2 comments about Let's Talk About Pep.

1. I saw that this book wasn't available until Aug 26th. Well, I pre-ordered it from Amazon and was pleasantly surprised to receive it on the 19th.
   
   This book was a quick read and I finished it in 2 days. Overall, I liked the book. Pepa starts her story from about the age of 5 and it ends with her in the present. In between that time period, Pepa goes through ALOT with the things she has experienced. I don't want to give things away, but I emphasize ALOT based on here relationships with males, particularly her relationship with Treach of Naughty by Nature. When they divorced, I never knew why, but in this book, she reveals what she went through and why their relationship just had to end. As a matter of fact, I had to skip parts of the chapters that dealt with him because it was too much. I am happy she left, for her and her children's good. It is a powerful testimony.
   
   As for the rest of Pepa's story, you learn about her family, childhood, rise to fame, her gifts and curses, her and Cheryl's relationship as Salt N Pepa and as friends. In the end, you learn how Pepa has grown and takes some responsibility for her life experiences and how she knows to make better choices for herself. She has learned her true worth and to not accept less.
   
   I strongly feel that this book could help other girls and women who have had similar experiences. I was pleased with the book and would recommend it. I take off 1 star because there are times in the book where a story would veer off and not bring closure to that story until later. Also, the events didn't seem to be in order at times.



2. I got this book on the 22nd and finished it the same day . As a woman i can relate to every thing Pep went thru but as a human i am over joyed she over came it all. In reading this book i truly feel like shes my " sister in my head " . I onced worked in the industry and had met Salt and Pepa more than once . Who knew under that pretty smile and great tude was such pain . No one wouldve guessed under the fly clothes , songs of empowerment and fun Pepa was more like most of us than we knew . It takes guts to tell your struggle when every one thought it was all sweet but even more so it takes a Diva like Pep to keep it movin !

5 comments about Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.

1. I almost didn't read this book, despite the praise two people whose tastes I trusted gave it. For some reason I didn't think I would appreciate it since I'm not nearly as into music as I was when I was younger. I quickly found that it didn't matter. Sheffield's loving, yet never sappy or melancholy, descriptions of Renee - and his life and love with her - drew me in. Hell, I almost found myself falling in love with this lady! What a wonderful tribute to her. I could see and feel her sense of adventure, her love of life, her impulsiveness and sense of humor. How tragic for someone so full of life to die so young. But how lucky the two of them were to share what they did, even if for a short time.
   
   Music was a deeply shared love of theirs, and I think we can all relate to the power of music to a certain extent. Who doesn't hear certain songs that evoke a memory or emotion, good or bad? I think we all do. I thought his unique approach in using his and their mix tapes to begin each chapter, and to tell the story, really worked. Maybe it wouldn't for all writers or all stories, but for Sheffield's story, I thought it was perfect.



2. This book made me realize how much I associate music with various points in my life. When I hear a familiar song, I am often reminded of who I was with at the time, what I was doing, and my state of mind. Sheffield's book succeeds in verbalizing a lot of this feeling.
   
   This book is about love. Sheffield uses music as a way to evoke the feelings he had for Renee, his ex-wife, at different periods of their relationship. This book takes the reader from the beginning of Sheffield's relationship with Renee, through their marriage, her death, Sheffield's mourning, and his eventual new romance. If one is familiar with the music Sheffield and Renee listen to, the book might be more powerful. But to someone like me with no real background of listening to that music, it still evoked the powerful feelings love and loss can awaken. I felt Sheffield's pain when Renee suddenly died. To lose someone you love so much is a blow that few people can recover from. I was wounded when I read about the lonely and aimless way Sheffield makes his way through life after Renee's death, everything and anything bringing up her memory. To anyone who has dared to love, the feelings in this book will bring up a case in deja vu. To those who haven't loved, it might give some insight as to why people act so crazy when they love someone.
   
   I can't recommend this book enough.



3. It was 1988 and I was too young to know better. I picked up my girl from her pantyhose job at the mall and went to a Cheap Trick concert being held in the parking lot of a big box music store where the employees are more annoying than a one-hit wonder's self absorbed coke-head front man who's convinced he can do no wrong and that the world is hanging on every word the proceeds from his verbal-plenary inspired mouth. As soon as Cheap Trick hit the stage you could hear all the girls in the crowd ovulating in unison. Buford, who put the "freak" in "frequently drunk and belligerent" was there selling fake hits of `cid and looking for trouble in all the right places. That guy is Yacko, Wacko AND Dot. He'll smoke bats and bite the heads off drugs.
   Toot toot
   Beep beep
   Footnote: Sheffield, Rob "Love is a Mix Tape" p. 1 - 224
   
   I haven't read too many books in one sitting. "Love is a Mix Tape" is one of them. Not too many books have made me pump my arm and say "yeah!" This one did. Thanks Rob. You ROCK!!!!



