5 comments about Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life.

1. Kierkegaard had an essential theory that that the optimum way for a human to live out his existence was as a "little Christ." A man, in other words, who was an emulation of the Christian theological icon. A selfless man who gave his individuated existence wholly to the greater good; the improvement of the human condition for the most was the purpose and meaning of life for this sort of being. Che seems to have adopted fully this ethic and incorporated it into the mode of his experience. The biography is of a selfless being, a man living wholly for the greater good. Richard Lee Anderson captures this basic essence while disclosing the imperfections that plague all human beings, even exceptional specimens like Che.
   A valuable lesson in what is possible for all of us. Not recommended to those who adopt a Limbaugh Land bibliography as "selfless" replaces "selfish" as the theme of the studied life.



2. I would always see people wear his shirts, but knew little of him. I read a few things online about him, but I wanted something more complete about him. This book is definetely it! This book has so many sources about Che that I can't think of any other book that can match it. Although it's a very long book (about 700 pages, excluding the intros, appendix, sources, index, etc) you will not want to put it down. This book gives you details from his childhood all the way to Bolivia. You will see him in a total different light.



3. 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.



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



5. 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.

5 comments about Life Is So Good.

1. I like the memoir because George Dawson never gave up his dream to read and write. George was born in the late 1800's. His parents were not slaves, but his grandparents were once slaves. George was raised in Texas. His family was poor, and he never attended school. Georges started working at a very young age, drawing water from the well each morning for the house. George worked alongside his father in the fields. The work was hard, so was their life. They had to watch what they said and went in fear of the K.K.K. Twelve year old George went to work, and stayed with a white family to help out at home. His cousins came to live with his family because their parents died, so George was needed at home. George left home at twenty-one and worked in Tennessee building levees. It was two years before he returned back home.
   
   Life is So Good is a story about George Dawson's dreams of receiving mail, learning to read and write at the age of ninety-eight, and his work ethic. I can relate to George's hard work and his work ethic. I beleive in hard work and doing it right the first time.
   
   This book is sad and tells of struggles he had to go through. It is not easy reading at first because the chapters jumped around. But overall, it is a good book to read.



2. Richard Glaubman's "Life Is So Good" is a real comeuppance for anyone whose outlook towards life runs along the lines of "I wish I had done X, but I'm too old to start now." Here's a man, George Dawson, who learned how to read at age 98. As a USA Today review aptly summarizes, "Dawson has become a literary hero, a testament to the power of perseverance." First-time author Glaubman expertly fleshes out Larry Bingham's award-winning 1998 Fort Worth Star-Telegram short story.
   
   Dawson's tales of life in the Jim Crow-era South, his unquenchable work ethic, and his travels throughout North America make for compelling reading. Here is a man who was never given a shot to read when he was younger - economic circumstances forced him into full-time manual labor at a very early age. Despite significant hardship, his optimism and sense of self-worth never waver. The title really sums it up well here. Glaubman's final words from Dawson are "Life is so good and it gets better every day."
   
   As other reviewers have noted, Chapter 1 of this book could stand alone as among the best short stories you'll ever read.



3. Even though this book was published six years ago, the message of "Life is so good" is timeless. It is a window into a world that we are all a part of, but some of us rarely see. Truly memorable! Dawson sees literacy as an incredible gift and he in turn gives the reader numerous ones in return.



4. This book enlightened me and really got to me, much more than I expected. I was delighted to read about the life of a 102-year old african american man from the south, as I am a 30-something white woman from MT. He has a lot to teach us, and a lot to remind us of and has a way of doing so that makes us thankful for what we have. George Dawson is a gem and I am pleased that someone took the time to put his story on paper. What a great book!



5. I guess some of the most important things I feel I've learned from this book is: don't dwell, take pride in your work, and focus on the power of beauty. This man (as thousands and thousands of others) had to endure more mental abuse in his life so far, then a million men, but was able and lucky enough to swim to top of that putrid pond of a life he was given and see the good in it, as fleeting as that was. I was thinking of this book as a mirror and what message I saw in it, that would be "Have a Lion's Heart" .

5 comments about Drawing the Head and Figure.

1. You can't beat these Jack Hamm books for learning the fundamentals of drawing. copy the drawings in these books and you'll be a master in no time.



2. There is a reason this book is still in print. Never mind that the drawings are a bit outdated. Never mind that his drawing style might not be yours; everyone needs to find their own. What matters is the instruction. His style is easy to read with just enough text to get his point across. The sections on proportion alone are worth buying this book. If you are able to "draw what you see" with the right brain, this book will help with the details of hair, musculature, clothing, facial expression, etc. This book would be a bargain at twice the price.



