1 comments about Favre: The Man, the Legend with CD.

1. I really enjoyed adding this to my Favre Collection. It is a must have for any Favre fan.

5 comments about Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy.

1. Falwell was a vile bigot. This book is a cheap attempt to whitewash his true history as a racist con man who bliked the eldery and the stupid to build grand palaces for himself. It is also very poorly written.



2. The book explores the life and times of a man who boldly stood for truth. The last review by Jason shows who is the real bigot. Was Jerry Falwell perfect? The answer would be no. But anyone who knew him personally can see through the hyperbole that the "liberal left" spreads in the name of being "moderate". All I know is that if you are in the middle you get ran over from both ways! I believe that you can learn who the real man was over how he was portrayed. After all, Jesus was accused of being the devil by the people of his time. I think people will enjoy this book or his autobiography entitled Falwell.



3. I bought the book because I herd so much haltered from the media I wanted to know why.
   
   I now know why. Jerry Falwell devoted his life to one thing, to telling everyone he could about the love and salvation of Jesus
   
   He did it well, and he did it with no hidden motive. This is impossible to understand if you don't know Jesus. They tried everything to make him mad, to find him out, to uncover his weakness and he just kept smiling and telling them about the love of Jesus. There was nothing to uncover, he said he cheated no one, and he didn't, he said he hated sin but loved the sinner, and he did love them. He said he cared about people and when they checked carefully it turned out that he cared about people. That made them mad.
   
   Praise God
   
   Frank



4. I am from Lynchburg,Virginia therefore I am very familiar with Jerry Falwell and TRBC. I think the book portrayed Jerry just as he is and I am very proud to be from Lynchburg because of Jerry! I was glad that Mrs. Falwell set the record straight on alot of things and I hope people will remember the good things he did during his life time. I had to reach for the tissue box when he was offering the waitress a scholarship but that was Jerry through and through. I purchased another copy of the book for my dad for Father's Day and I have passed my copy on to my sister and neice. I hope everyone enjoys it!



5. I was lucky enough to attend and graduate from Liberty University. In the years since I've graduated I've gotten used to the need to be prepared for all reactions when I tell people I was one of "Jerry's Kids". The opinions are rarely middle of the road..either love him or hate him. I can say I loved him..He was a great role model to students, he seemed to be a great father and husband and he was exactly as Mrs. Falwell presented him in her book. It was great to hear her side of the story after all these years. The book was excellently written and once I started it, I couldn't put it down. I appreciated hearing all of their stories from their life, and the excerpts from folks who knew him well only added to the book. Whether or not he agreed with a person, he always showed a love for them...perfect example is Larry Flynt. I count it a privilege to have been able to see how God can use someone when they are completely willing to serve Him. Jerry and Liberty truly instilled in me the knowledge that anything is possible with God. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that the Jerry Falwell presented in the media is the only side of him there was. There was much more to him than that, just as there is with all of us.

1 comments about Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid.

1. In 35 short chapters, Ralph Fletcher shares stories of his childhood neighborhood, family, and friends. Covering topics that include a description of his neighborhood, his feelings and memories of the important people in his life, games he played, school days, pets, and childhood illnesses, this story kept me entranced from start to finish. I loved the author's simple yet moving revelation of his own feelings, especially the poignant chapter about his father, "Last Kiss."
   
   Publisher information sets reader age at grades 5 to 8, but the kid-friendly layout of this book will appeal to readers in grades 2-4, particularly if read aloud. Teens working on author reports or personal essays will find the book interesting as well. Teachers will find this memoir a handy tool in writing workshops, if used in conjunction with specific writing topics such as description, characterization, or dialogue. Fletcher's use of details brings his stories to life. Student writers can learn much about turning ordinary life events and feelings into effective stories.
   
   As an adult reader, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's got a little something for every reader. I can't recommend this book enough for teachers. If you assign journal writing for young writers, this book will provide infinite topic inspiration.

No comments about It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

5 comments about The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down.

1. You might think a person interested in pirates would get into the historical records to learn more about those rough wanderers. Colin Woodard came at it from the other direction: he has a fascination with history and "got into" pirates as a vehicle to bring U.S. colonial history to life. "The Republic of Pirates" is the fascinating product of his research.
   