4. This book reads like an awesome mix tape that forces you to stay in your car after arriving at your destination, leaving you without a care about getting out of your car and wanting to just listen to it over and over again.
   
   At points its laugh-out-loud funny and at other times its eye-watering sad. But its so well written that you won't put it down. This is easily a one day read.
   
   If you like chuck klosterman, you will like this book.
   If you grew up in the 80s and 90s and made mix tapes for your friends (and still make mix CDs and playlist on itunes) than this book is for you.
   If you are looking for an easy quick read that will bring you back to a younger you, this book is it.
   
   awesome awesome awesome



5. This book is honest and bittersweet. He goes on just enough tangents to satiate curiosity without straying too far from the story. The story is about his love for Renee, but also about how music kept them together, changed who they were and helped him recover after she dies. About half the music mentioned I haven't heard, but in a way you don't have to. The language is friendly and simple. A quick read if you can dry the tears fast enough.
   
   What I mainly took away from this book? It's a cliche, but it's how you really should appreciate the people in your life while you have them. There's a difference in hearing that phrase and actually feeling it. This book makes you feel it without ever saying it.

2 comments about Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L. M. Montgomery and Her Literary Classic.

1. I recently made a trip to Prince Edward Island and picked up a number of books related to L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables. I actually had passed on this one because I saw that Amazon had such a fantastic price on it. Anyway, as an Anne of Green Gables and L.M. Montgomery junkie, I've read practically every book on Maud and her work and this one is by far the best. The research in this book is positively amazing. Kudos to the author for digging so deeply and for taking the time to be so complete and thorough. However, I don't want people to think that this is some dry scholarly book, on the contrary, it is almost impossible to put down. Not only does the author dig up facts, she analyzes them with exceptional insight and brillance. She knows her subjects backwards and forwards. At times during the book, one could almost sense the presence of Maud Montgomery herself. It is as though she whispered her secrets to the author who then revealed them to us the readers. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Anne or Maud. It is as close as a book can come to being perfect.



2. Like many spastic redheads over the past century, I feel very passionately about Anne Shirley's place in my world and how important her character was in shaping mine. Ms. Gammel has created an intriguingly exhaustive look into the history of this influential classic and has approached her subject on so many levels I wonder how she kept her research straight! I have knocked off one star only because on occasion I felt the writing became a bit histrionic for a biography, but in general I thought it beautifully and lovingly executed. Definitely a must-read for anybody who's always wanted to make that pilgrimage to PEI and lay a lily wreath for Anne, the eternally inspirational heroine of our childhoods.

5 comments about A Man Without a Country.

1. I read the book the same day I bought it. The only downside is that it is too short. However, it's an excellent read. Reading this is like sitting next an old man telling you about the fascinating life he has lived. It is witty, pointed, and brings up some excellent food for thought. Fans of Vonnegut may notice some repeated thoughts from earlier books but this one still managed to bring up some original laugh out loud funny items.
   
   When I was finished with the book, I didn't feel as if I just read something. I felt like I had just finished talking with a wise old friend.



2. Not denying that KV was a giant of late 20th century American letters. This is like reading an amusing rant from a guy who knew his best was behind him. A quick read, mildly amusing, at times thought provoking but not at all representative of his best work. If a young reader picks this up and is inspired to read his earlier stuff then this book has served it's purpose.



3. I just finished re-reading this book. It is sad and funny , plump with joy and fear. Funny how all these feelings feed on one another. I think this book is a bit like the Last Lecture---final thoughts from a life: people can be nutty(he really goes after pols) but don't let this harsh truth make you fold up your tent; understand the value of humor, not the Bob Hope superficial gruel but the Mark Twain, we are all in a pickle together wisdom ; try to be kind and, failing that, try to do no harm. My favorite section---how to plot out a book, replete with charts. He was a great writer because he made it look so simple. And that's hard. At 145 pages, a night or weekend's reading.



4. Imagine yourself trying to become someone important in life or contributing something back to the world that children would read about in their books. Imagine if someone said your name in passing they would say, "Yes, I heard that name before, he/she is a famous writer/actor/business owner. Imagine starting out on the streets with little or nothing to your name. Imagine struggling through confusion and loneliness, through tears and pain and even some times full of ironic laughter. Well big shots like Bob Dylan and Kurt Vonnegut had periods in their lives exactly like what I just described.
   Many people know Bob Dylan as a famous folk singer. What they may or may not realize is how he became the man he is to us today. He wasn't always a famous singer; he started at the bottom just like millions of other writers, singers or poets. In the dark cafes in New York City, he played his guitar and harmonica and told his story. He has been an influence through his music for more than forty years. He has made many albums, and that's want he wanted to do, to tell his stories through his songs.
   Kurt Vonnegut is best known for his use of humor and satire in his writing. A Man without a Country is a book of essays he wrote with different opinions on many subjects to different people. Kurt Vonnegut wrote without having to offend people like most comedians do. Blacks, Whites, Jews, Catholics, politicians, all have in someway been mentioned in his stories and opinions. Kurt Vonnegut talked about how things that he has learned over his lifetime. He is not afraid to put those beliefs on paper even if his words could be insulting to his readers. These essays would become his final book that would share his opinions and thoughts of the world he lived in. That book answers the question on what does it mean to be human.



