5 comments about Learning to Be Me: My Twenty-Three-Year Battle with Bulimia.

1. I read this memoir and realized very quickly, that Memoir was an accurate category for this book. It certainly does not belong in self help/recovery.
   Jocelyn's narrative keeps repeating descriptions of her terrible life in a way that makes this tragic disease seem petty. I have endured this dis-ease for 23 plus years and I found Aimee Lu's book "Life after an Eating Disorder" so full of hope and rcovery and revelation about this disease.
   I found this book to be full of triggers and narcissistic thoughts. It is a "Go Ask Alice" for eating disorders.
   ""Sensing the Self" is also fantastic, but a little more clinical. If you are looking for recovery, read about recovery. If you are looking for a description of how tragic and destructive and miserable an addiction can be, read a memoir.



2. I had been looking for a book that would help me understand the thought process behind a bulimic's behavior, in an effort to help a family member. I wanted to get inside the head of a bulimic, I wanted to FEEL what a bulimic does, no other book did this for me - Jocelyn Golden's "Learning to be me" did! I've read many bulimia books in my quest to educate myself, but none gave me the insight I gained by reading Ms. Golden's book. I highly recommend "Learning To Be Me" to any sister, mother or other relative trying to help a loved one. It gave me the courage to confront my relative, one more time, and present her with support and treatment options even though I know it may sever our relationship - I love her that much. I thank Ms. Golden for the difference her talented writing has made in my life and for portraying the facts clearly and with emotion.
   
   I would love to see another book by this author.



3. Learning to Be Me: My Twenty-Three-Year Battle with Bulimia
   Jocelyn Golden did a great job writing this book. It really was one of the best I've read on bulimia. The main character is trapped in a house with people who are supposed to love and comfort her but are incredibly and selfishly indifferent to her yet intolerably critical. Overcoming such odds really is remarkable and stands as an example for others. I highly recommend this book.



4. I was influenced by the overwhelming positive reviews of the book so I decided to see what this book was about myself. After reading the book I disagree with the majority of the reviewers (who may have been swayed by the fact they felt a personal connection to the reader). It must be noted that I personally do not suffer from an eating disorder but I read the book in hopes of helping me to understand what it is like to suffer from one. While the author does her fair share recounting her experience with bulimia it is poorly written (it almost reads like a first-person narrative by a teenager with simple sentences and limited vocabulary) and cumbersome to get through at times. A previous reviewer mentioned that s/he felt like s/he was reading an unedited copy of the book and I echo this sentiment. Golden's story while appropriately deserving of empathy lacks depth and insight and somewhat rambles on in a disorganized fashion. In any event, the book starts to get better at about the middle when she starts to go into detail about her binges and purges and the reality of her behavior sets in. As many others have mentioned she does not go into much detail about the recovery process because the book was written during the time she was recovering. Also, while this is somewhat minor, the titles of her chapters have little relevance to the content of the chapters and come across as being kitschy (e.g., "My Blanket of Shadows", "Home Sweet Hurt", and "From a Whisper to a Silent Scream").



5. Unlike other self-help eating disorder books, this book is an incredibly honest insight, sparing no details on the reality of bulimia. It provides an intimate understanding behind the emotional mental and physical causes of this powerful mind disease. A must read for any young woman, mother or sister!

5 comments about Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman and Godzilla.

1. Phenomenal book. Great quality, design, and content. If you have any remote appreciation for this kind of film making and monster design, this book is an absolute love letter... A must have!



2. This is a wonderful coffee-table size book that contains beautiful photos and interesting commentary. If you are a fan of Godzilla and/or Eiji Tsuburaya this is the book to get!



3. Tsuburaya Eiji was the Japanese special effects director who was behind so many monster movies that came out from Japan during the 1950s and 1960s. This is a pictorial biography of Tsuburaya Eiji that proves to be very well written and informative. I found the book to be rather insightful as the author included inserts written by men who worked with or worked under Tsuburaya Eiji during his career. The book also comes well illustrated with photographs and movie posters on almost every page as it traces the life and time of Tsuburaya Eiji's career. It was interesting to note that during World War II, he made a movie made from miniatures that showed the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was so realistic that during the initial post war period, Americans thought it was the real thing. Tsuburaya Eiji was also the man who made Godzilla what he was and creator of the Ultraman series that is still going on to this day.
   
