No comments about Escuadra hacia la muerte. La mordaza (Clasicos Castalia) (Clasicos Castalia).

5 comments about Papa Hemingway: A Personal Memoir.

1. It was this book, PAPA HEMINGWAY by A.E. Hotchner, that revealed to the world upon its publication in 1966 that Ernest Hemingway died in 1961 not of an accident while cleaning a gun but of an intentional self-inflicted gunshot. If that was all this book had to offer the world on Hemingway, it would not still be in print. He provides an up close and personal portrait of a man he admired and called a good friend, but a complicated personage all the same. This is not a critical, exhaustively researched biography weighing 10 pounds; it is memoir by someone who experienced life with the man firsthand, an account that comes across with honesty and enough detail for readers to draw their own critical conclusions.
   
   Hotchner was a young writer dispatched by a magazine in 1948 to find the by then world famous Hemingway in Cuba and negotiate an article. Hotchner's terror at the assignment turned into high surprise as Hemingway took to him and brought him right into his inner circle. Hotchner never talks about himself really, so we don't know what Hemingway saw in him, but it had to be something because Hemingway was not a man who trusted easily, who required exacting standards in his pals, who also included restaurateur Toots Shor, Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper and Ava Gardner. Hemingway was at the top of his powers in 1948, living as he thought life should be lived and settled in with his fourth and last wife, Mary, who could stand up to him. On the pretense of editing work, he takes Hotchner along for European adventures, making fun while also disclosing memories of his earlier days, and most important, what inspired his classic novels. As they move into the 1950's together, Hotchner also catches evidence of Hemingway's battle with mortality. He has a tough road back to health after surviving a plane crash in Africa, and then, trying to work again, he is bowled over by the response to THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (the Pulitzer) and the Nobel Prize. Castro, with whom he thought he had an understanding, takes his home and sanctuary. He is briefly revived in the outdoors of Ketchum, Idaho, but depression and paranoia begin to tear at him. What now seems a brutal electric shock treatment at the Mayo Clinic, especially for a man who never believed in analysis or being penned up, who wanted to do his own fighting, preceded his death.



2. Wild game hunter, war correspondent, bull fighting afficionado; these were the elements that comprised the public persona of Earnest Hemingway, unparalleled man of American letters. As time went on though, Hemingway added unfathomable amounts of liquor to the mix and he began to confuse his public persona with who he really was. Hotchner's memoir finds Hemingway near the end of his remarkable reign as macho wordsmith king extrordinaire--It begins somewhere before he wrote the Old Man and the Sea, won the Nobel Prize, and covers through his tragic psychological/physical decline and suicide in 1961. Hotchner spent a lot of time with Hemingway during these later years touring Europe and running with the bulls. Along the way Hem and Hotch rub shoulders with Hemingway pals Ingrid Bergman, Ava Gardner, among others; but front and center are Hotchner's observations of the great man himself. It must have been hard for A.E.H. to write this as Hemingway slid into the paranoia/psychosis that eventually led him to fire that shotgun into his mouth in Ketchum, Idaho. As the memoir goes on, EH drinks more and more and struggles to maintain his art. Eventually, he imagines himself a target of the FBI, and at one point attempts to jump out of a plane transporting him to the Mayo Clinic for treatment. Through it all his last wife, Mary--as well as Hotchner and his many friends, stand by him. The reader,though, gets the feeling that while Hemingway was never easy to be around, the years of decline were especially difficult. Hotchner, a loyal friend and admirer, proves a more than able chronicler, always managing to mix just the right touch of compassion (that never becomes blind hero worship) with a keen objectivity that serves a good memoir best. In this book, Hotchner relates both the high and low points of the literary lion in winter.



