1 comments about Where Our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine.

1. Where our Food Comes From: Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine. Gary Paul Nabhan. Island Press: Washington, 2008. 214 pp., $24.95 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-1-59726-399-3, ISBN-10: 1-59726-399-0).
   
   Reviewed by Rafael J. Routson, Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
   
   In the Foodsteps of Giants:
   
   
   In his latest scientific and cultural pursuit, Where Our Food Comes From, Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan tracks the footsteps of Russian seed scientist Nikolay Vavilov across five continents, tracing the centers of diversity of domesticated food crops. These two scientists, whose work reaches into three centuries, embarked upon their quests in the context of a critical race, for Vavilov a pursuit against famine in his own country and then the snarls of the communist government, and for Dr. Nabhan a race against the irreversible loss of the world's genetic food crop diversity. The stories of each scientist, spaced fifty to seventy years apart in their journeys provide a multi-tiered study of past and current tapestries of seeds, fruits, roots, and tubers, as well as the farms, farmers, seed collectors, and seed protectors in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. This book emerges at a pivotal time in agricultural history, as economic and political factors severely threaten the future of food diversity and food security around the globe. In the times of Nikolay Vavilov, nation-wide famines propelled the young scientist to seek strains of crops from around the world to locate genes resistant to pests, disease, and unpredictable weather conditions. Dr. Nabhan follows the routes of the Russian scientist, tracing the centers of seed diversity, and noting shifts in the agricultural practices and traditions as well as the climatic, social, and political changes that have occurred in the previous half century, to place their combined searches in an international political ecology context, the findings not just for the benefit of one nation, but for the long-term health and survival of humanity and global agrobiodiversity.
   
   As a lifelong goal, the Russian seed scientist Nikolay Vavilov sought to locate the centers of origin and diversity of cultivated plants and to collect the entire range of seed diversity on five continents. Vavilov not only gathered the seeds, but he took extensive field notes regarding cultivation, harvesting, preparation, farm and topographical characteristics, the vernacular names, uses, and lore. He was conversant in fifteen languages and traced the linguistic and cultural histories of the seeds as well as the genetic origins. Nikolay Vavilov founded an extensive seed bank and research center, and was also a proponent of in-situ conservation, of seeds remaining in the hands of the farmers world-wide and continuing to evolve in the myriad environments of the farmers' fields. Vavilov noted diminishing seed diversity, a phenomenon later known as genetic erosion, and he promoted agrobiodiversity as a cornerstone of food security. The Russian scientist is both championed and criticized for his extensive seed collecting efforts, and he himself knew that collecting seeds from one country for use in another is never ethically or politically neutral (147).
   
   K. B. Wilson, in the introduction to Where our Food Comes From, writes that virtually no crops have been domesticated in modern times, and that science has failed to develop any new crops at all (xiv); even with the extensive work in hybridization and genetic engineering, the true breadth of seed diversity stems from millennia of isolated and interrelated farmers, tribes, and villages selecting and reproducing the crops that sustained, and still sustain all of humanity. The web of agrobiodiversity includes interactions among plant, animals, and cultures, a dynamic process of interchange and multi-directional influences. Wild relatives along field edges cross and backcross in reticulate evolution with domesticated plants and animals to increase pest tolerance and exchange the genes of survival necessary for specific ecosystems. These wild and domesticated biota shape and are shaped by cultures, blurring the boundaries between human and wild, revealing a millennial-length collective adaptation as a dynamic, living entity.
   
   Shifting economic and political tendencies and implementation of new agricultural and industrial technologies have triggered a dramatic decrease in seed diversity around the globe. These changes are hard to measure because early documentation of intricate farmer-field-environment interactions is virtually non-existent. The techniques of measuring genetic erosion emerged with the technology of creating genetic fingerprints for plant and animal varieties, but even this knowledge has come late in the process; much of the world's seed diversity has already disappeared. Funding pours in for biotechnology but not the protection and promotion of seed, cultural, and biological diversity. In the current cultural and political climate of starvation, international seed companies merging with pharmaceutical and agricultural chemical companies, seed patenting, and outcries for seed sovereignty, Dr. Nabhan follows a delicate and acute line, seeking the vein and pulse of these issues. Add to this a physical climate changing at a rate that is already forcing extinctions; even domesticated crops once grown at one altitude can no longer survive in the areas in which they evolved. Dr. Nabhan travels, not as a seed collector, but as a witness, using Vavilov's detailed and meticulous field notes to assess the changing nature of the world's agrobiodiversity.
   