   Overall, this book is definitely worth your time and money to read over and treasure. Tsuburaya Eiji is one of the great pioneers of motion picture industry regarding special effects and his influence help shape this industry to this day. His influence in the science fiction genre will remains pretty strong as monster movies like Cloverfield still hit our theaters and on DVD to this day. The book strongly reflects the heydays of Japanese monster movie era history and it will remind many of us, the fun and wonder these movies brought us during our younger days. And it will inform otherwise misinformed that there is more to these movies then just a "guy in the monster suit" concept.
   
   (And yes, I am writing the subject's name in Japanese style...sur name first always...Tsuburaya Eiji is the way you would address him if he was still alive today...as you would with any Japanese national.)



4. If you like giant monster movies, and want to know more about how they were made, this book is for you. Not many photos of the monsters (there are other books out there for that) but there are behind the scenes photos. Learn the biographies of the men who made films you still love after all these years. Not much has been published in the West about them, but here it is! Well written and laid out. 2 page essays about certain film makers by noted Western Kaiju lovers. Worth the price, and thankful that it was printed.



5. This book is a meticulous, thoughtful, well-written, and beautifully laid-out tribute to a true master of special effects. It is a fascinating look, not only into Tsuburaya's life and career, but also the way the film industry works in Japan. An interesting read for non-fans; a must-have for fans of the genre.

5 comments about When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge.

1. When Broken Glass Floats is the author's journey to find the magic of a world lost as a result of the Khmer Rouge. This book, as a personal account of the Khmer Rouge regime, is also my personal journey as a reader and a Khmer person. Through this magical journey, my own forgotten memories are awakened and many traditional beliefs that I have pushed to the back of my mind resurface.
   
   I was too young to have memories of the Killing Fields, but I have heard enough stories to feel connected to it. There were gaps missing in my memory and this book filled those gaps. When Broken Glass Floats is poetic and touching, a book rooted in the author's desire to let the world know about the tragic death of her family. It begins when her memories are awakened as a result of her work as an interpreter and interviewer for the Khmer Adolescent Project, studying post-traumatic stress disorder among Cambodian survivors. This is a story of triumph, survival, and hope written from the Khmer soul of a Cambodian-American woman.
   
   When Broken Glass Floats is a book with two moving and powerful purposes: one, as a therapeutic tool for the author, and, two, as a reminder of an event that should never have occurred. The author describes her book as a way "to use the power of words to caution the world, and in the process to heal myself" (p. 23). The process of writing the book became a trek to the Himalayas, "a search to recapture the long-lost magic in [her] life" (p. 23). My travels have taken me to the Himalayas. I have been seeking magic for my own healing like the author of When Broken Glass Floats. The process of reading her book and other autobiographies has provided much healing. I recommend this book for everyone who is interested in this subject, but in particular to Cambodian-Americans, because this book can take you on a journey into yourself, your soul, memories, and past.



2. This was an entirely good read. One of the amazing things I kept realizing as I read is Chanrithy Him has condensed a number of harrowing years of into just ~300 pages, so the reader only hears about some of her experiences - there's probably much more that didn't make it to the pages of this memoir. Also, Him's story is only one out of myriad others . . . thousands of thousands of Cambodian people who could tell a story even more devastating than Him's.
   
   When Broken Glass Floats kept me interested from cover to cover, and I enjoyed Him's writing style. It's likely I can't say anything positive that hasn't already been said, so I'll pick out a couple of things I wonder if other readers noticed.
   
