5 comments about Tesla: Man Out of Time.

1. One of the better biographies on Nikola Tesla. My husband is a teacher and uses this for one of his text books.



2. I'm fairly recently getting into Tesla. As I mentioned in another review I've always known who Tesla was, his work on Turbines and the Tesla Coil, but I didn't know too much about the man or his other inventions. When I saw the movie "The Prestige" I became far more intrigued into the person that was Tesla, so I decided to pick up a few things about the man. A great introductory, from what I can tell, is the PBS Documentary on DVD, but it has almost no depth and is really a very brief overview of the man and his inventions. "Tesla: A Man Out of Time" on the other hand seems to be a very in depth researched overview of the man, his inventions, and his friends.
   
   For the most part I thought this was a good book and it did keep my attention. It's not written in a manner of an engaging tale, but rather a critical analysis of the man's life. Some people may not enjoy this kind of writing as it has almost no story-form, but I'm the type of person who can sit down and read books on Mathematics or Ancient History, where it's a bit of a report like format. Granted "Tesla: A Man Out of Time" is not nearly as dry as some History texts I've come across over the years! One of the greatest misgivings for this book, however, is the way it is organized. The first half of the book seems to be organized by invention. So if we're dealing with Tesla's most monumental achievement for mankind, the Alternating Current, then that chapter takes us through all the years with the boons and plights of that invention. Actually a few chapters are dedicated to this. So we're dealing with a time period of like 1893 to the 1915's or so, if I remember the dates correctly. But Tesla invented a lot more in that time frame, such as the Tesla Coil. Granted I totally understand the approach to organizing it in this fashion, but Cheney doesn't really let you know the beginning dates when she starts talking about an invention so it's up to the reader to project when it is happening. This format could have worked if she was more forthcoming with some dates so people can put it in chronological order in their heads, though maybe she just didn't want to clutter the book with too many dates, which I would normally agree with, but not in this circumstance.
   
   Some other reviewers have commented on the her lack of explaining the technology in a lay readers understanding and some technical analysis shows that she likely didn't fully understand what Tesla's inventions did. That being said, I must point out that Cheney is not an engineer, she's a biographer and it says as much on the back of the book. While she does try to delve into the technical aspect, even I got confused with her explanation of Fusion and it's relation to Plasma, and I actually have a decent grasp on how Fission and Fusion work in terms of atomic structures. So people or engineers (specifically) reading this book may want to overlook that drastic aspect and focus more on the tale she's trying to tell about the man. I can kind of get over the technical aspect since there is very little explanation on the details and more focus on just Tesla's inventions and what he was general interested/motivated by as a result of his inventions. There are times when the author tries to liberally project her own conclusions to the reader such as Tesla's pre-concept of the circular "atom smasher" or cyclotron, which also lead to a premonition of Cathode Ray Tubes we've used in televisions and computer screens. While I think Tesla may have been on to something conceptually with the splitting of the atom, he by no means led the world to discover CRT technology as far as I can tell. However, I felt this kind of bias/commentary was in the minority overall.
   
   That being said I feel I have a better grasp of who Tesla was and what he has done for this world in the grand scheme of existence. This book is definitely more for those who want to know more about who he is, the hardships he dealt with, and what he invented over his life time. Cheney goes through great lengths to quote letters Tesla received from friends and his responses, even quoting news articles with his comments or comments from others. There is no doubt that she spent an exhaustive amount of time peering over news articles and letters from this great inventor. The book also has a grand amount of notations so you can do further reading when she abridges some of the quotes in this book. She goes over the types of people he has gone to over his lifetime and friends he's made like Anne Morgan (J.P. Morgan's daughter), Mark Twain, and having met Thomas Edison and worked for him. This is just a taste for who he met and worked with over his lifetime.
   
   In this book we meet a man who has practically no interest in woman and has enough obsessive compulsive quirks to astonish anyone. While I don't think his quirky nature was fully touched upon in this book, Cheney does give us a taste of some of his phobias, like earrings for example. We meet a man who was on top of the world for a portion of his life and who seemed to be on the way to making it big in the world, but then after making rather overly generous financial decisions he could never really get out of debt's clutches. He literally had to beg to borrow the money as the years got worse and worse over the years. Things looked up for Tesla for a while here and there, but he was also quite generous with his funds to help his friends financially during the Great Depression and his friends gave him the same treatment.
   