3. This book is absolutely overrated. Im not very good at drawing people, and thats why I bought this of course. But it simply doesnt help. The things you learn from this book are widely spread on various free internet sites already. Really useful anatomy guides provide various angles and muscular structure of body parts, not just a childlike how-to-draw a head in front perspective from an ellipse. It doesnt help you a tiny bit on how to draw the exact same head if you want to draw it from a slightly different angle.
   I recommend Gottfried Brammes books, they are expensive, and they are sophisticated, but hell: they are good.



4. I grew up reading and using Jack Hamm's "How to Draw Animals", like it was a bible. As a professional illustrator, relying heavily on realism for all my work, his books are a great introduction in learning to see correctly, to gain insight into proportion and drawing skill. Anyone who doesn't get anything out of it isn't putting the time and effort into studying the material. It will help you if you take the time to read it. I just bought this book, as a refresher, as he always has something to teach, no matter what stage of art skill you have. I recommend his books to my students all the time. Art school basics in a book.



5. This is an excellent book, written by a man who was an absolute master of drawing. His depth of knowledge is extraordinary, as is the clarity, simplicity, and comprehensiveness of his approach. As an artist and illustrator I own many books on painting and drawing, and this is one of the best.

5 comments about Profiles in Courage.

1. Profiles in Courage is a book I have heard of many times but never read, nor browsed. What a shock upon finally picking the book up to discover what a hodge podge of quotes and this's and that's the book is. And now, upon a little research, to discover that there was much debate as to whether Kennedy even wrote the book. At best Profiles in Courage would get a B if turned in as a high school senior thesis paper.
   
   I am not anti Kennedy and actually until reading Profiles in Courage have always held him in high regard. Who of the right age can forget - "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." This making the exposure to Profiles all the more bitter.
   
   I now must admit I have not read the whole book. I don't know if I have the stomach to. I have only read through the Chapter on Daniel Webster and although I am one to read to the end no matter what, I am not sure I can.
   
   The most irksome quality of the book is the incessant quotes pertaining to the definition of words which I suspect were used to lend this missive an air of scholarship. This claim of scholarship is echoed by the dropping of terms here and there, like Gresham's Law. When the discriminating reader encounters such it always invokes the opposite of its intention.
   
   I also object to the major tenet of the book that when someone is elected to public office to represent the views of his constituients it is considered courage to once having reached office to change his stripes and decided to do whatever one wants instead of representing the people who elected him. A better view of courage is to have those that when they find they can no longer do what they were voted in to do, resign from, what Kennedy considered the most prestigious of private clubs, public office, and then do whatever it is that they fell so strongly about. Has this ever happened? I am unsure.
   
   In short, Profiles in Courage, is propaganda supporting a privileged class. If you must go to the library and give it a once over. It is an easy read. But it is certainly advised that you do not financial support this error by purchasing it.



2. What President Kennedy shows in this book is a series of examples to all our modern politicians. It's a book to read and keep in mind.



