5 comments about The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr..

1. I really enjoyed reading this book. The style of prose used by Dr. King is very easy to follow and flows very well. The book is also an inspiring example of how civil disobedience can change the world.
   
   I also am glad that he did not sneeze. (If you read the book you will know the context of this statement).
   
   The only reason that I did not give the book a 5 star rating is I thought that the editor could have added an addendum or chapter on the end of the book concerning the assassination of Dr King and how this affected the rest of the Civil Rights movement and the rest of the country as a whole.
   
   But I would definetely recommend this book.



2. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a very brave man, an unyielding pacifist---and a radical leftist who greatly damaged the United States. He literally argued that his own country carried out a racist and imperialist war against the Vietnamese. MLK believed in affirmative action programs and socialism. He pushed the myth that right-wing conservatives assassinated John F. Kennedy instead of the committed Communist, Lee Harvey Oswald (Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism). And no, you don't have to take my word for it. Clayborne Carson has put together the hard evidence. King was also a plagiarist who didn't hesitate to steal other authors' writings. Nonetheless, we know for sure that these essays were at least approved by him. Many people who read MLK's approved texts for the first time will be appalled. This is especially true for those who reject the morally relativistic notion that a few lies on behalf of a noble cause can ever be justified.
   
   There is another book you should read. Theodore Pappas released his own meticulously researched Plagiarism and The Culture War : The Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Other Prominent Americans only a few months earlier than Carson's. It turns out that MLK's PhD was not earned. At best, he was a pseudointellectual. Hard core left-wingers like Stanley Levinson and Andrew Young took full advantage of his shallowness. Americans need to learn the truth about Rev. King. The fact that these two books were published roughly ten years ago is not relevant. You should put them on your must read list for 2008. Truth is always more valuable than even the most well meaning deceptions.



3. THIS BOOK WILL INSPIRE YOU TO DO GOOD. ITS VERY INSPIRATIONAL. A GREAT MAN WHO DIED TO YOUNG LIKE SO MANY OTHERS. KING NEVER WAS ABLE TO WRITE HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. THIS AUTHOR TOOK ALL THE INFO AVAILABLE TO HIM TO CREATE THIS PHENOMENAL BOOK. AFTER THIS BOOK I FELT I COULD DO ANYTHING. ITS JUST SO INSPIRING. I WOULD BUY IT IF I WERE YOU. SEE YA.



4. I haven't quite finished the book yet but I am impressed at how well the book is written. Martin Luther King,jr. is one of the most memorable historic figures in history and this book eloquently accomplishes portraying him as such.



5. It's an inspirational read and clearly establishes King amongst the finest examples of portraying a 'Purpose Driven Life" in recent generations.

5 comments about Flags of Our Fathers.

1. I'm an amateur World War II historian, a huge fan of the USMC, and I love the country of my birth, the United States of America. So please don't think this review is meant to be anti-soldier or anti-American.
   
   What's funny about this book is that the son/author TOTALLY misses the big points that his father/warrior tried to teach. Namely: (1.) if you have to serve your country in wartime, you do it AND THEN YOU SHUT UP, and (2.) the heroes of conflict are THOSE WHO DIED FIGHTING, not the ones who acted bravely and were lucky enough to survive. And I'm not making this up out of spite: I have read the book, and that's the understanding I derived from the description of the father/warrior.
   
   Yet in "Flags of Our Fathers," the flag-raisers of Iwo Jima are somehow superior to the thousands of GI's who died fighting on that island because the former were in an iconic photograph, and the ones who died weren't. The author of the book both milks that photograph (i.e., no photograph = no book entitled "Flags of Our Fathers") for personal glory and simultaneously shames the federal government of 1945 for cashing in on that iconic image.
   
   Throughout the whole book, there is some sort of "you-can-have-it-both-ways" fog. For example (and I cite this example from another Amazon citizen reviewer), why is it BAD for the Iwo Jima flag-raiser Rene Gagnon to have tried to make money off his experience, and OKAY for James Bradley (who wasn't even born in 1945) to write a book and make money off the same event?
   
   Why is it commended in "Flags of Our Fathers" that the Marines are all about teamwork and brotherhood, but also okay for the Bradley family of suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to arrange a VIP trip for themselves to Iwo Jima in the 1990's to deposit a plaque on Mount Suribachi that mentions and honors ONLY their relative, and NONE of the other flag-raisers?
   
   This is a GREAT book about The Greatest Generation, and a great honor to a small group of brave, very young men who raised the flag over Iwo Jima on that hellacious day. No doubt! But this text is limned in insincerity, contradiction, and (what must be unintended) irony.



2. I am glad I saw the movie first. The book and its story of the real life men who raised the flags over Iwo Jima is far superior. Better yet is that the book focuses more attention on the Battle of Iwo Jima itself, whereas the film devoted a inordinate attention to the bond drive.
   
   FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is not just one story, but multiple tales about the Marines who stormed ashore on the black sands of Iwo Jima and raised the second flag over the pork-chop-shaped volcanic isle. Through the book we follow them through their very unremarkable varied beginnings through the survivor's post war battles with their fame. Author James Bradley had particular interest in the subject matter as his father, Navy Corpsman John Bradley, was one of the flag raisers.
   
   John Bradley rarely spoke to his son about his part in the flag raising. Indeed Bradley's method of coping with his horrific wartime experiences was to be a loving husband, good father, successful businessman and contributor to his community. James Bradley's search for his father's wartime experiences found his dad's story linked to that of that great battle and the Marines. Of the three surviving flag raisers John Bradley was the only one who was able to pull his life together and move on, albeit with occasional nightmares that left him sobbing.
   
   The book does a great job contrasting the lives of the surviors. Bradley's veteran years contrast sharply with that of fellow flag raiser and Pima Indian Ira Hayes. In the book we find the beginning of Hayes' downward spiral months before he even set foot on Iwo Jima. Hayes eventually sought post war refuge through alcoholism and inability to rise above anything other than living a hard life. Bradley's narrative highlights some intersting parallels in both men's lives. John Bradley harbored the true fate of his horribly tortured close friend Ralph Ignatowski, while Ira Hayes carried the truth about the misidentification of one of the flag raisers. Both men made their own pilgrimages to the families of the dead Marines to unburden their souls.
   
   A large portion of the book covers the battle itself. Twenty-two thousand Japanese defenders fought from caves, concrete blockhouses, and miles of tunnels carved through the volcanic tuff. For many Marines, supported by numerous quotes in the book, Iwo was Hell itself.
   
   There are very few good contemporary books written about Iwo Jima. Although FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS leans heavily on actions directly related to the flag raisers, it includes numerous vignettes representative of the overall battle. FLAGS is much better than Bradley's subsequentwork FLYBOYS. Where FLYBOYS straddles a potpourri of seemingly unrelated topics, FLAGS remains focused on the flagraisers.
   
   This book is available in several different editions, sizes, and print formats.



3. I'm so glad to have read this book. It created so much discussion among my social circles because I was amazed by the information. I learned more about WWII than I did in my history classes in high school and college because I was drawn into the book through learning about the lives of the 6 flagraisers at Iwo Jima. The book introduces you to each character, how they "joined" the war, their experience at the flagraising and their life after their service in the military. A GREAT read!



4. 
   This book is the story of the the amphibious landing, the battle for Mount Suribachi, the three airstrips, Nishi Ridge and finally Kitano Point. Sixteen of three hundred and 82 pages tells briefly of the stateside Bond Drive.
   
   Nothing in this book, approaches the moral ambiguity shown in the film of the same title, which shows only the amphibious landing as far as battles for the critical features of the island. With Bradley's book, there is only a respectful tone, and the heroism of the men is never brought into question. This is one of the great military histories concerning a critical battle in the South pacific.
   
   /



5. I'd read "Flags of Our Fathers" after the superb "Flyboys," and perhaps it was only too easy to be disappointed. "Flyboys" is an amazing book, both focused on the immediate and on the greater picture; even for people who've read plenty of history, there are fresh revelations on every page.
   
   "Flags of our Fathers," on the other hand, is a much more conventional history book, much more narrowly focused. Bradley does do a good job of reaching beyond his father, as he didn't have to do; but he doesn't do a particularly good job of bringing readers into the moment, or of putting them into the greater context.
   
   The story of the men in the famous -- almost ignored -- photo is one that could be told, and should have been told, and was told well enough in "Flags of our Fathers." It's just hard not to wish for something a bit more, as when the author caught his voice in "Flyboys."

5 comments about Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez.

1. I read this book as a part of a college class on marginalized/minority writers. Out of a class of eight, I and another girl both thought this fellow was an unmitigated whiner and the book was terrible. The rest of the class thought it was compelling and thought provoking (or else they just wanted a good grade that week.) It seems to me that it is almost forbidden to express dislike of a minority writer in a classroom environment these days for fear of being branded a racist. I did not like this book. I was in the minority--read it and decide for yourself.



2. Esteemed a classic, this work has the merit, upon first reading, of making the reader feel he has been initiated into the long lost tribe of truth tellers, something akin to the book readers of Fahrenheit 451. We meet somebody for whom education is a real thing, something that is life changing, enlightening, and it estranges him from his family, and of course from all people, because the sophistication he gains from his education makes him an enemy to the ignorant. Much is lost, but what is gained far outweighs that loss. He knows it, and we get the message. Bravo, Richard Rodriguez.



