5 comments about Life and Death in Shanghai.

1. A true life personal account of the experiences suffered by Nieng Cheng, during the horrors of the Cultural Revolution in Communist China in the 1960s.
   It gives us some scope on the total madness and cruel destruction of the Maoist regime which was responsible in 27 years for the death of over 50 million people and the destruction of countless lives.
   
   The type of speech railing against "reactionaries", "counter-revolutionaries" and "running dogs of imperialism" is chillingly close to the rhetoric still used today left wing regimes today, and on left wing university campuses around the world.
   The same mass hysterical hate rampages described during the Cultural Revolution remind me of the hysterical "anti-war" rallies (in truth pro-Saddam Hussein rallies) that gripped world when the USA liberated Iraq from Saddam Hussein in 2003.
   
   Nien Cheng was a cultured and educated lady who had worked in Shell's international offices in shanghai after the death of her husband from cancer in 1957.
   In 1966 the Maoist Red Guards who held China in their grip of terror, swept into her house and destroyed all she had, before she was thrown into a Chinese prison, tortured and beaten and starved for six and a half years, by the Maoist authorities who tried to force her to confess to being 'an imperialist spy'.
   She refused to relent and maintained her innocence until her release in 1973, and her rehabilitation in 1976.
   When she was released from prison she discovered that her daughter had been beaten to death by Revolutionary Guards.
   Ultimately her struggle to survive allowed her to alert the world to the horrors of Communist China, through this true life classic, "Life and Death in Shanghai", a must for anybody who is interested in human rights or in the indestructibility of the human spirit.
   Millions of innocent people were forced into "cowsheds"- gulags where they would be dehumanized and often die, by the hands of the Chinese Communists.
   Note both the destruction of human life and of China's ancient culture, where all that was good and beautiful was destroyed in a campaign to correct the "four olds"- old culture, old customs, old habits and old ways of thinking.
   Today despite the economic liberalization that has taken place, Red China still remains one of the greatest tyrannies on earth, with no sign of political liberalization, and in which thousands of political and religious dissidents still languish and die in laogai prisons, where today there organs are harvested in a sick and evil industry directed by the Chinese Communist Party.



2. Nien Cheng's admirable book, with its lucid and objective account of her dreadful ordeal during the Cultural Revolution, deserves to be widely read. This brutal and destructive period of Chinese history began more than forty years ago, but many of its tormenters and their victims are still alive; people like the "militant female guard," who makes Cheng's life so miserable, must be senior citizens today, watching, or even participating in, the victory of the "capitalist-roaders." Other readers have already bestowed every form of praise on "Life and Death in Shanghai," so I'll merely offer this additional insight. To more fully understand the scope of the Cultural Revolution, I think it's useful to read other accounts of it as well. Cheng's account is from the perspective of a well-born, highly educated, affluent woman, one who chose, with her husband, to return to Shanghai in 1949 because they felt that the Communists had the capacity to reform and restructure Chinese society. In short, they were patriots. An interesting and very different perspective is presented in Anchee Min's "Red Azalea," as it is the account of a young woman whose family has little money and no connections. As a result, she is buffeted by forces she often cannot control, and she grasps at opportunities for release from the collective farm and for an education as if she were being swept down a powerful river, occasionally grasping at a branch that pulls her out of the current. Then there is Jung Chang's "Wild Swans," which is quite different. To my mind, the most interesting story in her memoir is that of her parents, true believers in the communist revolution. Their gradual fall and bitter disillusionment is the central story of "Wild Swans." Read "Life and Death in Shanghai," then read the others, and you'll gain a complex and complicated picture of life during the Cultural Revolution.