3. It's the 50th anniversary of the publication by John Kennedy of the book `Profiles In Courage' and its subsequent winning the Pulitzer Prize for Biography. The non-fiction political tome features Kennedy's interpretation of eight U.S. Senators who placed the interests of the country and what was morally right regarding some momentous decision over the wishes of their political party and own potential self-advancement to higher office.
   Is there anyone presently in the Senate with presidential aspirations who can offer the same courage and moral convictions to do what's right in the manner the eight figures from history the future 35th president chose to write about to further the public trust at the risk of their own political career?
   Kennedy began the book in 1954 while in his first term as a U.S. Senator but undergoing convalescence from a surgery on his back to relieve stress from the injuries he received in combat during World War Two. There's still debate on how much of the book was actually written by Kennedy or what part was researched and prepared by underlings of his staff. But most experts agree that the senator supervised the editing of the material and selected which of those who were to be profiled.
   The book was positively received and it helped place Kennedy into national prominence. The Massachusetts senator used that notoriety to offer his name as a vice-presidential candidate at the 1956 Democratic Party convention. He then became one of that party's frontrunners for the 1960 presidential election which he ultimately won.
   It's apparent that when JFK served in the Congress he had contempt for the workings of the political patronage system when trying to obtain a consensus to solve the nation's problems as a congressman, then as senator. Most historians agree that he disliked the `good ol' boy' networking that future running mate Lyndon Johnson used as the Senate Majority Leader in making deals to please all sides on a matter and wanted those in that legislative body to take the moral high ground when debating the issues facing the nation to get legislation passed. That's why Kennedy decided to write the book for the next generation of politicians who would come after him to feature those who had taken a courageous stand as an inspiration to the succeeding groups of leaders.
   Kennedy acknowledges the responsibilities felt on any politician, especially one who is a senator, to keep everybody happy. He cites three specific pressures put on all leaders, including himself, to keep everyone satisfied.
   He writes that all senators want to be liked by the voters, they have a desire to be re-elected and feel the enormous pull of special interest groups seeking legislation that is favorable to their specific cause that can adversely affect the tough decisions they must make.
   So who did Kennedy select as standing up for principles and not continuing the status quo that ultimately wrecked their own political aspirations for the betterment of the country?
   They were John Quincy Adams for breaking away from the Federalist Party, Daniel Webster for speaking in favor of the Compromise of 1850 that delayed the start of the Civil War, Thomas Hart Benton for staying in the Democratic Party despite his opposition to slavery and Sam Houston for opposing the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
   Also included were Edmund G. Ross for voting against the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, Lucius Lamar for his attempt to mend ties between the North and South during Reconstruction, George Norris for coming out against arming U.S. merchant ships before the U.S. officially entered World War One and Robert Taft for criticizing the Nuremberg Trials that prosecuted high-level Nazi war leaders under what he considered ex post facto laws that were forbidden by the U.S. Constitution.
   It's obvious the eight senators Kennedy selected decided to make a courageous, yet unpopular choice on an issue to put the interests of the nation and world over their own political aspirations at a time of crisis. How come we don't have any leaders like those eight today?
   The United States Senate is called the last great place for oration and debate as the issues facing the nation and world are discussed by one hundred of the nation's political elite. But can a U.S. Senator be elected from that office today directly to the presidency by taking a potential career-ending stance on today's hot button matters? No one has successfully done so since John Kennedy did in 1960.
   That doesn't bode well for Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John McCain, Barrack Obama and any other potential future candidates from that legislative body as we approach the 2008 presidential election. Many have tried since JFK's triumph and all have failed, the most recent being John Kerry in 2004.
   It's going to be extremely difficult for this current brood of senators, be they male or female; Republican, Democrat or independent; to exhibit the same virtuous characteristics of those Kennedy profiled to get elected as our next president under our current political structure of stalemate government gridlock that forces them to refrain from taking any courageous stand on the issues that need immediate resolution.
   That's a loss for all of us.



4. John F. Kennedy makes an excellent contribution to history with this book. It describes the lives of several distinguished Americans who, in the course of history, have shaped the face of the United States. All these biographies are interesting. History becomes very much alive with this book, and Kennedy does an excellent job in showing how men can contribute to the life of a nation. What is even more noteworthy is that that is what he himself did. This new edition of the book has an excellent preface by Caroline Kennedy, herself an eminent legal scholar.



5. 
   I read this book quite a while back and found some great food for thought. One of my primary takeaways was that be careful when judging others motives.
   
   Kennedy (or whoever wrote the book) poses a primary question: Which is better...the man who will not compromise at all, or the man who bends but does not break?
   
   The argument is that the man who does not compromise may be considered true to his cause, but may get little done. The man who compromises to get things done may not be 100% true to his cause but is able to forward some of his ideas.
   
   The author(s) leave it up to the reader to decide (judge) if the path is right. Or, are both paths right? This is good food for thought for a critical thinker!
   
   What the author(s) is pointing at is that each man and woman must choose their own path in a situation according to their beliefs, values and morals, even if it may cause political and/or other ruin.
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

5 comments about Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (Ballantine Reader's Circle).

1. Alison Weir is my favorite author and I decided to read this book after seeing the movie "The Lion in Winter". As always, Alison Weir does a great job! Eleanor was definitely an interesting person, as was Henry. Great book!



2. This is the first book by Weir that I've read.
   I picked up the book thinking it would be cool to read about a powerful woman in a time where women were considered unworthy of attention. I guess I had assumed that there would be much more accurate information about her life & times than there acutally is. I find the book to be more about the realm and kingdom in general and Henry II, Louis VII & other powerful men in particular. I found that I was reading entire chapters devoted to Henry or Louis with no mention at all of Eleanor. It's understandable that there's not a lot of evidence or extant documentation about her life; I almost think Weir wastes her time writing about a subject that has so little documented evidence. I am enjoying the historical aspect of the book, but I'm a little disappointed in her "story" (or lack thereof). I'll certainly read more of Weir's works, but my expectation will be much lower.



3. This was a very interesting bit of history but it is wrtten like a textbook. And, the last third of the book was poorly written. Editing seemed to be forgotten. It was just a bit wordy and too long.



4. A woman ahead of her time. Compelling biography that sheds light on both Eleanor of Acquitaine, as well as much information about the age in which she lived.
   
   Who needs soap operas - the lives of royals are always intriguing - scheming, treachery, and plots abound within the royal family and amongst friends and neighbors. A good read, well researched, a fascinating character with a plot line that spans the reaches of both France and England for 80 years - with a Crusade in between.