3. 
   In 1948 A.E. Hotchner was dispatched from New York to Havana by Cosmopolitan Magazine to do a story on Hemingway. Hotchner was in awe of the famous writer and tried to dodge the assignment. Well, it didn't work and even as he was intimidated by the thoughts of how Hemingway would dismiss him without so much as a hint of a story, he screwed up his nerve and initiated the first contact. And from their first meeting at the Floridita Bar in Havana, to Hotchner's dismay, the two connected. A true friendship ensued and Hotchner traveled to Cuba at least once a year and communicated frequently by letter, wire and phone. Papa Hemingway called him Hotch and Hotch was as close to Papa as anyone. During their general conversations apparently very few subjects were off limits. Most of Papa's personal problems were discussed; he even talked about some of his writing techniques.
   Travel was a big part of Hemingway's life. He paid regular visits to New York, Paris, Madrid, Key West and Ketchum, Idaho. Spain was his favorite destination and the Spanish lifestyle was reflected in his writing from `The Sun Also Rises' to various short stories.
   There was no one thing in this book that defined the Hotchner Hemingway relationship unless you consider brotherly love. That kindness is on full display toward the end as Hotchner describes Hemingway's mental path to self-destruction.
   Papa Hemingway is a must read human tragedy.
   Tom Barnes author of: `The Goring Collection,' `Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone,' `The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.'



4. I initially began reading this book many years ago and was taken aback by the author's use of very long verbatim quotations, often two pages long, attributed to Hemingway, which I found very hard to believe that Hotchner was able to remember verbatim things that Hemingway had said, some things decades before. Hotcher prefaces the book that he often took notes and had a tape recorder, but it is obvious that in some instances there would have been no way for him to take a tape recorder.
   
   Then I read Jack Hemingway's ("Bumby," Hemingway's first son) memoir (Adventures of a Fly Fisherman), in which he describes his experience of reading Carlos Baker's biography (which is considered the standard) as not portraying his father in any way even close to being accurate, and Hotchner's bio as being the closest to the life and personality of his father, so I took up the Hotcher book again, but still wasn't happy with it, but finished it. I have in general been very unhappy with pretty much all bios that I've read on Hemingway. I think the most enjoyable was The Hemingway Women. I think we really need an updated Hemingway bio that doesn't fall into the psychoanalytic and/or impersonal historian type of bio.



5. For those new to Hemingway, I would recommend reading a wiki review of Ernest Hemingway, and then "A Moveable Feast" to hear in his own words his thoughts on the myriad cast of characters he met around the world. If possible (but highly unlikely, due to its rarity) I would follow that with Charles Fenton's "The Apprenticeship of Ernest Hemingway." I would then read "The Hemingway Women" (probably reading chapters in reverse order) to get one of the best histories of Ernest Hemingway's life. I would conclude with Hotchner's "Papa Hemingway."
   
   The books by Hotchner and Fenton are classics and I would recommend hardback copies. I think remaindered copies from discount bookstores might be the most precious; there's something to be said for giving these homeless books a loving and final resting place on your bookshelf of treasured possessions.
   
   All I can say is that I had no idea Ernest Hemingway was so much more than an author. It would be like calling TR a politician.

5 comments about Where We Have Hope: A Memoir of Zimbabwe.

1. Andrew Meldrum is an American journalist who moved to Zimbabwe shortly after the country won its independence in 1980. He fell in love with the place and decided to put down roots, only to watch Robert Mugabe destroy Zimbabwe's economy and institutions in a bid to hang on to power. Meldrum was expelled in 2003 because of his critical reporting. To judge by his book, he got around the country, exposed human rights abuses, and showed courage in the face of harassment and a trumped up prosecution. Granted, his writing verges on treacle at times, and he's too politically "engaged" to be completely credible as a journalist -- but then it's hard to be fair and balanced when writing about a dictator like Mugabe. Meldrum has guts and his heart is in the right place.
   
   That said, his book adds little to our knowledge of Zimbabwe. As a good journalist, Meldrum sticks closely to his personal experiences. Unfortunately, these consisted mostly of observing rallies and marches, interviewing opposition activists, consulting his maid about popular political attitudes, comparing notes with other journalists, and getting arrested. We learn little about the inner workings of ZANU-PF or the reasons for the economic collapse. Mugabe is no more than a stock villian. The rural Shona are a mystery. The role of white business in funding anti-Mugabe activity is alluded to but not discussed. We don't even learn about the contentious, often dysfunctional leadership of the opposition MDC party, or about MDC's rocky relationship with unions and civil society, even though Meldrum had friends and contacts in these camps.
   
   Overall, there are too many anecdotes and too little analysis. Readers who want an introduction to Zimbabwe's modern history would be better off reading Martin Meredith's superb "Our Votes, Our Guns." But readers who want a lively personal story will enjoy "Where We Have Hope."