3. This book is a good Focused Look at Detainment in Cultural Revolution. Most of the book is told while she is in a detainment camp (not prison, she never actually was sentenced to anything). Basically, all her problems were owing to the leftists in the communist party lead by Jiang Qin and the gang of four, who wanted to elicit a confession from her that she was a spy, which in turn would have to the downfall of several of their political opponents (zhou enlai if i am not mistaken). I most admire her persistence in never admitting fault even after 6 years and some mild torture. It reminds me a lot of Joseph Smith who persisted in claiming that he had spoken with God in person, even when many many people called him a liar or a false prophet. I have always admired those who are true to themselves and don't give into the social pressure to change just because they face persecution.



4. Nien Chang's account of her encounter with the Cultural Revolution is the best book of this kind that I recall. Many others have written about their experiences, some in memoir form, others in fictionalized form. NC's is the most accessible to the Western reader, she can relate to our expectations better than some of the others, and she writes more specifically for a Western audience. Her personal background made that easier for her than for many others, she had this working history with a large foreign corporation (no product placements in my reviews!).
   The sad fact is that the subject interests non-Chinese or 'Overseas Chinese' substantially more than the population of the People's Republic. Books like NC's are often talked down because they are successfull in the West. That fact seems to be a negative mark. This applies also to Jun Chang's Wild Swans, while her later bio of the great helmsman is taboo.
   The desire to forget about the past is so overwhelming, that many shut their eyes and minds to the recent past. (Actually not that recent any more.) With this strong wish to close the chapter, and in a situation of overwhelming success and progress for the country as a whole, the ruling elites find it very easy to put the Cultural Revolution into a kind of frozen state of taboo: it is not denied, but it is not visited with the purpose of understanding and digesting it. The man who provoked it is sacrosanct, he can not be touched by criticism. The negative things are assigned to others, like the Gang of Four.
   (Who was it who wrote here recently that history does not change?)



5. Nein Cheng lived a comfortable middle class existance...in Shanghai during the height of the Cultural Revolution. Big mistake. Her comfortable lifestyle and connections to the West (via Shell Oil, her former employer) make her a target of the Red Brigade. Imagine if you will, waking up one morning to find a bunch of politically jacked up teenagers suddenly given the freedom to ransack your home, determine whether or not you are a danger to society, and beat you, arrest you, humiliate you and arrest you. Ms. Cheng is imprisoned and everything she has is taken away...rare works of art, priceless porcelains. This irreplacable beauty is, for the most part, destroyed by the loutish thugs -- the 14 and 15 year olds who ran amok, brandishing their political clout -- who made up the bulk of the Mao Cult that was the Red Brigade. Cheng is arrested and sent to a hellacious prison. Beaten, starved, subjected to brutal interrogation, Chen is indomitable. She does not confess, she does not kowtow, she sticks to her guns and even dares to lecture her captors and, in the process, drive them crazy. She lives this nightmare year after year, never budging from her declaration of innocence, never seeing or hearing from her beloved daughter. But no matter what they do to her, Cheng does not give in. Give in? She doesn't give an inch. We learn, though her, fascinating lessons in the political subtlties that fomented chaos and laws during this period. Through hints and reading between the lines of the official propoganda that the prisoners were forced to listen to, she pieces together much of the political climate and events. Her tenacity, stubborn contrariness and refusal to make any concessions to her captors is inspirational, astounding and, frankly, almost unbelievable. Even when the political climate changes and she is given her release, she insists that the prison "confess" its error. This is not a lady to trifle with. Upon her release, she immediately begins to search for her daughter, and for the restoration of whatever of her property has survived the Red Guard. The second half of the book -- Ms. Cheng's "rehabilitation" is as compelling as the first part. It's a book that is impossible to put down and certainly the best of a spate of first-hand accounts of this horrible "Through the Looking Glass" period of China's history. Nien Cheng is one hell of a tough lady, her book is moving, thought-provoking and compelling.

5 comments about Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul: Stories to Touch the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit (Chicken Soup for the Soul).

