4 comments about Crossing Guadalupe Street: Growing up Hispanic and Protestant.

1. Crossing Guadalupe Street takes place during 1940 in a small town of Mexico called Seguin. The novel talks about the author's childhood memories. The story is about David Maldonado it also talks about his family and there adventures. The reason why I liked this novel was because it is about families and memories that we can all make with each other. When you first start reading you can actually picture what is going on is like you can see what is happening and you can also predict what is going to happen next. The novel also makes you want to read more and more it is so interesting. This novel gave me the impression that the author did love and care very much about his family. If I was to rate this novel I would give it **** stars because is that good. I would recommend that people read this novel because it chouse you how much your family should mean to you and it helps you to appreciate them more.



2. "Crossing Guadalupe Street" is a story that took place in a small town in South Central Texas called Seguin in the 1940s and 1950s. The author David Maldonado tells the story of his childhood,growing up in Seguin and how it was segregated. This book is about a family of seven children and how they were molded by their parents'ethnic and religious path. There was a big cultural barrio in Seguin and on the other side of Guadalupe Street, was a whole other world and the only time or place these two worlds would come together was at school. The rating that i give to this book is a four stars. I recommend this novel to all ages because it give you and idea of how a family should be.



3. Crossing Guadalupe Street by David Maldonado takes place during the 1940s. The setting story takes place in a small town of Mexico called Seguin. The nivel is about the authored chilhood memories. The story is about avid Maldonado, his family, things he had been through and seen and so much more. One of the reasons why I enjoyed this novel is because we call all relate ti it when it comes to family and memories. It was so easy to pictured the setting because of the way the way the author describes the place or situationalso with specific details and examples. His family plays an important role in his life qalso the place where he was born and raised. Growing up were he came from describe his personality and "Who I am" "Seguin". IT gave me the impression that although he was poor and his family may have went through struggles and sacrifices, somehow he felted the richest and luckiest guy of earth because of his loving,caring and united family he had. My rating for this novel I give five stars. I recommend this novel because I truely believe that is very informative and inspiring. The author leaves you with curiosity on what's going to happen next.



4. 
   For anyone who reads a memoir, regardless of the nationality and culture, somehow, your own memories are triggered. A good memoir can take the reader back to our own childhood places of memorable people and rewarding or unpleasant experiences, simply because we, as humans, can connect at some time with the author.
   
   Crossing Guadalupe Street is the story of David Maldonado Jr, who at the time of printing, 2001, was the President of the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. The book focuses on his life growing up in the 40s and 50s, Hispanic and Protestant, and Guadalupe Street was the social and economic separator in a small town, Seguin, Texas. In his early formative years, his whole world was his family and the Protestant church in a Catholic barrio.
   
   Maldonado writes with clear sentiment, visual imagery enhanced by sounds and smells of Mexico and the small town. There is no misunderstanding how he felt. The paragraph structure is descriptive, and he sums each paragraph up beautifully. If he provides the Mexican word and an English description. His memories are so vivid that you will embark on your own personal journey.
   
   Chapters are set up to tell us about his roots in the town, beloved family members, influences, the small house, the schools, picking cotton, working in the department store with Jews, and Latinos and Protestants, and other memorable characters. He shares with the reader, Guadalupe Street, the socio and economic separator, and of crossing it to another world, the anglo world.
   
   But most important, you will learn about the prominent division in town between the Hispanic Protestant and Hispanic Catholics, criticisms and beliefs of one another. This was very insightful without being invasive.
   
   Maldonado shares his successes and this is a tribute to the traditions.
   
   This is a wonderful book!!......MzRizz

1 comments about When Montana and I Were Young: A Frontier Childhood (Women in the West).

1. This is a remarkable book. It is a primary account of a child's life growing up in Montana and Canada in the early part of the twentieth century. Margaret (Peggy) Bell's life spanned some 94 years, from 1888-1982, and her story is as exciting and troubling as any account one is likely to read, fiction or non-fiction. That the book is edited by Mary Clearman Blew makes it not only highly readable but lends it undeniable credibility.