   In his early explorations, Nikolay Vavilov developed and pursued the idea of a correlation among cradles of cultural and biological diversity. A greater richness in seed diversity, he hypothesized, could be found in mountainous areas more than in the fertile, agricultural plains. In the mountains, the climatic, elevation, topographic, vegetation, and soil gradients would foster isolated communities associated with greater language and species richness. Vavilov developed the term "nuclear centers of diversity" that later scientists such as Carl Sauer used when mapping the centers of origin for crop plants and Norman Myers and the World Wildlife Fund correlated later with biological "hotspots of biodiversity" (18). The nuclear centers mapped by Vavilov, cover only 1/5 of the world's landmass, but hold a high percentage of wild and domesticated species diversity. These places are also rich in indigenous knowledge and integrated practices of managing both the wild and the cultivated for maximal landscape potential. These centers of biodiversity now drive conservation planning and dictate the funneling of conservation dollars, however, scientists and policy makers have been slow to acknowledge the integrated nature of cultures in these centers of biodiversity. They have excluded many indigenous groups from the "protected" areas, aggravating an already declining state of cultural and biotic erosion.
   
   Vavilov began his international seed-questing travels in the Middle East and Asia in 1916. He was delayed, detained, and interrogated by local and international police suspect of his purpose. He survived political harassment and the inherent difficulties of traveling to the far reaches of the world by vehicle, train, mule, horse, camel, and caravan, crossing mountain ranges, fording rivers, and pursuing paths into the interiors of continents to find his coveted seeds. He first collected seeds in Persia, and continued into Kyrgystan, Mongolia, and Tajikistan, locating one of his nuclear centers in the Pamir Mountain Range in Central Asia. The Pamirs are third highest mountain landscape in the world, rising above five thousand meters, with cold desert valleys between glacier covered peaks. The extreme conditions, rugged landscape, and long history of human habitation have provided a natural laboratory for crop evolution and resilience (46). Vavilov took precise notes that can still be used to assess the climate and crop correlations, pressure readings for elevation, and he described geographic patterns in crop diversity. Dr. Nabhan, on his own journey to the Pamirs in 2003, documented a dynamic cultural and physical landscape. Dr. Nabhan writes that climate change is accelerating glacier melt in the high altitudes, leading to a changing upper limit of wheat, rye, oat, and potato crops and livestock grazing, while the cold rivers of glacier runoff decreased the temperatures in the valleys (56). Farmers struggle to move their crops higher up the mountains slopes, even planting orchards at unprecedented elevations with the foresight that the climate will be suitable by the time the trees are old enough to bear fruit. The traditional farmers have ever-dynamic practices, adapting to the variations presented by topography, climate, and social and political pressures, but the accelerated rate of climate change presents unprecedented challenges to the adaptation of food crops and farming methods.
   
   Changing political regimes, trade agreements, and national boundaries affect seed diversity in localities and the exchange of seeds between localities. Dr. Nabhan traced the Russian scientist's work to his own Nabhan family roots in the Levant in Greater Syria. Gary Paul Nabhan's great-grandfather emigrated from Lebanon following political turmoil in the 1860s when traditional agricultural crops were abandoned for silkworm production, leading to half a century of a food crisis, disease, and massive starvation. Both scientists arrived in the Fertile Crescent in the midst of political and social turmoil to seek wheat varieties in Lebanon, Syria, and Bekaa. They traveled to the Magreb oases to find date palm and desert crops across northern Africa where traditional crops were grown in polycultures near the artesian springs to form multi-tiered oases. The oases, once reached by camels, are now within easy access by virtue of paved roads, and though Dr. Nabhan documents that the perennial cover has not changed, the number of exotic varieties of fruits and nuts has increased while the local varieties of olives, dates, pomegranates, and figs, among many, have greatly decreased. In Ethiopia, the scientists pursued crop diversity in a region that holds the oldest known remnant of human civilization in the Great Rift Valley. Famine has swept the region, triggered by political upheaval, but the endemic races still abound, the diversity fostered by the topographical diversity and broad elevation ranges. Vavilov and Nabhan both found stunning polycultures of mixed grains and a tapestry of legumes, pasture grass, cereals, and vegetable patches. The mixed crops were and continue to be the keys to resilience in the region. A local organization known as the Ethiopian Plant Genetics Resource Center promotes the conservation of local use of crops, livestock, medicinal, and microbial diversity.
   