5. This book purports to be a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and in that respect it is deceptive. As the author states several times throughout the work, there is virtually no source material on the subject. How then to fill almost 400 pages on a subject for which there is no reliable history beyond the obvious?
   
   First, the author fills the book with general 12th century history and facts. There is every bit as much, if not more written about Henry II, the second husband of Eleanor than there is about Eleanor herself. In truth, the book should have been entitled "12th Century European History." The author writes extensively about the Second Crusade, undertaken by Eleanor's then husband, Louis of France, but has virtually nothing to say about Eleanor's role. Understandable, since there are no sources that speak of it. The book deals primarily with the political and martial dealings between the various Kings, Dukes, Earls and Counts of Europe and England.
   
   Second, the author writes generally about the role of women in 12th century Europe and tries to compare and contrast Eleanor's activities in an attempt to paint her as a much more politically savvy and active member of society than most women of the age.
   
   Finally, the author takes very flimsy historical information and tries to expand it to fill the historical gaps and flesh out the subject of the "biography". To her credit, she uses this technique very sparingly and avoids wholesale fiction.
   
   With respect to the author's writing style, I found it to be very dry and at times, merely a recitation of historical facts running for pages at a time. The plethora of names and titles were at times confusing, a situation that was compounded by the style utilized by the author.
   
   We know about Eleanor's family, her titles and estates and and the rough timeline of her marriages, divorce, children and death. Beyond that, with respect to Eleanor herself, we know very little. We do not even have a reliable likeness of her appearance. To sell this work as a "biography" is to give the word a definition with which I am unfamiliar.

5 comments about Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. Edmund Morris provides yet another great addition to the life of Theodore Roosevelt in this look at his time as president. This is a very thorough and well written account. It covers everything from the Great White Fleet, trust busting, the national park movement to the rise of American imperialism. The first term of the presidency is covered a little better than the first but regardless of the time frame you get an excellent view as TR the person. The dedication that this man had to learning, reading, physical activity is truly amazing and Morris does a superb job of bringing that out. Overall this is a very fair biography that takes great pains to remain fair and balanced. It looks at the immigration policies even handily and takes an honest look at American policy at the hands of the youngest president at that time. The first president to be born after the civil war put a different trend on national politics and reigned in the progressive era. All in all it is a Bully of a read!



2. Theodore Roosevelt was such an engaging personality that it would've been very hard to make this book anything less than terrific, and the well-written prose takes things to a very high level. The pages rolled by quickly, and I regularly found myself thinking "How in the world did this man accomplish so much with his life and his Presidency?" From the early battles with Mark Hanna to the final return of the Great White Fleet, Morris follows the endlessly energetic Roosevelt through the highs and lows of his (almost) two terms. His careful attention to details of Roosevelt's private life adds even more color to the man.



3. It is difficult not to come away from "Theodore Rex" impressed. Indeed, after I read just the first few pages, I was completely hooked. In "Theodore Rex," Edmund Morris hasn't just written a great book about TR's presidential years, he's drawn in vivid, rich, delightful detail a great story about America's most unique modern President. While I won't say this book is as good or substantive as say David McCullough's "Truman" (and in a sense, it doesn't need to be since "Truman" rehabilitated President Truman's place in history whereas TR's strong place among our greatest executives has been well-established for some time), I can't imagine anyone writing a more engaging, fascinating book about TR's years in the White House.
   
   I strongly disagree with the reviewers who have argued that "Theodore Rex" does not give the reader a great sense or understanding of TR himself. In his stories and descriptions of TR in his relations with family, allies, cabinet members, Congress, the press, and his enemies, Morris has drawn a strong as well as complex portrait of the 26th President. He was all at once a brilliant man and surprisingly well-read in a multitude of different fields of literature, a skilled outdoorsman who loved not only to hunt big game -- a lasting image even today -- but to just spend weeks on end outdoors watching, documenting, and enjoying nature, a loving family man who doted on his six children and wife, a shewd politician for his day who was keenly aware of political strategy and worked hard to bolster his party's strength in Congress and across America, and perhaps most of all a plain and powerful force of nature (using the description of Henry Adams) who in many ways defied explanation or analysis from many learned observers of his day who had simply never seen or encountered any one quite like Theodore Roosevelt. In sum, therefore, Morris does a great job in "Theodore Rex" not just of telling a great story, but also in crafting a superb, rich picture of the first President Roosevelt.
   