3. This book was a difficult read. I admit openly that it is a strain for me to understand the feeling of minority. I am a middle-middle class white person, privileged by virtue of the fact that my parents stayed together for 53 years until my father passed away, blessed by being an "Air Force brat", which entitled me to meet people of all different races, socioeconomic groups, and nationalities to the extent that I don't see those things anymore. It is hard for me to relate. Rodriguez begins the book by mocking upper-class people for being arrogant, and middle-class people for attempting "cheap imitations of lower-class life". Are there really people in America who divide individuals into classes like that? And if class is so important, to what class would he assign himself? My father taught me to respect all people and that every man's work is good if it is honest work, so I would not presume to judge a person's character by his socioeconomic class.
   
   Overlooking this obstacle, I see that Rodriguez, like all good writers, writes from his own experience of life. He was intensely impacted by the transition from Spanish to English in his life. His mother insisted on English being spoken in the home, according to the recommendations of well-meaning nuns, but as a result, the author lost an integral part of his home experience, the music of his native tongue. Additionally, he lost connection with his mother and father, because while his mother attained a rudimentary grasp of the English language, his father never quite caught on, so his relationship with his wife and children was radically changed. According to the author, his father lived voiceless in his own home, which was a sad state of affairs for the former head of the household.
   
   Rodriguez states that he is against affirmative action as it is legislated, where the only requirement to qualify is to belong to a minority group, such as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans. When he realized that he had received an exceptional level of early schooling during his years in private Catholic school, it became clear that he was not really socially disadvantaged at all. At that point in time, it was evident that there were many other students out there who were far more needful of the benefits of the affirmative action program. Furthermore, Rodriguez equated the meaning of the word "minority" with "alienated from the public (majority) society", and found that by becoming a student, he did not consider the term "minority" to describe him. Neverthless, for reasons that are somewhat blurry, he accepted the benefits of the program, went on to denigrate the program publicly, only to have it thrown back in his face by minority leaders who did not appreciate him rocking the proverbial boat. Eventually he apologizes for taking the benefits that someone else was more deserving of receiving; however, he acknowledges that it is unlikely they will ever read his apology.
   
   The author's apparent love of his parents, his obedience to them and respect for their struggle in a strange country, was wonderful to see in the beginning of this book. Rodriguez's recognition of his parents is well deserved, for his father and mother made considerable sacrifices to give their children a better chance in the world than they had personally experienced. They left their Mexican town filled with memories, family, and friends, to take their children to a land of increased opportunity. They worked hard and managed to send their three children to private Catholic school. They attended an Irish-American church instead of the Mexican church they preferred in their homeland. He says that his parents coped well in America, with his father keeping steady work, and his mother managing the home, which was situated in what Rodriguez describes as "among gringos, and only a block from the biggest, whitest houses". Although they knew none of their neighbors and routinely struggled to manage daily concerns in a strange language, they had huge families of relatives visiting them from time to time, and a family life immersed in laughter and joy. This is evidence of the consistent efforts of loving parents to provide a lasting heritage that eclipses ethnic or socioeconomic constraints. Unfortunately, halfway through the book, Rodriguez tells us that as he became more and more proficient in English and enlarged his circle of English-speaking friends, he became ashamed of his parents and hated their foreign ways. In the final chapter of the book, we find his mother begging him not to air his disloyalty to and disappointment in his family openly in his writing, but he does not honor her request. This book is all about him, to the very end.
   
   The author continually reminds us of his socially disadvantaged upbringing, the fact that he is the son of "working-class parents". Forgive me if I don't buy into this thinking. He attended private school, for Pete's sake. That costs money. I grew up listening to my parents' stories of the depression, when people were lucky to even have a job, and of life in post-war Germany , where children rifled through garbage cans for food. To this day, my mother keeps her pantry filled with extra cans of food, extra bags of staples such as flour and sugar, all sorts of extra non-perishables, against that kind of want. I went to Florida 's horrendous public schools and my parents couldn't afford to send me to college, so I got Pell grants and Perkins loans and Stanford loans for which I am still paying. So I should feel sorry for him, because he was on scholarship based upon his ethnicity? It is appalling and demeaning the way he calls himself "the scholarship boy" throughout this text. If accepting the funds was so detestable to him, he should have passed the opportunity on to somebody who would appreciate it. In the interest of clearing his conscience, I think from now on, he ought to thank the taxpayers, pay his taxes and pass the help on to the next generation of needy students. Or if he feels that guilty about the financial aid he received, set up a scholarship fund for financially-strapped single parents who are women (the group I fell into as a student) with all the profits he's getting from this book.
   
   Rodriguez also states that he was "victim to a disabling confusion". He hasn't suffered a traumatic brain injury or been diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease. He is referring to his inability to speak Spanish easily once he became fluent in English. As a speech-language pathologist, I can definitively state that linguistic learning differences don't make a person a victim. To me, Rodriguez's alleged issues with language and intimacy seem disconnected with the issues of bilingual education or affirmative action. In fact, he is such a gifted speaker and writer, that he makes his living using these skills, and is evidently very successful, or I wouldn't be reading this book.