   Towards the end we get a portrait of a man who liked to make grandiose statements for what seems to be for the sake of being in the limelight again. It feels like Tesla simply missed the fame and attention, quite a different scope from the man who worked in seclusion and extreme secrecy. But his secrecy was intriguing and I think he liked to emerge to the public for attention every now and again. As he got on in years his claims didn't end in much fruition for the world, which isn't surprising since towards the end of his career and life he lived out of a hotel room without a laboratory. However, he still claimed his wirelessly transmitted electricity would work. He also ended up being wrong on quite a few things, especially when he said Einstein's relativity was not an accurate representation of our universe. Even Einstein would have wanted to agree with him, but Einstein's accuracy cannot be denied. Like Einstein they both died with dreams of a final theory, Tesla's wirelessly transmitted electricity and Einstein's Grand Unified Field theory, both of which have not been proven definitively yet. When Tesla's life was finally over his papers and research items were confiscated by the government, because amidst the grandiose claims was high grade weapons technology like ray beams and so forth.
   
   In the end we get a portrait of a man that struggled to change the world for the better and not always at his benefit. As his life ended in debt we are all left with the great boons of his inventions. Thanks to his Alternating Current we don't need a power station every two miles like we would need with Direct Current only systems. His research into radio which was eventually fully realized by Marconi made great leaps in that field. He was clearly a visionary more than anything else and a brilliant mind on top of that enthralled with electricity, machines, resonance, and the various waves that power and drive the like. I thought this book at times was a bit overly laudatory, but I think it did him justice. I get the feeling that Cheney felt a little bad for the man since he clearly does not get the same kind of esteemed recognition in America as Edison does. Some of the best tales of Tesla's life was when the two bitter enemy's fought the war of the currents, which is literally worth a book in itself. Say what you want, but in the end I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to people who want a more in depth portrait of the man behind the inventions. Truly a great inventor who should be well known in the annals of history.



3. I found this book to be absolutely mind-boggling. It is incredible that one man could be a pioneer in so many separate fields of technology. Moreover, it is incredible that one man can be traced back to be the originator of practically all of our global power and information infrastrucure- yet he benefitted so little for it in terms of either credit or wealth.
   
   Nikola Tesla was the single genius behind the the entire modern polyphase and single phase system for generating, transmitting, and utilizing electrical current. He was no mere theorist- he actually designed the dynamos, motors (the FIRST AC motors- when all the "experts" said that it was impossible), transformers, and automatic controls. It all occured to him in a flash in the 1880's. This alone should have made him the greatest of modern inventors, yet it was only a tiny part of his genius. Tesla also invented wireless communication (Marconi used his patents and lied about it.) Now combine this with his seminal work in superconductivity (he had to invent the technology to produce liquid oxygen on an indistrial scale), cryogenics, flourescent lights, radio-control, robotics, logic circuits, x-rays, radar, aeronautics, bladeless turbines, etc. He didn't merely predict the developments in these fields- if you look he held the original U.S. patents backed by detailed drawings and models (this book does an excellent job in tracing those patents.) Much of it dated from the 19th century- before the "electron" had been discovered or named.
   
   Yet, he received so little in credit or financial reward. After his time working for Edison (who cheated him him out of his promised fee for redesigning his DC dynamos), and after starting up and being forced out of his own arc lighting company, he was actually pennyless and forced to work as a street gang laborer during the recession of of 1886. He barely survived. In fact he often found it difficult to even pay his room rent during his life. One is stunned to find that this greatest of minds could be so poorly treated by society- it truly puts one own misfortunes into perspective...
   
   Those people who only associate the inventor with high frequency, high voltage stage spectaculars only see the tip of the iceburg. The only reason that Tesla even put on such theatrical displays was to try to attract investment capital from ignorant but wealthy men that did not understand his real work.
   
   Personally, Tesla was an enigma. He held that human beings were fundamentally no more than "meat machines." Yet there has seldom been a more altuistic personality. He did not subscibe to the rule of the jungle and the social Darwinism of his times. In fact, he essentially gave away his royalty rights to Westinghouse just to see that his superior system would actually be given to the world. Plus, there is the fact that Tesla experienced many instances of ESP and precognition in his life- yet he seemed to pss this off as a type of "mental radio" not yet explained. However, he never did come to grips as to how he could predict events in the future...
   
   One result of my reading the is book was that I grew ashamed that I kept a picture of Thomas Edison over my drawing board for years. Edison was a petty little man who behaved shamefully, especially concerning Tesla. Tesla was by far the greater innovator, plus a polished gentleman, linguist, and poet. One thing stuck out forcefully- Tesla was a great believer in developing solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean power as well as other forms of revewable energy. On the other hand, Edison held that such methods would not be needed for 50,000 years because just chopping down the South American jungles would provide us with that much fuel...
   