   After reading the book, I was struck by the belief that TR really was the perfect leader for America as it was becoming a world super power at the dawn of the 20th Century. Despite being perceived as an accidental President and a ruffian cowboy, TR's boundless reserve of energy turned out to the perfect tonic to lead the U.S. In turn, he was received with open arms by Americans, and could have easily been elected to another term in 1908 had he decided to run again. Furthermore, "Theodore Rex" only reinforced my belief that TR could have been a great leader of America today. His energy, optimism, strength in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic, uncorruptability (if such a word exists!), and deep compassion for others were timeless qualities.
   
   "Theodore Rex" is a top-notch political biography, certainly up there with some of my favorites including "Huey Long" by T. Harry Williams, the LBJ series by Robert Caro, and "Truman" by McCullough. Incidentally, while the book is not particularly heavy on academic analysis of TR's policies, particular attention is paid to numerous key events including TR's negotiation of peace in the Russo-Japanese War, his formulation of the Northern Securities case and greater government regulation of big businesses, his strong determination towards national conservation, and even TR's cautious (and albeit limited) steps to embrace Booker T. Washington and greater rights and protections for blacks at the turn of the century.
   
   Let me close out this way. I like to consider myself a fairly good writer, but reading work like this shows me I'm pretty much nothing. If I could write like anyone, I would like to possess Edmund Morris' unparalleled ability to tell a story. "Theodore Rex" flows perfectly and the prose runs like butter. Reading his work in "Theodore Rex" is a pleasure.



4. I started this book right after reading "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Morris. While I was riveted to the first book, this one took a little while longer to read. So much detail was given to the politics of his office and the bills that were introduced, that it made for somewhat dry reading in parts. Very informative, but not as thrilling as his life prior to his presidency.



5. This is the second in a projected three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, and is just a delight to read. I felt while reading the book that I was inhabiting the White House in the first years of the 20th century.
   
   I agree with several reviewers here who said that the first volume, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)was superior, but again, that was terrific, and it is not always easy to follow great success. (Ask William Taft, TR's successor)
   
   And sometimes the journey beats the destination. In the first book Roosevelt leads several different lives, and fulfills different roles as son, author, state legislator, husband, father, widower, hunter, NYC Police Commissoner, NY Governor, and then Vice President. It was hard not to feel cooped up in the White House after the rich, varied life he had led before. It is no wonder he didn't pursue a third term in 1908, despite every indication he would have won.
   
   This second volume does not address TR's private life as thoroughly as did the first. Morris may have felt he had already covered it in the first book, or more likely, that doing them justice would have required another book. TR's second wife, Edith, was his first love. They were school age sweethearts, broke up, after which TR abruptly married a younger woman, who bore him a daughter before dying in a flu epidemic. TR subsequently married Edith. Methinks there is a story there, but it is not dealt with in this book.
   
   Instead Morris focuses almost entirely on TR's public life and policies, which is certainly an understandable decision. The battles with the corporations on creating anti-trust legislation, mediating to bring a cease-fire in the Russo Japanese War and setting aside thousands of acres for national parks are all dealt with in detail here.
   
   The great thing about TR was that in addition to his raw energy, he was also a first rate intellect. He is a biographer's dream and Morris has done a terrific job with these two volumes. While he clearly admires his subject, he also shows him warts and all, when his use of the bully pulpit sometimes turned into bullying behavior.
   
   I highly recommend both this book and its predecessor.

5 comments about Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt.

1. David McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback" is a biography of Theodore Roosevelt's early life, tracing his family background and telling the story of his youth until the time of his second marriage at age twenty-eight. The book's subtitle is "The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt."
   
   The subtitle gives a fair description of the book's contents, but, truth to tell, much of the early part of the book telling of TR's fragile health and pampered upper-class upbringing was a bit boring, even the recounting of a year-long trip to Great Britain and the Continent when TR was eleven years old, drawn from TR's boyhood diaries. In the next chapter, McCullough spends twenty pages discussing asthma and its effects both generally and how it affected TR.
   
   By Part Three of the book, interest picks up with TR going off to Harvard and, after graduation, his marriage to his first wife, Alice. And then, tragedy struck, his mother and his wife dying within days of each other in the same house, and to overcome his grief, TR threw himself into politics in New York and cattle ranching in the Dakota Bad Lands, where he made friendships with other gentleman ranchers like the flamboyant Marquis de Mores. He wrote two books about his time in the West, describing some of his adventures in "Hunting Trips of a Ranchman." "Mornings on Horseback" ends with TR's engagement and marriage to Edith Carow, whom TR had known since childhood, "a very known and admired quantity, as close to the family as anyone could be...."
   
   In an "Afterword," we read of TR's becoming the youngest President in history with the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, with a review of some of the political offices he had held previous to becoming Vice-President and his role as a colonel in the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War. One gets the feeling that all of this will be fleshed out in a subsequent book by David McCullough.
   