   For one, the black and white family photos included in the book did not resemble the images I had of disease-stricken, starving children Him described. For instance - granted he is wearing a shirt in the photos, none of the pictures show Map (Him's youngest sibling) with a protruding belly - although towards the end of the book Him tells her readers Map fails to lose this effect of starvation even after his diet improves. Similarly, the photo of Ra on her wedding day shows a young woman who looks healthy (nice complexion, full cheeks, hair in an up-do, clean floral shirt), so I couldn't help but feel confused because this is far from how Him described her physically weak, skinny sister who was barely recognize at times. I realize the photo was taken during better times, but do people so sick and hungry recover to that degree so quickly? Also, the memoir chronicles countless dizzying days, months, and years of walking, working, and barely surviving from severe dehydration, starvation, infection, diarrhea, disease, and depression; personal belongings (books, valuables, etc.) were stolen, taken by the Khmer Rouge, and lost along the way. Under those conditions, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt as I read about the photos Him had "managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p. 330) and the "cream lace blouse from Phnom Penh, which she (Ra) managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p.286). Given the circumstances described, this just didn't seem plausible. But who knows . . . not a major problem for me, it just caught my attention - as did the typographical errors I found from time to time.
   
   Great book . . . would have enjoyed a bit more of a history lesson. If that's what you're seeking you might look elsewhere, because this is a tale focused on a very strong and intelligent young girl's survival.



3. A great book. A very sad account of a young girl that reflect the experiences of million Cambodian refugees. Also showed what perseverance and setting goals can achieve. If Miss Him can survive and succeed, so should everyone.
   Highly recommend this book.



4. When Boken Glass Floats tells the story of a young girl and her experiences and life as she lives in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge. It is very emotional as she weaves the story of her family in the labor camps and then the periods spent in the refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. I recommend it as a five star book.



5. After reading this I somehow felt changed. Written so well that you feel her emotions immensely throughout the book. I didn't want to put it down.

5 comments about Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis.

1. Fasten your seatbelts. Every thing about Bette Davis was bumpy and Dark Victory is the best bio about her yet.



2. Ed Sikov's masterful biography accomplishes something I thought to be nearly impossible; it is a book that is as entertaining as the legend it captures so beautifully. Cinema buffs will love the way he disects and analyzes her movies ( minor complaint, I would have liked to have seen more deconstruction of the performances in Now Voyager ). I've read the odd criticism here and there that he spends too much time on the movies themselves at the cost of details regarding the actress, but that criticism falls flat, in that the subtle point being made is that Miss Davis, to a large extent, WAS the movies she made. It is also to the author's credit that he takes to task previous biographers at certain points, as well as those contemporaries who were unfair in certain criticisms of the actress.
   
   Where Sikov really triumphs is in allowing his marvelous...no FABULOUS! sense of humor to scream through on nearly every page. This is an author I want to have dinner with!
   
   A great read, a thorough biography, and a book that captures the texture of the one and only Miss D.



3. "Dark Victory" is not only another biography about Bette Davis, but also a culmination of previous biographical work on the cinema star. Sikov filters the pre-existing material, looking for consistency then uses this, as well as hundreds of items from the Davis archives, as a basis for the chronology used in his work.
   
   The chronicling of Davis' reign at Warner Brothers is the highlight of the book, although more information about her relationships with and observations of other stars might have made this a more interesting work. Instead, Sikov focuses on proving that the stereotype of Davis as a driven indomitable actress is absolutely true. Although this seems a natural angle, it flatly leads the reader to this conclusion by tireless psychiatric observations (of Davis, her mother, or especially her father) through the narrative, rather than allowing this revelation to discreetly prove true through example.
   
   There are very few photos used in this book. Instead "famous shots" of the actress referred to in the text are described, rather than provided.
   
   Another bothersome element in the text is the scattered non-sequitur-like celebration of gays in cinema (either stars or crew). Though this is a fascinating area of study, it seems well out of place in a Davis biography, given that this particular actress did not have homosexual tendencies, unlike her peers Crawford or Hepburn. It also seems strange that, in the mentioning of Davis as a pop-culture icon, that no mention of her importance to women occurs. However, it is well-known that Davis brought a new dimension to female roles by not portraying the sex goddess or ingenue, but instead the independent head-strong woman - which only served as a precursor to the more raw, gritty depictions of women in the 50's and 60's.
   
   I have enjoyed this biography, and can say it is a good read. Its flip chatty tone keeps the text moving. However, it isn't exactly the glorious rendition parlayed by other reviewers, and it left me wanting to know more, rather that feeling sated with information about the great star, as well as tired of reading dissections of Davis' perceived neuroses.