   Bell's account of growing up on the high plains of Montana and Canada is a rare, first person account of life on the frontier with it's numerous hardships, grinding poverty, and ultimate struggle to retain her mind and spirit that will break your heart and make you shout for joy...sometimes within a few paragraphs or pages. In a straight forward, honest, almost stoic manner she describes the many life lessons she learned and discusses a subject that is rarely seen in print in the literature of the period: the abuse, sexual and otherwise, she experienced at the hands of her uncle and stepfather. This is an amazing book that chronicles the life experiences of a resilient woman in a man's world that lived to understand who she was, where she came from, and what it all meant. That she could tell such a story without self pity or sentimental, touchy-feely themes is remarkable. Brutally frank, honest and ultimately uplifting.

1 comments about Chewing Gum in Holy Water: A Childhood in the Heart of Italy.

1. One of the most enjoyable books I have read in quite a while. I loved it

5 comments about Tony Blair: The Making of a World Leader.

1. As author Philip Stephens notes, many Americans who saw British prime minister Tony Blair all buddy-buddy with his close friend and philosophical soulmate Bill Clinton were surprised to see Blair in apparently an equally close relationship with George W. Bush just a few months later. Other Americans may simply have wondered who this man was who became Bush's closest ally in the run-up to war in Iraq and his guest during an address to Congress.

   Either way, this biography has many of the answers those Americans may be looking for. While it is not the definitive biography of Anthony Charles Lynton Blair -- and it's obviously too early to measure his impact on UK politics, since he's still in office -- this title is nevertheless a good introduction to this major player on the world stage.

   Stephens, a writer for the Financial Times newspaper, has had a great deal of access to Blair over the years, including personal interviews specifically for this book. It's not entirely surprising, therefore, that Stephens takes a generally positive tone with his subject. While he does not downplay Blair's weaknesses, including a number of unattractive personality traits, neither is he heavily critical of the man. He also tends to be light in his coverage of others' criticisms of Blair, except insofar as they have shaped the man himself or had a lasting impact on his political outlook or success in office.

   No question that this book is more about personality than politics ... but I hasten to add that I think Stephens has done a fine job in showing how Blair's political words and deeds proceed consistently and logically from his personality and his underlying beliefs. Unlike Clinton, Blair does seem to have a solid set of core principles that transcend mere political expedience. Stephens argues that this in part explains Blair's ability to get along with President Bush on matters of global policy. At the same time, Blair is also a consummate and accomplished politician, who recognizes (again, as Stephens argues) that the British prime minister ultimately has little alternative *except* to do all he can to keep the UK's relationship with the US on solid footing, regardless of who is in the White House.

   In short, this title may seem a bit too glossy and superficial to Americans who already have some degree of familiarity with British politics and Tony Blair himself. However, for those who don't, or who seek a quick refresher course, Stephens' book has a lot to argue for it. I consider myself relatively conversant with the UK's politics and government, but still learned a lot from reading this. I think other readers may find themselves reaching the same conclusion.




2. If you want to know why the British prime minister went to war with the US then read this well-written and insightful biography of a great world leader. Stephens produces an elegant account of the personal beliefs, strategic calculations and straightforward loyalty that kept the UK alongside the US in a time of danger. The biography is stylishly-written and full of original material



3. I read Philip Stephens' column each time it appears in the Financial Times' editorial page. Readers of that space will have realized that Stephens' has good access to Tony Blair, his inner circle and the workings of British government. As such, this book - a quick, worthhwhile read - is a good primer for the U.S.-based reader in gaining insight as to how that system of government works.
   
   In terms of painting the picture of how Blair and team (and mostly Blair, by the way) made its way towards partnership with the US in the actions in Iraq, there's a better source: Peter Stothard's "Thirty Days" is by far the better insider's view of that process. However, Stothard's book is emphatically not a biography. So, if you want insights on the roots and rise of Tony Blair - especially vis-a-vis his complex relationship with PM-in-waiting Gordon Brown - Stephens' book will suit you fine. [Although Stephens' himself goes on to suggest other sources that cover specific topics better than he, most notably James Naughtie's "The Rivals," which covers the Blair/Brown saga in splendorific detail.]
   