1. I HATE to read. Typically it bores me and puts me to sleep. With that said, I somehow ran across this book on-line. I read the Amazon reviews and decided to give it a try. I got the book and in one sitting read half of the book straight through. I was addicted to it! I honestly could not put it down. Even the section on "Raising Military Brats" I read although I do not have any children. My husband has 13 months left of his tour in Iraq and it was somewhat comforting to read about WWI or WWII wives who, in their husband's two year deployment, maybe received one letter, if at all. It made me appreciate what I have, even though what I want is thousands of miles away. I definitely recommend it for any military wife.



2. It's probably because my husband is in the military and he's not with me right now, but I enjoyed each of these stories, even if some of them plucked at my heart strings a bit too close to home. I read this book on a plane, which I do not recommend! I had to hide every sniffle. Of course, these stories are sometimes a bit cheesy and "feel good," but it's called Chicken Soup for the Soul for a reason.



3. Once again a chicken soup book is great! As a wife of a deployed soldier, this book helps me keep a positive and uplifted spirit. I would reccomend this book to any military wife.



4. This book is touching, compassionate and reinforces why our country is so great! Have a box of tissues near by this one is a tear jerker!



5. Everyone who lives the military life can always use some humor to get them through the crazy times. This book offers that. Great book. I like the fact that it is one you can pick and put down anytime and still enjoy and get something out of it.

5 comments about Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality (Vintage).

1. I picked up Final Exam from the "new" table while perusing a used bookstore. It spoke to me as I was struggling with the loss of a dear friend. While this dear friend was a canine, it brought to the surface the fact that I don't acknowledge one of life's most unavoidable truths very well.
   
   To think that doctors didn't either both scared and enticed me into the impulse purchase.
   
   Chen's writing is so adaptable, at once crisp and purposeful but never too cold or stale. From early on I was amazed at her openness and honesty, about a subject that clearly many of her counterparts would not appreciate as it would only call forward their own challenges and failings.
   
   The prime element of handling mortality is woven through HER story which she presents with interesting detail about childhood, medical school and clinical training. Interwoven are brief intimate looks into the lives of some of her patients, and you come away from the book feeling more human and more educated.



2. This book is a call for doctors to provide comfort to patients when cures are no longer viable. She urges doctors to engage with persons as a complex, integrated whole rather than as an impersonal clinical case. The book is a heart felt philosophical argument against medical deconstructivism that illicits almost knee-jerk "do something" responds to illnesses. Complicated ritualistic processes or treatment algorithms focus on the disease rather than the person who suffers. Dr. Chen is amazingly courageous in writing this much needed book and she openly questions herself as well as the medical culture and educative process that "made her."



3. Very moving at times. The medical profession is a world of its own. Power is too concentrated. The education process is to dehumanizing. It's difficult for human beings to emerge from the process.



4. This book is an excellent resource for caregivers who work with terminally-ill people: clergy, social workers, hospice volunteers, family members, etc. It provides a clear picture of the daily world of professional medical personnel, offering a rare insight into the personal dilemmas and struggles they encounter, but which are not shared with others.



5. Autobiographical, well written and organized, sensitive and upbeat, Dr. Chen shares with us her experiences as a medical student and as a doctor. I enjoyed the chapter on dissection of the human body and the stories of patients. It reads as if one were talking to a friend. Thanks for the lovely book.

5 comments about Too Close to the Sun: The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton.

1. Too Close to the Sun, The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton is as much a detailed history of British East Africa--the country known today as Kenya--as it is the story of Denys Finch Hatton's life. In other words, the focus is keener on the times than on the life.
   
   Finch Hatton, a notorious and romantic character portrayed in Out of Africa (Modern Library), the book of stories by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) and the in the film played by Robert Redford, didn't keep a journal or, for that matter, write many letters. As a result, a great deal of the exhaustive research on him compiled by dedicated author, Sara Wheeler, is derived from Dinesen's fiction and other contemporary, Beryl Markham's autobiography, West With the Night. Generally well written, a bit on the formal side, the prose wavers between colorful and descriptive and textbook laborious. (Have your dictionary nearby!) The subject, Finch Hatton, might have been better left to the material written by his former lovers than the subject of an entire biography.
   
