5 comments about Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year.

1. This book was given to me as a gift when I had my son 3 years ago. I have been giving it as a gift since then. Anne Lamott is amazing and real and forward. This book is not for those who want things sugar-coated. It is real life motherhood for your first year. This book, this author, made me feel so normal and so real. I would tell anyone who can take the harsh reality of becoming a mother to read this! She made me laugh, cry and love...all on the same page.



2. As a married father, you might think I'd have a hard time relating to this story of a single woman bringing up her son more or less by herself. But Anne Lamott's willingness to open up the most intimate details of her private life--her struggles, insecurities, and anger at the challenge of being alone with a new baby--drew me in very deeply. And she's very funny, too. After you've read the "What to Expect" and other standard-issue baby books, pick this up. You won't be disappointed.



3. Funny at times, way too religious at others.
   
   Overall just "ok"
   
   I would recommend "Mother Shock" by Andrea J Buchanan instead.



4. This book helped me survive my first-born. It was such a breath of fresh air, and Lamott was like my best friend, sharing the same experiences. I have read this book countless times - and laugh out loud each time. I always send this book to all my friends when they have their first born. (As you can see by my order history.) This is a much better tool than any of the how-to baby books out there. I absolutely love it!



5. This book is about an extremely emotionally ill women, who has spent her entire life avoiding reality with coke, meth, and alcohol, who now sober at 35 gets knocked up by one of the random men she is sleeping with. (She apparently is too hippie for condoms.)
   Maybe it's because I don't have kids, but I find a mother doing nothing but go on and on and on about her kids every movement very monotonous and boring. Not only is that what she writes about in this book, but she is extremely negative, cynical and it's annoying.

1 comments about Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital.

1. Americans always talk of saving France during WWII, yet at the same time, here was an intriguing French immigrant who rose to be a top professor of entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, a founder of the venture capital industry, founder of INSEAD the European business school and to top it all off- played a critical role in saving countless American lives in WWII by leading the innovation and production of quality military equipment and supplies.
   
   Ante's portrait is one of a driven maverick, visionary and Renaissance man who made an astonishing contribution to the war effort and modern business culture, and yet he seems very human and at times poignant. I was especially moved by Doriot's tireless passion in helping American soldiers as well has his 48-year marriage to his wife Edna and how they spent their last years together.
   
   I loved this book because it's such an unusual and valuable contribution to our understanding of the 20th century. Doriot has been an unsung hero in many ways, and by bringing his life into focus, Ante weaves people and international events in a way that makes us see our world as ever more fascinating, multi-faceted and interconnected.

5 comments about Man's Search for Meaning.

1. If you've read the book - which I suggest you read the book so you can really digest its meaning - the audio provides a great avenue to hear it again. I spend 2 hours in the car everyday and having the audio text of Frankl's work is a nice distraction from the 'speed' of the day. I would add though, if you haven't read the text, listen to it. There is much meaning to draw from it and apply to your own life. Very insightful generally speaking, the audio doesn't detract. I'm a book guy to begin with and that is why I would suggest the book before the audio. Either way, one of the most influential works I've ever read.



2. Frankl wrote a brilliant book. The way of his writing is very clear and to the point. There are a lot of psychology terms, but not so many that it makes the book confusing. Frankl looks at the story from an unattached view, and thus he is able to give good, unbiased theories about why things happened. This book made many of the reasons of what happened during the holocaust clearer. It is an enjoyable and informative read.



3. "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible." ~ Viktor Frankl from "Man's Search for Meaning"
   
   Viktor Frankl. He's unquestionably one of my heroes and this book is a must read (or re-read as the case may be). If you don't have it yet, it's time to get it. It's impossible to be a serious student of life and not soak up as much Frankl as you can.
   
   The man survived the horrors of Nazi concentration camps and, from that pain, brought the world his "Logotherapy"--a philosophy based on the fundamental precept that we have ultimate responsibility for choosing our responses to any given challenge AND equally powerful responsibility to determine how we will give ourselves to the world and create a truly meaningful life.



4. This book is incredibly inspiring, both from a theoretical and practical perspective. I highly recommend it for anyone who is in an "existential vacuum" as Frankl says, or for anyone who just wants to get more ideas about what the "meaning of life" might be.
   