   "Nature and Nature's laws lay hid by night;
   God said, Let Tesla be, and all was light."



4. For some odd reason, there are not very many books out there on Tesla. This one is all it takes.
   
   The way he could visualize an invention with such focus that he could even make changes to it based on how he saw it operating in his mind, without ever fabricating an actual model, was pretty wild. Some of the concepts he was working on almost 100 years ago still cannot be duplicated. Too bad he couldn't channel some of that genius toward his finances.
   
   The book has a good mix of his technical inventions as well as the personal aspects of this fascinating inventor's life.



5. Cheney provides a lot of in depth information about Tesla's personal life, which at times is interesting. She refers often to his personal letters, which is information that is often hard to find in other biographies. However, there are a lot of lackings in the book as well. First, for anyone with a scientific or engineering background it is unsatisfying. Cheney's reiteration of Tesla's language when referring to his inventions is often archaic and unclear. I'm not sure her educational background, but she does not seem to be able to convey the engineering significance of his ideas. Secondly, she seems to almost be "defending" Tesla throughout the book. It doesn't necessarily detract from the book, but it comes across as desperate. Finally, it seems like the book's a little long. I feel like some information could be left behind. Nevertheless, for a compelte biography of all aspects of Tesla's life, this is the one for you--just be ready to focus more on his social interactions than his inventions.

5 comments about Man's Search for Meaning.

1. well i learn psycology at the university and my professor has recommended it so i bought it through amazon.
   this book will rock your world.and give you a different perspective of life and how man interacts in a hostile and unreal enviroment ...for more info of the book itself i recommend turning to a better source :) but as a reader i can say this book is worth the time and the money :)



2. The following summarizes the true meanings the author wants us to absorb.
   There are three avenues to arrive at the meaning of life. 1) Creating a work or or doing a deed 2) Experiencing or encountering something added to your life i.e. finding love 3) facing a fate one cannot change. You then rise above oneself, rising above what is expected. One grows from the experience, and experiences positive change.
   Experiencing and surviving suffering is something to be proud of... not something to be ashamed of. We all learn and grow from our experiences.



3. I read this book regularly for inspiration. Frankl found a way to confront the greatest evil of the last century, which for him was very personal, and survive. In the midst of it he discovered that we most long for meaning in our lives, and so he developed a therapy that helps people search for it.
   
   The beginning part of the book about life in the camps simply cannot be forgotten. And then, when he tries to make sense of it, ordinary readers realize that whatever they have suffered there is a way forward. Frankl used tragedy to help others. A person can't be more noble than that.
   
   Lawrence J. Epstein, author of "At the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish Immigrants on New York's Lower East Side."



4. What can a person expect of life in a concentration camp? Is there a chance you can find meaning in living that torture? This is a truly inspirational book that reminds you that not everything is lost, that you can find light in the most terrible conditions. It's not new age, it's a story of survival and hope.
   The second part of the book is about logotherapy. Victor Frankl was the creator of this discipline and it basically addresses the question of meaning in people's lives.



5. From the perspective of a member in a culture consumed in the "existential vacuum", Frankl's experiences and logotheraphy discussion offers a call to action for those prepared to live a meaningful life. This book will change you.

5 comments about Franklin and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherfurd, and the Other Remarkable Women in His Life.

1. Once I started to read this book, I finished it in two days. It is well written,well documented, and full of fascinating facts.



2. "Franklin & Lucy" is a terrific read. I finished the book on the beach and thoroughly enjoyed the way the author touched on the history surrounding the romance, but kept his focus on FDR's private passions. "Franklin & Lucy" made FDR a real man, rather than the icon or "sun-god" that saved America during the Great Depression. The author's treatment of Eleanor Roosevelt was sensitive and also served to explain how the trials of her marriage ultimately contributed to her staggering accomplishments as First Lady.