   What I enjoyed most about this book was the trip to Kenya and the stunning visuals it provided. Having spent time there, including a visit to the town now known as "Karen," and a tour of Blixen's house, the pages of this book gave it a living history quality. Wheeler also clarifies Finch Hatton's character as more than the uncommitted lover of Karen Blixen ("Tania")--"They were living in different mental worlds, as unhappy lovers do, coexisting like the twin beaters of a rotary whisk, spinning in time by never touching"-- but also notes he was one of the first to point out the dangers of uncontrolled hunting on safari endangering Africa's wildlife. "For the first time in his life, he had found something he believed in, a cause that was worth commitment." Hence, his legacy as "an eternal wanderer on a perpetual quest for knowledge and experience," which is the main thrust of this dissertation.
   
   From the author of I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner, McKenna Publishing Group.



2. So this book is definitely not for everyone. There has been a lot of criticism regarding the content and whether the author provides any novel insight into the life and times of Denys Finch Hatton. On a personal level though, I found the book intriguing from multiple standpoints. For those of us who seem to be eternal wanderers this book provides valuable insight into the perils and rewards of pursuing your own dreams and wandering off the beaten path. Success is defined differently by each individual and while Denys may have appeared to lack direction, his constant quest for knowledge and experiences were the driving force for the many and varied initiatives and ventures he took up in his lifetime. He was a romantic and was perhaps better suited to an earlier time. His non-conformity and unwillingness to change with the times may have lead some to perceive him as being unsuccessful, but in reality he marched to the beat of his own drum. In the final analysis the only definition of success that matters is an individual's own.



3. Sara Wheeler's "Too Close to the Sun" is as much a biography of a place and of an era as it is of a man. The author went looking for Denys Finch Hatton and found East Africa as well as her elusive subject.
   
   The man, himself, was once a nearly mythical East African figure. Finch Hatton is best known today as Karen Blixen's long-time inamorata in the film version of her book "Out of Africa." In life, he was a privileged Englishman who often worked as an African guide and professional hunter and who flourished and died during Kenya's colonial period. He was also a reluctant soldier, a glad aviator and a man who loved theatre, photography, dance, books and women.
   
   Ms. Wheeler says that her aims in writing the biography were: "to depict a figure in the landscape, to explore the universal themes threaded through his story, and to find out why he was an engine of myth." Other than a few personal letters and some newspaper articles, he wrote little. Because of this, and because she writes so many years after his death, Ms. Wheeler is left with little more than trace evidence and the words of others with which to develop her theme and achieve those goals. Fortunately, she's an able writer and tenacious researcher. She also uses the words of Teddy Roosevelt, H. Rider Haggard, Ernest Hemingway, Siegfried Sassoon, Elspeth Huxley, W.B. Yeats and Evelyn Waugh, among others, as sources to help her develop her African story.
   
   Karen Blixen is, perhaps, her most famous source for direct Denys Finch Hatton information. Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen) wrote about Finch Hatton as her lover and used her version of him as an element to drive her own story. Sara Wheeler, on the other hand, is a graduate of the same Oxford college as Finch Hatton and seems more in sympathy with him as a human being.
   
   Beryl Markham, an aviatrix, writer and renowned wild child, is another useful source. Martha Gellhorn (Hemingway's third wife) described her as, "Not your ordinary Circe." Beryl says of Denys, "As for charm, I suspect that Denys invented it." Those may be the final words on Denys Finch Hatton. In two-hundred-fifty-two pages of text, author Wheeler can't find anyone to say a bad word about him.
   
   Sara Wheeler certainly charmed this reviewer when she quoted Anthony Blanche, a character in Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited." Antoine, as he's known, warns another character about the danger of English charm, stating that it blights anything it touches. Ms. Wheeler believes that Finch Hatton's own charm nearly destroyed his ambition.
   