5. "A Man Without A Country" is a must read for anyone who loves Mr. Vonnegut. It is a collection of short essays and writings published 2 years before his death. Written in true Vonnegut fashion, I believe he is on point with his satire and knowledge of the world more then ever. He is as sharp as knife with his commentary, and convincing as hell, using stories from history to back up his words. It may come off as the rantings of a crotchety old man, but I think that Vonnegut has earned his right and anyone who is not wearing blinders can truly see. This is a man who lived through the great depression, and fought in WWII. It is obvious that any true American can relate. One subject that truly struck me was how he talked about his generation, and how they dreamed of better tomorrow for their children and grandchildren. He then compares our generation to addicts trying to work through AA, just living day to day, with no hope of a better tomorrow. Another aspect of this book I enjoyed was a chapter in which he answered some fans who wrote him letters. It was a very easy read, too, I read it in one sitting. I kept on noticing my mind wondering when I was reading, "Man. I wish I could've had shared a smoke with this guy."

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.

5 comments about God in the White House: A History: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush.

1. The perspective of the author is that of a liberal protestant with little understanding of genuine faith as described in the Bible. His lack of understanding causes him to denigrate what he doesn't understand. It is a perspective that has some value in causing one to consider the relationship of faith and public life.



2. Jimmy Carter? Likely the most decent, moral and religiously active president of the last 50 years. Yet, ditched by the Religious Right.
   
   And, not because of abortion. But, because the Religious Right wanted segregated Southern private schools to keep tax exempt status, even as they saw the handwriting on the wall for Bob Jones University.
   
   That's the biggest debunking of conventional wisdom you'll find in this slim volume.
   
   Normally, I don't five-star books this size, but, this one is on the 4/5 star border and deserves the bump.
   
   Randall Ballmer does an excellent, nonpartisan job of looking at how faith and presidential politics have mixed from the 1960 campaign, in which John Kennedy defended the right of a Catholic to run for the White House, up through George Bush's talking about the immorality of abortion without doing anything about it, while claiming moral stature for torture.
   
   That, then, leads to one of two highlights of this book.
   
   Ballmer lists sample questions the mainstream media should have asked presidential candidates of the past, both liberal and conservative politically or religiously, both Democratic and Republican. Specifically, these are follow-up questions the MSM should have asked presidential candidates of the past after particular faith-based statements.
   
   In these sample questions, Ballmer said the MSM should have asked Bush just how he squared abortion talk with lack of action, or how Clinton squared Baptist piety with Monica Lewinsky. That fact, right there, belies one current three-star rater, and others to come, who claim Ballmer doesn't know what he is talking about just because his definition of "evangelical" isn't limited to "conservative, Republican-voting evangelical."
   
   The second special area is major religion-related speeches of modern presidents, from Kennedy's legendary talk to the Houston Ministerial Association, to LBJ's "Great Society" speech, on to Ford's defense -- with his mentioning of the role of prayer and faith -- in his pardon of Nixon, through Carter's "crisis of confidence" (NOT "malaise") speech, Reagan on the Statue of Liberty centennial, Clinton on presenting Billy Graham the Congressional Medal of Honor, and George W. Bush on 9/11.



3. GOD IN THE WHITE HOUSE: HOW FAITH SHAPED THE PRESIDENCY FROM JOHN F. KENNEDY TO GEORGE BUSH W. BUSH is a fascinating, wonderful introduction to an important topic. Let the work speak for itself. What follows are selected sections from Randall Balmer's book. In a few places I have taken the liberty of conflating quotes from two or more parts of the book, but I have remained faithful to the author's argument.
   
   Balmer labels himself "an evangelical Christian whose understanding of the teachings of Jesus points him toward the left of the political spectrum." He is "no fan of the Religious Right, whose leaders, [he] believe[s] have distorted the gospel - the 'good news' - of the New Testament and have defaulted on the noble legacy of nineteenth-century evangelical activism, which invariably took the part of those less fortunate."
   
   "This book aspires to answer a relatively simple question: How did we get from John F. Kennedy's eloquent speech at the Rice Hotel in Houston on September 12, 1960, in which he urged voters effectively to bracket a candidate's faith out of their considerations when they entered the voting booth, to George W. Bush's declaration on the eve of the 2000 Iowa precinct caucuses that Jesus was his favorite philosopher? Americans were content to disregard religion as a criterion for voting in 1960, whereas by 2004 they had come to expect candidates fully to disclose their religious beliefs and to expound on their personal relationship to the Almighty. This book attempts to trace that transition."
   