   Woodard focuses on what he calls "the Golden Age of Piracy," a ten-year period from 1715 to 1725. The few thousand men -- and a few women -- who populate this story were a different breed from the government-sanctioned privateers of earlier times. As Woodard describes them, they were " ... engaged in more than simple crime and undertook nothing less than a social and poitical revolt. They were sailors, indentured servants, and runaway slaves rebelling against their oppressors: captains, ship owners, and the autocrats of the great slave plantations of America and the West Indies." Some of them were set up as a rebel navy by supporters of James Stuart, the half-brother of Queen Anne, exiled after her death in 1714.
   
   Woodard's three main pirate subjects -- Samuel Bellamy, Charles Vane, and Edward "Black Beard" Thatch, grew up in an England made harsh for the lower classes by the waning of feudalism, the enclosure of public grazing land, and the flight from rural regions to London. The fourth focus of the book is Woodes Rogers, a Bahamian governor and former privateer who would eventually be the downfall of the pirates' Golden Age.
   
   Funded in part by the wreck of a great Spanish treasure fleet off Florida in 1715, the pirate bands began to congregate in the Bahamas and to grow in strength and daring. They roamed up and down the coast, finding safe harbor in Virginia, Long Island, Cape Cod, and the islands off the coast of Woodard's native Maine.
   
   While the pirate bands were based on a model of democratic decision-making and equal sharing of booty, Woodard leaves us with no doubt that life on the main was harsh and dangerous. "The Republic of Pirates" is a lively look at the realities of life in England and America in the eighteenth century, and is a great example of dry records and correspondence giving up their treasure to one who knows how to search them out.
   
   Colin Woodard is a native of the tiny Maine town where I live now and he spoke last year at the local library, a rare and precious event for the town. He lit the room up with his passion for those old days, both the wild adventures and the mundane relationships. Three hundred years ago -- but as real as yesterday in this wonderful book. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys seeing history brought to life.
   
   Linda Bulger, 2008



2. From the author's introduction I was prepared to find pirates of the golden age like the heroes of my childhood. Although some never abused or killed their victims, they were not nice in their theft of goods, impressments holders of needed skills, and wanton destruction of ships. Granted, as the author points out, they were rootless, onetime privateers, escapees of an exploitative merchant marine and cruel navies, but they were still thieves in the night bankrupting small merchants, and impoverishing townspeoples and farmers who were not their oppressors. Some may have been polite to their captors but others were vengeful sadists. Although I was tempted to romanticize the earliest of the golden age pirates, I ended up disgusted with them and feeling (though I have reservations about capital punishment) they deserved the gallows and gibbet.
   
   Piracy is such a romantic topic, I would love to find a book that puts it in a world historical perspective. Woodard gives us a good tale of the golden age. I would love to know more about its rise with the coming of long distance maritime trade three thousand years ago, its role as an economic, political, and military weapon of leaders and political entities, like cities, or empire and piracy as a form of thievery. Woodard's book is an exciting read, but piracy has always been with us. What has it been all about?
   Charlie Fisher author of Dismantling Discontent: Buddha's Way Through Darwin's World



3. If THE REPUBLIC OF PIRATES is the first book on historical pirating that one has picked up, it should be put right down again without being opened even a crack lest one be tempted to read it through. No, shelve it at once and pick up EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER instead, for it portrays the true beginning of the "Golden Age" of pirating in 17th century Caribbean waters. EMPIRE ends in the waning years of the century with the death of Henry Morgan and the destruction of Port Royal in a massive Jamaican earthquake, which is almost exactly where THE REPUBLIC OF PIRATES begins. The two books complement each other perfectly and, between them, give us a comprehensive view of pirating from the 1600s into the early 1800s.
   
   The writing styles of both authors are entertainingly readable. The historical events that they relate are as fascinating as any fictional novel could be, making their books both instructive and captivating.
   
   REPUBLIC does develop occasional textual problems about halfway through. For instance, on page 168, we are told that the ships for one expedition were stocked with "enough salt, bread, flower, and preserved food" to feed its sailors and soldiers. I'd like to know how they preserved that "flower." Page 202 has sentences erroneously using "them" for "they" and "affect" for "effect." Page 209 has Blackbeard's men "ascribed to a number of attacks," whereas the intent is obviously to ascribe the attacks to the men. The syntax is utterly reversed! Pages 214 and 222 both misspell the Antilles islands as the "Antillies," a particularly ironic error in a book dealing with seafaring. Finally, I sm still searching for the definition of "paridor" that appears on page 236; granted, it is in a quotation dating from about 1718 and may now be an obsolete term, in which case, an explanatory footnote would have been valuable. Not counting the obscure quoted term, almost all the grammatical and syntactical errors occur in a span of 54 pages and do not afflict the remainder of the 332-page book (not counting the endnotes). Perhaps the proofreader somehow missed those pages.
   