   Vavilov undertook his expedition to South America while political struggles in Russia plummeted the country again into a massive famine. Unfortunate weather conditions combined with the social collectivization of fields, which failed to increase yields for many reasons, lead to a mass starvation that took the lives of 2.5-4.8 million peasants. Vavilov found in the South American rain forests co-managed ecosystems, now termed Anthropogenic forests, as indigenous tribes shaped the spatial and temporal dynamics of their landscape. The rainforests faced then and continue to experience extensive destruction, and the indigenous people are forced to leave or flee deeper into the forests; the entire system is subject to the needs of a growing population and demands of political structures within and among countries. After his journey to the rainforests, Vavilov faced the end of his own career and life as well: Stalin was growing increasingly discontent with a scientist and scientific pursuit he considered to be frivolous and incapable of pacifying the starving populous. In 1940 he had Vavilov arrested and imprisoned, a scapegoat on which he could place the blame of the millions of people dying of starvation. Who would live and who would die brings to the forefront a story of seeds and their passionate collectors and protectors, but the life of the Russian seed scientist holds a critical place in the larger struggles and story of global food crop, culture, and biological diversity.
   
   The fate of agricultural diversity lies intimately linked to the chaotic politics that refuse to acknowledge the existence or importance of the genetic diversity that still prevails in seed banks and farmers' fields. Even as the necessity of protecting seed diversity has gained recognition, complex politics surround issues of in-situ and ex-situ conservation. The rise of industrial agriculture depends on the seed diversity developed in subsistence agriculture through millennia. The new economic and industrial systems, while promoting a few selected and manipulated varieties around the world, are at the same time destroying the base on which they depend for survival. Transnational corporations now have collections of patented seeds, gathered from subsistence villages, that they manipulate and sell back to the villagers with the requisite fertilizers. "Developed" nations depend on these under developed nations for diversity, but the farmers are not compensated and often marginalized in the process. Seed banks, ex-situ, or off-site repositories of agricultural diversity, are a flawed and insufficient strategy; seeds die in storage, become contaminated during grow-outs, and lose their place in the hands of cultures and the dynamic process of micro-evolution to specific environments. Most seed banks do not have ensured long-term financial support, nor have duplicate specimens of their seeds. Most farmers do not have access to the seeds held within, though many transnational seed companies do have access. In-situ conservation or on-site conservation keeps the seeds in the hands of the farmers to be part of the on-going selection and evolution process, but remains vulnerable to climate changes, shifting politics ad economies, trade agreements, transnational corporations, floods, famines, and war. Seed sovereignty, a grassroots movement to cling to in-situ conservation of local varieties has gained global momentum, and community organizations such as Parque de La Papa in Peru help keep seeds and farmers linked in living agrobiodiversity systems. Dr. Nabhan and Vavilov both pursued the far reaches of crop diversity, working to promote both in-situ and ex-situ conservation, but the call still persists and their voices continue to shout in the hurricane of power and money and global forward movement.
   
   Dr. Nabhan writes a story that both educates and challenges the reader; he brings to light the work of a prominent though largely forgotten crop scientist, while threading the pertinent issues, past and present that transform all regions of the globe. Within this framework, Where our Food Comes From reaches to the past to stimulate, motivate, and inspire its readers to work toward the conservation of cultural and food crop diversity. He leads us into remote regions and gives just enough of a flavor for the reader to realize the extensive knowledge and genetic diversity both present within and disappearing from every ecosystem and landscape. Local and regional movements have the most potential to save, promote, and support the genetic diversity harbored within landscapes and ensure a future for humanity. Dr. Nabhan writes of food democracy, and the rights of all individuals to have choices in access, production, transportation, and availability of their food, but like all democracies, this depends on the education and awareness of the people within and the power of the rural and underprivileged to have a say in politics. Agricultural and wild lands, the terms not mutually exclusive, are succumbing to urban development at a rapid pace globally. The reader feels the urgency of this text, of the haunting voices of those who have died working to promote and save genetic diversity, and the scale of the challenge faced now by those who choose to be conscious of the forces at work and the undertake their own journeys in promoting global food security and food crop, cultural and biological diversity.
   
   
   Key Words: Agrobiodiversity, Vavilov, Centers of diversity.

5 comments about My Way Out: One Woman's Remarkable Journey in Overcoming Her Drinking Problem and How Her Innovative Program Can Help You or Someone You Love.

1. I have purchased from Amazon for years and this is the first time I have been compelled to leave a comment on a product.
   This book was absolutely worth every penney. The way these women were described and how alcohol dominated their life described me exactly.
   There are suggestions made for prescriptions and supplements and I didn't need all that. Reading the book got me started on the right track.
   Thanks a million to the author.



2. Do not waste your life, or your loved one's life, on this book. 'My Way Out' (MWO) puts you on the wrong path. I wasted $[...] on MYO's recommended self-hypnosis CDs, which were no help at all (and for which I cannot get a refund).
   
   I wasted hours of my time listening to these CDs, only to end up feeling despair because the CDs did nothing either to stop the cravings or end the depression. Talk about anguish! I began to believe there was 'No Way Out' for me, only for other people.
   