   A couple of annoying editing mistakes are worth noting. Inner-circle confidant Alastair Campbell is repeatedly called 'Alistair.' I fault the editors here - this is a main character (he dominates "Thirty Days"). Sure, 'Alastair' is a non-conventional spelling, but the man deserves to have his name spelled correctly. Also, Spainard Javier Solana - head of NATO at the time of that organization's actions in Kosovo - becomes Xavier Solana. Charo was apparently unavailable for comment.



4. I have never visited the moon but then I know that the moon exists. Similarly I have never read this book but I know that it will contain so many lies (perhaps 'untruths' is a nicer-sounding word). For many British people the election of Blair initially gave the hope of a new life in British politics after so many years of Tory rule. They had naively expecteded that a politician coming from the Labour party would restore justice and fair play - but their hopes were betrayed. Not only did Blair continue Thatcher's policy of destroying one of the greatest welfare systems in the world ( thereby making the rich even richer and the poor even poorer) but he also continued her war-mongering policies with even more zeal. He has not only attacked old age pensions, social security and the national health service (once even better than in Scandinavia but now similar to America), but he has also exposed British people worldwide to actual terrorist threats (threats which hitherto had never existed).
   I would not like to spend money on a book such as this so that a portion of the royalties would end up in Tony Blair's already bulging pockets; and with this money he could no doubt enjoy another holiday prancing about on a tropical island while so many people in Iraq are still being killed every day. Not having read this work, I would like to say that my rating of one star is no slur on the talent of the biographer (nor can I say that his treatment of Mr. Blair is partial or flattering). However, I am sure that the biographer is reporting what his subject WANTS him to say. I wonder whether this book will provide real unprevaricative answers such as the real truth behind the circumstances of Dr. Kelly's death. I also doubt whether Mr. Blair will provide an adequate explanation as to why a British subject was left to die a barbaric death by being beheaded without his prime minister's intervention (even though that poor man and his family had begged Mr. Blair to save his life). I wonder how many other superficial issues there might be in the book - all of which will serve just to divert attention from the real issue - why did Mr. Blair pretend to the British public that he had actual proof that there were nuclear weapons in Iraq?
   A related question which I would not expect to see asked (let alone answered) in this biography is whether his actions really showed the work of a friend. A friend of America is not just someone who ingratiates himself with the leaders of the country, but someone who REALLY cares for the wellbeing of the good and decent American people themselves, especially for all the young heroes who willingly went to give their lives believing (as they were told) that they were doing so to help their country (and paid far less than the employees sent to Iraq to reconstruct the oil industry). A friend is not someone who is always a fawning follower and a servile 'yesman'. A real friend is someone who is sincere and points out the truth. Two years ago he had the opportunity to offer his American counterpart the advice of a real friend. If such advice had been taken then thousands of innocent people would still be alive today.



5. My first book about Blair was "Thirty Days" by Peter Stothard. That book was about a short time period before the Iraq invasion but it got me interested. Also I read Gerry Adam's book "A Farther Shore" and he describes his interaction with Blair. So I was ready to read a Blair biography. I would say this book is good and explains the basics of Blair's career and what makes him tick. So it was good to read but I would say it rates 4 stars. It is not a barn burner or an epic story, but it is a solid job. It is only 250 pages long and skips many things but it covers the basics.
   
   The author Philip Stephens is well qualified to write this book having been a long time journalist and associate editor at the Financial Times. He has known Tony Blair since Blair was a junior Treasury spokesman for Labour Party in the early 1980's and the author has followed Blair's upward career for 20 years keeping in close contact.
   
   One might assume as I did that this might be a flattering or even a fawning portrayal of Tony Blair. But I think it is fair to say that the book is neutral. It is clearly not nasty or overly negative and if the author had that attitude he would never have been able to interview Blair dozens of times as he claims to have done over a twenty-year period.
   