   I do not find the occurrence of grammatical errors so numerous or so frequent as to weaken the book significantly, but I would hope that the few that do exist will be corrected should the book be reprinted for future editions, for they are distracting when they do occur. The book also lacks a bibliography, and, while the reader can ascertain the author's sources by reading though 37 pages of endnotes, a concise listing of published sources and additional books on the subject would be potentially useful.
   
   Despite its occasional flaws, REPUBLIC easily receives my rating of five Amazon stars. In addition to continuing the historical saga of pirates where EMPIRE leaves off, the book gives us glimpses into early bribery of colonial officialdom, affords us glances of life in the eastern seaboard of 18th century America (North, Central and South) and the islands off that seaboard, and even shows us the real-life source of Daniel Defoe's fictional Robinson Crusoe. Benjamin Franklin also makes an appearance as a youthful poet writing about the death of Blackbeard (a snatch of which comprises the title of this review). We are reminded of (or perhaps learn about) the English monarchical lines of the Stuarts and the Hanoverians, the Jacobite uprisings, the War of Spanish Succession and even the well-forgotten War of the Quadruple Alliance, and especially the impact that all of these had on the New World. Descriptions of the wildernesses that became today's Florida and the other seaboard states to the north remind us that an extensive history of settlement, trade, banditry, and the fluctuating fortunes of war played out on this continent long before the establishment of today's nations. Best of all, this intriguing history plays out before our eyes in an engaging manner that will captivate almost any reader.
   
   I recommend both EMPIRE OF BLUE WATER and THE REPUBLIC OF PIRATES (to be read in that order) to every reader who enjoys unusual history, tales of adventure, and generally well written narratives about the men-and a couple of women-who helped form the New World.



4. Because of the popularity of Pirates of the Caribbean, many books about pirates have been published in the past few years. Most are light-weight works.
   The Republic of Pirates is a real history which puts the pirates of the early 18th Century in perspective, concentrating on the Bahamas.
   This is one of several excellent books I've read recently about pirates.
   My interest was originally sparked in 1995 with David Cordingly's "Under the Black Flag" because this book pictured the privateers/pirates as sea-going guerrillas.
   Beside "The Republic of Pirates", the following are worth reading:
   Peter Earle Pirate Wars
   The Sack of Panama
   Stephan Talty Empire of Blue Water
   Benerson Little The Sea Rover's Practice
   The Buccaneer's Realm
   Richard Zacks The Pirate Coast
   Frederick C. Leiner End of the Barbary Terror
   
   Together these works cover piracy from the late 16th to the early 19th Century.



5. This book was very descriptive and detailed. All the pirates, their crews, and ships were all named, and a few of the ships were pinned down to the port they were made at and the type of wood they were made from. Somehow the author was able to compile all of this data and turn it into a real story.
   
   I couldn't put it down.

5 comments about Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography (with CD).

1. "Miles Gone By" seems to be a near complete biography and one that allows the reader to see how the puzzle fits together. It would be easy to overlook the uniqueness of this life by labeling the author as mostly reflecting a political point of view. He has shown in many of his other books his diversity of interests and his ability to inform his readers about activities and the events taking place in the world at the same time. I remember in his book "Racing Through Paradise how much I learned about sailing and how interesting it was to consider his political points of view presented as a part of each days activities. Miles Gone By seems to show the many sides and interests of his life as pieces of puzzle that reveal more of who he really is. The story is not in his point of view but is more so in whom he really is.
   
   A favorite chapter (2) was "God and Man at Yale" which was about his first book. I like to underline in red what stands out as I read and this chapter is mostly "red" in my book. In 1950 it was controversial to defend individualism, religion and capitalism. His education seemed to be, somewhat like his early life, one full of advantage and opportunity. Considering that it was even more of a surprise when he questioned the very mission of the institution he had been privileged to attend. He replied to his critics saying "a very recent graduate is not only supremely qualified, but uniquely qualified, to write about the ideological impact of an education he has experienced."
   