2. As a Zimbabwean living abroad I sceptically picked up a copy of this book. I would read with dread Andrew Meldrums daily news reports on the dire and continually worsening situation in Zimbabwe on a Zimbabwean news website. I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of feeling he developed for the country and his positive outlook in this book. I was moved by all his personal experiences and interactions with people there and the dangers he faced on a daily basis just doing his job. Someone needed to speak up and let the international community know about the teriible things that went happened in Zimbabwe from Gukurahundi to the farm invasions and I admire him for his bravery and perseverance. He chronicled our history from an eyewitness point of view and brought it all alive again. It allowed me to relive the 80's and 90's again. I cringe whenever I hear news of Zimbabwe on the television but this book made me feel proud to be Zimbabwean and I have recommended to my non-Zimbabwean friends as a way of understanding what happened to Zimbabwe. Excellent book!



3. I expected much more from the book. Lacks a lot of information on the conflict before Mugawe, why was he so succesful in his fight. It is interesting but I really wanted something more in depth.



4. As a visitor to Zimbabwe - I love it there, the people, the landscape, the optimism everything. And to read a book which does echo how most of the people feel is rare. There is still hope that Mugabe will be removed and democracy prevail. The so called issue with white and blacks is not as the media and Mugabe portray at all. People just want their freedom and a decent economy so they can have a standard of living above the poverty line. Andrew Meldrum may be biased as he does love Zim and the people but its about time that the truth is highlighted as no one has tried to prevent this on the international scene. I'm glad someone has tried to show the world what is really happening in Zimbabwe.



5. Andrew Meldrum was the last foreign journalist thrown out of Zimbabwe and, after spending 23 years in the country, is ideally placed to give the reader a first-hand account of the collapse of a once-prosperous country. Meldrum could have taken the easy cynical route and just described the calamity caused by Robert Mugabe and his increasingly corrupt and vicious inner circle. But he does more, by weaving in his own experiences, including a narrow escape from the intelligence forces when they came to his home to abduct him. He also does an excellent job of not just depressing the reader by harping on the problems (as some of the pop authors writing on Africa are apt to do) but by also writing about the resilience of so many Zimbabweans -- hence the (admittedly sappy) title. This is certainly not intended as a comprehensive history of the country. But it is a beautifully-written book by one very brave journalist.

5 comments about An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books.

1. A contender for "Best Read of 2007" and it's only March!
   Her anecdotes are funny where they should be, and serious where that's important. This one and Buzbee's "Yellow-Lighted Bookshop" complement each other perfectly for anyone who loves books.



2. I was attracted to this title after spending many years as a book lover to the nth degree as well as being a writer and a former publisher's rep. It seemed like a Reader/Writer match made in heaven, especially given the geography Werris and I share.
   
   Werris was a trailblazer, a professional female publisher's rep before this was common. She learned her stuff in the trenches while participating in all the expected revelrie of the 60's and beyond.
   
   The characters that accompanied her life journey were as colorful as the books they peddled, expertly and lovingly. The book brought laughter and tears, bittersweet moments as we saw the book industry change as we turned page after page after page.
   
   My only criticism was the boxy chronology. It was almost written as separate books - here is Wendy Book Rep, here is Wendy in the rest of her life. The parts that engaged me the most were her parents' deaths, her survival after a rape, little bits and pieces about her spirituality and then looping back around to the reunion of most of the original Pickwick staffers.
   
   I would have preferred to have more personal life stuff interwoven throughout, but that is simply my taste.
   
   Great quotes include:
   
   "We never know what may happen when we pick up a book to read. The turning of a page might actually change the course of our existence. There is something very miraculous about this. Truth strikes at the very heart of books and the readers who turn themselves over with great trust to finding the essence of them selves."
   
   "Life has revealed itself in a language known only to me, comprised of my own private alphabet. You, too, have such a language. The discovery of it is found in the sum total of every experience we have known - all the loves, losses, agonizing pain and ecstatic joys."
   
   And then there is the quote in the very front of the book, not from Wendy Werris but from Charles Bukowski:
   
   "Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must live."
   
   I shared this with Emma and we both laughed and nodded. How wondrous that a nine-year-old gets this!



3. Anyone who has worked in a bookstore or in publishing will find much that resonates in this book, especially the sales reps. Her stories of initiation by fire struck a chord with this former rep; I'm glad I'm not the only one to once show up without a pen (makes it hard to write orders, it does). Werris couples this inside scoop on how books are sold with her tales of her father's show biz connections and the horrendous ordeal of her rape. It took Werris a long time to grow up but she seems on the right track now.