   It turns out I'm hypoglycemic--and if you crave alcohol, sweets or caffeine, then chances you are too, or else you are on the fast track to getting there--and the routine physical at your doctor's office doesn't test for hypoglycemia, so don't feel safe simply because your doctor tells you you check out okay. If you have energy highs and lows during the day, then like it or not, you're on your way to trouble. I didn't want to believe it either, but truth is truth.
   
   Larsen's book (Seven Weeks to Sobriety) has real answers. Self-hypnosis isn't one of them.
   
   
   .



3. This book is nothing but a short booklet telling you why you should buy her $500 hypnosis CD set. There is barely any inspirational story at all behind it! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!



4. This is not a book that reveals insight for women struggling with alcoholism or alcohol overuse... an insightful "way out"... it is a program that uses toparimate (Topamax). Some people find that they can drink moderately called "Controlled Drinking" by addiction experts when using Topamax. That is also discussed in the book.



5. ****
   This book describes an alternate plan for those who ideally are early to moderate problem drinkers (not heavy drinkers or active alcoholics). It addresses the physiological component of alcohol cravings, not the spiritual or emotional components.
   
   The author, writing under a pseudonym, struggled with alcohol and so developed this program for those for whom AA or clinical treatment would not be desirable options. She describes her own journey to abstinence along with that of a good friend. In one chapter, the two women share excerpts from their journals to demonstrate aspects of the program and how they responded.
   
   The author's program involves five components: the medication Topamax, nutritional supplements, hypnotherapy, exercise, and diet.
   
   Several reviewers have warned readers away from this book; I disagree with their views. This book describes a controversial and cutting edge approach, and is not for heavy drinkers. It is certainly not for everyone. However, if you are open-minded, and read to learn, I am sure that there is information here that could benefit anyone, even those in AA. You may find out about a supplement that could assist you in your recovery, or a dietary approach that makes everything easier.
   
   Since publication of the book, this program has been modified somewhat; there are updates to the program available at mywayout.org. You can also find out more about the program there.
   
   If you desire to moderate your drinking or abstain from alcohol altogether, and if you are looking for alternatives to the conventional route of AA, or enhancements to your AA program, you will benefit from this book.
   
   Recommended.
   ****

5 comments about The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food.

1. Initially I found this memoir a disappointment. Ms. Jones has done as much as anyone alive to give us access to new culinary ideas, and it is fair to say that she championed the books that shaped our current gastronomic thinking, as well as editing them. Nonetheless, her account of all this can come across as superficial and chilly; the prose is well crafted, but it sounds as though she's talking about someone else, and not someone that she knows personally or cares about all that much. The book begins to sound more like a personal memoir when she introduces her country home, where there was emphasis on growing their own food as much as possible, and it comes alive when she talks about the loss of he husband of 50+ years, and how impossible it seemed to go on with something as simple as cooking dinner bcause they had always done it together. Her account of her grief and slow recovery is marvelous. She is never overly revealing but shows her humanity in a way that's both sympathetic and elegant. Her story of eating a beaver's tail, and how her account of it shocked and horrified readers, provides a fascinating counterpoint to her own gradual coming to life again after a loss that seemed catastrophic. As a fan of her late husband's food writing, I found myself thinking "Evan would have loved that story."



2. I received this book as a Christmas present. The author is a young American who falls in love with French cooking while living abroad. She finds a great guy in the last throes of his first marriage, and marries him for life (until he dies some decades later). They relocate from Paris to New England, and she goes on to a life in publishing--the first to discover Julia Child. Her memoir is laden with the great chefs of her time and the sumptuous meals they ate together. She and her husband also entertained often, both of them being adept in the kitchen. Recipes blend with her story, but remember that French cooking is her specialty. She writes this as a senior citizen, and her long and complex history with food shines through.



3. Judith Jones has a way of writing that makes it feel as through she's in the room with you, personally telling you the story. This is one of the rare books that I come across and seem incapable of putting down. As a word of warning, you will inevitably be quite envious of her travels and experiences. Furthermore, if you're anything like me, it will make you want to immediately make a trip to France, find an apartment, and live for the day. My! What a dangerous thought!



4. The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food belongs on your shelf with Frances Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and Bill Buford's Heat. It will awaken your senses and make you long for a crusty bread, an artisan cheese and a fresh peach.
   
   Author Judith Jones is a longtime editor at publisher Alfred A. Knopf Inc. and a lifetime epicurean. It would be a mistake to dismiss Jones as "just a cookbook editor," even though her authors include Julia Child, Marion Cunningham, and Lidia Bastianich. She's responsible for publishing The Diary of Anne Frank, and she edited the work of Anne Tyler and John Updike, among others.
   
   It's apparent that her two loves, great literature and food, converged in a special way when she worked with Child and the other chefs. Jones gives her readers a glimpse into how she brings a cookbook to life as well as how she coaches a cook into a writer. Giving each chef a unique culinary viewpoint with the food and a unique voice as a writer was Jones' primary focus.
   