4. Although I enjoyed the book, there was little new material presented. I read "The Lonely Life" many years ago and found that Mr. Sikov used this autobiography frequently as a resource. [He rightly referenced this throughout his book.] I consider many of Ed Sikov's statements and opinions questionable and uninformed. For example, he dismisses Eddie Cantor as "hard-to-take" with stale comedy routines. Some of this documents the way Mr. Cantor is intentionally presented on film but other negative statements appear to be opinions of Sikov. I have a different opinion. I've seen many Cantor musicals from the early 1930s and find him quite funny and very talented. This too, is a personal opinion but, in contrast, clearly cited as such as opposed to being presented as a universally accepted fact.
   
   Another and more troubling instance involves the photograph Mr. Sikov uses to illustrate the physical beauty of Bette Davis despite the many opinions to the contrary stated and implied throughout her career. I agree that Bette Davis was beautiful but, unfortunately, I do not believe the photo of the lovely woman at a window used by Sikov is an image of Bette Davis. It may well be an early portrait of Patricia Neal.
   
   The issues I've raised may be of minor importance but they caused me to question the veracity of other assertions in the book. All in all, though, an enjoyable read!



5. This is the only bio I've read on Bette Davis so I can't compare it to any others.
   
   Most of the book is about the 1930's and 1940's when Bette did many pictures under contract to Warner Bros. She was constantly making movies, most of them not particularly memorable. Her personal life is lived in and around her movie making schedule. There's a lot of details about the movies that I will enjoy rereading the next time I see the movie on tv and via a rental. Bette has a lot of affairs during this period of her life, many of which are men who are her directors, costars, etc. It doesn't matter that she is married to various others during this period as well.
   
   Once she leaves Warner Bros., her career life is more varied and spread out as she has more control over it. The author also starts to spend more time on just Bette's personal life as a consequence.
   
   This is a lengthy book that appears to be the result of a lot of research and pulling together a lot of resource material judging from the credits. There were a few times I got a bit impatient and bored but really only a tiny bit. Overall I recommend the book but you have to be interested in the subject.
   
   The Davis that emerges at the end in retrospect is the culmination of all the stories and details the author has presented. I really think the author let others tell Bette's story including Bette herself as he used her own memoir as part of his source material along with many of her print/tv interviews.
   
   I spent most of the time in the back of my mind as I read the book wondering if I could've been a friend of hers as she is really tough on people - at times loyal and at other times rude and angry and very unpredictable.
   
   One of the aspects of the book I really liked was detailing her mannerisms and how she used body language to add nuance and meaning to her acting. Much of this knowledge is tied to specific movies and I am interested to rewatch certain films now because of this.
   
   There's really too much in this book to go into without making this review excessively long. Other reviewers have said a lot already. If you enjoy reading about complex people, want to know more about Bette Davis specifically, want to better appreciate her talent and be able to enjoy her movies based on knowing more of the backstories, this is definitely the book to do it.
   
   I read the Kindle version of the book and need to warn that none of the illustrations are included. The cover page is some generic design so you don't even get the head shot shown on Amazon. There is also a subject index at the back of the book that is inactive - there's no page numbers listed even.

5 comments about The City of Joy.

1. No other book I had ever read has ever made me more proud about the fact that I am an Indian or importantly, a human being. The moving story, that the author claims is based on facts is probably based on a true one. What is truly remarkable though, is the fact that this is probably not an unusual story or for that matter even an uncommon one! It happens, more so in India that anywhere else, despite 200 years of British rule the Western had not been able to take from these people what they prize most, their dignity. People trying to live a decent life, who hope to live with at least an ounce of self-respect going to great extremes to attain it.
   
   It doesn't surprise me to know this today, nor does it surprise me to know it took so long for the world to know this. What amazes me is that so many Indians have written such bad reviews about this book. It seems ironic that a book that tells a story about the majority of Indians who are uneducated is not appreciated by the minority that are. It makes sense though. This book doesn't directly attempt to glorify India's culture, its traditions or values. Instead it speaks about the bitter realities of a ghetto that almost all educated Indians with a modern outlook likes to pretend don't exist. These are the people that Westerners mostly interact with, these are the people who want to impress India to the rest of the world, and the truths in this book are not what they would think is impressive. It still impressive none the less. In fact it is more than impressive that even at the lowest of low of economic degradation a man can still try to live a life of dignity - the kind that every human being deserves to live with.
   