   The book is not only very well laid out and well written, but the content is rich. I highly recommend perusing it with a pen at hand to mark a response to a lot of his statements, then re-reading your own comments with his text... I think you'll learn a lot about yourself that way.



5. I bought this book because I was searching for yet another book on workplace bullying and another book came up in my search based on Frankl's book. I read the customer reviews on that book and one reviewer said something to the effect of, "If you want to read a book based on Viktor Frankl's opinion of how to get along at a bad work environment (like a Nazi death camp), why don't you just read Frankl's book?" So, that's where I started. I read it. Twice. Then I got out my computer and typed in passages that had meaning to me so I could re-read them during difficult times. I compressed the entire book down to about 10 pages, single spaced. I must admit that I consider myself a negative, often depressed sort of person, mostly because my work situation is so demoralizing. I was amazed by Frankl's coping mechanisms on how to get along in a difficult situation; every day meant multiple incidents of having to choose the correct path to avoid death or worse, making the choice to give up on your own life (suicide). He went through 5 years of that and lived to tell about it. It is a must read for everyone, particularly when you are having the hardest time of your life. I could tell that if I had read it as a college student, it wouldn't have the same meaning as now, when I am 50 and have had many ups and downs. I see everything at such a deeper level and appreciated this book so much more than I would have if I were younger. Briefly, the lessons in the book written 50 years ago still apply today. Here they are: Let luck be your guide. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Network with the equivalent of a one-step-up lateral (not your own) middle manager and they will help you when they can. Schmooze. Be kind to others. Don't complain, it doesn't help. You can't fix, deal with or appeal to a sadist, so don't try. Avoid sadists at all costs. Keep your mouth shut unless asked for your opinion and then be short and to the point. Praise, even when praise isn't deserved. Keep criticisms to yourself. Be inconspicuous. Work hard for the sake of doing a good job. Fantasize for escape. Everything can be taken away from you except for your past, so relish in it. When something good happens to you, write it down (keep a gratitude journal). Don't do anything that compromises your own values so you won't have regrets. Be careful who you abuse today because tomorrow they may be your master. You are not your job, your title or your position. You are a unique person loved by others. The only thing in life that really matters is the people you love and the people who love and need you. Love shared is eternal. Treat everyone with respect. The meaning of life is not what life can do for you, but what life expects of you; how you make the world a better place with your presence. The purpose of life is not happiness. The purpose of life is discovering what you can contribute to it. Save a slice of bread (or whatever is the only material thing that matters to you when there is nothing left) for later when you are really depressed and it's the only thing left that can get you through that difficult moment. (For me it's chocolate and a dark beer at the same time.) Apathy is the signaling of the beginning of the end of one's life. Everyone that you respect and look up to has human failings. Even tough guys cry. Suffering without purpose is meaningless. The larger the suffering, the bigger the lesson. There's lots more in the book for you to discover and it's an easy read.

5 comments about My Life in Dog Years.

1. My Life in Dog Years, written by Gary Paulsen was one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. Gary Paulsen has an extremely different way of writing from other authors. I have read a couple of his other books. This was probably not his best, but it was well written. I would highly recommend it for any dog lover.



2. Reading this book, My Life in Dog Years was an OK book. You read all the different dogs' stories. What every dog's personality is, and what the dog does with him. Some stories are very interesting. It is an easy book to read. If you like reading about dogs, this book has all kinds of good stories.



3. A good book for people of all ages who love dogs. Although, like many of Gary Paulsen's books it is geared toward teens, this is a quick read for anyone. Laughs and tears throughout!



4. Book arrived promptly and in the condition as advtised, actually it was better than I expected.



5. Owning Sibs and other breeds over the years I laughed till I had tears reading about Caesar. What a great read. Not that I recommend it for the bathroom reading but that is the only place my hubby will read. I walked past the door one day and he was laughing hysterically. I just knocked on the dog and asked "Caesar?" He replied "Lived that one before!"
   After having lived with so many characters over the years it is easy to see that they really are true stories. If you have a dog lover in your life this should be in their stocking.
   -S
   Redwood Siberians

5 comments about Black Elk Speaks, New Edition.

1. Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 autobiography of an Oglala Sioux medicine man as told to John Neihardt.
   
   In the summer of 1930, as part of his research into the Native American perspective on the Ghost Dance movement, Neihardt contacted an Oglala holy man named Black Elk, who had been present as a young man at the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn and the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre. As Neihardt tells the story, Black Elk gave him the gift of his life's narrative, including the visions he had had and some of the Oglala rituals he had performed. The two men developed a close friendship. The book Black Elk Speaks, grew from their conversations continuing in the spring of 1931, and is now Neihardt's most familiar work.
   
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk_Speaks



2. I really hoped that this book was some kind of visionary look at what actually happened to the American Indians, but it is not that!
   
   Mostly it's just bad writing and a rather obvious con-job, and that makes me really sad, because what the American Indian has endured, is much more than this..the metaphors that are needed to really understand what happened to native humans in this country, are NOT in this book...



3. This book is very different from many others that I have read about Native Americans. It feels as though Black Elk is there having a conversation with you. A very personal book. Provides valuable insights to life no matter what your ethnic background.



4. I have to disagree with some people's assessment of this title. I found this book to be very insightful and very intimate in nature. I suppose for non-fiction I do tend to a have preference for books that have an approachable, if not conversational style. And that is really what this feels like. Black Elk recounts his life and spiritual experience with beautiful imagery that proves to be quite profound in its simplicity. While the Native American culture is highly romanticized through many works by people not of that ethnicity, I think this book gives readers something that the others don't. A look into the lives of Native Americans through their eyes. Real, flawed, but genuine. While many might think that Black Elk may despise the white man for his ways and the treatment of his people, there is a great understanding that underlies his words that displays a great respect for his fellow man regardless of skin color. Neihardt and Black Elk were kindred spirits and this comes through. In the end, like Chief Seattle said before him, Black Elk serves to remind readers of man's connection to the earth and to one another.



5. I purchased this new, and expected it to be sealed. Not only was it not sealed, but a couple of pages were folded. I would have returned this item. However, I bought this as a gift and was on a timeline. I also purchased a new CD which came in a busted case. I have always trusted Amazon, and been very satisfied in the past.
   Very disappointed.

5 comments about Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table.

1. This is the true story of how an influential food critic came to know food. It chronicles the stories and people from her life that shaped her relationship with food and how food has shaped her relationship with people.
   
   I was worried as the book began that it would be filled with nothing more than anecdotes about her mother's culinary disasters...as that is how the book begins. I thought that if the book continued on like that I would give up well before it was over. And I was worried over nothing.
   
   Rather than reading about a young girl who learned to fear her mother's creativity in the kitchen (even though that happened), Tender at the Bone touches on how food became an integral part of each stage of Ruth Reichl's life. Through food she found friends, made friends, and kept friends. With food she learned to create and express herself to her own delight and to the delight of others. She learned the ins and outs of the restaurant business and experienced first hand how important food is to other cultures.
   
   It is fascinating to read her tale, especially to see the luck she has had. While her life took her the wrong way down many one-way streets, she always managed to come across someone who could teach her or show her something invaluable. (I do not mean to discredit her achievements by mentioning her good fortune since not everyone would have been as astute as she was to learn from everything that happened.)
   
   From the stories of her childhood it seemed unlikely that she would end up in the position she has today. She has lived an interesting life which has taken her to many different countries and many different cultures. This book takes you by the hand and leads you through all of it.



2. Ruth Reichl has been a food editor and restaurant critic for the LA Times and NY Times and is now the editor of Gourmet Magazine, but if you're thinking that Tender at the Bone is just another foodie book, think again. Sure, it has recipes (18 of them, most simple, all tantalizing) and plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of food, cookery, and dining. It's also a tasty, tantalizing book, a smorgasbord of entertaining character sketches and often hilarious food adventures.
   