   Balmer "offer[s] ... a narrative that tells the story not only of the politicization of religion in the final decades of the twentieth-century, but also the 'religionization' of our politics."
   
   Balmer is "not arguing ... that people of faith should not be involved in the political process. Far from it. [He] happen[s] to believe that the arena of public discourse would be impoverished without voices of faith. And, although [he] [doesn't] think it's necessary, [he] [has] no particular problem with political candidates offering their religious views to public scrutiny. At the same time, however, [he] think[s] there is a real danger to the integrity of the faith when it is aligned too closely with a particular movement or political party, because the faith then loses its prophetic voice. [His] reading of American religious history suggests that religion always functions best from the margins of society and not in the councils of power. Once you identify the faith with a particular candidate or party or with the quest for political influence, ultimately it is the faith that suffers."
   
   "Does a candidate's faith or even his moral character make any substantive difference in how he governs? Does probity translate into policy? [T]he quest for moral rectitude in presidential candidates may be chimerical. The candidates' declarations of faith over the past several decades provide a fairly poor indicator of how they govern. There is, in short, no direct correlation between probity and policy. The lesson of the final decades of the twentieth-century is that voters should approach candidates' professions of faith with more than a little suspicion. Too often, the vetting of a candidate's religion has diverted our attention from other important questions."
   
   "Perhaps it's time to shift our attention away from the candidates and toward the electorate. What is it we expect from our presidents? Do we look for charisma and political skills, experience in foreign and domestic policy, and administrative competence? Or do we demand that candidates for the White House pass some sort of catechetical test? It's not an either-or proposition, of course, but the record of the last four decades of the twentieth-century suggests that we've moved toward the latter and away from the former."
   
   "But at what cost? The president of the United States is not a high priest. He or she is commander-in-chief, not pastor-in-chief. Surely it's legitimate to consider a candidate's faith (or lack of same) as an insight into his character, but it should be only one of many considerations. To put it in the starkest terms, when I enter an operating room or board an airplane, my primary consideration is whether the surgeon or the pilot is competent; if I learn that she attended church or synagogue the previous weekend I might like her better, perhaps, or be more inclined to strike up a conversation. But my principal concern is her ability to perform the task I've asked her to do."
   
   "Perhaps it's inevitable that in the United States, which has no religious establishment, we look to the president as a kind of moral figurehead, the sum total of our projections about the supposed goodness and honor and moral superiority of America and Americans. We expect the president to be the vicarious embodiment of the myths we have constructed about the United States of America."
   
   "But no one - not John F. Kennedy or Jimmy Carter, not Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush - can shoulder that burden. It's too much to ask of any mortal to be the repository of our collective projections, especially when our assessment of America's standing in the world and our aggregate moral character is so inflated. And yet politicians continually invite us to see them as embodiments of our supposed virtue. They assure us that we Americans are good and moral and decent people, and we need only to elect a good and moral and decent president and all will be well. Foolishly, naively, we play along."
   
   "And we play along with this cycle of sin and redemption because it offers a kind of cheap grace. We turned to Jimmy Carter in 1976 to purge the nation of Nixon's sins but also to absolve ourselves of complicity. Simply by casting a vote, we could put the whole sordid matter behind us and not trouble ourselves with nettlesome questions about why we, the electorate, elevated Nixon to the White House in the first place. Here was a man whose entire career was littered with dirty tricks and shady dealings, most of which were well known to American voters. Here was a man who seriously compromised civil liberties and who massively escalated the ruinous war in Vietnam. Yet not only did we elect him president in 1968, we returned him overwhelmingly to office four years later. These circumstances raise serious questions about the American voters who put Nixon in office and allowed him to remain there. Simply pulling the lever for Carter in 1976, however, allowed us to evade those questions. Cheap grace."
   
   "Bill Clinton's history of philandering was hardly a secret when he ran for president in 1992, but the salacious revelations of his sexual behavior in the White House made most Americans squirm. Rather than ask ourselves difficult questions about our collective tolerance for sexual license and promiscuity in American society, transitory relationships, the endless barrage of sexually themed messages on television, or the easy availability of pornography, we simply pulled the lever for George W. Bush, who offered vague promises about restoring integrity to the White House. Cheap grace,"
   
   "Among a people who claim overwhelmingly to be Christian, and in a nation where well over 90 percent of us tell pollsters that we believe in God or a Supreme Being, it is no wonder that politicians clamor to speak the language of faith. For many of those politicians, perhaps, the sentiments are sincere; for others, however, considering their actions once in office, the claims seem questionable."
   