   Later in the book he says that as a senior citizen his faith has never left him. Through out his life we find in this biography that he has held tight to his religious convictions. Considering the years his life has spanned in the political arena this willingness to proclaim his own faith is made even clearer in this book.
   
   Both Buckley and Nixon have written about world leaders in a way that really adds to ones understanding of events. In many of Nixon's books those insights, even though insightful, seemed stand-alone. In this book many of the chapters deal with relationships but instead of standing alone as a subject for consideration they validate the unique impact that Buckley has had thorough out his life. This book will show you a very very interesting man.



2. Miles Gone By is an account of the life of William Buckley, whom many see as a conservative icon. Buckley shares many facets of his interesting life, particularly the following:
   
   1. Early childhood and close-knit family (I believe he was one of 10 children).
   2. Memories of his father and mother both of who he loved dearly.
   3. His years at Yale University and how the liberal bias drove him to write his book "God and Man at Yale".
   4. Memories of the 1950 class at Yale.
   5. His deep sea expedition to see the wreck of the Titanic.
   6. His sailing and skiing trips with various celebrities.
   7. Starting the National Review.
   8. Relationships with 10 special people of various backgrounds and poltical persuasions (David Niven, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, Tom Wolfe, Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Moore, Alistair Cooke, Princess Grace, and John Kenneth Galbraith). I particularly enjoyed this section.
   
   The areas mentioned above are just a few mentioned. While Buckley undeniably comes from a rather refined background, his writing style is not arrogant. Indeed, he often thanks his Creator for the life he has lived and gives credit to other people when due.
   
   Read and enjoy the book and learn more about one of our country's great conservative icons. Recommended.



3. William F. Buckley Jr. is now in his 80's and visibly winding up his affairs of this world. National Review, the magazine of conservative opinion that he founded and led for half a century, has been turned over to newer hands. Blackford Oakes, hero of a series of spy novels, has been heroically killed off. His production of public commentary is down to a few columns per month. 2004's "Miles Gone By", subtitled "a literary autobriography", is of a piece with this process. It is a collection of essays from his writing lifetime, with items about his childhood, his education at Yale, his time in the Army, his adventures as a sailor, portraits of colleagues and friends, and a sampling of other topics.
   
   Buckley has lived a fairly public life as an advocate for the Conservative point of view. "Miles Gone By" may therefore have no surprises for any future biographer. What the reader does find is William F. Buckley Jr at his finest, an educated and often witty observer of his world, pondering the moment and its meaning, finding delight in the skillful use of the English language. Also on display is Buckley's irreverance for the stuffy and the unsound. Highlights include a thoughtful essay on the 50th reunion of his Yale Class, a rueful account of an extended rail trip through Siberia, and brief sketches of his friendships with David Niven and Whittaker Chambers. An extended piece on "God and Man at Yale" recalls the book that started it all.
   
   This book is highly recommended to fans of Mr. Buckley, who will enjoy this fine sampling of his work, perhaps the last to be put out by his own hand.



4. When I was a kid, William F Buckley was a hero of my weekend TV, always the wordsmith, always clear, learned, and completely vicious in his rhetoric. This book compiles (mostly short) writings on a variety of topics, many quite personal, that show a loving son/husband/father, a wine aficionado, and a very warm human being. The writing is great: it is a joy to see those un-split infinitives, those real latin-rooted words, those well-crafted sentences. What comes across is a genuine man, one of towering intellectual power, who also worried about what his dad would do when he found out that he had bought a plane at college. If for no other reason, buy this book to enjoy (and inspire) great writing.
   By the way, I do not agree with him on any topic, perhaps excepting wine (buy cheaply, drink with friends).



5. MILES GONE BY is a compilation of William F. Buckley essays, columns and anecdotes which tell the story of his life. His writings are so prolific that the better parts of his life had already been chronicled, by himself no less, prior to his death.
   
   I began reading National Review in 1978 as a young liberal college student. Buckley was my cure for liberalism along with the practical demise of liberal theology under Carter. He was also a mentor and hero, of sorts, as the Reagan Era was ushered in and the world changed. I dug deep into Buckley's lore reading the Blackford Oakes novels, his journal at the United Nations, and his sailboat chronicles (AirBorne and Racing Through Paradise).
   