   But Tender at the Bone has its serious side. It tells the disturbing tale of a family thrown into chaos by Ruth's manic mother, the "Queen of Mold" whose idea of a gourmet meal is a stewed two-week-old turkey carcass. It is an almost-classic rite-of-passage journey of a lonely young girl whose dysfunctional parents abandon her to the care of others, leaving her to discover that good food can comfort the lonely (Alice's Apple Dumplings), that food can seduce the unwary (Devil's Food Cake), and that food always expresses our deepest cultural and familial longings (Serafina's mother's Coconut Bread). As she meets helpers who encourage her to outgrow her controlling mother, Ruth graduates from waitress to commune cook to restaurant chef to food writer, stumbling into her vocation along the way in this wonderful journey of self-discovery. Food is a "way of making sense of the world," Ruth says in an introspective moment, or as another character succinctly remarks, "I have to keep tasting."
   
   Tender at the Bone is a sweet, funny, light-hearted memoir whose lessons are dished out with a deft hand. At the same time it is a revealing self-study that offers insights into the forces that limited Reichl during her childhood and teen years, as well as those that brought her new experiences. The author's insatiable appetite for life, her compelling need to "keep tasting": to savor adventure, sample many lifestyles, delight in diversity, relish discovery, learn, create, and grow. It is a nourishing book, in all its various dimensions.
   
   by Susan Wittig Albert
   for Story Circle Book Reviews
   www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



3. I loved reading Tender at the Bone. I felt like I had found a new girlfriend and I was 19 again and wanted her to be my roommate. We had so much in common! I also had grown up in Connecticut. My father was superintendent of schools in Norwalk while she lived in Wilton. Of course Ruth lived in New York City also, and traveled and did tons of things as a child and a young woman that I didn't do. But still I always had this feeling as I read this book that I was with a new best friend. I loved all the intimate thoughts, feelings and disclosures that she shared. I never laughed so hard in all my life, reading a book, as I did reading about the engagement party for her brother, when her mother almost killed off the guests with spoiled food. I hope the story was a bit of an exaggeration! How well I knew Norwalk Hospital, where the poisoned guests went! That's where I had my appendix out at 13 and my mom had a baby when I was seventeen! The book couldn't be long enough for me. I enjoyed her travels, except for her time in school in Canada when I felt so badly for her. I was so relieved when that experience was over. I have to say that I really savored the whole book. Many people have read Tender at the Bone because of me!
   
   If you want a fabulous read, if you want to feel intimate with a stranger, if you want to taste good food without the calories, if you want to travel and learn a new profession without leaving your chair, if you want to have a new best friend, then join me and read Tender at the Bone! The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything



4. Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone opened my eyes to a new way of looking at life. I never imagined that a person could find themselves so entranced by food. Her passion for cooking, tasting, eating, and critiquing food is proudly revealed with each word. Although she began her career as a food critic for the New York Times, she impresses me with her versatility when she writes such an intriguing and personal memoir as Tender at the Bone.
   Each important relationship she has is usually documented with a recipe or a dish. When Ruth's mother comes to meet her daughter's new and perpetually tan roommate, she jumps to conclusions: "I guess I'm a prejudiced person. It never occurred to me that your roommate would be negro". Ruth replies, " 'Oh, she's not...Her family is from Guyana...They are not negro.' And to prove it I gave her some of the coconut bread that Serafina's mother had sent" (107). On the following page, the coconut bread recipe is provided. I never would have thought that coconut bread could hold such secrets as family heritage!
   Reichl also tends to judge people based on their cooking. Her mother, for example, is outrageous and creates equally outrageous concoctions that Ruth must prevent her loved ones from eating, otherwise they will end up in the hospital with food-sickness (as 26 of the guests at her son's engagement party did). Her Aunt Birdie, who is very set in her ways, has her one dish: potato salad. This lack of culinary diversity characterizes Aunt Birdie as the simple, old-fashioned lady that she is. With this memoir I have no doubt become more aware of people's cooking habits, and what it reveals about their personalities.



5. I was in love with this book from the first words of the introduction, where Reichl tells us about the story telling tradition in her family. She introduces her book thus: "Everything here is true, but it may not be entirely factual. I learned early that the most important thing in life is a good story". She then proceeds to tell her stories so convincingly, with such candor and feeling, that you completely forget that some of it is embellished for story telling purposes.
   