   "The unwillingness of voters to interrogate those claims and to hold candidates and presidents accountable for their professions of piety, however, renders the rhetoric of religion on the campaign trail meaningless. The problem of religiously inflected political rhetoric, it seems, lies not so much with the politicians as with the populace. We allow politicians to hypnotize us with lullabies about faith and morality, and then we fail to take that rhetoric seriously, much less hold them to the principles they articulate so blithely."
   
   "What does this say about us, the voters? I think it suggests that we, too, talk a good game about faith and religion and morality, but the rhetoric fails to match the reality. [I]t seems ... that our collective affirmations of faith are no more sincere than those of our politicians. The American form of government purports to be a 'representative democracy.' That claim elicits all manner of cynicism these days, especially as politicians cavort shamelessly with corporations and moneyed interests in order to finance their elections and re-elections. But on matters of faith, sadly, the United States may well be a representative democracy: The vacuous declarations of faith we hear from our politicians echo our own vacuous declarations of faith. Perhaps our insistence on demanding piety and probity from our politicians is a measure of the deficiency of both we sense in ourselves."
   
   "If we insist on regarding ourselves as a religious people, if we persist in making claims for our nation's moral superiority, then we must hold ourselves and our nation accountable to the values we espouse. Otherwise, we should drop all pretense of piety, political or otherwise. If we want to view ourselves as a religios people, however, it's not sufficient merely to allow politicians to function as the vicarious projections of our faith. We have to engage in the arduous work of living up to our professed ideals, both individually and collectively. Anything less is cheap grace."
   
   One need not accept or agree with Balmer's interpretations and conclusions to enjoy this book. It is fascinating for the history it contains and for line it takes. Though Balmer labels himself an "evangelical," he does present favorably throughout the Roman Catholic Church. The author is critical of many fellow evangelical Christians, and if there is one person who is singled out as "THE BAD GUY," I would have to say that it is - by a wide margin - Billy Graham! The documented "behind the scenes"/"Back-room political maneuverings" described in this book are eye-opening! And, though I won't quote any of the particulars regarding any one the presidents covered here, I will tell you that there are some surprising revelations that, though a matter of public record, have been long forgotten by those of us who are older and are not likely known by those of you who are younger. You might really enjoy this book. It is a quick read.
   
   Included as appendixes are the texts of seven speeches : one each by JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.



4. The PUBLISHERS WEEKLY reviewer quoted on this page identifies the ways that this book can be faulted but does not mention that the author identifies his bias in the preface and says that he seeks to be fair. The two main strengths of the book are 1) Balmer's knowledge of political history and evangelical history (these emerge in the well documented and not very flattering accounts that he gives about Norman Vincent Peale and Billy Graham at points in the book) and 2) his conclusions about the shallowness of American religion (in spite of its proclamations of holiness) and the need for voters and the media to be more rigorous in its expectations for candidates who try to use religion as a way to garner votes. After GWB announced that Jesus was his favorite philosopher in the 2000 primary season, Balmer suggests (p. 169) that an alert press person might have asked him: "Mr. Bush, Jesus demands in the Sermon on the Mount that his followers 'turn the other cheek.' How will that teaching guide your conduct of American foreign policy, especially in the event of, say, an attack on the United States?"



5. The cover of the book presents an interesting subject - how faith shapes politics.
   
   Unfortunately, the pages of the book are littered with Randall Balmer's liberal biases that crescendo into a grande finale attack on George Bush, his policies and faith. The book's subtext becomes politics (Balmer's) shaping a discussion on faith, not vice versa. The book is more "his story" than "A History". Balmer uses a plethora of references from The New York Times and other books, including his own. I got tired of looking to the bottom of the page after every reference! The book lacks depth, covering only certain issues from each administration (e.g. focus on GWB Administration's Iraq War with no mention of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives). The book left a bad taste in my mouth, like eating cereal with spoiled milk!
   
   It's no surprise the author claims drinking beer during the day as one of his favorite activities; not reading the Bible or prayer as you might expect from a minister and teacher of divinity.
   
   Nothing divine here.

5 comments about No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks.

1. If you are interested in big mountain climbing (armchair or otherwise), this book will give you a peek into the life of one mountaineer. Ed talks about "acceptable risk", physical sacrifices, finanical sacrifieces, practicalities of climbing. This is not a "Into Thin Air" drama, but rather a solid account of one man's journey.



2. Ed Viesturs is a very inspiring man. An absolute legend in my book.
   I have watched the IMAX documentaries on Everest and am always inspired and moved to tears.
   It did surprise me that he was not a little more discreet when describing his adventures with a fellow female climber though.



3. I enjoy reading about mountaineering and eagerly await all new books on the subject. I am a long time fan of Ed Viesturs; he has amazing accomplishments. The most significant of which -- he is STILL ALIVE!!!The book was insightful and interesting in the many ways he has carefully accomplished his goals.