   Having read and enjoyed McCullough's biographies of John Adams and Truman and his wonderful book about the Panama Canal, "The Path between the Seas," I must say I was a little disappointed with "Mornings on Horseback." Perhaps it was the subject matter, but no doubt I will read McCullough's next book on Theodore Roosevelt, should he choose to undertake that project.



2. Great details. I have no idea and how long it must take to do the research but I always enjoy Mr. McGullough's books. He lets you see the human side of heros without tearing them down but showing true life.



3. `Mornings on Horseback' by David McCullough
   
   Once again, Mr. McCullough delivers a superbly researched, compulsively readable historical account; this issue focused on the young Theodore Roosevelt. This work examines the Roosevelt family origins in America and rise to national prominence; TR's father and his philanthropic works; a young Theodore struggling with asthma in an age when proper treatment was as yet far from effective; an insular family and the dynamic within; and finally to TR as a young, adventurous adult coping with devastating loss.
   
   `Mornings on Horseback' will be as enjoyable to the individual seeking an intro to Theodore Roosevelt as it will to the TR aficionado. As usual, David McCullough's brilliant style shines through and captivates the reader from the first page to last. One note: if you're looking for a comprehensive bio of TR, this is not it. This book covers Theodore's early years but does not go so far as to delve into his ambitions for high political office. Nevertheless, this is a masterful book that is sure to bring enjoyment to any lover of history.



4. 
   Teddy was a small frail asthmatic child whose iron will and loving family helped transform him into one of the most powerful leaders of all time.
   
   This is truly an inspirational book that lets us peek behind the curtain of an upper class family in the late 1800's. Teddy was blessed with two loving parents who nurtured him with the things he needed to grow into an amazing human being.
   
   His mother was a beautiful lady who was always there for him. His father would take Teddy on long rides in the country when he had bouts of asthma and encourage him to work out and become stronger.
   
   Teddy had an insatiable curiosity about nature as a child. He read constantly about wildlife and insects and become a serious collector.
   
   Roosevelt's life was not without tragedy. When he was in his early twenties he lost both his mother to illness and his young wife at childbirth all within a 24 hour period. He loved them both deeply and was shattered.
   
   Immediately afterwards he gave his new child to a sister and moved out west in search of himself. At first he was disliked and considered a dandy by cowboys because of his snobbishness. But, he soon gained their respect by enduring the same hardships and by accepting them for who they were.
   
   I read this book some time ago and it is still one of my favorite books. David McCullough not only thoroughly gathers facts and data for this work, he brings to life a different time and recreates the feelings, emotions, thoughts and attitudes of the Roosevelt family.
   
   Overall this is an incredible book!
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking



5. This is the wonderful story of the personal life of Theodore Roosevelt. If you love American history and admire TR, this is a must-read. I have bought it for members of my family who can't get enough of this man. We have read the biographies of him that lean heavily on his public service. Mornings on Horseback is about his family, heartaches, personality, and heart. I loved it.

5 comments about Mean and Lowly Things: Snakes, Science, and Survival in the Congo.

1. "Mean and Lowly Things" is a phenomenal account of the trials and tribulations of herpetological field work in one of the most remote places of the world. Jackson tells her story of collecting amphibians and reptiles in the swamp forests of the Northern Congo without bias and in a way that highlights and accentuates the reasons why someone would long to camp in a secluded swamp forest to catch these creatures. "Mean and Lowly" gives down-to-Earth and easily accessible insight into the little-known area of herpetological field work. Jackson shows exactly how mundane things such as drinking water and dry clothes can be hard to come by in the field, yet how tenacity, passion and curiosity can overcome just about any seemingly insurmountable odd. From impossible government bureaucracies and maggots that grow in your skin, to traditional village customs and published scientific data, "Mean and Lowly" truly covers everything one has to deal with as a scientist in the field in an easy and enjoyable read meant for anyone. It is a wonderful and tantalizing book filled with stories that will make you want to leave for the rain forest tomorrow.



2. Mean and Lowly Things is a gripping firsthand account of Kate Jackson's adventures as a herpetological fieldworker in the Congo. While the book provides the reader with scientific detail it's written in a style which brings the experience of conducting field research vividly to life, and as such it mirrors the best travel literature. Keen observations of culture and life are balanced by frank description of the frustrations, fears and feelings of inadequacy which all travelers undergo when venturing to the fringes of the map.
   
   It becomes obvious within the first few pages that Jackson passionately believes in the epigram from Aristotle that opens the book: "To understand the world, we must understand mean and lowly things." Every page of the book breathes the excitement of discovery and the wonders of the forest, and she returns again and again to the message that there is indeed great value in studying toads and snakes.
   