   Ms. Wheeler's writing skills are (to say the least) fully developed. She calls the disastrous British 1916 offensive in France the "Apocalypse on the Somme." In one chapter, she describes the deteriorating relationship between Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen by saying, "They were living in different mental worlds...coexisting like the twin beaters of a rotary whisk." In passing, Ms. Wheeler notes what she calls "the spiritual journey at the heart of all great literature."
   
   She's made some interesting choices in her own life, both as an author and as a person. By her own reckoning, she spent three years researching and writing "Too Close to the Sun." She also traveled to three continents (Europe, Africa and America) doing research. She's also written "Terra Incognita: Travels in Antarctica," and "Cherry: a Life of Apsley Cherry Garrard." She spent six months in Antarctica paying part of the personal tariff for creating these two works. She paid another similar price to research her South American book, "Travels in a Thin Country."
   
   There's a theme here: Much time and energy spent on projects with a limited market potential. That may be crass, and those of us who are interested in any of her subjects do have reason to be glad that she invested the time as she has. Considering her enormous writing ability, however, had she devoted the same amount of skill and effort in another direction, she might well have become the new James Michener or the next Donna Tartt or A.S. Byatt. Instead, she's chosen to forgo the probability of huge literary or popular success and with such success, big bucks and big acclaim. Perhaps this is too American a perspective about writing or living, but Ms. Wheeler's choices do remain interesting questions. In his day, Denys Finch Hatton was already becoming an anachronism. Sara Wheeler, who refers to modern-day Istanbul as Constantinople may also fit into that category. Bless them both.
   
   The bottom line on the book is that for anyone with even a drop of Walter Mitty blood, "Too Close to the Sun" is a splendid read. James Joyce has given Daedalus his modern day due. Let's hear it for the new Icarus.



4. I really enjoyed reading this book. It was thoroughly researched and beautifully written. It contains a lot of interesting information about Dennis Finch Hatton, his background and his life. A must read for any fan of "Out of Africa".



5. Best detailed info on Denys that I have ever read. The book has a unique charm-- it has words that I had to actually look up in order to determine exactly what the author was saying. Her vocabulary will intrigue or frighten you as you read the book, and I think dinner with her would be most memorable.

5 comments about Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God (and the unlikely people who help you).

1. I read this book at a very critical point in my life. I was fed up with what we commonly call "Christianity". I was fed up of the formulas that were supposed to make my Christian life work, formulas that were making me miserable because they weren't working; I was fed up of all the guilt I felt from not being able to fully "obey the Bible" and live a fruitful Christian life; but most of all I was tired of all the pretene that came with Christianity in contemporay circles, not being able to be fully authentic about the true nature of my problems because we are always too busy trying to promote the "abundant life".
   
   This book was a Godsend in this regard, it helped me to dispel all the popular misconceptions about what it means to be a child of God. Jim Palmer looks at Christianity through a rare prism of honesty and humor and makes even the worst of strugglers or sinners like myself feel a degree of comfort and security in Jesus. I especially loved the chapter on Hip-Hop and the one about the gentleman who struggled with his sexuality.
   
   I highly recommend this book. It is on my short list of must reads for people who are curious about the Christian faith or have become dissilusioned by contemporary Christianity



2. After spending years in church disillusioned and discouraged and after leaving the church altogether, I've read many excellent books written by people who have walked the same road. This was one of those books and it was incredibly encouraging and inspiring. This is practical faith being walked out in small, meaningful ways by people who, like the author states, are "nobodies". I admire people who do naturally resemble Jesus and don't even realize it. That is the result of relationship with the Father-a life that resembles Jesus for no personal gain whatsoever.



3. A MUST IF U ARE GOING TO GROW AND HAVE A INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
   WITH GOD.



4. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! This book is a "must read" for anyone searching for deeper meaning in their walk with God. It opens the christian's mind and eyes to a lifestyle and not a belief... something that the 21st century church needs desperately.