   In short, I was a bit surprised by the book. It is better than I had hoped; it is a solid and well-crafted biography of a complicated person. The author had access to Blair over decades, he has interviewed many of Blair's old friends and associates, and clearly this is an excellent and well researched book by an outstanding journalist. It explains his half Scottish and half Irish roots, his education, his days at Oxford, his first legal job where he met Cherie, his first contacts with Labour, his first seat as an MP, etc. The book manages to touch on all his main career segments and explain how he has progressed step by step, adapting, learning, grasping power, holding onto power, trying to transform his ideas into action, etc. I did find one interesting aspect and that was how he developed his philosophy on supporting Bush. I recently read Zbigniew Brzezinski's book "The Choice" and many of those ideas are similar to Blair. As a result of the war in Kosovo (and Sierra Leone) Blair concluded that other than France and Britain, the EU was essentially helpless in any military conflict and the relation with the US and later Russia was the key to achieving world peace. For that reason he strongly supported US involvement in Kosovo and later backed Bush in Iraq, and continues to support close US-EU ties, and then expanding those ties.
   
   In any case, this is an interesting book and is highly recommend reading as are the other three books that I mentioned..

No comments about Hellfire and Herring: A Childhood Remembered.

5 comments about Before the Knife: Memories of an African Childhood.

1. So I confess to having not done so (finishing the book.) I am a mere 25 pages from the ending, and I am left feeling not more than a little perplexed. There is the niggling sense that the author is not playing fair. She describes a childhood rife with neglect and pain, but increasingly she is starring in her memories in a sort of grandiose, romantic way. I find myself not trusting the narrator's voice. It has become besot with victimization, so that her memories begin to all sound the same: poor, poor me. Horrid parents. Boarding schools and hand-me-downs, cruel nuns, lost love, nothing going right! Which is sad, don't get me wrong. But other authors can write about such heartache without seeming to "star" themselves in such a superlative way.
   I read on, because the author is a gifted writer, and she can describe the African bush with much eloquence. She refuses to tell the American reader the difference between "African", "Afrikan" and "Afrikaan," along with what the various native foods and phrases might translate for us in the United States. For some reason, this lack of explanation begins to feel like condenscension, and coupled with the author's ascending view of herself and her suffering, so does the whole book. Interesting read. I would like to finish it, if for no other reason than to see if the author revisits the bomb she dropped in the introduction. Will she? Won't she? I don't think she's been entirely fair by dragging it out this long.



2. This gorgeously, generously written memoir by the novelist, Carolyn Slaughter, is certain to be on my list of Best Books at year's end. These are Slaughter's young years from birth in India to age 14. She moved with her parents from India to England to Africa where she spent most of her childhood, or what should have been her childhood. A brilliant, affecting, important book. Slaughter has been one of my favorite writers since I read her Africa novels (highly recommended!) years ago: Dreams of the Kalahari and The Innocents.



3. The saga by Ms. Slaughter is a touching tale of courage, and determination ... a tragedy using the failed British Empire rape of India and Africa as a backdrop to to the personal rape and subsequent journey of this brave Lady. She emerged triumphant... the Empire failed.
   
   Ms. Slaughter. Well Done.



4. Captivating, , honest, searing, this is a beautifully rendered story of a painfully difficult childhood. Carolyn Slaughter made me fall in love with the Africa of her childhood while wanting to whisk her away from that very childhood.



5. In Before The Knife Carolyn Slaughter describes her childhood, a fraught, anxious prelude to an adulthood that continued to suffer from its heritage. She tells us early on in the book what caused this anguish, and what gave rise to its associated self-pity, self-abuse and anger. She was raped by her father at the age of six. But then the book unfolds almost without another mention of the trauma until its reality is finally recognized, long after the father, the self-tortured mother, and even the younger sister have gone to their graves.
   
   Carolyn Slaughter's life, though not fully acknowledged in the book, could only have been lived in a narrow window of history. The British Empire, always eager to install a white face in a position of colonial authority where people of race might not be trusted, elevated many lower middle class émigrés to effective aristocracy. It meant that they could only feel at home, that is, only attain the status they assumed, if they lived outside of the Sceptred Isle. Carolyn's mother had been born and brought up in India. She had grown used to a life with servants, where sewing, cooking and cleaning could be delegated to the competent. This created time for the important things in life, like deciding what to wear for dinner, what would go with what, and whether the lunch invitees would gel. Not that there were many expatriates to invite in the Kalahari Desert.
   