   Starting with a childhood of bland English and New England fare, Jones recounts how she was born wanting more. More flavor, more variety, more goodness. After college and WWII she lived in Paris for several years where she met her late husband Evan Jones. Together they explored the food of different cultures and brought the best of it home to New York, then Vermont. They also excelled at finding the best local food available.
   
   Personal details are sparse. Readers craving gossip about why she and Evan never had children or whether their relationship played a part in his divorce will be disappointed. But foodies who want to know if she really ate beaver liver and tail will get their answer.
   
   Jones concludes the book with recipes from childhood, later discoveries including French and Asian favorites, and her newest passion: cooking for one. Pictures of Jones, her husband, and many of her authors are sprinkled throughout.
   
   The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food is part memoir, part travelogue, part cookbook and is easily more than the sum of its parts.
   
   Armchair Interviews agree



5. If you enjoy cooking, if you enjoy browsing through cook books, if the secrets of great meals excite you, and above all if love good food then this is a book for you. It is not only about good food and cooking, it is a memoir of a fascinating woman who lives an interesting life, and has the writing skills to make her account a page turner.
   
   For me Julia Child is a hero. When my wife and I talk about cooking, my wife often says, "Yes, I know Julia Child said to do it this way therefore that is the way it must be done, right?" Fortunately my wife has a will of her own.
   
   I had to read about the woman who discovered my hero and helped to make her famous. There are insights into a lot of other wonderful cooks that Judith helped to get published.
   
   If you are a cooking freak this is a must read book, if you just love to cook and to read about cooking this is a must read book, if you enjoy an interesting story about an interesting woman this is a good book for you.
   
   Why only four stars? There are some parts of the book that I feel could have been left out, but that is an opinion with which many will differ.

1 comments about Harry S. Truman: The American Presidents Series: The 33rd President, 1945-1953.

1. Harry S. Truman's life story in a short, accessible biography. That's the premise of The American Presidents Series, and this is one of the most recent entrants in the stable. The late Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. was the series editor. In his introduction to each book in this series, he says (Page xvi): "The men in the White House express the ideals and values, the frailties and the flaws, of the voters who send them there. It is altogether natural that we should want to know more about the virtues and the vices of the fellows we have elected to govern us. As we know more about them, we will know more about themselves."
   
   The book begins by noting that, traditionally, the 20th century presidents deemed to be great or near great include: Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman. The "Preludes" section notes that (Page 1): "On the face of things, Truman's high standing is surprising. . . . Truman was notable for his ordinariness."
   
   The book begins with his family background, his early years, his service in World War I, his early (failed) effort at a haberdashery business, and his decision to move into public life. The book well describes his moral dilemmas at one point: the corrupt Pendergast organization was willing to sponsor him for elective office. What would he do? Eschew the support of the machine? Or use its support and still try to stay clean? He did the latter and his political career began. By the way, to give a sense of The American Presidents' series, we come to see how and why FDR selected Truman as his Vice-Presidential partner by page 15!
   
   Truman's time in the White House. . . . We see him reflecting on whether or not to use the atomic weaponry against Japan. We see him trying to adjust to the Post-World War II Cold War/Iron Curtain era. We see him trying to navigate between left and right in domestic politics, and sometimes seeming to drift. One intriguing line (Page 37): "And yet Truman was disinclined to confront the country with the emerging dangers he saw from Soviet aggression. . . ." This is a subtheme of the book, with the author, Robert Dallek, noting that on a number of occasions, Truman seemed to back off confronting difficult issues. It creates, in fact, a tension within this volume between the author commenting that Truman warranted his high rating by historians and then noting his occasional avoiding tough issues.
   
   The story of his unexpected victory in 1948 over Thomas Dewey, the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, and his rapidly deteriorating public approval. . . . It's all here, including his active post-presidential career.
   
   A very nice brief introduction to Henry Truman. This book has motivated me to consider buying one of the larger biographies of the subject and exploring his life more deeply. . . .

5 comments about Willie Nelson: An Epic Life.

1. Joe Patoski's book on Willie Nelson is full of information not only on willie, but many other interesting places and people.



2. Joe Nick Patoski has exhaustively researched the Man, and the book reflects his efforts. It's an entertaining read. Well worth the money.



3. I had the good fortune to not only live in Austin during the 70's "Willie" years but to have also been to his 3 day 1976 Gonzales picnic and to his 1980's picnic at his Pedernales place. I've also seen him play golf which is a site to behold. I'd always heard about his womanizing, drug use, and epic struggle to be a star but didn't know if all of it or even part of it, was true. This book puts all of those myths and rumors to rest. Yes indeed his first wife did beat him with a broom stick while he was passed out drunk! This book shows all of Shotgun Willie sitting around in his underwear. He's a mean drunk and a loyal friend. He's a drug abuser and a philanthropist. He's a "not there" father but a raiser of funds for churches, farmers, and friends with unpaid tax bills.
   