   IF AFTER READING THIS BOOK YOU SHED A TEAR, either of joy or sorrow, GO TO THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE MOST AND TELL THEM HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THEM, thank them for who they are and after that thank God for the beauty that is your life and lastly thank yourself because you are a wonderful human-being.



2. "...The 'City of Joy' shall be remembered as the best account of the life of the people in Calcutta's slums; of the city's never-say-die attitude. The book presents a very emotional account of the daily lives of the poor in the city, and makes the reader fall in love with these little heros, who daily fight the battle of life to mete out a subsistence existence. The book is an eye-opener to the people who have never faced the adversities of life. The author has done a brilliant job in portraying the poor with compassion and empathy. A true masterpiece..."



3. One of the reviewers below described the book as "cardboard cut-out disease porn" and that is the most apt, succint way to describe "City of Joy". The book dives into rampant filth, disease and raw physical suffering with about as much preamble and relish as any porn video dives into sex. It is about as uplifting as self-flagellation, and as inspiring as Fear Factor.



4. One of the best boooks of Dominique La Pierre, makes you see reality as is, the acceptance with joy of the life you are to live.



5. An outstanding book. Highly recommended as essential reading for any thinking person and any person who truely cares about the world and the plight of humanity.

3 comments about Governess: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres.

1. The appeal of fiction's most famous governess - Jane Eyre - is the romance, of course. Take away the happy ending and what have you got?
   
   Well, you've got the penury and abuse which made up the lives of most actual governesses in 19th century Britain. Luckily for historian Brandon, the fascination of history does not depend on happy endings, although there is enough melodrama and injustice to fill a Thomas Hardy novel or two. Or six.
   
   Brandon centers on six women (and those around them), famous and obscure, who earned their living as governesses. None chose this powerless profession for the love of it. It was the only avenue for money making for a woman too genteel to become a servant. The only requirement was respectability. Her actual situation in the family was dependent, isolated and precarious.
   
   A governess was not expected to know any science or arithmetic. Her function was to turn out marriageable girls, and everyone was agreed that over-educated girls were unappealing to men.
   
   Brandon's choices of subjects necessarily depended on how much documentation survived of their lives. These lonely women wrote a lot - letters, journals - but little of it survived. Fame - as in the case of Mary Wollstonecraft and her less fortunate stepdaughter, Claire Clairmont - helped.
   
   Some of Brandon's choices were published writers. Anna Leonowen's 1870s memoirs became the basis for "The King and I," and Anna Jameson wrote on literature, art and, later, the rights of women.
   
   Agnes Porter, Brandon's first subject and the ideal of the governess, wrote lots of letters. She was one of the lucky ones, a natural teacher who remained two generations with one family and received a pension. She was also one of the last of an earlier generation, when governesses were employed by wealthy aristocrats who felt an obligation toward loyal servants.
   
   Not that the governess was a servant, exactly. She existed in a limbo between the kitchen and the drawing room and was often rejected by both.
   
   Even Miss Porter, beloved of the family, was ultimately powerless. A jealous second wife denied her a parlor of her own with the result that her social life was curtailed and a matrimonial hope extinguished.
   
   As the 19th century advanced, the middle class grew and required a more genteel education for their daughters. Middle-class women without an income or a husband could be companions or governesses.
   
   Though Mary Wollstonecraft died young, just before the dawn of the 19th century (after the birth of her even more famous daughter Mary Shelley, author of "Frankenstein") her strong views reverberated throughout society, making her, for the most part, an anathema.
   
   Mary "fought her way out of governessing to become a radical journalist," making a name for herself with "A Vindication of the Rights of Women," a manifesto shaped by her efforts to earn a living. Brandon brings her to life as a forceful, charismatic woman who captivated her charges while despising her servitude. Her brief life was full of drama and fury and action and a dutiful responsibility toward her younger sisters whose long lives were spent in bitter governessing.
   
