queen and thus willing was sent to her death simply because she served her queen.
   
   It is a very interesting perspective on this woman and definitely enlightening. It is also a very fast-paced read and if there were a lot of grammatical errors, I didn't pay much attention to them. However, there is one thing that I did notice about this author's writing style, she tends to repeat herself several times in a chapter. That did get annoying after awhile, but not to rate it any less than a four star. It is very enlightening and entertaining reading. It gives a fresh perspective of what it is like to be an outsider of the royal marriages and still be privy to those secrets.
   
   5/27/08



4. Like others have said this is just a re-hash of Henry VIII and his wives. I would have enjoyed it if this was all it was about because it has so little of actual "Jane" in it that it's amazing to me that it's titled that way. There are just interruptions of: "Jane MAY have been there..." "Jane MIGHT have heard that..." "Jane MAY have thought..." I can't believe the publisher ever let this get through. What "true story" is she writing about if there isn't anything certain to tell? I skimmed and put it down. Truly disappointing.



5. This obtuse speculation about the Infamous Lady Rocheford is the best sleeping pill I have ever encountered. If you have a restless night and want to quiet your mind with a soporific read, this is the book for you.
   
   Read the reviews that give it one star... they are right on. The fact is... there ARE no facts relating directly to the state of mind or life of Jane Boleyn. The repetitious meanderings in which she "may have been" here or there, and "might have seen" this or that, and "could have felt" one thing or another is frustrating to read. One's eyes start to droop within a half a page.
   
   Good uses for this book? Compost... propping up a sofa.... coaster.... and sleeping pill.
   
   What was this publisher thinking and how could a biographer sink so low?
   
   Pat Strong

5 comments about In Search of Captain Zero: A Surfer's Road Trip Beyond the End of the Road.

1. A very different kind of surfing story. For those that that are into surfing and travel it's pretty cool. It's a good adventure surfing story. I started reading it on an island in Panama durring a surf trip which gives me a different perspective. It definetly made me want to keep traveling/surfing. For the non surfing types, I have no idea how it would be recieved....



2. This book appealed on so many levels. Want a good surf adventure, you got it. Like a nice travelogue, it hits there too. Want an excellent character study, absolutely. If you want to shake your head while laughing out loud, you get that here also. It was a book that was fun and yet thought provoking, strongly recommended.



3. There's nothing like a surfing trip to Costa Rica with flashbacks to drug dealing days to make for a great literary achievement.
   
   The book may be $10.00, but the chapter on "The Boat" is priceless! I've bought at least 10 copies to give to my friends to read. It is a true classic.
   
   How this book has gone this long without being made into a movie is incomprehensible.



4. Anyone who is nostalgic about surfing, the beach, women, friends and the passage of time should read this book. It is hard to believe how well written it is. There are many interesting, sad and funny stories in the book. The scene about the large wave hitting their small beach house in Hawaii actually had me, dare I say, laughing out loud. I'm now reading the book a second time after a one year hiatus, and enjoying it just as much (a good activity until I can get back to the beach!).



5. I picked up this book after having read the fictional "Cosmic Banditos". It's the mind-boggling road diary of Weisbecker's trip off the grid. He sells off his life, grabs his dog and surfboards, and heads out with no real direction other than 'south'. His funny, relaxed writing evokes a storytelling session around a campfire on the beach.
   
   
   This is the kind of audacious drop-out from society that most of us will only dream about. After cringing at some of Weisbecker's more harrowing adventures, some of us will be glad we never took the leap. The story takes an uncomfortable turn when Captain zero is finally found, a turn which may cement your commitment to staying safely on the grid.

5 comments about Pimpology: The 48 Laws of the Game.

1. I only gave it 5 stars because I couldn't figure out how to give it 10 stars so 5 will have to do. Game is to be sold, not told and Ken lays the game out in this masterpiece. Definitely a keeper and something to pass down to the next generation. Highly recommend.