3. Naturally, for any FDRphile, it is exciting to read new material or a qualified writer's fresh take on exiting aspects of FDR's life. In this case, plenty of specifics, including quotes, from newly uncovered letters. Nicely written and quick-flowing. Numerous annoying errors in dates or date-related facts that perfectionists will easily notice. An example (p. 51) is TR's attendance at the White House 1902 New Year's Eve party "...watching the triumphant TR, recently elected president in his own right..."
   His only election to the presidency did not occur for another two years. I found no less than four date related discrepancies, but enjoyed the book just the same, as Persico has a warm, inviting writing style. jww



4. The marriage of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt has been written about by countless authors. Eleanor's discovery of a cache of love letters between FDR and Lucy Mercer changed the dynamics of the Roosevelt's entire marriage. FDR promised he would cut off all ties with Lucy, and Eleanor had no reason to doubt that promise until FDR's death, when it was revealed he and Lucy had eventually resumed their friendship, if not the physical aspect as well. Lucy had been present in Warm Springs when FDR died. Joseph E. Persico reveals the dynamics of a relationship between FDR and Lucy Mercer. Even after her marriage to a wealthy socialite, she is drawn back into FDR's orbit and eventually becomes a regular visitor of the president. Perisco draws a portrait of FDR as a lonely man who often was without company or companionship, as his wife and children moved onto lives of their own. He turned to friends and associates to fill the void of a marriage no longer alive. A series of women came into his life to act as a stand-in wife and confidant. As his burdens become heavier and his health becomes frailer he turns back to Lucy, who has always tried to buoy his sprits and seldom condemns or complains. After her husband's death she is more and more in his company bringing comfort, encouragement and admiration. This is a fair depiction of people caught up in the mores and restrictions of their time and society. It is also is a tender and unflinching look at a marriage and subsequent relationships that both partners forge to meet their needs.



5. I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Persico presents lush biographical details about one of America's most enigmatic couples. I felt completely swept away by the intimate details presented and could not put the book down until I finished. This is a very different portrait of the Roosevelts than I have ever read. Very impressed with the scholarship and research that went into this work. My only criticism is that at times there was more than enough expositing of the details of daily life among members of the Roosevelts' social class; this became a bit tiring later on. ***This review is of the Advanced Reader's Copy of the book, which may differ from for sale editions.***

5 comments about FDR.

1. I chose FDR because I knew so little about him, he died before I was born and I had always been intrigued by what I knew of his life. I read it over a 2 month time span. I loved every page, it was so well written. When he died, I felt like I had lost a favorite uncle. We sure could use someone with his vision now!



2. A great book about a great and not so great man. I was surprised of his and his wife's treatment of their children. They both had so many other interests that I wonder who actually raised their children. Mr. Smith gives a well rounded, but very detailed account of FDR's life, including both the good and bad decisions he made. The only drawback I would note are the footnotes. I had to have a bookmark for the text and for the footnote section. In doing so, it took me a lot longer to read. I have recommended this book to several people since finishing.



3. This was a remarkably readable account of the 20th century's greatest president. Lord knows FDR wasn't perfect, and Smith doesn't shy away from discussing those points, which include FDR's court packing plan, the effort to squeeze out conservatives in elections, backing away from government assistance in the midst of recovery, and most importantly signing off on Japanese internment after the Pearl Harbor attacks. Stunning mistakes indeed. But FDR's successes were far grander. It's easy to recite the standard litany of Roosevelt successes, which Smith does well, but we also learn that FDR was a more caring, intelligent, and involved person than he has often been described as. Of some things that FDR has been criticized for, Smith offers evidence to support the need for a more nuanced appreciation of FDR's skills. First, though people often claim that the New Deal didn't end the Great Depression - it was WWII that did that - Smith accurately points out that millions of Americans benefitted from the New Deal. Second, realizing that everyone wishes FDR did more for black suffering in the US, Smith makes an interesting point in noting that FDR's true base of support for lending support to the British cause against Nazi aggression was Southern conservative Democrats. That is, if FDR pushed civil rights, he could not have taken important steps to help the Brits against Hitler. Third, though Smith didn't really go after the claims that FDR allowed Pearl Harbor to be attacked, it's clear from Smith's excellent summary of the lead up to the Japanese attack that FDR clearly allowed no such infamous thing to happen. Finally, Smith forcefully defended FDR's handling of the Holocaust. Ultimately there wasn't much more FDR could have done.
   If I had to point out any flaws in the book, I guess the last couple of chapters seemed to be more rushed than necessary. It's as if Smith became a bit tired of the project. I suppose there's some legitimacy to the approach, for FDR himself was worn down at the end of his presidency - and life. A nice epilogue summing up FDR's achievements would have also been sweet, but it wasn't necessary.



4. I bought this book because I wanted more knowledge of how a successful presidency is achieved. Historians have consistently ranked FDR in third place among presidents, behind Washington and Lincoln. I also wanted updated research, and a modern writing style.
   
   When I received the book, and saw conservative commentator George F. Will's praise on the dust jacket, I knew something was wrong.
   
   It went downhill from Mr. Will's comment.
   