4. Looking beyond the criticisms of other reviewers, one can find in this little book many fundamental truths about education -- what it means to be an educated person, even how education might alienate people or divide families. Intensely intellectual and at the same time profoundly personal, Richard Rodriguez's Hunger of Memory eloquently charts the process of education in his own life, uncovering its magic, measuring its costs along the way, but in the end testifying to its great benefits. Students and teachers alike could gain greater understanding of the process of education and what it can mean through reading this book.



5. Richard Rodriguez reflects on his journey from the barrios of California to a seat in the library of the British Museum. He recognizes that the distance has moved him closer to a world of privilege and freedom. At the same time, he acknowledges that he is removed from his family and his background.
   
   Rodriguez bristles at attempts to mainstream Hispanic students through bilingual education. He is not calling for an official language. Its not quite like that. He just feels that students need to have an ability to master the language that, for better or worse, is spoken in the pathways that lead to power in this country.
   
   Rodriguez is very aware of the lessons that others would draw from his story. He points out that a group of people are attracted to having him as a speaker, because it confirms their own politics. Oddly, he doesn't feel that aligned with their perspective, because while they draw some similar conclusions about education, they have nothing else in common.
   
   Rodriguez laments that his book is catalogued and shelved in the wrong category. It is not a book about Hispanics, or within Latino studies. It is a book about class and privilege. That mistake is not likely to change, though, because class is a taboo topic and not something that is given its own space in our book stores.
   
   At one point, Rodriguez mentions that his editor would prefer less reflection and more stories. The editor wanted more anecdotes from Rodriguez' life -- more about his grandmother, for example. Rodriguez doesn't want to do that.
   
   I would argue that this is one privilege that he is not entitled to, even as a person holding a doctorate. He still has to show the reader, not just tell. If he thinks that he cannot tell the personal stories of his life without compromising his message, then he needs to write a few more drafts!

5 comments about Wild Men, Wild Alaska: Finding What Lies Beyond the Limits.

1. For guys or gals who like hunting and fishing and outdoor adventure this is a must read. I finished it in two sittings, couldn't put it down.



2. Rocky's book was an excellent read. After having fished two times in the wilds of Alaska in the past few years, I found the stories to be an exciting look into the last frontier that is Alaska. It is easy to become part of the story and to place yourself in Rocky's place. Fortunately, I did not have to be faced with the real dangers, reading about them was enough. Alaska is the last of our American frontiers. If you can't get there to see and experience it for yourself, then by all means read this book!! It will give you a taste of the wilderness life in Alaska and let you experience the wild without the streetlights and traffic that too often become our life in the "lower 48." Do yourself a favor and get this book.



3. I must say, from the perspective of someone who has never experienced the Alaskan wilderness firsthand Wild Men Wild Alaska does an amazing job of painting the beauty and nostalgia for it's readers. This is definitely one of those books that you just can't put down, highly recommended!



4. I found this book to be refreshing, honest, creative, vulnerable and challenging. Even if you're not an outdoorsman par excellance like the author, his style draws you into the great adventures of Alaska. I not only appreciated the raw realities of hunting expeditions, but also the tender realities that were revealed in the partnership Rocky has with his wife, Sharon. Here's a good read. Enjoy!!!



5. I picked up this book at the recommendation of a friend. I could not put it down. It tells one hair raising, exciting, interesting, and amusing Alaskan adventure story after another. I especially loved the story of President Bush tweaking the big Austrians and their star fishing guide with one amazing catch after another.
   This book is much more than a collection of hunting and fishing stories though --it is the story of a passionate man, with the support of a long suffering, loving wife pursuing his calling with everything God has given him. This book captures the pure fun of living life to the fullest and bringing others along to share in the experience. It is obvious that the great delight of the author is to have others experience the joys of the Alaskan wilderness with him. This book is written in a way that allows many of us to vicariously share in the fun at a safe distance from grizzly bears and near fatal plane wrecks and boat crashes.

5 comments about A Thousand Days in Venice (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. Reading De Blasi's story is like going to Venice in person. Love her comments on italian men and all her recipes that come with the book.



2. In a world of multitudes of choices, Marlena chose the road (or actually, waterway), less travelled. She fell in love with someone she barely knew and moved half way round the world in the process. She opted for the unexpected - an adventure. I chose Marlena's story as my "beach read" this summer and it was perfect. It's quick and light - fun! She didn't weigh her story down with complaints about how different we all are - she chose the language of love (and food) to find commonality - yet she still added charming stories that suggested how Italian lifestyle and priorities are a bit different from Americans. Instead or wondering "what if..." - she did it! What a brave soul!



3. If you are looking for a wonderfully human story of pure delight, this is the book for you... It gives you a real flavor for one of the most romantic cities in Italy.... You can almost smell the food... and feel the puch of the tourists... She is steeped in the Italian experience...