   At times this book can be tedious with detail particularly about Willie's early music life. And, as another reader said,overloaded with compound sentences. But strap yourself in, get your beverage of choice, and enjoy reading about this true Red Headed Stranger.



4. I can understand that the reason for this book's existence may coincide with the fact that Willie Nelson recently turned 75. Unfortunately, with the glut of other Willie books currently on the market, the best part of this one is the picture on the cover. The cast of characters are all familiar to the hard-core fan by now, and the story has been told in half a dozen other books before - including Willie's own autobiography and Graeme Thomson's "Willie Nelson: The Outlaw" that only just came out in 2006. Even the picture section is pretty thin, with many already-familiar images, none of them in color. For someone who does not currently own a book on Mr. Nelson it would definitely be a good buy, as it certainly is comprehensive and a good effort; I personally checked this out of the public library to preview it before making the decision whether or not to part with $30.00, but I have to say that with five other Willie Nelson books already in my collection, I will skip this one.



5. Overwritten by at least a third. No gig, no woman, no bar, no tall tale goes untold in this music bio. I found myself skimming many pages because the detail is so extraneous. You'll get the outline of Willie's life here, and the book is good on the lesser-known early years before "Stardust" made Willie big business. But it's just more than you'll want to know unless you are an absolute fanatic. The author did a much better, far more concise job on the Stevie Ray Vaughan story. Read this if you want to know about Willie's years as a drifter, dj, song plugger and big time booze, pill and women hound. Or you could just stare at Willie's weathered face because the same stories are all written right there.

2 comments about Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life (WWE).

1. Being a longtime WWF/WWE fan I own almost every official biography they have released to date. I just finished the Andre The Giant biography and I have to honestly say this is by far the WORST WWE biography I have ever read. The author obviously did not have even of a biography to fit in a decent sized book so he described many of Andre's matches in great detail, too much detail in my view. The author would spend multiple pages on each match with details of just about every move used in the match (with Andre there was not many he used). What was really unnecessary was including match details of matches Andre was not even wrestling in, way too many for my taste. As most people know Andre was not very active in his later years in the ring so many of the matches Andre was just observing and doing very little actual wrestling, the author spent way too much time talking about matches that Andre was not even in. In my opinion this book was a complete waste of time and money. I strongly recommend fans avoid this book...



2. I had such high hopes for this book about my childhood hero, Andre the Giant. But unfortunately they were not met with this Michael Krugman book. The story of Andre's life was not fully articulated in this 344 page book. Andre started his wrestling career in 1967 and from the beginning of his life till 1979 it is summed up in 50 pages. These are the years that Andre was originally discovered, gained fame comparable to Muhammad Ali and put together his technique but it was put together poorly. As a fan of Mr. Rouismoff's I began to notice him when WWE went national, in the 80's and therefore witnessed all of his matches from this era on the USA network and from PPV events. This was all relived in the book--word from word. I felt like I was reading the captioning from the TV. Mr. Krugman found all of the big matches from the 80's and simply put on the captioning and typed away...why? If this is what you were going to do, just put out a 3-disc dvd, which I would really, really enjoy. Again I had hopes of his childhood from family that had known Andre's family, I had hopes of his introduction to mass drinking, more of the stories of partying with Andre, the women, his daughter in Seattle, his days when he left to go to Japan, his final match and more on the personal side. Instead closed captioning of all of his big 80's matches...disappointed. Why 2 stars then, well if you never witnessed Andre, this is the best way to get to know him and the fact that WWE put something out about my hero well I will give you credit on that. The only hope I have is that WWE puts out a supplement 3 disc dvd capturing the video of these matches, to witness the matches that would truly be legendary.

4 comments about I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams.

1. Thank you for sharing your world, I learned so much. My son shares the same March 10th birthday as Patrick Henry. My son was also born with severe Bilateral Microphthalmia or small eyes, he is also blind. My son is now 19 months old and reading this book gave me some insights on what I might expect in the future. Reading about the struggles and hardships that Hughes family has tackled and overcome is inspiring. As a father of a boy with a similar condition - Patrick John Hughes insight as a father was enlightening. Anyone wishing to read a good book should sit down and read this story. I know my opinion is biased - but again it is only my opinion. It will be interesting to see what book gets written 20 years from now about the young adult life of Patrick Henry. I wish Patrick and his family the best. His optimism has helped my family and other families that I know that are dealing with blindness. Hopefully Patrick will continue to break down barriers and share his talents with all.