   According to the book, Roosevelt rode in on his wealth and cousin Teddy's popularity. He was swept along by his political handlers.
   
   The book concentrates on FDR's failures and glosses over his legacy. For example, it devotes many pages to the court packing attempt, and scant paragraphs to the WPA or TVA or Social Security (or to the entirety of the New Deal for that matter).
   
   It discusses the minutia of his daily life, but provides no insight into the man. It discusses what time he got up in the morning (late) and what time was happy hour. Yet it gives no insight of how Roosevelt formed his political or social views, how he effectively worked with foe and friend to achieve his agenda, how he stabilized the financial institutions, and lifted America from the Great Depression.
   
   If you're looking for such a book, move along, there's nothing here to see.



5. FDR comes to life, his greatness and his flaws. Mr. Smith has constructed a marvelous one volume portrait of one of America's greatest Presidents. Like Lincoln he was the right man, at the right time for his moment in history. Tears welled in my eyes as I read the final passages about his passing. Highly Recommended!!

5 comments about The Hiding Place.

1. I laugh at the kids saying it's boring. "Well my school made me read it and I didn't like it! Waahh!"
   
   My school made me read it(twice I think) and I love(d) it. I can see the reason for one saying it's boring, but this a AUTOBIOGRAHPY. Not always life moves so fast. Never once did I think it was boring. Buy it.



2. I was fortunate to meet Corrie Ten Boome in Rome, Ga. when she gave a lecture! Later, My husband took me to Haarlem, the Netherlands to see her home,when I was going thru a particularly hard time in my life, as he had heard me speak of her and her brave story so many times! She and her family, her sister, showed the most extraordinary courage and strength of faith in the most horrible circumstances. Her father's explanation of death:..."Just like I gave you your tickets, The Lord gives us our ticket when we get on the train"....an example of how he always gave his daughters their tickets right before they got on the train to Amsterdam....A must read.. Different aspects will mean different things to different people. Also, as I have re=read it over the years, it has given different encouragement to me in different circumstances. Please don't miss this book.



3. This book is beautiful inside and out. The outside is burgundy leather? bound with gold stamped letters. Very classic looking. The story itself is so well written, Corrie ten Boom draws you into her family. To hear how God worked miracles in spite of German occupation and concentration camps, and the lack of money and resources, was very faith building. I highly recommend this book.



4. The Hiding Place should be read by EVERY Christian. Corrie and her sister's testimony in this book is just like reading the Bible's testimony of the new Believers! Need to feel inspired? Read The Hiding Place.



5. I will not go into detail on this very public site about what this author, and her book, mean to me. Suffice it to say that I would not be alive today, without having heard Corrie's message of God's infinite love.
   
   As a psychiatrist, I have bought, and given away to patients, at least 50 copies of this book over the past two decades. It is more powerful than the strongest of antidepressants.
   
   Corrie ten Boom is a saint. She will not be officially recognized as such by the Catholic Church since she was nominally a Protestant. I say nominally, because her heart, like God's, was deep enough and wide enough to encompass and embrace all people, no matter what "religion" they practiced. Corrie's religion was Love.

5 comments about Drunkard: A Hard-Drinking Life.

1. Loved this book. Neil Steinberg isn't an out of control, down on his luck, out on the street kind of drunk. No, he's more of an average guy who finds himself thinking about drinking when he should be working. Or having a nip right before he drives his kids to a softball game. Or hits his wife because he's so loaded and she's had just about enough of him. Every single word rings true. Laughed and cried,a nd really, what more can you ask? Hats & Eyeglasses: A Family Love Affair with Gambling



2. and so felt a bit disappointed when I reached the end of Neil Steinberg's account of his descent into alcoholism. . Steinberg's story never really grabbed me. He's almost too detached, too analytical. I wasn't looking for Greek tragedy but I thought that somewhere along the way the author would admit to a few tears, to a sleepless night or two. I felt cheated.



3. I bought this book for friend who's going through rehab. He and the author have much in common - both are creative, successful and have loving spouses and families. Before passing to on to my friend and read through Drunkard quickly and found it to be an honest account of someone who was not easily convinced. Perhaps it was the reporter in him that required more than one source/or situation to tell him he was out of control. If you have a friend, family-member, loved one who could benefit from Drunkard, I recommend it.