2. DON'T BUY THIS, ALL HE DOES IS TALK ABOUT HOW HE MADE IT IN THE GAME & THE RULES THAT HE STOOD BY, NO INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOU "LIMPS". I READ IT JUST TO READ IT. BUT IF YOU READING IT TO BE A "PIMP" DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB.



3. Bottom line Pimpin Ken has pimped the game of life once again.
   Any of these laws can be used as a road map to success in any career tract chosen.
   
   It is apparent though he left out a large amount of the deep parts of the game of pimpin' but it is more information than any other book on this topic to date.



4. That should be the title. Very few new things to learn. The rest can be found in other motivational books. It seems that he tried to fill pages of pimp knowledge with unrelated subjects to make a book.



5. I have seen pimpin ken on tv and ddecided to see what his book was all about. After recieving the book I started reading it and was hooked..I read and re-read the book and really grapsed all the information. Do not let the book title fool you, this is more a motivational and information based book on how to better yourself. Great book and I would highly recommend it.

5 comments about My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life.

1. ANOTHER WOLF IN SHEEP CLOTHING? It is New Age wrapped in feel-good "Christian" wording. This is not a Christian book
   
   as mentioned earlier....On page 64 the author states, "Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another. This is the way to heaven." In the Bible, Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Love alone won't get you there, if it could, then Jesus didn't need to come to earth to die for us.
   
   On page 73 the author states, "It is not so important which religion [a person adheres to], but what individuals do with the religion they have been given. Religions are a vehicle to take you to a destination." This is the "all roads lead to God" mentality. In other words, all religions are the same, and none are special or unique, because they're all just simply vehicles to take everyone to the same place. This is not what the Bible teaches.
   
   The author also claims that we will be able to converse telepathically with aliens and live additional lives on other planets if we choose (reincarnated as aliens?). And that people in hell can have a second chance at salvation if they so choose (although the journey back to heaven is difficult, he claims).
   
   And that babies have no souls - they are just the "germ" of the "life source" (whatever that is) or "potential to become a soul through life experiences on earth". Which is the exact opposite of what Jesus said. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven"!
   
   Please don't be fooled by the Christian feel-good words and scripture references taken out of context that permeate this book. This is NOT a Christian book. Which would be fine if the author disclosed it as such, but he doesn't. The author presents this to the public, including scripture references, as a Christian book. It most definitely is NOT!!!!
   
   
   
   FOR MUCH MORE CONCISE READING CHECK OUT 90 Minutes in Heaven



2. I purchased this as a gift, and was told it is one of the best near Death books written. I plan on purchasing one for myself.



3. Parts of Mr. Storm's story don't hold up from the very beginning. Are we really supposed to believe that in "a large public hospital" in Paris in 1985 he had to be transported on a gurney "for several blocks" on the sidewalk outdoors in order to get from the emergency room to his hospital room? And that because it was the weekend there were no surgeons available in the entire city to perform the operation he needed? And that the diagnosis and severity of his condition wasn't communicated from the emergency room doctors to other hospital personnel? And that when hospital personnel didn't seem to understand the emergency nature of the situation it didn't occur to his wife or to the English-speaking patient in the next bed or to that patient's wife to contact the doctor who made the original diagnosis or the emergency room doctors and ask them to intervene? Please.



4. This book was worth every second i spent reading it. I actually finished in in 24 hours, i just couldnt put it down. It greatly shows the love and mercy of Christ that although some people may not believe in him he loves you regardless. This book is amazing and you wont regret purchasing it.



5. This is a most interesting book in which the author describes his experience of entering Hell, and then being transported to Heaven. Not sure I believe it all, but his experiences are certainly in line with other books I have read on heaven and hell. His experience is believable to a point, and it does seem to have changed his life, but does seem to get carried away with his projections of the future (life in this world will get better and better, happily ever after and all that) and his many visits from angels. Can't say that it is definitely NOT true though, so I think it is worth reading and you decide. And it certainly makes you think more about eternity and where you may be spending it.