2. Thank You Patrick Henry!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful story with the World. Thank you for allowing us to know you and your delightful family. Thank you for all that you have done to help the Crusade for Children, the March of Dimes, etc., etc.,. But mostly, thank you for inspiring both the physically able, and the disabled into being the BEST person we can be. God doesn't make mistakes. We were made the way we are, for a reason. I think, Your purpose is to share your many special gifts with the World. Through you, we see the World in a new light! Shine on, Shine on Patrick Henry!!



3. If you saw the Hughes family on the ABC TV show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" this past February (2008) you may have wondered who they were and why they where chosen. The bigger story is however much deeper and more loving and certainly one that is most inspirational. The book " I Am Potential: Eight Lessons on Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams" is a wonderful true life tale as told to Bryant Stamford by Patrick Henry Hughes and his father Patrick John Hughes. It goes well beyond just telling you who this family is and what makes Patrick Henry so special - it gives depth to the family experiences and gives the reader a look at something very special indeed.
   
   This book is about how a young man, who has not only over come his disabilities, but inspired a community; and now, he inspires an entire nation with his positive zest for life. It also shows how his father coped and dealt with it and how the whole family made it work. This is one of those feel good stories that would make a great feature movie by Disney. The story is uplifting and not about what is wrong, or what someone cannot do. It is a positive message that makes the greater family of mankind feel better.
   
   I enjoyed reading the book but I also found it impossible not to love this young man and to wish him all the best. He may be in a wheel chair and unable to see with his eyes - but he is moving others at light speed towards something much greater within their own selves. The book has a spiritual message without any lectures or ego driven, self-serving attitudes - it is honesty and pure love!
   
   This book has gotten the highest book rating of FIVE STARS from "The American Authors Association" and is on my short list of recommended must read books! I give this my personal endorsement. This is a book that all family members can read.



4. I have not yet had the chance to read the entire book.... but after recently seeing Patrick Henry Hughes and his father Patrick at our annual meeting here in Louisville, the crowd of 600 or so was blown away.
   
   Being in Louisville, we have seen a lot more coverage than most on this story since Extreme Makeover: Home Edition rolled into town in late 2006 to film, tear down the house, and rebuild. I thought I had heard it all, but the book and seeing them in person paints an even deeper story.
   
   Patrick Henry Hughes and his family are the real deal, with he and his father delivering a heart-wrenching motivational message in a one-two punch with lots of humor, mixed in with lots of piano and singing by Patrick Henry. He is SO talented. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Patrick Henry. This book is just one part of the story. Read the book, but go see him if you get the chance. They are on motivational speaking tours across the nation.

5 comments about First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.).

1. I read all but a couple chapters of this book on a flight across the US. It is easy reading and I could not put it down. The horrors this author went through will make the reader pause to count his blessings. I think this is a must read for anyone who is unfamiliar with Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.



2. Wow, I was blown away by this book. Despite the virtually universal good reviews, this book sat on my desk for months. I wasn't sure I was up to reading about the horrors of Pol Pot. I have seen the pictures of the Killing Fields and read about it before.
   
   But my conscience bothered me and I eventually read it, thinking if it was too depressing, I'd simply chuck it. But like many, I was sucked in once I started - read it in less than a day - stayed up half the night reading.
   
   Powerful story of survival and the incredible cruelty of Man brought about by ignorance and poverty.



3. What a powerful, remarkable story that centers on a girl's will to survive. I won't forget this book, not for a very long time, if ever. I felt like I was with the narrator, right beside her, in the midst of the killing fields. Whenever I'm having a tough day now, and worried about some trivial thing, I remember this book. Fantastic. "First They Killed My Father" certainly isn't an easy read (in terms of emotional intensity), but it's one of the most important books I've read.



4. When travelling through cambodia another traveller recommended this book. I was sceptical when she said it was so sad at times she had to put it down - I found out the hard way sitting on an airplane...
   
   I am glad I waited till I had been to Cambodia before I read it and it did make it easier to visualise. But even knowing the history of the country and what happended under Pol Pot it was not any less emotional to read. I know there are lots of stories similar to this but I thought this one captured it greatly. Would love to have a second book filling in some of the gaps after her immigration to the US



5. I haven't finished the book yet. I can' exactly say I am enjoying it because it is such a sad subject and time in history. How can anyone enjoy the pain of others?
   I am someone who likes to get to know people and reading this book truly does give me a feel for what this young girl went through along with her family.

5 comments about In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002.

1. I enjoyed this book. I thought that the author could have integrated the various soldiers' stories more cleanly than he did. The story about Todd Bryant is just tragic. Such a promising young man cut down in the prime of his life. And the effect on his wife was just devastating. It's interesting that even among West Point officers there is mixed support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If nothing else, this book puts names and faces to headlines.
   