   Carolyn Slaughter seems to have lived an itinerant's life. More significantly she seems to have adopted an itinerant relationship with life. It happened as a result of denial, as a result of not accepting or acknowledging what happened to her. The father, a shop worker back home, was a District Commissioner in the Empire when his white face provided his main qualification. His wife, Carolyn's mother, unable to accept what the daughter had told her or, indeed what evidence proved, slumped into a private depression that never left her.
   
   The author's African childhood was almost wholly unhappy, even depressing. Her tantrums angered others, her self-abuse threatened her own life, and yet the father who was the source of the tragedy soldiered on, apparently stoically, delivering whatever duty the assumptions of Empire might demand.
   
   There were times when I lost touch with the sense of depression and foreboding, periods in the book when I knew things were lighter and brighter than the reminiscences suggested. Occasionally, the weight being borne got too much. But then I had a happy childhood, without abuse, indeed with love, affection, and support throughout, so who am I to criticize this insight into a world I never knew?
   
   So, towards the end of the account, when the horror of the abuse can be re-lived in later life and thus partially expunged, we can sense the destructive havoc it has wreaked through the family's life. It's a rather one-paced account, but the seriousness of its focus justifies its form.

4 comments about Don't Wish You Had, Be Glad You Did.

1. I was surprised at how much I liked this book. The author has much more to say than just about his small-town childhood, and he does have some good tips on business and child-raising. The book is written in a very conversational style, which makes it an easy read.



2. This is a wonderful book that reminds me of sitting down and listening to my own grandfather tell me stories of his life and growing up on a farm.



3. What a wonderful and refreshing "picture" of someone who has become very successful without compromising family or values. The author's "comfortable" style of writing made me feel as though Mr. Ammons was sitting next to me, sharing his life and philosophies in warm conversation. Excellent book!



4. Based on a newspaper review, I read this book out of curosity. The book records Mr. Ammons' recollections of his life, his family and his business dealings. The book is not a literary work of art. It does reflect Mr. Ammons' unique opinions, which are consistently blunt, direct, no non-sense and to-be-point. His IRS ordeal was a chilling reminder that government works in strange and amazing ways. The book is entertaining summer reading.

No comments about The Memoirs of Someone Awesome.

5 comments about The Territory of Men: A Memoir.

1. Joelle Fraser's book neatly avoids the tendency of many contemporary memoirs to fall into tedious (or tawdry) abstracted navel-gazing. Instead, you get a real sense of engagement as the author makes a serious attempt to understand her own upbringing and its effects on her life and lifestyle. Concrete detail abounds, both in the narrative storytelling and in the exploration of Fraser's internal landscape. The subtle force of the writing will creep up on you.



2. Erica Jong, Dani Shapiro, Mary Karr, Elizabeth Wurtzel. I love them all. They kept me involved in their stories, and I am grateful for the pleasure of reading them in my bedroom, because believe me, there is no way I could lure these very intelligent, beautiful ladies in real life, into my bedroom. And they are not ashamed to say they are beautiful and intelligent. Just as Marlon Brando/Tennesse Williams says to Blanche, in "Streetcar" (paraphrase), "I never met a dame yet, who didn't know if she was goodlookin', or not". They know they are so why play games? The only one of this group who really irks me, is Dani Shapiro, who in "Slow Motion", complains of this terrible man who takes her to Paris and almost at gunpoint forces her to stay in the most luxurious hotel, and eat in four star restaurants! What a sadist he was! Also good coke was in on the deal. But how could she be happy? HE LIED TO HER ABOUT HIS WIFE AND CHILD! Oy vey. I should only know such suffering. Another thing about memoirs such as "The Territory of Men" is the almost total recall of incidents that happened maybe five, ten, or twenty years ago, like, "I remember in 1969, he had that red shirt on, and was drinking coffee from the yellow mug, when he turned to page 12 of the Feb. 6 issue of Life magazine", etc. Do you remember anything that happened at lunch last Tuesday dear reader? Okay,now that I got my clever little shtick out, I would like to say Joelle Fraser writes beautifully, particularly about Hawaii, where she grew up, the child of a hippy flower child mom, and a hard drinking would be writer dad. Folks, I don't know if you feel old but the Children of the hippies are writting books and that means I am definitely phasing out on Planet Earth. Right on Joelle! Enjoy every minute of this, because the critics are sharpening their pencils for anyone who has the temerity to write a successful book. If you want to have some fun Joelle, read the reviews for Norman Mailer's, and James Jones' SECOND books, after "The Naked and the Dead", and "From Here to Eternity". Bloodshed, pure bloodshed.