   The opening chapters deal with Jackson's early years of study and work in museum collections, which provides a fascinating insight into the world of hard science with a personal angle. But we really get into the meat when she finally organizes her own expedition to a remote field camp deep in the African Congo. The skills needed on such a venture weren't taught in graduate school. They were simply things that had to be figured out for oneself through a process of trial and error. And when dealing with venomous snakes, errors can be costly. We travel with her as she learns the ropes on a trip marred by civil war, cultural barriers, and a medical evacuation due to raging infection caused by a scraped leg that came into contact with contaminated swamp water. Despite this experience, she comes away with "an altogether irrational longing to return."
   
   Jackson goes back to the Congo for two more expeditions, which are also described in the book. Her focus is on the work and on the phenomenon that she observes, and in that sense, as well as in the way she brushes aside discomfort and understates real dangers, her writing style takes one back to the great 18th and 19th century explorers who first described Africa's mysterious interior. In camp she slept beneath a patched orange tarpaulin on a simple groundsheet, covered in a mosquito net: a situation that caused her Bantu guide to quit because the living conditions were too harsh. The inedible food prepared by her cook - bland manioc which tasted like "a cross between a chunk of wood and an overcooked potato", and soup made with smoked fish which was often half rotten and infested with maggots - caused her to lose 10 pounds in the course of 5 weeks. And then there were the seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers.
   
   But all of that discomfort and frustration is eclipsed by the wonders of discovery and by the thrill of the chase. It's a message of life lived passionately, with purpose, and to the fullest. All of us could benefit from that.



3. The reason that scientists don't know much about the reptiles and amphibians of the Congo, we learn in Kate Jackson's gripping Mean and Lowly Things is because it's a very difficult place to live and most scientists would rather work in places less remote. As a new Ph.D., Kate Jackson doesn't have much of a choice; she can go to the Congo and find snakes on her own, or she can play second, third, or fourth fiddle to some other researcher in a place with running water. Choosing the road less traveled seems to have made all the difference because Jackson turns out to be made of exactly the mettle needed for surviving in climates of perpetual damp, heat, bureaucracy, poverty, and, oh yeah, maggots, biting ants, malaria, sleeping sickness, foot long millipedes and of, course, cobras.
   
   Reminiscent of Raymond Ditmar's very out of print Snake Hunter's Holiday Jackson plunges into the submerged and remote forests of the Congo with a resolve and story telling ability that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Whether cheering along as she captures venomous snakes, or cringing as she describes discovering that maggots are growing under her skin, either way, it's a gripping and enjoyable book that makes you appreciate those people for who intentionally choose the difficult path, try harder when things seem hopeless, and persevere.



4. Kate Jackson is a much-accomplished scientist at a releatively young age. I do happen to know Kate on a personal level...yet her blend of skills still amazes me. She is one part curiousity, two parts courage, and three parts intelligence. Her most impressive skill to me (with my more literary bent) is her sure ability at narrative---her descriptions pull you into the jungle and make you feel your rotting socks in the jungle heat. I think everyone should read Kate's book, as I am sure you have never met anyone like her either.



5. "To understand the world, we must understand mean and lowly things." - Aristotle
   
   Kate Jackson recounts her expeditions with the flare of the best natural field scientists from Jane Goodall to Frank Buck - every bit as fascinating and courageous. Scientific exploration - hardships, danger, daring, mysteries, accomplishment, exotic cultural surprises. Including a glimpse into modern scientific camaraderie around the world and government bureaucratic malfeasance. Highly recommended glimpse of an intrepid person enjoying herself physically and intellectually.
   
   "No person who is enthusiastic about his work has anything to fear from life." -Samuel Goldwyn

5 comments about All But My Life.

1. Despite the horrors around her, and fellow prisoners dying and becoming mentally unbalanced every day, young Gerda Weissman managed to survive several Nazi camps from the late 1930s through the grisly end of World War II.
   
   Imagine being a teenager, wrenched away from your beloved parents, older brother and home -- and never seeing any of them ever again. It would be enough to make anyone unstable, not to mention bitter. Yet somehow, Gerda emerges from her horrifying ordeal stronger than she began. As her body heals in a hospital run by the Allies during the spring of 1945, Gerda begins a relationship with Kurt Klein -- a young soldier who urges her to tell her story.
   
   Now an elderly woman living in Arizona, Gerda Weissman Klein is able to see just how far she's come from the young Jewish girl living a priviledged life in Poland. Yet at the same time, her writing style allows readers to see clearly just how that same persona has managed to live such a rich, eventful life to the fullest all of these years.
   
   I've read many Holocaust memoirs, though I must say that Gerda's story is beautifully and distinctly told.