   Men have much to answer for in Brandon's account. Societally, of course, they had all the power and preferred to keep it that way. But they wielded their power in more personal ways too.
   
   Lord Byron clapped his illegitimate daughter in a convent, forbidding her mother, (Claire Clairmont, Mary Shelley's step-sister) access simply to punish her for annoying him.
   
   Nelly Weeton's brother Tom, for whose education she sacrificed her own legacy, cheats her, and later colludes with her brutal husband to rob her of the last of her property.
   
   Brandon shows why women such as Nelly - who had accumulated property of her own - marry and give up their financial independence (married women forfeited all property to their husbands) calculating that even a bad marriage is better than a spinster's isolation.
   
   While writer Anna Jameson made an unsatisfactory marriage work to her advantage - living independently while supported by her unhappy husband - most of these women lived firmly under the thumbs of the men in their lives and the male-centered laws of the land.
   
   Brandon's pages are full of women cheated and abused by male relatives, their children taken from them, their reputations besmirched, their property stolen. She sets the women's lives in the context of their times, quoting liberally from letters, literature, essays and other writings which reflect the views of their contemporaries. Women as well as men fought to keep the status quo - to limit the education and rights of women in order not to disrupt the fabric of society.
   
   Many - mostly men - believed that given education and independence women would choose not to marry!
   
   Engaging, informative, and well-organized, Brandon's dramatic and thoroughly researched account provides a fascinating view on the workings of Victorian society through the difficult lives of individual women.



2. The book lacks cohesian and isn't written clearly. It jumps from story to story and keeps refering back to others. It's very scholarly and I found it to be not very informative, over all.



3. The modern-day reader is most familiar with the 19th century profession of governess through the novels of the Bronte sisters. Governess: The Lives and Times of the Real Jane Eyres is a chronicle of governessing in the late 18th and 19th century. Ruth Brandon follows the lives of seven highly unusual women who were either forced by circumstance or chose the solitary life of being a governess.
   
   Brandon's subjects are Agnes Porter, a governess who held an unusual rapport with her employers; Mary Wollstonecraft, who tried her hand at governessing before finally finding her calling in writing; Anna Leonowens, whose life inspired The King And I; and the women who made strides towards making governessing a liveable job. Eventually, their efforts would lead to the founding of Girton College at Cambridge, which had a profound effect on the profession as a whole.
   
   The governess was an unusual figure in the Victorian period. She belonged neither "upstairs" nor "downstairs," leading those that she lived with to treat her as an outcast. Governesses were underpaid and overworked, and those that were forced into the profession usually came from poor but genteel backgrounds (usually they were the daughters of clergymen). Brandon's source material is mostly not new--ie, its mostly diaries and novels--and her tone is a little pedantic, but her subject matter is extraordinarily fascinating.

5 comments about iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.

1. It's Woz, how can you go wrong? I really enjoyed this book, although I would have enjoyed it a little more if Woz told more up-to-date stories. I know he has a ton, and I was really hoping to learn much more about Woz TODAY. Still, if you want to read about one of the most important people in Computer history, this is a good start.



2. Wozniak gives us a book written for the juvenile mind but marketed to adults, recalling the glory days of his youth and telling us almost nothing about Apple after it grew beyond a home-based business. The presentation is avuncular, excessively colloquial, clownish and shallow. It is fundamentally an incoherent and dishonest book.



3. I had fun reading "iWoz" as it was both educational and entertaining.
   
   A must-read for all apple lovers.
   
   It tells you the story of the man behind it all...



4. Total pile of hog..
   
   They Say history is written by the winners... Unfortunately the wrong guys won..
   
   Wanna know the truth?
   
   Then Read "On the Edge: the spectacular rise and fall of commodore"
   
   Read that then see if you think "Woz" really invented the whole thing..
   
   On the edge is an awsome book that dosnt treat its readers like a bunch of idiots and gives a balanced account; finally giveing credit to the forgotten heros of the era..



5. Growing up a Mac nerd I have to say this book is a must read! I found it fascinating and I have to respect the kind of person that Steve Wozniak is. Highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler.