   WFB was a classic conservative voice at a time when conservatism had few national voices. Goldwater, Reagan, Milton Friedman, Gingrich and others would emerge as leaders but Buckley was always the apologist for the right. His bully pulpits were the National Review and Firing Line television program. At times I wondered if he befriended people like John Kenneth Galbraith to keep them busy while conservatives were busily furthering their agenda.
   
   Besides being the voice and conscience of the conservative movement in America, Buckley will be remembered for his civility. He was a gifted host and debater who confronted and entreated opponents with grace, tact, and utmost civility. He raised the national debate to a higher level of discourse.
   
   America is poorer for his passing.

5 comments about God's Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Failed.

1. This has been a truly awe insiring book to read. To see that God moves today as He did in the first century is so wonderful. It gives me strenght and courage to seek, with a renewed fire, the One who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. This book also shows that God is no respecter of persons when it comes to those He calls to work through. The author is very good at keeping an open mind about all the different things he researched.
   Making clear that he was not judging anyone, he did stop a few times to interject Biblical truths so that we may understand why certain things happened as they did. In doing this I believe the author is showing the readers what patterns to be watchful for and what pitfalls to avoid while walking in their own calling.
   It is also shown throughout the book that, no matter what your upbringing was or what your background is, God can use anyone who is willing to accapt their calling. It is also evident that if one who is willing to accept their call wants to finish the race strong it is their responsibility to maintain a balance in the spiritual, emotional, and physical being.



2. Here they are. The 20th century legends of Christianity. One of them, Wigglesworth, has been the target of numerous writers. Why are we so fascinated with these people? Because they are heroes, every one. They had the courage to step out of the boat and walk on that H20. They were God's Generals!
   
   Perfect people? No! They made mistakes. Some of them sank into the waters. But each and every one of them loved God and dared walk in the supernatural. Signs, miracles and wonders followed them wherever they went. They won multitudes to Christ, healed the masses and brought God's good news of deliverance to their generations. They were flawed, some had serious problems. But they didn't let that stop them. They were serving a mighty God!
   
   If you want to get inside the minds and hearts of some heroes, read this book. Mark it up, highlight the key principles. Heed the warnings. And follow in the footsteps of these faith giants. Their successes inspired me to produce the Super Heart Living film series. And their walks will inspire YOU to do great things.
   
   Want to know their SECRETS? How they were able to heal the sick, raise the dead and persuade thousands to follow Jesus Christ? It's all in the pages of this one powerful book. Right there for your learning. Dive into each chapter and listen to these great men and women whisper "Follow me as I follow Christ!"
   
   You'll love Dowie's boldness in the heat of opposition. Wigglesworth's daring in the face of dreaded diseases. And McPherson's great love of the crowds and desire to entertain them with God's Word! God's Generals is moving, insightful and life-changing. I dare you to study these lives and develop their SUPER HEARTS!



3. I Have two things to say about the purchase of this book: First, that it was delivered to my house in a timely fashion and in perfect condition. Secondly, the book itself is a wonderful look into God's hand on people's life in history. The Bible says that God created each and every one of us with a purpose. Sometimes, that purpose is to live a quiet life of ministry and love. Sometimes God uses us for extraordinary purposes. This book is an encouragement to all people that God can do anything, no matter who you are, if you put your trust in Him.



4. A balanced, thoughtful, entertaining and useful look at some of God's major powerplayers over the past 100 years or so. Concerning the likes of Kuhlman, Wigglesworth and Branham, most writers either choose to vilify them or worship them. Author Roberts Liardon chooses a more accurate middle road that exemplifies a love for the truth combined with his own helpful Pentecostal insights.
   
   This is a VERY interesting read that Spirit-filled Christians particularly will find both fascinating and useful. Useful because there is much to be learned from the successes and failures of these saints -- much that can be applied to our own lives.



5. God's General's is one of the most inspirational books that I can remember reading. In addition, it gives the history of some of the most powerful men and women of God since New Testament times. This book is a must read!

5 comments about The Science of Leonardo: Inside the Mind of the Great Genius of the Renaissance.