2. I read this book a long time ago and just got done listening to the book on tape for the second time. It is the most powerful representation of the Holocaust I have found. Please read this book if you want to learn about the Holocaust from a gifted author and survivor.



3. This book was gripping and I could not put it down until I finished it. It's so hard to believe the hardships so many endured for being Jewish. A must read. Beautifully written with rich detail.



4. I have read many of the holocaust books out there but this is the one I pass on to friends to read. Especially moving is the liberation of the prisoners at the end of the book. I wish all schools made this mandatory reading. What a way to learn history! This author is quite an incredible woman.



5. This is one of the first Holocaust survival stories that I read. It is by far one that has stayed with me in the most detail.
   
   I'm not going to give the story away I'm just going to say you will cry and rejoyce in this story. It will touch you to core of your very being.
   
   I must read for EVERYONE!

5 comments about Henry VIII: The King and His Court.

1. I agree with all the positive reviews written about this book. One additional comment about what I love about the book is that it details what still exists from the Tudor era and who owned it (clothes, desks, beds, personal articles, Anne' prayer book, etc.) and where these items can be seen ie: Hever, Hampton, etc. I loved the reference to a worker in the 1970's finding one of Henry's tennis balls wedged between beams at Hampton Court. If you are mildly interested in the Tudor era, this may be too much detail for you. If you love this era and have not read this book, you will love it.



2. This book is great! It is not only for people who like history but for people who like to discover interesting and uncommon facts too. The book is not boring. The author reveals a lot of interesting facts from the life of a "usual" King and his court. There were many times when while reading I would exclaim: "I could never imagine that!"
   
   English is not my native language, so when I choose something to read it has to be really worthwhile because it takes me time to read it and look up new words in a dictionary and this book is bright and vivid. I thoroughly enjoyed it.



3. Henry VIII by Alison Weir is a well written historical review of the life of the king. It is written in a manner to provide both factural and personal information about the life and court of Henry VIII. Her writting style is easy to read. I throughly enjoyed reading the book.



4. A few months ago while in the airport and not comfortable with flying in general, I picked up a book called The Boyeln Inheritance, which stated it was by the same author as The Other Boyeln Girl, a movie that looked interesting but I hadn't had a chance to see yet but had wanted to. So I bought it to pass the time on the plane.
   
   Wow! Since then I've been so wishing I had been able to focus more on history in high school and have been in this web and book search ever since about the Tudor times.
   
   That's when I came across this book. The background I've given you is to let you know I'm a novice to this part of history, so that's where my perspective comes in this review.
   
   Like another reviewer said, the beginning is "choppy" but only in the sense that the author is trying to paint a picture of the various day-to-day aspects, decor, food, dress, etc of people who lived back then. Each short chapter is devoted to a different thing, and in great detail. If you're into what they dressed then you'll love that chapter, and if you're not into the art, then you'll find that a bit dry. Most of them I found personally interesting, but even in those it was hard to get a picture in my mind of some of the more minute details, because I am still a novice at this and I didn't know what the words meant. But I also didn't expect the author to explain to my level--she has put in plenty of detail as it was, and the random thing I wasn't familiar with I could look up on the net.
   
   Nonethess, the author herself said in the beginning of the book that the first bit is more descriptive, and the rest goes into the narrative as to what happened, just as that reviewer said as well.
   
   And it definately does! It starts to read like a novel, although it is interspersed with some paragraphs of detail which are "dry" if that's not a part of it that you are personally interested in. It was a little hard keeping up with calling someone their proper name and then their title name (i.e. Duke of Norfolk = Thomas Howard = Norfolk), especially when people changed titles, but I think that's more due to the times then the author--they seemed to be called by their title moreso than their actual name. (Again, I'm new to all this.)
   
   As to the reviewer that said this book contains some of the same info as her other books--that's understandable to me. You don't know who already read which book, so you have to lay a foundation. It's not a "series". This having been the first book I read by her, I was delighted for the info.
   
   Overall, the amount of info is astonishing, especially if you're new to this time period in history, but it's not overwhelming, and if I were more familiar with the "characters", it would be easier. I found myself going to the index once in awhile to refresh my memory on "who is this guy again?" but it was easily doable. It's not the author's fault there were so many colorful characters during this time period in particular...LOL!
   
   I just finished the book today, and started looking up some of the people in it on the internet to see what happened next, and then arrived here to see what other books Ms. Weir has. She has made me look forward to learning more!



5. I have read all of Phillipa Gregory's books about the Tudors and have also read Allison Weir's fiction, The Lady Elizabeth and wanted to know more historical facts about this period and this book has them. What they ate, drank, wore, and played is all here backed up by thorough research. If this period interests you buy this book.