   Of course, as for the West Point mystique, I did not really get that. The book focuses more on the war than on West Point. As someone from a non-military family, I do not understand why West Point is the place it is. But then again I am an outsider not part of the military culture.
   
   Good book.



2. Author Bill Murphy offers a compelling portrait of selected members of the West Point class of 2002, the first ones to graduate after 9/11 and help launch the global war on terrorism (GWOT). From patriotic fervor to growing disillusionment with the costs, aims and strategy of the war, the Army officers undergo a transformation. Some pay the ultimate sacrifice. Others bear surgical scars. Still others bear psychological wounds.
   
   "In a Time of War" is not an anti-war polemic, but it will provide fodder for those who question America's strategy there. It will also offer a vivid portrait of the sacrifices called upon those who serve there.
   
   My biggest issue with the book was that the cast of characters was so wide that it was difficult to keep track of the different subjects of the narrative. Old men start wars and young men fight them. "In a Time of War" illustrates the price paid by those young men



3. Ever since reading Absolutely American (Lipsky, Houghton Mifflin 2003) I have waited for In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point's Class of 2002. I would have been happy to wait longer for a better book. In a Time of War takes its title from President George W. Bush's graduation address to the 2002 class of the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA). The 2002 class entered the academy in peacetime but graduated into active duty wartime service. Mention is made that the USMA class of 2008 not only graduates in a time of war but entered the academy with America in two wars. Perhaps books will be written about this group of admirable people also.
   
   While frequently fascinating and riveting, In a Time of War falls flat in places and portions of the last few chapters verge on being boring. I would have liked to read an epilogue that would go something like: "As of press time, x of the 2002 class of West Point have been killed in action; y are currently deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Z% of the young captains and lieutenants have left military service. America has yet to see how this group of extraordinary individuals will shape her future. May she be receptive to their leadership and worthy of their sacrifices."



4. The book is disappointing in two respects.
   
   First, it's very ackwardly structured. It bounces from cadet to cadet, officer to officer in an unconnected fashion that only exaggerates the large amount of content which is mundane.
   
   We get more about who is dating whom than we get detail about the war. About the only detail we get of the war are the deaths.
   
   If the purpose of the author was to build teen-like characters up, and then kill them off one by one, then he succeeds.
   
   Tellingly, one of the few survivors in the narrative joins the John Edwards campaign and outlines the conditions under which he would make a statement about ending the war.
   
   The accounts of the deaths of these young men are moving, yet in total the book fails to develop a balanced account of its subject, or their involvement in the war.



5. This is a simply amazing book. I have to say it's one of the best books I read in recent memory. The lives of the men and women of the West Point class of 2002 that are told in its pages makes you have a profound sense of gratitude towards not only our nation's officers but the military in general. I'm not the crying type by any stretch of the imagination but this book brought me to tears on multiple occasions. It makes you appreciate the sacrifices not only of those who serve but their families also. It reminds us that behind every one of the over 4,000 American deaths in Iraq there is the story of a broken family and broken dreams. This is a must read.

5 comments about Thinking About Memoir (AARP).

1. I was a little aprehensive when this book arrived in the mail and it was so small. However, I'd read an excerpt from it in a magazine and was curious, so I gave it a go -- and I'm glad I did. This author shows that you don't have to multiple a lot of words to get the point across, and by being so succinct in her presentation I found myself becoming actively involved in the process to make the book very meaningful for me. I've marked up my copy of the book with notes and will return to it as I start writing my own memoirs.



2. I expected more. I learned just as much from the review/excerpt in AARP magazine as I did from the book.
   Vincent



3. In her book, "Thinking About Memoir," Abigail Thomas vanquishes a lot of preconceived notions of what a memoir should be. After reading her little book and doing some of the exercises, I went back to my memoir which I had started ten years ago with renewed energy and perspective. Her book is a great release and shows how to make it a true accounting of your life.



4. This delightful little book (and I do mean little) that I picked up on a whim surprised me. One of the things that troubles many new memoirists, I believe, is - strange as it sounds - where to begin and which stories to tell. Deliberately selecting scenes from the past sometimes delivers forced results. Abigail Thomas invites memoirists to enter memory and meaning through "side doors" and she offers numerous writing exercises to help you get going. I completed several of them and will likely use the results. A treat of a book for one endeavoring to write personal stories.



5. Too much of this book seemed like I'd stumbled across her diary and was now reading it. Which can be a lot of fun, BUT...it wasn't very interesting. Some of her personal stories seemed shoe-horned to fit her point. The exercises were all right, not very challenging or original though. I liked it well enough because it got me to think about the format of memoir, but I think that this book should be very clearly marketed to beginning writers.