3. As a Sausalito native who just missed the 60's, I was eager to read Fraser's take on this little coastal tourist town full of folks a little too offbeat to stay put in nearby San Francisco. From the first page, I was stuck. Fraser's powers of pacing, description, and presence make the vignettes of 30-plus years fly on by. She seems appropriately confident in her ability to craft narrative-based scenarios that deliver years of significance. The best part? No vindictiveness. No self-righteousness. No exhausting self-analysis. Fraser hands us the gift of her paragraphs: forward-moving, heartfelt, and the product of a powerful wordsmith. I am already waiting for her next title.



4. This young woman stumbles through life obsessively pursuing her own happiness, and seems surprised that she never finds it. Blonde, slender, intelligent, and skilled at manipulating men, she frequents dive bars in Hawaii and San Francisco, attends college, and blames her parents because she isn't happier. Perhaps the price she pays for her independence is that she never really cares about what happens to anybody else. Has she ever thought about people who had it much, much worse than she? You'd never know it from this book.

   Fraser's memoir is most engrossing when she describes growing up in the free-form, no-rules, do-your-own-thing culture that flourished in California during the 60's and 70's. Continually shuffled between her alcoholic father and man-crazed mother, she is deprived of the stability that she obviously desperately needs. More than once, we get the premonition that something awful is going to happen to her, but unless this reviewer is failing to read between the lines, she never encounters anything worse than that which most adolescents deal with on a consistent basis. The chapter on her experience teaching in the medium security prison provides a good example: we see the chance she is taking just by being there; trouble breaks out and she runs towards it rather than away, but in the end nothing bad actually happens to her.

   More interesting might have been a book about her mother, who actually suffers from some of the problems that Fraser only references second-hand. We are told that there were drunken orgies, a continual stream of men, substantial physical abuse, a number of failed marriages, a victory over alcoholism, and a developing interest in Native Americans, but usually the little girl in the background is sent off to her room, and doesn't really have much in the way of insights or information to share with us. Another missed opportunity is the section on her cousin Karyn, who was murdered (by being stabbed forty-two times) by her boyfriend. A little investigative reporting might have been in order here, because the bare facts we get don't really explain very much. The lessons that Fraser draws from the story are significant enough, but one is reminded of a number of great writers who have done entire books about murders that were no more brutal than this one.

   This is by no means a bad piece of writing, but it seldom manages to evoke the empty decadence of the times. Most of the book is far more personal than historical, providing an overview of this young woman's relationship with her parents without betraying any really powerful emotions. Doesn't she resent her parents for raising her like a circus animal? Isn't she angry about the way they ship her back and forth, from one school to another, never letting her grow comfortable anywhere? Some genuine emotion might lend pathos to a document that, viewed from the outside, isn't really that noteworthy. Let's hope that this talented writer's next effort finds her able to penetrate past her own cool exterior, and dig at the roots of what she's really feeling.




5. Joelle Fraser writes a very honest, sweet memoir that is a pleasant change from the usual brag memoir. She takes us on a journey through growing up and understanding ourselves and the ones we love. She allows us to see the painful as well as the pleasurable moments in that growth and I find this very refreshing. Also, being a lover of Hawai'i, I enjoyed the brief journey to that state as well!

5 comments about Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods--My Mother's, My Father's, and Mine.

1. I bought this book in the "on sale" part of Amazon one day, because it was the cheapest book that could get me over the "free shipping" hump. I thought, "It sounds alright -- maybe I'll find time to read it one day."
   
   Well that one day happened while I was rearranging furniture last week. Dress Codes fell out of my bookshelf so I picked it up and said, "Huh! I forgot all about this book!" I sat down on my office chair and flipped to a random page in the book to see if it was any good. Six hours and a damn good story later, I went to bed.
   