4. I'd never heard of Wendy Werris, but this woman writes like someone who's been doing it all her life. It must be all those books she's read, a kind of osmosis. Her life-long love affair with books is so obvious that I immediately recognized a kindred spirit. But this is not JUST about books; it is a finely nuanced and moving memoir of the first order. Werris's descriptions of her unorthodox Jewish home life, her father's show business connections and success - followed by a long slide into oblivion - are all so perfectly rendered you can feel the joys and sorrows. And she doesn't shrink from the more painful times either - her personal battles with drugs and alcohol, her brutal rape by a stranger, the long slow declines and deaths of her parents, and the sad dehumanizing changes in the book business which she bears witness to over more than thirty years. In her on-line blog, Ms. Werris notes she's currently working on a bio of her dad, Snag Werris, once a chief writer for Jackie Gleason. Write on, Wendy. I'll read it. - Tim Bazzett, author of the ReedCityBoy trilogy.



5. This is a memoir about Werris's life journey through the book world. Werris started by working for her local, indie bookstore and eventually moved into the male-dominated world of publishers' representatives. Certain aspects of this story were interesting, including the inner workings of book stores and the relationships between book buyers and publisher's reps. Other incidents described in the book, however, seemed to be included only as a way for Werris to drop in names of famous people she's met along the way. This was not a bad book, but there are better choices (Lewis Buzbee's The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop).

5 comments about The First Lady of Hollywood: A Biography of Louella Parsons.

1. I have waited over twenty years for an indepth book of Louella Parsons, and while there were alot of "the usual supects" including the deaths of Thomas Ince and Paul Bern- Ms. Barbas did a great deal of homework and the beginings of Louella's life has stuff I never heard before. While she generously throws in all the contrary things said about Louella's career, she also gives this journalist her due,and does not act like someone pulled her teeth to do it.



2. In the Fifties, there was a rivalry of sorts between gossip queens Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons -- take your pick. Ms. Parson was a premier movie gossip columnist until 1960 for the Randolph Hearst yellow journalism media. She was a tough woman who used blackmail when it aided her gossip mongering during the studio control of the industry's publicity; it is thought that she was also involved in the blacklisting of some of the major stars during the McCarthy fiasco.
   
   Working for Hearst, a superego who built a mansion at San Simeon for his mistress, Marion Davies, Louella was involved in every aspect of their lives there on Route 1 of California and L. A. He was a silly old man. Her husband, Dr. Martin died at the age of 61, though his photo showed him looking twenty years older due no less to the kind of lifestyle they lived. She went into decline and relied on alcohol to keep going. Hearst's daughter lived dangerously for a while on drugs before marrying her bodyguard.
   
   Hedda Hopper's popularity was mainly on television although her syndicated gossip columns appeared in Chicago and New York papers, like Landers and Abby. Now, would you believe, the gossip queens are Joan and Melissa Rivers! Who would have thought it? Walter Winchell may have been a columnist back then, but not the gossipy kind like goday's Oliver Reed and Truman Capote. No one was sancasant from these monsters of divulging confidential information about any and every movie actor/actress except for their sexual leaning. That was not allowed in the 30s, 40s, and 50s by the big studios who kept everyone in the closet and presented false images for most if not all of them.



3. I grew up the the 1950s and bought every movie magazine with articles by Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper that my meager allowance would afford me. Dr. Barbas has produced an academic, thoroughly researched work (there are a ton of footnotes)with the ring of authenticity to it. Fingers crossed that she devotes equal time to Hedda Hopper.



4. This book was surprisingly interesting about the life of screen gossip Louella Parsons and her shenanians in tinseltown. I thoughoutly enjoyed it. This would make an interesting movie.



5. I wanted a good summer book to read and this is it. A fun book and it does tell an in depth account of Louella Parsons life. Who knew this much about her? It is her whole life story. I love biographies and this one kept my interest.

5 comments about Exile in Guyville: How a Punk Rock Redneck Faggot Texan Moved to West Hollywood and Refused to Be Shiny and Happy.

1. Homophobes stay away - as one should gather from the title. That being said - this book had me laughing out loud. It's a must buy. I've already bought a copy for one of my friends.