4. DRUNKARD: A HARD-DRINKING LIFE by Neil Steinberg is a story that begged *not* to be told. Even the author admits that he'll be happy when it's landfill. The book is a memoir about a man's inability to control his alcoholic urges, although it doesn't have the passion of Leaving Las Vegas or Days of Wine and Roses. Instead, he professes to drinking a relatively modest 3 to 5 drinks per day. Of course, only his bartender knows for sure how many shots are dumped into those drinks. Being a successful Chicago newspaper columnist in the tradition of Mike Royko, albeit with a fraction of the literary talent, probably lends itself to a certain feeling of nobility for being able to function daily while drinking hard. After all, many great writers were known for their addictions. But to quote another Neil (Young), "every junkie's like a setting sun."
   
   The author will be pleased that my copy is heading for the landfill this Tuesday.
   
   Charlie Z
   July 16, 2008



5. DRUNKARD, on the face of it, is another memoir of a tortured or addicted soul. One guy. But somehow Steinberg, with his lack of hyperbole and impeccable timing and style, draws us in and we feel an oddly genuine intimacy - one that good writers know how to deliver. i'm sober one year and a greedy obsessive reader, and this one rates up there with DRY by Augusten Burroughs, and Drinking, A Love Story. In fact, this book seems to me an uncanny hybrid of the two. It's not superior to either DRY or DRINKING A LOVE STORY, but it holds its own nicely. Most highly recommended.

5 comments about The Last American Man.

1. 
   This book is more than the biography of an American eccentric. It allows us to look at our own, peculiarly American, mythologies through the lens of one person's life. Many American men aspire to the kind of skills and challenges that Eustace Conway provides for himself. We have a long tradition of reinventing ourselves by way of trials-by-nature. And we are running up to the end of an oil-based economy that has given many Americans unprecedented freedom and mobility, as well as the luxury of ignoring the limitations imposed by natural systems. It is good that Gilbert, with her gentle sense of humor, has documented Conway's achievements and philosophy for us by way of the durable technology of the written book. It may come in handy in years to come.



2. I have purchased approx. 10 copies of this book-- I find it entertaining, amusing and cannot decide if I liked this man at the end or not. As I live in North Carolina; not far from the subject- guests often think it would be fun to meet him and see how he as aged. Great gift book for -mostly the men in ones life.



3. I really enjoyed this book. It gave an unbiased account of a man, who even in his best intentions, falls short of what he wants to be. Contrary to some of the negative reviews, Gilbert DOES see all that is not right about this man, and she tells us about it.
   This book is a journey through the mind and heart of a troubled man and those people who were raptured by his personality and then inevitably disappointed. I loved it!



4. I enjoyed reading this book and I have often dreamed of living the type of lifestyle that Eustace Conway lives, though not quite so harsh. It seems to me that his many hang-ups have created a personal "river" that no one is able to cross and join him. He seems to be a carbon copy of his father, with just enough minor differences to convince himself that he is nothing like him. Sadly, he has decided to turn away from the only source that could give him true happiness, a relationship with Jesus Christ. I think the old saying, "no one is as blind as he who refuses to see" fits Eustace well. His desire for acceptance from his father has blinded him to the joys of life. The disatisfaction that his apprentises experience and which Eustace cannot understand appears to stem largely from his use of them as slave labor. The expectations of those who come to work on Turtle Island are not the expectations of Eustace himself, which seems to be based on a phylosophy of, " hey, I dug a one hundred foot long ditch, three feet deep through solid rock! It took me two months and nearly killed me, and though I didn't really learn anything about living off the land, by golly I know I can dig a ditch through solid rock and knowing that gives me a warm feeling about who I am." No. The book gives the impression that the apprentises thought they were there to learn how to live off the land but Eustace failed to tell them that they were there to find out what he himself had always practised, "I will do one thing no matter how hard or how impossible it may seem until it kills me or I master it. Then I can stand straight and in my mind know that I am worth something if to no one but myself."
   This is somewhat of a harsh review of a book about a man I've never met but it is based on the impression I got from the book. I wish you eventual happiness Mr. Conway. You've certainly strived for it.
   I recommend this book.



5. This is the biography of a man who has spent his whole life in the woods, living off the land. The difference between him and the many others who live off the land? He has flourished. Plus, he does it partially to convince others to give up the trap of luxury and return to a simple nature-centric lifestyle. The author gives us a solid background then weaves interesting tales about the "last american man" and how hardworking and different he is compared to an average man. A well-written book that drags a little in the end reiterating the same dogma that keeping up with the joneses is futile. However Elizabeth Gilbert hadn't quite polished off her writing style as she does in Eat, Pray, Love. A worthy read for anyone disinterested in suburban sprawl along with Into The Wild.