5. I have been reading this book for about five days. I usually burn through a book rather quickly so this one is a slower read for me as it is not a long book.
   
   I believe the primary purpose of a book is to open our minds for learning- expansion. Some do it through being a truly enjoyable read- I do not find that to be the case with this one. Don't get me wrong, I like the concept of sharing the insights of one flawed human with another. Misery loves company and seeing that I am not alone in my ineptness provides some relief.
   
   What I struggle with is Mr. Palmer's use of humor. For me, it is way to predictable and pulls from the overall work. As an example, Robert Fulghgum says, "Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you." That is slightly ironic and humorous-it adds to his work. Mr. Palmer's are not up to the same level.
   
   It probably sounds like I am panning this book- not the case. I am glad I am reading it. Dealing with life's everyday grind- more importantly sharing the experiences with others is invaluable. This book does that very well.

5 comments about La Suma de los Dias.

1. I have read every single book written by Isabel Allende who is one of my favorite authors. This new book is wonderful, as usual.



2. If you dreamt about meeting Isabel, look no further! Her book is warm and realistic. There is no need to try to imagine how she is in real life because the book allows you to meet her in the most profound way. With her extraordinary writing Isabel becomes your best friend, mother, daughter, son, or as she calls it "a member of her tribe". I am looking forward to her next book and wonder, what could be better than, La Suma de los Dias!



3. As much as I like (actually adore) Isabel Allende's writings and style, La Suma de los Días is not in my opinion up to Isabel's standards. It felt weak and repetitive. But at the same time maybe that it is exactly what she was aiming for. Inner family matters and things of the heart and emotions tend to be weak and repetitive with a twist of hope and eternity. Having said that, I read the book in 3 days hoping until the very end that the next line would become the starting point for the ususally turn-page reading Isabel always brings to her readers. But this is not a worry at all. I consider myself the most common and ordinary of all her fans. Likely one that she will never meet but always will be with her waiting for her next master piece.



4. Isabel Allende siempre ofrece un deleite literario, este libro es la continuación de "Paula", que pasó despues y como sigue la Familia que Pula dejó,,, o ¿sigue con ellos?. Una novela entre la realidad y el toque ficticio de la escritora. MUY RECOMENDABLE



5. Me gusto mucho el libro al punto que no queria que se me acabara y no lo podia soltar

5 comments about Fish: A Memoir of a Boy in a Man's Prison.

1. I finished this book about a year and a half ago, it was so intense a read for me at the time, that I gave it away as soon as I finished it, I didn't even want it sitting on my shelf. It's one of the most depressing things I've ever read, ironically making it a great story, one of the best I've read. Really changed my perspective on things, I'm heterosexual and used to be fairly closed-minded about those who were otherwise, but now I'm not so quick to judge a homosexual person. Also, it is a real eye-opener for many I'm sure on the topic of male-rapes inside prison, and the injustices with this system in general. He got, what, $50 for robbing some photoshop with a toy gun? Ok so I can see giving him a month in the county jail, not 4 years in prison, get real. We need to demand for a reform in this country as far as this "corrections" system goes, even the horrors at Abu Ghraib are NOTHING compared to what goes on daily inside American prisons. I highly recommend this book, and "Inside by Michael G. Santos", as two very-worthy books on what life is like inside of walls and fences. This book will haunt.



2. This book is well written and you don't need to use your imagination that often. T.J. Parsell goes into explicit detail of his life experiences. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has questions about young people in prison.



3. I suppose my title is strange for a book about this subject---but it was really wonderful and I see everyone else liked it too. This is going to be a book I KEEP on my shelves, usually I get rid of the book after I read it. I couldn't wait to pick it up again. Most autobiographies I don't like, they don't tell the whole story, but T.J. Parsell really, really bares his soul to us and I thank him. And he's really come so far in life since his prison days.
   