2. White's brilliance lies in the fact that the review by "Aniston Obsessed" is a compliment to "Exile."



3. I loved this book, I loved Dave's unapologetic ranting and whining about LA and its inhabitants (a**holes!!). I loved his special brand of 'gayness' and his queeny categorisations of the OTHER brands of gayness he is forced to interact with in rainbow flagged West Hollywood. For all the other non-shinyhappy people who inhabit (yes they do!!!) anywhere out of the LA geographical area, this book is a refreshing take on the whole stereotypical celeb seething wannabe clusterf*** that is 'reality' for anyone LIVING in LA and earning less than mega squillions a year. If you enjoy reading books like "Chorewhore", or relate to the hispanic domestics everpresent in the background in any LA-based flick, you'll also enjoy Exile in Guyville.
   
   It'd be great to see a follow up, or even a collection of Dave's columns. His observations of his grudgingly adopted home town resonate at the same frequency as Henry Rollins occasionally do: they both live there because they have to but they aren't going down without a fight goddarnit! These are witnesses to the flabbergasting proliferation of acceptable a**holeness which is flourishing in places like LA: road rage, blithe and rampant consumerism, self-centredness, rudeness and downright unfriendliness. Dave observes the LA reactions to his natural Texan inclination to greet a stranger or passer-by with a wave or a smile and he comments also that the people of LA regard themselves, and not the sun, as the centre of the universe.
   
   I like that people like Dave and Henry are documenting and commenting. And congratulations Dave, you did it stylishly and with humour. It'd be good to see some more.



4. As a native Angeleno, I was ready to take offense at Dave's experience of Los Angeles, but I was laughing too hard. He's had some pretty interesting experiences of LA. A very light, fun read.



5. I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Not "loved" it, and it didn't change my life. But it made me laugh again and again as I watched the author adjust or not adjust to his move from Texas to Hollywood. He is fiendishly accurate in his descriptions of Angeleno/Hollywood culture, and spares no-one including himself in his assessments.
   
   So why four stars rather than five? Because ultimately this is simply a series of essays without much besides location to tie it together. Yes, he attempts some "tie it all together and say what it means" moments at the end, but they barely escape being whiney and self-congratulatory. The guy who wrote the rest of the book would absolutely lambaste the guy who wrote the last few bits.
   
   Nonetheless, a fine read. I'm now following his commentary anywhere I can find it. And if I ever meet the guy, the beer's on me.

5 comments about Madame Dread: A Tale of Love, Vodou and Civil Strife in Haiti.

1. i LOVED it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't put the book down!!!!I could visualize each word she wrote!! I have a whole new perspective on Haiti!! Not only did I learn so much about the life, culture, and politics in this country, but about a women's personal journey in a place so foreign to her. Leaving the comforts and safety of the US behind to learn about and try to make a difference in Haiti speaks volumes about this woman!!! And then to face the struggle of what is best for her son, even if her personal choice was not to leave Haiti.This is a great read...i hope to see more from this author!!!



2. I read this book hoping to better understand the constant strife in Haiti. I didn't get the understanding I was looking for. The litany of changing leaders is given, but no real examination of why each one fails is provided. For example, Aristide wins the election and then does not follow up by doing anything to improve conditions. He eventually is driven from power, but no details about his lack of action are provided in this book. A good read, but not what I was hoping for.



3. After reading many of her articles which used poor fact checking and overt reliance on elites - I felt this book was boring even though it was not as overtly bias in its politics as her newspaper writing.



4. Haven't had a chance to read yet but have interest in anything about Haiti and Vodou.



5. While written with sincerity, the book is a starry-eyed cliche. A rich white woman falls in love with a poor black man. She glorifies him and his country, while never tackling anything of substance. She makes excuse after excuse for his lack of initiative in his own life, and credits it all to racism. Haiti and its people deserve a more indepth treatment than this frivilous little tale. If you have ever been to Haiti, you will not learn anything here.

1 comments about Straight from the Source: An Expose from the Former Editor in Chief of the Hip-Hop Bible.

1. This is a great read for anyone who loves hip hop, thrives off drama and wants to know what really goes on behind the scenes in the music industry. But more importantly, it is an Erin Brokovich type story of a woman who fought against the injustices of a corrupt organization and won.

5 comments about Hef's Little Black Book.

1. You have to hand it to Hef. Well into his twilight years he manages to surround himself with beautiful, nubile young women who cater to his every whim.
   