5 comments about Survival In Auschwitz.

1. A monotone, sort of scientific voice. His story is sad...but is told with very little emotion. It was hard to get into - a little harder to read due to the "scientist' type voice that I'm not used to. I found Elie Weisel's "Night" to be a much more candid look inside a survivor's haunted soul. Primo Levi is good for someone who prefers reading something about the Holocaust that is a bit more textbook vs. memoir.



2. Excellant book, I felt like I was living Mr Levi's life in the camp with him. What a wonderful story of survival.



3. This book from bnpublishing contains serious multiple errors, sometimes five per page, that disrespect the author and the Holocaust and force the reader to stop and try to figure out the author's real meaning. Book is full of incorrect or missing punctuation (such as periods), words and names spelled different ways from one sentence to the next, random capitalization, run-on sentences, grammatical and spelling errors in English, French, and German. "Figfit" is not a word. Neither are "infaticable," "aroupd," or "mochery." The phrase is "flash of intuition," not "flask." The sign over every concentration camp was "Arbeit Macht Frei," not "Fret." You say, "avec moi," which means "with me," not "avec mot" which means "with word." Phrases like "there were no dark cold air had the smell" (p. 107) stop the reader dead. Very disrespectful of the author and the subject. Levi was a brilliant man with astounding powers of observation and recall for his hellish experiences. His words deserve to be preserved better than this.



4. I like the author. Many years ago he wrote "Christus kam nur bis Eboli"
   and that made me travel to that place in southern Italy.
   This book is even better. It informes me and at the same time it
   is interesting and I can not put it aside while reading.
   He writes about what he thinks and feels and how they react.
   This book is worth its money.



5. My review of this classic emphasizes matters not raised by previous reviewers, and is based upon the 1986 edition which combines SURVIVAL IN AUSCHWITZ, THE REAWAKENING, and AFTERWORD...
   
   Levi wasn't sent to or near the gas chambers and crematoria. Instead, he was diverted into forced labor in the sub-camp of Monowitz (p. 386), some 7 km east of Auschwitz proper. Poles had to wear a large "P". German political prisoners got various privileges, such as food and clothes from home, and exemption from the dreaded "selections". (p. 183) He saw the bombed-out ruins of the Buna synthetic rubber plant. (p. 137) He predicted that, in the winter of 1944-1945, 7/10ths of the prisoners like him will die. (p. 123)
   
   The reader may not realize that western European Jews commonly looked down upon eastern European Jews as "backward". These feelings were fully reciprocated. Levi comments: "The Germans call them [the Italian Jews] `zwei linke Hande' (two left hands) and even the Polish Jews despise them as they do not speak Yiddish." (p. 49) After his release from Auschwitz, Levi ran across Polish Jews who couldn't believe that Levi was even possibly Jewish because he didn't speak Yiddish. (p. 279)
   
   Unlike most Auschwitz survivors, who traveled west, he traveled east and then south (for map, see pages 178-179). He saw for himself the victimization of the Poles: "In Katowice, and in all Poland, there was a shortage of men; the male population of working age had disappeared, prisoners in Germany and Russia, dispersed among partisan bands, massacred in battle, in the bombardments, in the reprisals, in the Lagers, in the ghettos. Poland was a country in mourning, a country of old men and widows." (p. 239)
   
   In the AFTERWORD, Levi said that, whereas the Nazi concentration camps had 90-98% mortality, the figure for Soviet concentration camps was 30% maximum (p. 389). This is incorrect. Slaves toiling in the gold mines in the Soviet Far East faced close to 100% mortality. And, of course, particular groups targeted for annihilation experienced 100% mortality, be they Jews sent to the gas chambers by the Nazis, or the Polish officers and intellectuals sent to the killing forests near Katyn by the Communists.

5 comments about Sounds of the River: A Young Man's University Days in Beijing.

1. I really enjoyed this whimsical memoir of the intellectual and social journey of a young man from the countryside of southern China as makes his way through university life in the big city, and through the years after the end of the Cultural Revolution in China. It is the only memoir of university life of this type that I have encountered so far in the course of a lot of reading about China, and the only one that describes university life in China so well. It has been very interesting to see aspects of university life that we know in a different and western context, in a country and time that are so very different from ours in the U.S.



2. I enjoyed the first book "Colors of the Mountain" so much that I regret to have read this one. Although might be inaccurate in some small details, the touching/inspiring story told by Colors of the moutain is overall believable. A lot of dialogues and events in this book, however, are simply too outrageous to be possible. Seems the author tried too hard to win the readers by making these unbelievable dialogues and twists. In so doing, nevertheless, the story lost its credibility. I also found the protaganist became disappointingly not-lovable. You can't BLAME a person who plans every second to get self-advancement. However, you won't like him and unfortunately this book is pretty much about this kind of self-struggling.