1. It is not every day that a story takes you by the neck and drags you through the pages like a roller coaster ride. Kid Delicious is impossible to define or dislike. The reader roots for him and his quixotic quest to overcome depression, get a life and learn every nuance of the green baize. Any one of which is a tough task.
   This world of inveterate gamblers is fascinating, quirky, dangerous and full of folk who would pick up a snake for a dollar bet rather than get a 'real' job. The author is a gifted writer, not simply a good sports writer. He obviously cares for his protagonist but does not judge or sugar coat any of his idiosyncracies, and they are legion. The story opens a curtain on a dying sub culture. The internet, Texas Hold 'em and the growth of casinos have all contribued to limiting the action a road warrior can find today. However, Kid Delicious wrung every last drop out of his foray into the world of cross country hustling.
   Read this book, if you play pool or not. The book works on so many levels that it will be enjoyed by anyone with a soul.



2. If you want to read about a travelling pool hustler, this is an excellent read!



3. This is the uplifting "rags to riches" story of the "Minnesota Fats" of our generation. Danny Basavich, aka "Kid Delicious," an overweight slob who, throughout his life was sent in and out of bi-polar depressive tailspins as a result of having been made into a piñata for the bullies in high school. Headed nowhere, and unsure of whom he was, Basavich decided that rather than continuing the daily abuse, to drop out of high school.
   
   With nowhere to go and nothing to do, in order to conquer his depression and remain in denial about his weight, (which had risen to 350 lbs), he began small-scale street hustling that eventually led him to hanging out at the local New Jersey pool halls. There he discovered he had a natural talent for the game of pool. After honing his skills, he teamed up with a young slim good-looking disciplined college dropout and they hit the road together in an effort as much to try to find themselves, as to test their talents, and find their fortune; and if they were lucky, eventually their places in the universe.
   
   The story is about how these two "modern day urban Buccaneers": pals who fed off of each other's strengths and weaknesses, took to the road and tried to corner the under world of amateur U.S. and Canadian pool culture. It is full of colorful events and characters, hustles and scams, hits and misses, ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and many boring nights in a lot of Motel 6s in Minnesota and South Dakota -- all gradually leading up to the dramatic crescendo of the book, climbing the mountain to the top of the pool food chain: the nationally televised professional title held in Miami, Florida.
   
   Although along the way, Danny becomes disciplined -- losing 200 pounds and gaining self-confidence and control over his bi-polar tailspins -- his friend, Bristol, is not so lucky. He falls victim to a drug habit, but against great odds, Basavich continues on, alone, to Miami to win the title of "The World Champion of Professional Pool." He does so in a dazzling display of pool skills and finesse, beating the great Buddy Hall in the Miami finals.
   
   It is an uplifting story, but the book is mostly for insiders, for those who know, or at least can appreciate, the fine points of pool and the art of hustling, otherwise the many events in pool halls across the many hick towns of the mid-West and South can seem quite repetitious and boring, and makes the book appear to be straining for sufficient meat to carry a complete story. For sure, there is a beginning and an end to this story, but even for one familiar with the pool milieu, the middle is often uneventful to the point of seeming to drag. Three stars



4. A good read for players wanting a peak into the recent past of life on the road for money players, and an interesting character study of Kid Delicious. Fun for those who follow the pool scene these days. A revealing picture for those who don't. Doesn't exactly make me want to throw a cue in the trunk and head off for glory.



5. Kid Delicious' story is moving -- at times tragic, heroic and beyond belief. He's part manic depressive, part obese food addict and part ultra-talented pool shark. His dedication to the game gave him solace from a world (New Jersey suburbs) that didn't have much sympathy for a fat, homely, smart-aleck kid with a sharp mind.
   
   Kid Delicious (Danny Basavich) comes to dominate the pool hustling circuit, and you can't help but admire how he pursues/embraces his true love in spite of his profound psychological struggles. His success is a testament to putting everything you have into something you love, and his failures make him human and sympathetic.
   
   If you like books like Playing Off the Rail or Positively Fifth Street, you'll love this one. Wertheim's research is very thorough and he writes like a true billiards fan, with a detailed understanding of the cadences of the game and the sundry characters who populate the dark, dank pool halls across our country.
   