4. I was handed this book by a colleague, saying, "Hey, you're Latvian, too, aren't you?" Indeed, I am, and if perhaps my first spark of interest in this book came from that - Ed Viesturs' father, Elmars Viesturs, came to the U.S. very much by the same route as my own parents, refugees from the Soviet occupation of Latvia - then it soon enough veered far more to his achievements in mountainclimbing. I'd heard of Viesturs before. I'd seen a few film clips of his remarkable feats in summiting the world's 14 highest mountains over a span of 18 years. If his Latvian name caught my attention (my own father's name is Viestarts, a variation of the same, and the name is, in fact, rooted fittingly in folklore based on a Latvian warrior), it was his life and how he lived it that sustained my attention.
   
   Yes, his life and how he lived it, because the story of Ed Viesturs is not just about climbing mountains. It is very much about HOW he climbs those mountains, and not only how he climbs them, but also how he descends. Viesturs continually reminds his readers that his secret to his mountainclimbing success - "Reaching the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory." - is to never allow ego to get in the way of reaching the summit, to keep passion for one's pursuit aligned equally with sound sense, and that even the most desired outcome for a personal dream must sometimes be put on hold, perhaps numerous times, when the wisdom of experience-honed instinct dictates: this is not your time.
   
   Viesturs tells his story (with the help of writer, David Roberts) from its logical beginning. The boy reads a book. It is a book about a mountainclimber who is doing battle with one of the most difficult, if not quite the highest, mountains: Annapurna. Although his childhood unfolds in the flattest parts of the Midwest, his imagination soars with his reading. (Do books still so inspire our youth? one has to wonder ... ) To climb all of the fourteen 8,000-meter peaks in the world (8,000 meters above sea level) becomes his life's pursuit.
   
   Dreams are often not practical. Viesturs realizes he must pursue also some more practical career, and so he earns a degree in veterinary science. Alongside the practical, however, he never stops pushing the dream. He eventually ends up abandoning the "sensible" career, subsists on a meager salary as a climbing guide, takes on odd jobs to allow for the needed time off to travel across the world and climb.
   
   We can already see the needed fiber and hardy character of the man in these early climbing days, in how he approaches his goal with just the right mix of sensible and dream-crazy. He has the discipline to train, he has the persistance to continue when so many others fall away, he has the character to not give in to numerous rejections or obstacles that would close the door on so many others. He has what it takes to be a winner in whatever arena.
   
   This is a gripping adventure story. It even has its element of mature romance, as Viesturs eventually meets his wife, Paula, who is his source of support and encouragment, his best friend, his companion dreamer. There is also history alongside his accomplishments to give the reader perspective. Many die. Very many. What Viesturs accomplishes only five others can claim to have done. And while Mount Everest is the mountain most know, it is not at all the most dangerous. Viesturs' story nears grand conclusion as he ends where he begins, with his last climb, the same mountain that inspired him as a boy: Annapurna. As the circle closes, the reader, too, feels a deep satisfaction.
   
   If we ever wonder, as Viesturs does at one point, if living such a life makes sense, he ties it up nicely as he talks about how he was able to become a professional mountainclimber, financed by sponsors. He has a debate with a reporter about the statistics he faces, life or death. While the reporter uses the metaphor of Russian roullette, Viesturs argues that his odds actually improve with each summit, even as his experience accumulates. What he does, he says in his speaking tours, can be an approach well transposed to any pursuit in life. Know when and how to chase your dream; know when to turn back; know what should be sacrificed along the way and what should never be left behind; know when to trust your instincts; know how to celebrate an accomplishment without letting it get overmuch to your head; know how not to give up on what truly matters; know how to go home again and appreciate the source of your strength.
   
   Indeed, there are no shortcuts to the top. And that, perhaps, in this time of instant gratification, of superficial and short-lived pleasures, of quick and easy fixes that somehow never last, of climbing on the backs of others to reach a higher level, is the best part of this grand adventure story. Viesturs never forgets his values. He never loses a solid sense of personal integrity. He never loses sight of his motivation. He does what he does because he wishes to know what his personal best can be. And yet, when he summits, he never quite forgets he is not alone. Family at home, fellow climbers, the ghosts of climbers that didn't make it ... the reader realizes by end of this story that mountain peaks were not his only, or even his greatest accomplishments. This is much more about the journey than the destination, and it is a journey taken with a rare kind of wisdom and integrity.
   
   To learn more about Ed Viesturs and his summits and current journeys to explore the effects of global warming at the earth's poles, I encourage a long visit to his stunning Web site at www.edviesturs.com



5. This is a great first hand account of what it is like to devot your life to something. Ed Viesturs is a remarkable character and climber. This is more than just a climbing story. The author's determination and willpower are second to none.
   
   A great read about a great American Climber.

5 comments about Expecting Miracles: True Stories of God's Supernatural Power and How You Can Experience It.

1. The Baker's are an amazing couple who truly live out their faith in a very real way. They have amazing stories in this book that will expand your way of looking at what God can do. I have read several of their books and I am never disappointed.