3. Alas, Chen Da's SOUNDS OF THE RIVER is not quite the knockout that his earlier COLORS OF THE MOUNTAIN was.
   
   This second, presumably concluding, volume in his autobiographical series was - to me - primarily valuable in it's details of Chinese university life. Certain aspects were familiar - the eclectic group of friends would be familiar to anyone in the world with some university experience, and his lengthy discussion of the more baroque machinations deep within the administration of a Chinese university was equally fascinating.
   
   At times the melodrama level ran a bit high - this was not always true, and I can think of one major event (involving a roommate) that is written about in a touching fashion. However, certain other occurences would seem to be a bit too befuddling for Chen to wax introspective over, and I was more interested in his thoughts than simple recountings of certain of these events.
   
   Still, Chen paints a largely very appealing self-portrait, and his attempts at balancing universality and communicating cultural specifics and experiences (further developing this, I note that Chen has adapted these autobiographical writings into a third volume for younger readers, an entirely approriate move) is to be lauded.
   
   -David Alston



4. Da Chen writes about his college years at the Beijing Language Institute. Although the story of the naive countryside dweller moving to the big city is an old one, but Da Chen makes this story fresh and entertaining. However, Beijing at this time was still quite backwards compared to Western cities or even Beijing of today, yet the gap with rural life at that time was already enormous. The hurdles of getting used to all the novelties of college life, dealing with the arcane and corrupt communist rules, and the drive to earn a scholarship to go to the United States all make for an engaging story.



5. Da Chen describes in aching detail his uphill battle to get his foot in the door of Chinese higher education with it's exposure to greater intellectual challenges and the potential for higher rewards. This book takes up from the point of his childhood described in "The Sounds of the River" in a flyspeck provincial village to the big city life of the capital Beijing. The persecutions visited on Da and his family due to their former lives as "landlords" continue with beatings, insults and threats of death or expulsion from school. Navigating the corrupt eductional system, living on pocket change, driving yourself into sleeplessness and bleeding ulcers, figuring out who and how to bribe in order to make it from day to day under Communist rule are explained and illustrated. Mr. Chen made an appearance at the Decatur Book Festival yesterday and my reading of his books was prompted by the opportunity to meet this extraordinary individual. His fluency with a brush and flute-explained in "Colors of the Mountain"-was evident. Do yourself a favor and delve into his books and into another world.

5 comments about My Life With the Saints.

1. James Martin gives us brief biographies of many saints (some canonized, some not) interspersed with his accounts of how these saints have been present in his own life. It's an excellent introduction to these saints. The bios are short, hitting the highlights of how they became saints, but well-written and still able to convey a full life. His own memoirs are spiritual and entertaining. It's nice to find a book that is light and easy to read that still has something more important to offer. This one is definitely worthwhile.
   
   Amanda Hamm, author of Dear Jane Letters



2. This author and book are absolutely fantastic. I have been recommending this book to every person I know. I thank God for James Martin, SJ and and for the Saints.



3. I love this book for two reasons:
   1. It makes the saints acessible.
   2. It makes religious life, like James Martin's, sound exciting and, dare I say, FUN!
   
   1) It makes saints accessible. They are unique - each with their own faults (mostly the dudes). I feel like I can relate to them, just like Martin does in this book. He connects their struggles to his, their strengths to his.
   
   2) James makes religious life sound so fun! It's not second rate to the married life, as Martin believed (and I). One instance he's at a retreat running, literally, with his buddies to the next contemplative service, laughing along the way; another time he talks about really good cheese at St. Merton's monastery in Kentucky. James is the kind of guy who's cool to grab a beer with and watch a movie.
   
   I'm not done with the book yet. But I'm loving it! James, good work.
   
   PS "I'm a Saint in the Making" is a song by Jacob and Matthew



4. Father Martin has given us a personal look at his relationships with the saints included in this collection. For everyone who grew up with the idea that saints were holy-card perfect, this book provides a healthy alternative look at people whom we all might hope to imitate. His approach--to include those holy men and women (some not yet canonized) who play a personal role in his own life--is a helpful way to consider the communion of saints. Highest recommendation.



5. This is a book that tells as much about the life of the author as it does about the saints. I found it very inspiring. It is well written, easy reading and well worth spending time with.