   There was just about every emotion and feeling there can be in this book. Love, hate, tenderness, violence, understanding, friendship, rage, openness, awareness, brutality, isolation, confusion, sadness and maybe even a little bit of joy.
   
   What a book!! I'm going to write T. J. I'm so glad he turned out alright. The letters at the end made me cry.



4. I read a great review of this book on a writer's blog & couldn't wait to read it! It truly is a courageous story and I admire Parsell for sharing such difficult memories. Bravo!



5. As soon as I finished reading this book, I went back to the beginning and read it again. I was blown away by Parsell's experiences and his courage to come forth and tell the truth. He made me realize how ignorant I was about life in prison. I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed his writing. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You.

1. It helped me so see and understand how important these women really were in the lineage of Jesus. How God can change the seemingly impossible. Wonderful book!



2. I have led numerous Bible studies, and this book has been a real disappointment. The writing lacks balance, is often disorganized, and even has an "anti-women" tone to it. I find myself having to work all week to plan our study, to supplement what he's written. I would not recommend this book.



3. We have been studying this for the past few months slowly due to only meeting once a week. We have discovered fascinating new details about some of the women of the Bible that we did not know. While we have found a few discrepancies, they are minor and we talk it out as a group. Overall, we are finding this study to be enlightening and are looking forward to the rest of it.



4. This book is phenomenal and is filled with scripture. John MacArthur does a great job of making these women's lives parallel to our current culture and easy for anyone to relate. Each woman has her own personality but all have lessons to learn from. I have just started the book and am about half way through already and each page has spoken to me that most of the book is underlined and commented on. If you're looking for God to move in your life and teach you some great lessons pick up this book!!!



5. I could only get through the first two chapters before I had to put it down. I sought this book out for inspiration, but found it was sexist and insulting. I write this not because I one of those "new fangled feminist types", but because I posses a brain - a God given one. What I glean from the way the stories are presented is that the author's belief is that women exist only through men and have no real intrinsic purpose or value to God or the world, except through men.
   
   Eve is portryaed as a pathetic figure, the author writes patronizingly about Eve's sin: "As the weaker vessel, away from her husband, but close to the forbidden tree, she was in the most vulnerable position possible..." and "...Adam's sin was deliberate (when he took the apple) and willful in a way Eve's was not. Eve was deceived". So, the author doesn't even think she deserves equal billing in the "downfall".
   
   In chap. 2 about Sarah, when explaining how Sara and Abraham lied when they entered Egypt, saying that Sara was his sister so other men would not kill Abraham for her the author concludes: "...Abraham's motives were selfish and cowardly, and the scheme reflected a serious weakness in his faith. But Sarah's devotion to her husband is nonetheless commendable, and God honored her for it..". So, she is not a whole person in this author's view - they both lied, he calls it "cowardly" on Abraham's part, but believes God commends Sara, because she it was good she supported him - EVEN when he did something "selfish and cowardly".
   
   As a Christian I found the simplistic and ridiculous for the 21st century.
   I cannot recommend this book to anyone with a brain.

5 comments about Mao: The Unknown Story.

1. This is a horrible book. I am surprised that the author has a doctorate degree yet her logic is totally problematic and her sources are questionable.
   
   Firstly, as some reviewers have pointed out, the logic of the book is absurd: I want to prove Mao is evil --> I will collect facts to prove it, whether or not they are supportive. A lot of times the author is forcing some facts to prove her negative opinion about Mao although they don't prove anything.
   
   Secondly many of her facts are unfounded as well --- you don't know exactly what the sources are and can't verify them. I myself have a doctorate degree --- you have to footnote your sources so that peers can verify them. Rather than a biography based on rigorous research, the book is filled with bias, guess, misleading and fabrication, which are already proved by other scholars.
   