   The book weaves an interesting twist of biographical stories from the view point of her parents as children, along with her own childhood story. She explores the characters in her family with depth and humor. Each chapter leaves you hungry for more.
   
   Enjoy the author's communist grandfather, socialite grandmother, goes-along-with-anything mom, and her grumpy dad with his humorous efforts to prove his masculinity!



2. The local school system is considering dress codes as parents today don't care what the older kids wear in public so, when I found this book at the library surplus sale, I took it without checking the contents. Was I in for a shock!
   
   This unusual memoir concerns a totally different matter. The female writer grew up in an unorthodox family situation. The photos show a normal looking childhood and ordinary people. However, there was nothing normal about their life, after a time. The last photo shows her with two women, the taller is her father Richard (now Christine) who is shown as a beauty contestant. He'd been an advertising writer and part time actor, and tried to stifle his desires with alcohol; to beat it all, he was only 5'10".
   
   He and Dinah had been high school sweethearts in Cleveland, Ohio. He kept his distance from daughter, Noelle, and she avoided being in his presence. Children know instinctively when things aren't right. She learned at the age of fourteen that her father had a real problem which they'd have to live with, or acccept whether they wanted to or not. He'd implied as much in 1962 before the wedding to Dinah, but she didn't take the warning. She heard what she wanted to hear by changing the subject.
   
   This girl lived through emotional and mental distress because of the consequences. There was never any guilt involved, only a determination to become what he wanted, no matter who got hurt. Noelle wasn't successful in sticking with anything she tried, giving up in the early days of a college education, or a job abroad, and suffered a misery only hinted at. It's a miracle she came out as "normal," with the happenings the next ten years after her mother explained the reason for the divorce. She remarried and Richard had operations to appear feminine and have his own way of living. It's sad to put that burden on an adolescent who developed a split personality in high school.
   
   She'd written an earlier book, OUT OF THE ORDINARY, with Ellen Samuels, prepping for this family revelation.



3. The true story of a woman who grew up with a cross-dressing dad, who later became a transgendered woman, is bound to be an attention getter. I picked this up expecting to get some nice shocking details about alternative lifestyles, but instead I was touched with a very complete family portrait. Howey dove deep into her mother's and her father's childhoods, their formative sexual relationships, and how they were shaped into who they were as adults. She paints a complete picture of three different transformations into womanhood--those of her mother, herself, and her father.
   
   This isn't a train wreck of a journey--the reader will come away surprised at how natural all this growth and transformation seems. Howey captures the larger attitudes and issues around transsexualism, as well as how it affected her small family. Her insight and wisdom make this book an excellent resource, and this book should be remembered as a portrait of attitudes about sexuality over the last 25 years.



4. When I saw this book, I expected it to be facinating. Afterall, how could it fail? Somehow, it did for me. I was very disappointed, because I wanted to compare this family with another. A good friend of mine went though the process of changing gender from male to female and since we worked nights together, I spent a lot of time talking to her about the process. Although I did finish the book, it won't be one that I'll need to talk about. Howey seemed to have left the characters incomplete. I found the end to be rushed. Howey dealt with her major depressive episode in the last 30 pages! Not one of my favorite books and not one I'd recommend for others.



5. I am a great fan of using humor to deliver painful truths in writing, but this book goes too far in that direction. The writer's tone is unbearably flippant at times. She seems to hold her life and the lives of her parents at arm's length where she can giggle at it all with shoulder-shrugging, eye-rolling smirks. When dealing with her own childhood, that approach is fine, but I was taken aback by the writer's overly jokey tone when talking about her mother's adolescence and her father's painful childhood. That is probably one way of dealing with the confusion and pain of her father's life and the distance that caused in their relationship. Thankfully, late in the story, her father goes through his transformation and so does she. When her humor finally fails her, she also relaxes her frenetic "let's-play-it-for-laughs" posture. As a reader, I was relieved. All in all, this is a fascinating story about gender that raises as many questions as it answers. The writer's eye for telling detail brings her past alive, and she is one funny woman, so I do recommend it despite the snarky tone. Also, how many other people can tell this story? That alone makes this book worth it.