4. I thoroughly delighted in this true story only after getting through the preposterous, high fructose corn syrup sappy, first 20 pages - factual though they may be. Having guffawed, rolled my eyes, and saying out loud to no one, "I am not reading this!" at page 12, weeks later I picked it up with my interest piqued and didn't put it back down until the end. Marlena is an intelligent writer, never wasteful with her perfect words and allusions. She was enraptured with her Italian settings and immersed in them, not distant from their ancient exoticism like so many authors who prattle on with some cold, repeated, textbook authority. I would read anything by her again in a heartbeat. There is purity and security both in her romance and her writing. Actually she is pretty inspirational by simply following her heart, her loves.



5. This book was recommended as a better read than the current best seller, Eat Pray Love. While they are superficially similar, in that both authors love Italian culture, food and the joy of living, this book is more in depth at giving a flavor of Venice and background into Italian culture, through the eyes of an american visitor.
   The author describes the many steps necessary to make the transition as an american into a country with ancient, almost ingrained customs. Her love of Italy, the food and the traditions, comes through with gusto.
   This is also a memoir of an unlikely middle age romance, which is refreshing, even when things don't go smoothly within the marriage.
   As a counterpart to studying Italian conversation and language, this is a wonderful book about Italy and Venice and Italy's people, and what they've survived. I have gone on to read the 2 subsequent books about the couple's travels and adventures in other regions of Italy.

5 comments about The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time.

1. The Great Shark Hunt: Gonzo Papers vol. 1 is a hysterical and brilliant piece of his mordant wit, this great heir to Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce and H. L. Mencken, the Great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
   
   The book covers the exciting and gut laugh-filled evolution of Gonzo from about 1963 to 1976; including his infamous article from 1970 in which Gonzo arose from his open shell and, soaring aloft, emitted the primal and insane roar; The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.
   
   This is a very facinating era of Thompson's life and career as he slowly makes a beast of himself and his writing, probably the best social commentary since Voltaire.



2. It is a pretty rare experience for me to find an author who can make me feel as though I actually understand the culture the author is describing. Many authors are perfectly capable of explaining a culture or a period in time, but I don't find many who do it simply by describing their experiences, but Hunter S. Thompson does so in this book.
   
   This book covers a lot of American culture in the 20th century. Now, I am not a US citizen, nor have I read much US history, but I found Thompson's stories very perceptive and entertaining. Even his coverage of something that sounds as dull as Richard Nixon's presidential campaign and fall are just brilliant. This is one of those few books that has made me laugh out loud.
   
   What I fundamentally love about this book is that it really makes me feel like I'm standing beside the author, in his stories as he tells them. Thompson has a wicked sense of mischief, which goes very well with his "Gonzo" style of journalism. I think that "Gonzo" journalism helps his stories become so vivid because Thompson makes sure that he is not separated from what's going on. In fact, Thompson is often central to the story and yet that doesn't result in the kind of ego-centric story telling one might expect.
   
   If you have any interest in US culture, from 1960 onward, and a love for very perceptive, though often drug addled lunatics as protagonists, then I imagine that you will love this book.



3. Much like Sony's "The Essential" series, which collected the greatest songs from the greatest musicians of the past century, "The Great Shark Hunt" is an anthology of the greatest of the Good Doctor's work from his peak period of the 60's and 70's.
   
   Perhaps no other American writer captured the essence of that tumultous era better than Hunter S. Thompson. He was simultaneously of his time and above his time, and invented a new kind of journalism, dubbed "Gonzo." All objectivity was thrown out the window as the author thrust himself into the action of the stories he was reporting. Whether it was dropping acid at a police convention in Las Vegas, sabotaging the presidential bid of Ed Muskie, or running for sheriff of Aspen, Thompson's antics are legendary, and "The Great Shark Hunt" is a great way to get acquainted with the man and the writing for which he is best remembered.



4. Hunter S. Thompson was a raving lunatic, a mad professor, a crackpot, and a Genius all wrapped up in one. If you're up for a wild ride through the late sixties and early seventies then get this book - nobody else has come close to describing those times so well. I found myself giggling like a Moron at some of the outrageous things that Thompson did and said, and pounding my fist in anger at other things that the Mad Doctor did and said. At certain intervals during this read I vowed to never touch another Thompson book, but there were times that I couldn't put it down, and eagerly anticipated his other books. It is worth the read for it's insight, and for the jaw-dropping affect that Thompson causes so easily and so frequently.



5. This book is really amazing. It spans, not chronilogically, throughout most of Dr. Hunter S Thompson's early/middle stages of his career. It is satirical and hilarious and straight to the point. Straight to the point meaning he does not bite his tongue, especially when speaking about "that twisted beast of a man" Nixon. Sometimes the writing begins getting off on a tangent, but if it didn't then it wouldn't truly be gonzo journalism. This book is incredible!