1. Well written, showing how ahead of his time Leonardo was. A great perspective on a true genius.



2. My neck hurts from all the time I spent reading this book, but it was completely worth it! Science and art go hand in hand, and this book demonstrates the genius of how Leonardo da Vinci put it all together. This is a great book. I can see the author's enthusiasm for both physics and art. It's an easy read, sometimes boring, but it illustrates how Leonardo da Vinci observed the mechanics of movement and combined it with other elements, i.e., the flow of water to the flow of hair. I'll read any book on this man, and even sometimes combine earlier readings, such as Plato, into how I understand where he was going artistically. I was illuminated by his portrayed intelligence throughout this book. He was solitary and focused on his craft. He kept meticulous record of his work, and because of that, we have books about him, such as this particular great read. He was completely ahead of his time. I like how he used a trap door to hide his art when guests would stop by, according to the book, Clever- No one really looks at him through the scientific eye, though, as they should. Most people think of him as just a fabulous artist. Although he created great (understatement) masterpieces, there is a scientific art underlying it all. Now that I'm growing artistically, I am starting to see the detail and how detail compiles. I am beginning to notice how the tetrahedral shape I studied way back in organic chemistry, for example, propagates into art. I don't have his genius, but admire it! This is an impressive read that everyone should step back into and enjoy.



3. I heard of this book during an interview of the author on NPR. The interview was fascinating and motivated me to get the book.
   
   The book is wonderful for its balance and grace. It is a concise telling of da Vinci's life and his thinking gleaned from his manuscripts and from contemporary writers. It is interesting to discover that little is known about da Vinci's personal or inner life. However, we discover that da Vinci was truly one of the first scientists in the modern sense, predating Galileo. His gifts for observation, illustration, and painting combined with his energy and enthusiasm for experimentation led him to discoveries and conclusions that would not be widely recognized for centuries.
   
   It was a good inspiring read! I'm looking forward to reading Capra's book on systemic thinking.



4. This book is simply excellent and should be read by anyone with an interest in personal or organizational innovation.



5. Amazon shipped this book in a timely manner. Customer service was great but I did have to call back and confirm. We give this book as gifts with a commemorative card inside the cover. Interesting book for young scientist.

5 comments about Love, Lucy.

1. Lucille Ball abandoned this book in 1964, out of concern that its contents would hurt Desi Arnaz. She then forgot about it (as did everyone else in her life, it seems), and it sat neglected in a box of papers until the mid-1990s. This is a phenomenal book, and easily the best I've read so far regarding Lucille Ball.
   
   Love, Lucy should be read along with other biographies in order to get a balanced perspective (Miss Ball tends to be a bit circumspect, though not as private as I expected her to be, regarding her own shortcomings and her private life), but on the whole it is a fascinating glimpse into a legendary life when it was far from over. She had only recently divorced Desi Arnaz and was in the heart of working on The Lucy Show at the time she abandoned the project, and was still terribly active in the running of Desilu.
   
   Lucille sometimes remembers things in a way that makes her seem a bit more moral than she really was. She doesn't discuss running wild and being naughty in her teen years, but since she had young children of her own at the time of the writing of Love, Lucy, I don't suppose I should have expected her to do so. Who wants to display their shortcomings to their kids and then say "don't do that!"
   
   What is most beautiful about this book is the discussion of her love of Desi Arnaz and their marriage. Even though the marriage didn't survive, they adored one another and continued to do so until the ends of their lives. The quote that made me laugh out loud, and I could HEAR Lucy saying it was "It was not love at first sight; it took five minutes."



2. I quite enjoyed this one. It is Lucy's "lost" autobiography--that is, it was only discovered and published after her death in 1989. It was found tucked away in the files of her former attorney, discovered when her children were processing her estate. Apparently, Lucy had begun an "as told to" book by dictating for two years to a talented secretary who transcribed her tapes and even traveled to her hometown to interview her childhood friends for their memories. The resulting product is the history of Lucy from her birth in 1911 to Christmas of 1962. It is written in the present tense, and many of the readers who knew her commented that it was in her "own voice." When Lucie got to listen to the tapes, she even discovered that her mother had been accurately quoted for once! A warm picture emerges of an ambitious but essentially normal comedienne who was very family-oriented and hard-working. Her father died before she had a chance to know him, but she was raised lovingly by her mother and maternal grandparents. She goes through stints of modeling and starring in movies, about which time she meets Desi Arnaz. He played the Cuban firecracker to her more low-key character, and the sparks flew. They went on together to produce the most beloved television show of all time and to rule over the empire of Desilu Productions. But they found themselves not too compatible in the end--he was working too hard and given to explosive rages, and his drinking and many infidelities didn't help matters any. He humiliated her publically on many occasions, and that was why she eventually wanted a divorce. But she remained fond of him, and put this book away because she was afraid that its revelations would hurt him. She went on to meet and marry Gary Morton and found happiness with him for many years until her death. But Gary is only a small part of this book--you walk away struck by what Lucy and Desi achieved together that neither could have achieved alone.



3. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Lucy fan. Knowing that it is an autobiography makes it more interesting. You can almost hear her voice as you read through the lines. Her life wasn't all roses. Lots of pictures for us to enjoy. Get the book. You won't put it down.



4. Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball was an autobiography she wrote but never published. Her daughter Lucie found the manuscript and decided to publish it almost a decade after her mother's death. Lucille Ball was a comic gem, she did everything so perfectly. This book is good but some of the parts seem empty so I can't give this book 5 stars. Ball talks about her modeling days, how she met and fell in love with Desi Arnaz, her hit t.v. show and becoming a businesswoman when she was highly criticized for being too tough. Check this good summer read out sometime, enjoy!



5. I picked this book up on a recommendation from someone who used to work on the I Love Lucy Show (Dann Cahn). It was fantastic! Written by Lucy herself, it really focused on her feelings and thoughts early on. Once I started I couldn't put it down.

5 comments about Dishing Hollywood: The Real Scoop on Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals.

1. I fortuitously fell into this little gem the day after xmas.....a belated "BEST" present to myself.
   While I already own Jacobson's two other books and hold her in high regard, this book proves that she is only getting better as a film historian and writer.
   She assumes a slick, quasi-cinema noir persona in her narrative and mixes in a Sandra Lee-like easy 'recipe' that takes a not too subtle slam at each of the scandals/stories she relates. The vanity of the 'dish' (aka scandal/tragedy/hard luck story) only enhances the general readability of this book. This is a novel approach that makes an already interesting product even more appealing. I kept thinking that the author did a terrific job with the material she was presenting.
   Aside from the kidding around, this book is really rather fair and factual. The author knows her stuff and relies on knowledgeable sources to substantiate or refute claims made in the book.
   My only criticism of this book is that I wish it had been longer and had covered some other stories that I find interesting and want to know more about. Hopefully there will be a follow-up to this book which will do that.
   Anyway, this is a very good read and worth the $ and time spent reading it.



2. I highly recommend Dishing Hollywood The Real Scoop on Tinseltown's Most Notorious Scandals. Laurie Jacobson really knows her stuff and serves up heaping portions of scandal and intrigue of Hollywood's most notorious stars. I have read all of the author's books and Dishing Hollywood is Jacobson at her best. Jacobson brilliantly spins tale after sordid tale, "sprinkles" famous film quotes throughout each chapter and "tops" off with a recipe of the star's favorite dish (or, in some cases, their last meal!). Dishing Hollywood is a tasty treat, and I can't wait for Jacobson's next book!



3. I had so much fun reading this book! The stories are great and Miss Jacobson clears up a lot of false Hollywood rumors. The best part about this book is that it includes chapters about some forgotten stars like Carole Landis, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Lupe Velez. Anyone who is a fan of classic Hollywood and loves juicy gossip will want this book.



4. I love Laurie Jacobson's books and this one is the best yet!!! I love her "juicy little tidbits" about the stars of yesteryear. The stories are very entertaining and I love the fact that she also included recipes to match the stories. A very clever thing to do!!! It's almost like 2 books in one, a gossipy book and a cookbook! I hope she continues to research Hollywood and to write wonderful books about the stars!!!! My only complaint---it's not long enough!!! I am ready for a "Dishing Hollywood II".



5. This book is very interesting, part cookbook part Hollywood scandles.
   
   Laurie Jacobson delves into some of Tinsletowns most interesting stories.
   From the murder trial of Spade Cooley (who killed his second wife in the 1940's) to the untimly death of the orginal Edna Turnblat (Divine) Lauie Jacobson tells about the scandals and then shows a recipe connected to that person (After talking about Roman Polanski she shares a recipe for the nachos he at before fleeing to Europe during his rape trial.)
   
   A very interesting book.