   The recipes are absolutely charming and wonderful, a very genuine addition. They may not be the best recipes, some of them may well be old fashioned, but they are honest and intended as an illustration; she includes no photos after the one on the cover - the recipes serve as photos of her life as told here.
   
   This book is about Reichl's life with food. It is not a true autobiography, but anecdotes that are slices and bites of her life. We feel we know Ruth while realizing that we don't know everything about her. But then isn't that the reality of most friendships? And Ruth does feel like a friend that you are getting to know.
   
   Anyone who loves food and cooking will get great pleasure from this book. It is always charming, always engaging, always entertaining. I ordered her sequel the minute I read the last word.

5 comments about A Piece of Cake: A Memoir.

1. Well, Well, Well, What can I say that other reviews haven't. It's a truly inspirational story and it show that if you have the drive the determination you can get whatever it is you want. I thought the line that was most profound for me " I decided the type of seclusion provided by the dumpster would be an ideal place to get high, especially since no one looks for anyone in the trash" This goes to show you the state of mind she was in but once you get to the end of the book you can see how she brought herself up, and she didn't do it alone... She had so many angels that God sent to watch over her and guide her along the way. Cupcake Brown really got it together, the graduation at the end brought me to tears! It just an amazing story that she lived to tell because it's many places in her life that Cupcake could have died. But, God had a plan for her. If you ever think you can't do anything read this book it will give you hope and guidance.



2. This book is a great read for anyone who likes memoirs. This book is as good as it gets. Cupcake's struggles through her life will make anyone feel for her. She has a way of telling her stories that just completely draws you in. As soon as I received the book, I picked it up to read a chapter and could NOT put it down! I read the whole thing straight. I put the book down for a moment to take my dog outside and my sister picked it up in that brief time period. When I returned to resume my reading, my sister was already on the fifth chapter and did NOT want to put it down either. She let me continue ONLY on the condition that as soon as I am done that I let her finish. Well, that was easy! I had it for her the next day :) Cupcake is an inspiration and her story makes you feel like if the fact that if she has overcome the obstacles that she had been challenged with, anyone can! The best part is that now she is an prominent lawyer as well as a motivational speaker. You can't get a better deal in my mind. A spell-binding memoir read that you can not stop reading that ends up with such a feel good ending that most tales like this cease to have. I think the title is very clever as well. Anyway, as you can tell I can not say enough good things about this book. After reading it, I wished I had bought it right when it came out when she was on tour for her book signing because she is someone that you makes you wish you had the chance to meet and just talk to even if only for a brief moment! 5 stars!



3. This book could have been 120 pages but with all the lies she make it over 400 pages. If you can get this book from the library or a friend please do so. I had to read it for my bookclub but was very disspointed. She repeated a lot of stuff and it was hard to beleive most of it.



4. This book could could be categorized as fiction and it still would sell.
   Does it remind you of A Thousand Little Pieces? Yes, too much does not sound believable. Why? She claimed to have lied on her resumes to get hired in law firms and for several office jobs. How did she managed to stay employed as long as she claimed when she came to work high? How did she manage to be competent at work while being high? And no one checked her references and checked out her background? How does she recall so much detail when she was using drugs, pills and alcohol? Her friends she claimed also helped with memories. But many of her friends were getting high with her. The times when she wrote about experiences they were written as if she was alone and she claimed to be high. So, how does she recall so much, while claiming to be so high and no one was with her to recall the incidents as she claimed to remember?



5. This was a good book and some of things that happened to Cupcake just broke my heart. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes as a child or an adult. However, half way through the book I began to get very bored with the drug use that was described. It just seemed as if she was in the same slump for a long time. I got almost to the end and put the book down - I was just tired of it. I would recommend this book because it is truly inspiring. Cupcake came a long way and it is almost unbelievable that she landed on her feet.
   
   ... and I have to agree with some of the other comments. Some of the stuff that Cupcake talked about just didn't seem 100% true.

5 comments about Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return.

1. A strong sequel to Satrapi's original autobiography, Persepolis, also told in graphic novel format. In part 2, Satrapi relates her time in Vienna and her return to Iran. She grows up, in short, and grapples with her exile, her nationality and universal coming-of-age struggles -- from experimenting with drugs, to finding love. As in the first novel, Satrapi's black-and-white illustrations contrast with the multi-hued complexity of the political and religious backdrop of Iranian culture.