2 comments about Chiquita (Premio Alfaguara de novela 2008).

1. Just finished reading Chiquita. Very entertaining. You never know if what you are reading is true or false, and the description of the characters, places, etc. just great.
   The author has this kind of humor, you know he is enjoying himself writing those outrageous situations. Reminded me of Cien Años de Soledad, or Pantaleón y las Visitadoras.



2. Bueno, cuanto del cuento es verdadero y cuanto es pura imaginacion? El autor nos explica- un autor de la ficcion es mentiroso, hay que entenderlo desde el principio. Pero este libro es una mezcla de hechos (apoyados con las fotos y articulos de la epoca) y ficciones (quien sabe si Sarah Bernhardt verdaderamente animo a Chiquita a salir de de jubilacion motivado de la tristeza??) Pero al fin y al cabo, no importa- come dijo el primer lector, el estilo del autor es sumamente elegante y gracioso. La personalidad de Chiquita- aunque sea real pero aumentado por la imaginacion- es muy fuerte y interesante, metido en una epoca de historia con mucho impacto. Lo unico que me confundio un poco fue la competicion entre las sociedades secretos de los liliputienses, hasta con asesinos y el oculto. La verdad, era un poco violento, y como algo en una novela policiaco.. no se si pertenecio o valia mucho. Pero las personajes (Rustica, Crinigan, Bostock, Liane de Pougy, Candido Olazabal) eran ricos y divertidos, muy encantadores todos a su manera. Como Vladimir Nabokov en ADA, la mezcla de detalles verdaderos y fantoseados encanta. Recomendado!!

5 comments about A Three Dog Life.

1. I couldn't resist the book Stephen King says is the best memoir he's ever read. It was hard to know what to expect, considering what King's written. The title contains the word "dogs." Would it be about three rabid dogs from a small New England town attacking a death row inmate who's escaped and is stepping over dead bodies while escaping a deadly virus via the Holland Tunnel? Not exactly. What I got was a heartbreaking, beautifully written book. The author recounts her life after her husband suffers traumatic brain injuries as a result of being hit by a car. Deceptively simple, this book explores the author's emotional, psychological and spiritual journey while coming to terms with the aftermath of the accident.
   
   I suspect this book hit home with King because of his own difficult recovery after he was hit by a van while walking in his home state of Maine (as sensitively recounted in his book On Writing.) I'm a survivor of a life-changing car accident myself, and I could really relate. But you don't have to have gone through that kind of devastation to appreciate this simply-written yet thought-provoking book. You just have to appreciate fine writing, and be open to learning about someone else's experiences. Highly recommended, both for the writing, and for the lessons offered within.



2. The book was as new, the price was A+.This is my favorite book in the past 5 years. A Three Dog Life



3. An astute friend told me about this book, as an example of an interesting way to write a memoir. I'm so fortunate she did, as this really resonated with me. I like it a lot.



4. Others here have described in-depth the storyline of this bitter-sweet love story. I'll just note how refreshing it was to read about a marital topic other than infidelity.
   
   One of the few rock concerts I attended in my youth featured the group, Three Dog Night, so the apt title needed no explanation. Among the thousand or so books in my personal library, this memoir, a THREE DOG LIFE, sits on my short shelf for will-read-again-and-again.
   
   Abigal Thomas has painted with lyrical prose an honest portrait of a bruised, yet vibrant, marriage, highlighting the often-hidden joys of long-term true love in a flawed world.



5. I'm always looking for a new "dog book" of quality. Well, this wasn't exactly just a dog book. It is, however, one of the best memoirs I have read in some time. Some may be put off by the somewhat jumbled chronology of this book, but I think it works perfectly to project the fragmented state of mind of Thomas as she struggled for more than five years to cope with what her husband's tragic accident had done to their once-comfortable life. Thomas has the extremely rare talent of being able to make you nearly cry and then laugh out loud, sometimes on the same page. This is an extremely well-crafted and utterly human piece of writing. And, by the way, it's a good "dog book" too. - Tim Bazzett, author of Love, War & Polio (RatholeBooks.com), and current practitioner of A Two Dog Life

5 comments about Bunny Tales.

1. Interesting if you have ever been to one of the Mansions Parties or if you ever watch "The girls next door" you gotta read this. Lets say "there is always two sides to a story"
   Nice book



2. This book was an atrocious attempt at trying to remain relevant after Hef booted St. James out of the house. Her publisher really did her a disservice in pushing this book onto the public. From attacking the other girls to attempting to paint herself in a different light, failing miserably, I would recommend this book only for a good laugh due to the inconsistencies. Holly, Bridget, and Kendra are desperate fame seeking whores while she truly loves Hef in one breath, the next she's talking about the fit she pitched when he cut their allowance for parties from 2k to about 500 because the girls were pocketing the cash in addition to their "allowance" for living there. Calling the other girls conniving cheats while admitting a chapter or two away the frequency with which she cheated on Hef. Overall, the book was boring minutia from someone who really could have just stayed quiet or auditioned to be part of the THS on Hef and come out looking better.