   Danny Basevich's life has certainly been a roller-coaster ride, and Wertheim captures its energy admirably. A phenomenal read.

4 comments about The Harvard Concise Dictionary of Music and Musicians (Harvard University Press Reference Library).

1. This interesting work contains besides information and valorization of the musical themes in its technical and historical aspects .
   You will capable to consult any concise definition as legato, etude, glissandi or the scherzo meaning
   You will find an invaluable source of works related with wide references , historical age and some other issues of interest.
   Without any doubt it will be very helpful for history students and music players , for the amateur music a flowing of knowledge and for those who simply listen to , read and enjoy the magic of the audition and the talent of their composers , an inexhaustible scattering work.



2. I recieved the book in excellent condition and have poured through it for hours. After a 20 plus year absence from "playing" music, I decided to return to the guitar but wanted to do it properly this time. The subject book has been of great use in understanding various music terms, proceedures, etc.
   
   I would recommend this book to anyonme wishing to learn music "in-depth"
   
   PS, it does include information on various "rock band musicians" as well as classical.



3. Gives tons of information of musicians and music concepts that are helpful for writing research papers.



4. The book that arrived was the correct selection but arrived somewhat damaged with a wrinkled/ folded book cover. If the packing was stronger, then the book would not have been damaged.

1 comments about Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life.

1. I think it is safe to say that, of all theologians contemporary or ancient, few have had as profound an affect on my life as Francis Schaeffer. Though I've read little of what he wrote, though he died when I was only a young child, and though I have never heard even one of his sermons, I know that my faith has been shaped by him. He was, after all, a major influence on my parents and on so many of their friends. Shortly after their conversion, my parents went three times to various European L'Abri locations, spending upwards of a year at them. In so many ways Schaeffer shaped their fledgling faith just as they later shaped mine. I am indebted to him as I am to them. And in this I am hardly the only one. Though it has been almost twenty five years since his death, Schaeffer's impact is still felt throughout the Christian church.
   
   Despite my indebtedness, and despite his influence over me, I know so little about Francis Schaeffer. Though widely admired, it seems that few people have taken on the challenge of documenting his life (his son's recent attempt notwithstanding). It was with great interest, then, that I turned to Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life, a new biography written by Colin Duriez, who has previously written accounts of the lives of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
   
   The publisher's description aptly summarizes the content. "From his working-class childhood in Pennsylvania, to the founding of L'Abri, his personal crisis of faith, and his latter years as a compassionate controversialist in the worldwide spotlight, all the eras of Schaeffer's life unfold within these pages. But Duriez, who studied under and interviewed Schaeffer, also takes a deeper look, revealing those distinct life phases, as well as Schaeffer's teachings and his complexities as a person, within their historical context so that contemporary readers may better understand all of who Schaeffer was--and why he still matters today." Duriez depends largely on oral history he gathered--upwards of 150,000 words of it, to describe the life of this great Christian.
   
   I find that there are at least two kinds of biographies. There are some where the reader closes the cover and feels as if he now knows a lot about the book's subject; then there is the occasional sublime biography where the reader closes the book and feels as if he truly knows the subject. While I wanted this biography to fit in the latter category, I feel that it fits instead in the former. This is not meant as a critique as much as an honest assessment. Though the book has undoubtedly increased my knowledge of Francis Schaeffer, my respect for him, and my understanding of his impact on the church, I do not feel as if I really know him, as perhaps I did with Jonathan Edwards after reading Marsden's great account of his life or with Whitefield after enjoying Dallimore's two-volume masterpiece.
   
   Yet the book stands on its own merits and it stands well. It is thorough without being burdensome and grapples well with the complexities of Francis Schaeffer, his life, and his ministry. It describes a man who had a unique gift for teaching and a deep, reverent love for his Saviour.
   
   The best and, to my knowledge, the only full-length biography of Schaeffer available today, this one is well worth the read. I do not think it will stand in history as the definitive account of Schaeffer's life, but it is still a very good account and one that will bless you as you read it. If you have been influenced by Schaeffer or if you have sought to understand his ministry, you will want to secure a copy for yourself.