2. This is the only book that I have manged to read the entire of it in one day!
   It is a comic book, supper easy read and very educational in terms of knowing different culture.
   I like Persepolis 2 better than 1.
   U may wanna watch the movie, as well. It won and nominated for many awards in 2007.



3. I call myself a history buff but in reality I really only know American history with a little knowledge of King Henry VIII. I was 18 when Iranian crisis started. This book gave me a better insight to the overall issues behind this area than any other reading I had done, which I admit is not vast. The difference here was this book laid things out in such an engaging way I was totally engrossed. The author was both straight foward and insightful, along with quite humorous.



4. The first novel in this series succeeded because its childlike graphics and gee-whiz storytelling matched perfectly with this subject matter. We could imagine the infant/child author telling her story in exactly these terms.
   This sequel fails because the issues of growing up and dealing with the disillusionment with one's own culture are much more subtle. The story and the graphics remind us constantly of the nuances that are left out, of the issues of women's rights and humanity that are sentimentalized, of the real conflicts that this child/woman is undergoing that are completely unexplored.
   There are a few quibbles to be explored: the view of vienna is odd and the little vignette of the narrator peeing standing up seems forced. But most importantly, the mismatch between the story and the way in which it is told ends up making for a read that turns boring quickly.



5. I loved Persepolis, so when I realized there was a Persepolis 2, I quickly bought a used copy from Amazon. When I received it, I was very disappointed to learn that I had already read it! Although my first book was entitled Persepolis, it contained both stories. Check your copy of Persepolis before you buy the sequel; you may have read it!

5 comments about The Long Hard Road Out of Hell.

1. It's actually a pretty good read which was surprising to me. My son could identify with the childhood that M.M. had and realized that the adversity and difficulties that he himself has faced and faces makes him who he is and makes him stronger and that he could use this strength to become something great. I personally don't care for a lot of M.M.'s shocking ways but I do admire his intelligence because he knows what it takes to stand out in the crowded music industry and sell sell sell... smart business man. Good book - My son is 17 and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone younger than that because of the material.



2. I don't understand the title. I don't see anywhere in the book, though I kept hanging on to the end, where Manson actually escaped from his hell. He is depraved and I was disgusted by what I read. No, I am not Christian, nor am I anti-Manson. But really. He speaks of torturing people on tour (i.e. watching as young people are attached to a torture device that one of his touring buddies made). This contraption forces them into a contorted position in which they cannot escape without becoming asphyxiated. They actually thought they had killed a girl who they had attached to it at one point, they had to cut it down to get her out because she had turned blue! He also speaks of his plan to murder an ex, one which he would have surely carried out had it not been for being followed by a homeless man and then seeing the police coming down the street. Let's face it. Manson is a murderous, compassionless, sorry person. He may have a lot of money and fame, but he has no heart. He says that he put a girl on a leash in one of his early shows in order to make a point regarding our patriarchal society. How about singing about it, instead of hypocritically degrading a woman? He and his band mates have degraded so many of their female fans. In one case they had a girl strip nude, then covered her with raw meats, performed lewd acts with her, then peed on her. Sure Marilyn, I am confident you care about women. I threw this book away when I was finished. I only gave this two stars because it was written marginally well. But the content is grotesque.



3. Brian and I have a lot in common, specifically that we both went to those hypocritical, theo-fascist/theo-nazi, "Christian" schools, albeit in different parts of the country, but the net result was pretty much the same. I saw more abuse in those places than I ever did in "the world", which was a kickstart for me to keep investigating for myself the utter hypocrisy I was being indoctrinated with. At age 43, I continue to do just that.
   
   My school was part of the Hyles legacy, a man who had more sin going on in his own life than I had ever heard of. In fact, one fellow student, 2 or 3 years older than me, eventually became a police officer, and ended up murdering his wife and kids in later life. Talk about cracking under pressure ! That place was known for being whacko. This was but one example of many I could tell about.
   