3. This book reads exactly like what it is-- a gossipy tell-all written by a woman scorned. Although I was surprised by all of the the contradictions, typos, and grammatical errors--either the publisher was too eager to get this book on the store shelves to bother with an editor, or this girl really needs some lessons in English! The book really delivers the dirt on the sex practices of the world's oldest hedonist, and the playmate girlfriend hierarchy....and that is what we are really after anyhow! It makes a fun beach read for the summer, but that's about it.



4. I read this book in 2 days... I really couldn't put it down! I don't want to give away too much, but I can't believe the rules the "girlfriends" had to live by. I think the "Girls Next Door" have it much better than the former gf's since they are making their own money now with the TV show. Oh and the thought of ALL that babyoil and Hef... yuck! LOL



5. this book is plain stupid! the girl sounds incredibly unintelligent and desperate. if u want to read it, read it online, for free and be sourly disappointed! ENJOYYYYYYY

5 comments about Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret Life of Raymond Burr.

1. This is the second star bio of a fat dead celeb I've read in a week: what with the new Chris Farley book maybe there's a new market for "husky guys." Raymond Burr gave a lot to the troops, including taking part in dozens of USO tours overseas. Starr claims that he was as patriotic in this respect as Bob Hope! Funny how neither Burr nor Hope was born in the USA and yet they did far more than some of their native-born counterparts. However the sinister side is that Burr's familiarity with the armed services enabled him to claim two Purple Hearts despite the fact that he never served a day in his life (except for a stint in the CCC, an altogether different affair.) In short, he was a liar as well as a commanding screen and television actor.
   
   Mostly he lied about his sexuality, and butched it up while the cameras were rolling. He constructed an incredible string of lies of women with whom he was involved (and married) and even had a dead son who never existed, for the benefit of the fan magazines. In fact his lies were so obvious that even during his lifetime, skeptics were decrying his fictitious dead wives. He did have one actual wife, an actress he met at the Pasadena Playhouse, while his affair with Natalie Wood was perhaps his one real interest in a girl, but I suppose he could wing it with Natalie, who was after all a teenager at the time, and he far too old for their studios to allow it to continue. So maybe it was safe for him because he knew the studio Montagues and Capulets would tear them apart
   
   Michael Seth Starr writes serviceably, though he sometimes gets tangled up in his own extended metaphors and when that happens, sense srops out of the picture. "If Robert Mitchum, Dick Powell, and Humphrey Bogart were the undisputed kings of noir, then Raymond, Mazurski, et al, were their dark princes." Even a stylist like George Santayana would have found it difficult to correlate the two cliches of "undisputed king" and "dark prince" into the same sentence, though you'd think on the face of it both expressions are dealing with the same sort of thing--yet they're not. And sometimes he identifies his players in awkward or naive ways: the actress Eleanor Parker was a classmate of Mrs. Raymond Burr, but it seems like a discredit to Parker to introduce her by saying that she "would later be featured on the big screen in The Sound of Music." Yes, and about a zillion other pictures of which she was the top billed star!
   
   He haas done a lot of research and interviewed many who knew Burr well, and his back story on Erle Stanley Gardner and the Perry Mason phenomenon brings to light some new material. Over one hundred actors were tested, Starr tells us, including Fred MacMurray, William Holden, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., William Hopper, Richard Egan, Mike Connors, and Richard Carlson. I don't know about the others, but I find it hard to believe that William Holden--at the time the most popular box office star in the world--would have auditioned for Perry Mason (and none of the biographies mention this fact), and if he had, what producers would have passed on him? It would be like if Brad Pitt came in to audition for my courtroom drama and I said, "Oh sorry, Brad Pitt, you're unworthy and we are hiring the King of Queens guy."



2. Short, with really no new information, HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT is a very easy but ultimately boring read about Raymond Burr.
   
   Very few celebrities managed to be in two hit series, one following the other. Raymond Burr did but yet his entire life seemed totally devoid of any real purpose. Even his interest in food and orchids comes up short.
   
   As Mr. Starr reports it, there does not seem to be anything revealing or in the slightest bit noteworthy in the telling of Raymond Burr's life. Everyone, at least by now, is aware of the secret life he led. But in telling it here, the reader finds it all to be very bland to the point where the wonders of the actors work (A Place In The Sun and Rear Window as well as Ironsides and Perry Mason)seem insignificant.
   
   Although the book is well written and mercifully short, I can't help but wonder why Mr. Starr bothered.



3. This is a very sad story of how things were in the days when Raymond Burr was a Hollywood Star! How unfortunate that he had to pretend to be something he was not to protect his career. Many tid bits of his personal life show just how loving and at the same time tragic Mr. Burr was. If you want to read something that helps you understand what prejudice is all about in the Gay Community.....you must read this book.