2. This book is an exciting story of the marvelous events that happened when Heidi and Roland Baker committed their lives to dependance upon God and sought to love Jesus Christ to the fullest. It also is a window into seeing the intense price paid by these 2 committed members of the Family of God. God's character of healing, provision and liberty from evil spirits is clearly revealed in their persons and work. It challenged me out of my comfortable assumption that I knew about love and propeled me into confrontation with my deep hunger for more intimacy with Jesus Christ and to see God's character demonstrated in my life with signs and wonders. The book is a record from various blogs and diary like entries that testify to the immediacy and transparency of their ongoing ministry of dependance and service. It is compelling in it's testimony to the aunthentic character of life sold out to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. If you are "stuck" in ineffective Christian life and know that there is "more" - read this book. If you are dissatisfied with your judgements that the Christian life is all fake and hypocritical and wonder how it has survived through the centuries -- read this book. If you dispair in thinking tha



3. A simply beautiful love song of a book to the Lord. God, continue to pour out your blessings on the work of this couple and all their associates in Jesus' name.
   
   Truly a must read for every believer!



4. I fully excpect to not just witness God's miraculous Power but to walk in it as well! Read this book and your faith will come up into a new dimension! God can handle whatever your situation is and He will make His Face to shine on you!!! TRUST Him!



5. This book won't collect any prizes for great literature, being essentially a journal and a collection of blogs, but the story it tells is amazing. I couldn't be more impressed with Heidi and Rolland Baker. They are just ordinary people who have said, "Yes, God" and laid their lives on the alter, letting God work through them to do His will and bring His kingdom to the poorest (but richest) people on earth. It is both inspiring and convicting, because it reveals what incredible and mind-boggling things the Lord can accomplish through anyone who has died to self and is totally yielded to Him. The Bakers are a living portrait of the love of Jesus in action.

5 comments about Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life.

1. This was a really well written bio on the man. It is historically well researched with plenty of good first-hand accounts. I think the writer did a poor job balancing some of the Latin geopolitical realities ofthe time. It is important to understand that not everyting written in books is nescessary concrete fact and there are other interpretations. This was a leader of a revolution who murdered people. He authorized bank robberies and executions. This is by no means someone that should be looked up to, but I believe that is exactly what John Anderson does. I would not tell anyone to avoid this book. I think it was definitely worth the read, but take it with a grain of salt and read it critically.
   
   It is a good strong chronicle of Latin American sentiment at the time. It is very poor in that it always paints a picture of the evil Americans, when the reality was far different. He did not talk about the corrupt influences in Latin America enough when he directed a lot of scorn towards the US government at the time. I am not arguing that he shouldn't have, I am arguing that he should have been a little more objective.
   
   As for all those out there sporting 'Che' T-shirts, and flags, I would highly recommend they do a little more research into the man they love so much. There is a good chance they will not like what they see.



2. One of my favorite books. Doesn't fall prey to the halos of the commie left OR the devilhorns of the gusano right.



3. i love revolutionary people. with out them we would still be slaves. with out revolutionaries like malcom x or
   martin l.king we might not have civil rights. this book will take you from before che was born all the way past his death covering every thing. this book is huge. it covers everything and includes a lot of great photos. i see a lot of people wearing his t-shirt in san diego but the people dont know who he is so thats what made me buy the book. he was a communist and nothing wrong with that. its just a form of gov. that he lived under and was his choice. just like americans.democracy is a form of gov. we live under and is our choice. do you hate poor communist who live on the streets? i dont. what about a person living under democracy who is poor living
   on the streets. do you hate that person? no its silly. just because the governments dont like one another dont meant the people have to follow. so what im saying is whether che is communist or not i love him for what he fought for. many people stood up against america for its wrongs. so why not che guevara. america is wicked and is destructive world wide and he was there to try and stop etc. get the book its great.ALSO CHE BELIEVED IN THE BLACK CHRIST. SEE NOT ALL OF THE WORLD LOOKS AT JESUS AS A WHITE PERSON. IN SOUTH AMERICA WHERE HE IS FROM MOST PLACES LIKE GUATEMALA BELIEVE IN THE BLACK CHRIST AS HE DID AND I
   THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY INTERESTING.



4. i didn't read this because i have an affinity for or dislike of che. i just don't care one way or another. i'm the kind of person that he said he despised. i read this to fill in some historical gaps. it's the kind of history book that i love reading i.e. extremely long on primary (first hand) source material and short on author subjectivity; as verifiable as possible and without agenda.
   
   the largest factor in the success of the Cuban revolution was that it was lead by the two most dangerous types of individual in the world; those being the brilliant totally unprincipled power-hungry charismatic politician (Fidel), and the brilliant charismatic radical idealist revolutionary (che). together they effected a quantum synergy that ultimately endangered the entire world. when Khrushchev withdrew the nuclear missles ...
   