   Manson speaks for two generations with his music, and I've heard much of his material. Some of it I cannot follow because of the screamo style, but eventually I get it. Were it not for "heavy metal", I'd probably be pushing up daisies right now, because due to what I went through, I didn't feel life was worth living. But for better or worse, music saved my life when religion didn't do squat. Nowadays, I've "lost my religion", to borrow a phrase.
   
   Thanks Brian ! Ya did good, my brother! Keep fighting the good fight.



4. This book is very very very good. MM is a great song-writer himself already and this book is so great that I can't put it down. This is the truest account of his life and you will know why he is the way he is. Honest, brutal, funny, and sick this book is.



5. If squeamish, don't bother. After reading this I have a lower opinion of everybody. If this is by any means the 18 to 34 yrs old mentalitity then it is even lower. overall a good book. A honestly and realistic veiw. Basically a Satanist who isn't like Peter Gilmore is a WELCOME to my bookshelf anytime.I HATE Peter Gilmore! what a pretentiuos sissy.

5 comments about Thomas Jefferson.

1. This is billed as a concise, one-volume, biography of Mr. Jefferson. It is that, and I've seen worse books. It is quite well written, and does hit all the high points, and basic ideas. It even clarifies some of the ideas rather well. However......
   
   I have a couple of complaints.....
   
   [1] It skips around, placing events out of sequence; this is most marked toward the end.
   
   [2] The author gives full credence to the Tom and Sally story, while rather blithely dismissing the alternatives. It is NOT that simple. OK; this one is a matter of opinion, and we'll never settle it.
   
   Complaints, and Sally, aside, this is not really "bad". The main points get made, the Declaration and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom get written, and UVA gets founded. A nice touch is including Dumas Malone's biography as one of Jefferson's five great "monuments". [Along with the nickel, Mount Rushmore, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Jefferson Papers]. Still, you can do better...try Joseph Ellis' "American Sphinx" or Noble Cunningham's "In Persuit of Reason....The Life of Thomas Jefferson". Naturally, Dumas Malone and Merrill Peterson remain definitive, but their length will deter most readers.



2. This paperback book was purchased as a gift for a friend at Christmas. He told me recently that he really enjoyed the book, and feels that he now knows many amazing facts about our third president. He recommends it highly.



3. Chou En-Lai, the 20th century Communist leader, was once asked what he thought of the French Revolution. "Too early to say," was his response.
   
   The same has long been true of Thomas Jefferson. Is he a great leader or a great hypocrite? How do we make sense of a person who wrote the ringing words of the Declaration of Independence, yet lived off of the labor of slaves? For far too long, most historians haven not really tried to make sense of him, but instead have either cheered for him or thrown things at him. The partisan passions that Jefferson lived in the center are still very much with us.
   
   Not so with this book. The tone is calm and unemotional. Jefferson's vritues, and his faults, are clearly and simply set forth. The book is wonderfully concise and wonderfully even-handed. It is, without question, the best short life of Jefferson. It is extremely balanced, describing every phase of Jefferson's life, and giving the proper consideration to questions as varied as his temperment, political leadership, educational activities and personal life. I had not realized that the Sally Hemings controversy had been resolved -- yes, he did it -- but Bernstein deals with this question in his characteristically straightforward, unemotional manner. It is what it is.
   
   I have one minor nit to pick. The book does very little to orient the modern reader to how different the 18th century is from today. Bernstein obviously knows how much things have changed, but I do not think he brings that home much to the casual reader. Probably not something he could have done and still keep the book under 200 pages.



4. Being from Iceland I have not really had any education on the founding fathers/presidents of the United States. Wanting to enlighten myself I bought a few books on several of the most famous presidents. This book was one of them since it came highly recommended. Not qualified to judge the quality of this book's content compared to other books of Jefferson (since I haven't read any) I can just say that it's a good read. The text is well written and informative, showing both Jefferson's brilliance and flaws (well he was after all human). So if you would like to read about the late president in not too many words (the book is only around 200 pages) I recommend it highly.



5. This book is hard to follow, and written as a suspense book. I really thought this was going to be more of a history type book. I got it to read after I read Jefferson by David McCullough. David is a much better writer.