4. Raymond Burr was one of the most distinguished actors in television history. Although his early career was dominated by film work, he became identified with the small screen after playing the title character in Perry Mason. His work did much to bring credibility to a medium which was often seen as inferior to the silver screen.
   
   Raymond Burr's homosexuality was an open secret in Hollywood when he died in 1993, and common knowledge shortly thereafter. There was no "scandal" when this information was revealed, mainly because Burr had led an honorable life which was marked by his generosity to those in need. That he was closeted while in a 35 year relationship with actor Robert Benevides is more a reflection on the era and the Hollywood mentality than on Burr himself. The author, Michael Seth Starr, does not seem interested in reflecting on those subjects, rather than the lengths to which Burr went to conceal his private life.
   
   Starr seems obsessed with Burr's weight, arguably more than Burr or his fans ever were. Hardly a page goes by without mention of Burr's "corpulent girth" or "morbid" obesity. Not all gay men, closeted or otherwise, are body fascists, yet Starr's personal attitudes on the subject seem to pervade the book.
   
   At times, the book is bogged down in irrelevant detail. Starr gives a blow-by-blow account of the plot of Rear Window and several other films. While it expands a slim book, it's not necessary. Really, what film fan, not to mention Burr fan, does not know the plot of Rear Window?
   
   Since his death, Burr's many fans have wanted a definitive telling of his story. Hiding in Plain Sight isn't it.



5. This is a good basic biography, and I really should've given it 3 1/2 stars. That is, the author did do quite a bit of research--and all the important invents in Raymond Burr's life are listed (I certainly learned a lot). In short, it does give a good basic chronological outline of Raymond Burr's life.
   
   In addition, call me naive, but I was unaware that Raymond Burr was gay. And the friends & relatives who I talked to were also unaware that he was gay. Indeed, that was quite surprising to me--and it was only after reading this book that I am now starting to realize that he was indeed gay (so this author's book was definitely needed here).
   
   Also, the same applies to the "obesity" issue. Here again, I was unaware as to the size of the problem (no pun intended). Indeed, I am 6--4"--and I weigh 260 lbs--which is way overweight (and I notice it on a daily basis). However, Raymond Burr was 6'-2" and weighed over 300 lbs at times during his life--and so that is indeed "gargantuan." This must've caused HUGE problems for him--both in his personal & professional lives.
   
   Therefore, re the above items, I DO NOT feel that the author overemphasized those two points. Those are both HUGE issues. Indeed, I feel the author did not do enough to fully detail those issues--and to also explain how Raymond Burr overcame those daunting obstacles to success.
   
   Also, it seems that the author did not interview anyone who was really close to Raymond Burr. That is, it seemed that most of the testimonials, descriptions, and opinions were from "3rd party" sources--e.g., people who were of some "distance" from Mr. Burr. This author's book would've been much better had he obtained information and/or descriptions of incidents from a close friend of Mr. Burr--or at least someone who was in Mr. Burr's "inner circle." Certainly, someone from his inner circle could've provided more accurate--as well as more interesting--information.
   
   Also, the book was relatively thin--only 219 pages--with the pages being small & the print somewhat large (and also some blank pages were counted as pages). So, although the author did do a lot of work--and a lot of research--it is nonetheless clear that much more could've been done, if one was truly interested in detailing Mr. Burr's life.
   
   Finally, the author's book does expose some of Raymond Burr's faults. I had always viewed him as a "larger than life" figure, but it is now becoming apparent to me that EVERYONE has faults--even the great ones. I was particularly concerned about the amount of lying that Mr. Burr engaged in. Some of the lies were rather harmless--such as pretending that he stayed in China, as well as falsified university attendances. And some lies were intended to cover up his gayness (e.g., making up non-existent marriages), so that was perhaps understandable as well. However, the lie about the non-existent child & tragic death of that child due to a horrible disease was simply inexcusable. Any parent who has lost a child will tell you that there is absolutely nothing funny about that. And so, trivializing a tragedy like that simply because you want to falsify your past is simply inexcusable. And, the same goes for his non-existent war record & non-existent injuries from that war. WWII was a very serious war--and many people (across the world) lost their lives due to that terrible war. Indeed, I had an uncle who died due to injuires sustained in WWII. So again, fighting for your country in WWII & getting injured because of it is something that should NOT be trivialized. I can only assume here that Mr. Burr thought that this lie would "draw the reporters off his scent" and/or improve his popularity with the public.
   
   To conclude, as the book points out, it is somewhat strange that Raymond Burr played Perry Mason--a lawyer dedicated to extracting the truth from all situations--yet Mr. Burr was such an accomplished liar on the witness stand of his own life. So, if nothing else, I have to give this book credit for introducing REALITY into my view of Raymond Burr.