   The author was a "red guard" herself and had the privilege of studying abroad as one of the first group of students sponsored by the Chinese government when the cultural revolution ended. I am puzzled what had turned her into the other extreme --- she hates Mao so much that she even loses the ability of unbiased independent thinking, a critical attribute of scholars. In summary I can't agree more with a statement made by another review --- this book "uses propaganda to fight propaganda".



2. I am blown away by the amount of information about Mao and how much damage he did to China. This book is very long and people with short attention spans should avoid it. Despite being listed as 864 pages, the book is only about 621 pages. The rest of the pages are the bibliography, sources, and interview credits (except for mainland China which they didn't name for obvious reasons).
   
   The book is of course, anti-Mao. Given that leftists and liberals try to portray Mao as a good guy, it is a welcome breath of fresh air.
   
   Mao's whole life is chronicled here, from birth to death. His rise to a communist leader, the fight against the Nationalists, his family, his victories and defeats, dealings with the Soviets, his attempts to make China a nuclear world power, his disastrous policies that lead to 35 million Chinese starving to death. The book shows Mao was a psychopathic dictator, and even people within his own communist party were opposed to him, especially during the Cultural Revolution and the Great Famines that Mao caused. I have a new measure of sympathy for the Chinese people who suffered so much under Mao.



3. I bought this book because I was hoping to read a new account of one of history's most glossed over mass murderers, but I was very disappointed by the lack of simple foot or end noting of the authors' sources. One can not write a book that calls into question the veracity of some of the most prominent events and people of the 20th century and then not offer actual evidence. There are many better books than this about Mao that do offer sources. Read those instead.



4. 1st of all i think that the book was great. 2nd of all id like to point out that previous comments about men wanting to sleep with Mao is disgusting. In some countries you could be seriously punished for acting gay. 3rdly i think most of the reviews saying the book was bad are extremely baised. The people writing them "Worship Mao" and "Only read one page to tell book was bad." You definetly shouldnt allow these people to influcence your opinion about the book they are total Newbz. Mao killed thousands of people. If some of you remember in the early 50's the "Great Leap Forward." Mao killed millions in a forced famine. What a great guy to want to sleep with.



5. When it comes to topics such as this there will be biased views, but these authors went out of their way to let you know how they felt about Mao Tse Tung. Despite their feelings towards Mao the book was very informative and a good read. The only real problem that I had with the book was not what was written, which I find to be pretty accurate, but what was left out. Even though Mao was a psychotic, manipulative, power hungry, mass murdering, lunatic the authors neglected to inform that if it weren't for Mao, China would still be raped by every other country and not the country it is today. I'm not saying what he did was justified, only that the authors need to show all angles and not just one side. BUt all in all, I would def. recommend it.

5 comments about Confessions of a Street Addict.

1. If you ever wondered how Jim Cramer became who he is today, this book gives you the low down. Very humerous and eay to read and follow. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know Jim Cramer better.



2. Bought this for my husband as a Christmas present. He loves watching
   this guy every evening on TV. He couldn't put it down. Great book.



3. Takes you right into the heart and guts of this crazy business.Makes you feel you are in the room with him.A wild and crazy ride. Re-read it immediately after completing the first read.



4. I bought this book because I saw a recommendation somewhere together with One Up on Wall Street. I had my doubts when I saw the cover (close up of the author's face) and unfortunately when I began reading my fears became true. It is one big ad of Jim Cramer. I strongly recommend against buying it however One Up on Wall Street is highly recommended.



5. James Cramer wrote a great autobiography. I love the show and wanted to learn more about the host. After hearing about this book, I bought it and read it without stopping. Cramer begins with his childhood and describes all the seasons of his life. His time in college, LA and at Goldman Sachs. I enjoyed reading about someone who never quits. There were many times in his life when he could have given up, but he never did. He also shows the importance of having someone in your life who always believes in you no matter what. To me, this novel shows the hard work and grit that are required to become great: whether you are lucky or not.