   "In an interview with Che a few weeks after the crisis, Sam Russell, a British correspondent for the socialist Daily Worker, found Guevara still fuming over the Soviet betrayal. Alternately puffing a cigar and taking blasts on his asthma inhaler, Guevara told Russell that if the missiles had been under Cuban control, they would have fired them off." page 545.
   
   this is a great history book.



5. For detailed insight on the dynamics of the Cuban Revolution, the historical context, the complexity of events on an international scale, and Fidel Castro's strategic and political wizardry, look no further. This book is by far the best.
   
   However, in depicting Che's "world" so brilliantly, and by dedicating a third of the book to his life before the Cuban revolution, Anderson has had to give up many details and, sadly, some intimacy. "The enormous gesture that was [Che's] life" (to quote the famous song) remains an... incomprehensible gesture. For that extra touch of colour and a more intimate portrait, I would highly recommend Paco Ignacio Taibo's "Ernesto Guevara, also Known as Che" (published in the same year). Not only does Taibo concentrate on Che the revolutionary, but also writes, essentially, through his protagonist's own writing. To quote Taibo, "Che's own words... There is no way to approximate that narrative tone, that incredible sincerity, and that caustic sense of humour."
   
   Whilst Anderson dedicates many pages to Ernesto Guevara's fascinating youth, Taibo quickly gets to the Cuban Revolution. Every phase of Che Guevara's life as a revolutionary, including his two ill-fated ventures abroad, is covered in greater depth. Taibo's biography undoubtedly lacks the "scoops" contained in Anderson's book, as well as the vividly-described (and necessary) context; however, it is less "macho", and it offers a more detailed description of Che Guevara the man and thinker.
   
   One important criticism I have regarding Anderson's book is that he sometimes seems to deliberately - and somewhat blatantly - select positive and negative points here and there in the name of "convenient" objectivity (i.e. to make the book palatable to a wider audience). In doing so he comes across as being rather self-conscious. Taibo, on the other hand, writes more spontaneously: he is less obsessed with objectivity at all costs, and more interested in the richness of his protagonist's life. But his book is by no means naïve: Taibo endeavours to portray Che Guevara as he would have been seen back then, rather than with the hindsight of today (which is what Anderson does).
   
   Oddly, in Anderson's book there seems to be an entire passage missing on how the Cuban Missile crisis came about, almost as though it has been accidentally erased. And one passage bothered me; "Who was to blame for the shortages? The US trade embargo? The revolution's radicalization that had caused the... exodus of technicians, managers from the island? The incompetence of the revolution's leaders in attempting to convert a capitalist economy into a socialist one? Yes, all of these were contributing factors". Anderson, who otherwise dedicates so much time to the most intricate details, for some reason does not elaborate on this monumental statement.
   
   Last but not least, the book has been poorly proofread. Spelling and syntax errors abound, some names are misspelled, and, in the final chapter, "Bolivia" has been mixed up with "Algeria". Given the high standard of writing, this is a terrible shame.
   
   To conclude, both biographies are excellent. Although the crucial details are similar, the authors' perspectives couldn't be more different. For this reason the books beautifully complement each other.
   
   For those interested in reading more, aside from Taibo's book, I would recommend Che Guevara's incredible Bolivian Diary. The much-awaited "Evocacion" by his widow Aleida March has just been released (yet to be published in English) and I would recommend this mainly for the poignant farewell poem that Che wrote to her shortly before he died (I am sure both Anderson and Taibo would have loved to get their hands on this). A short but moving account written by Che - "La Piedra" (about his mother's death) - is now freely available on the internet.

5 comments about Always By My Side: A Father's Grace and a Sports Journey Unlike Any Other.

1. Like me Jim Nantz is from the Houston area, so based on that commonality I've always been a fan. This book details a professional career that's gone very right and a personal life that's posed one significant challenge. There are points where everything that is written, said, etc. has been so perfect that you just want a strong cup of black coffee to wash the sugary taste from your mouth. Then you read the challenges with his Dad and it makes you want to tip you hat to the man and hope that I would react in the same way that he's done.
   
   Great behind-the-scenes and name-dropping book that makes a good summer read.



2. I gave this book as a Father's Day gift to my son, who lost his Dad a few years ago. We both read it. What an inspiration.



3. I ordered three copies of the book for Father's Day gifts for two of my sons and my husband. According to the recipients, it was a great read. Amazon service was, as always, superb!



4. We gave it to our son after we had read it and it was excellent. We wanted to share with him.



5. Nantz seems like a really good guy. And if you're a sports fan, you'll enjoy some of the behind the scenes and inside stories no doubt, as I did. But throughout I thought it was a bit self indulgent on Jim's part, and quite a bit schmaltzy. That is, overly sentimental. At least for my taste. Am I the only one felt that way ?