   In "Hef's Little Black Book" little glimpses of Hef's life are shared. We learn that Millie (his first wife) cheated on him, thus opening the door for his dalliances. We discover that the gorgeous Barbie Benton broke up with him when she discovered he was double dipping with another. That movie night is a big time in Hef's life. That black silk pj's make for good outerwear etc.
   
   If you are a diehard Hef fan you may enjoy this book. On the other hand if you want to learn more about the playmates with shocking insights into Hef such as the awful reality that he does NOT use protection read Jill Ann Spaulding's book, "Upstairs".
   
   Overall "Hef's Little Black Book" is indeed all about Hef, and only for those who want nitty gritty details shared by Mr. Hefner about himself.



2. Hef's Little Black Book isn't some story of Playboy the magazine or the empire, a biog of Hef or anything more than really a kind of puff-piece valentine from Hef to himself. I say from Hef because he's listed as the author, though "and Bill Zehme" presumably did most of the writing, organizing, interviewing, and editing.
   
   However, given its parameters, the book works surprisingly well. Zehme did a similar book - a better one, though - on Sinatra a few years back, and its organization by subject/theme, its adoring fifties-style prose and please-pass-on-your-wisdom-o-master tone which strangely enough worked very well on the Sinatra piece is used again here. It's sort of effective. The book is a mixture of Zehme's narrative in the above voice, quotes from Hefner mixed in, and dozens of excellent photos of all types.
   
   Hef passes on pearls of wisdom regarding women, romance, enjoying life and games, business, sex and the like. The Bed is covered in detail, with blueprints and everything. Much of it is not especially deep or new or earthshattering. I don't know that it really touches on what makes Hef such a fascinating figure or so important a man in 20th century life. But it's not uninteresting to Hefner aficionados.
   
   What is in fact the goods on Hef is that he managed to first define the upscale male fantasy life, and then proceeded to insert himself into the picture and live it, for fifty nonstop years of uncompromising hedonism. In doing so he became a living symbol of the sexual revolution, and in the magazine's Playboy Philosophy he defended and explained his thinking brilliantly. It could not have worked without tremendous charm, business acumen (including the knowledge of when to step down from day-to-day operating control and let more capable managers take over), and self-control exercised over himself, and he surely kept very good people watching his back.
   
   This book doesn't tell that story. If interested, there are many out there that do; I particularily like Russell Miller's Bunny, from back in the troublesome 80s. But this book does have fantastic and rarely seen photos from the 50s, 60s and 70s which make up for a lot, and one does get a faint glimpse of an unusual man.



3. I bought this book because I thoroughly enjoyed the author's previous book "The Way You Wear Your Hat - Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin'". This book was much shorter, even though it could be argued that its subject is deserving of perhaps even greater coverage. The most fascinating thing I learned while reading this book is that Sinatra and Hefner did not really bond...Frank was kinda upset that Hef had all the girls. The Mansion was the one place to which Sinatra could go and NOT find it to be all about Sinatra.
   
   I knew very little about Hef until I read this book. I still don't know as much as I would have liked. This book is much more akin to what we would find out if Hef had written a dating profile on match.com (favorite movies, favorite food, favorite drink, etc). We learn very little about his formative years, other than that Hef's first great love did not love him back (but visits him at the mansion from time to time, even to this day). The author assumes that we know that Hef is wealthy, but we never get an idea of the degree of his wealth. I know that there is a magazine and a cable network....but younger readers may not know that there was also a television show, nightclubs, and a whole history extending back into the 1950's. These are only glanced over. It would have been nice to see more homage paid to the influence of Playboy on the shifting cultural attitudes during the 1960's.
   
   I look forward to the author's upcoming Johnny Carson book and hope that it takes on the same flavor as these other two. Then the "holy trinity of cool" will be complete.



4. this was out in so many stores, glad i found it! it made a great gift!



5. In 1974, I purchased Frank Brady's HEFNER (AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY). I was surprised because the author didn't offer any exclusive information - the book included nothing new or unknown. However, the author did report that Hefner was deeply in love and committed to Barbie Benton who he would marry soon. Well, he was wrong about that. Bottom line: There was nothing Brady's "unauthorized" biography that seemed worthy of being deemed unauthorized.
   
   When I was reading HEF'S LITTLE BLACK BOOK, I was once again taken by surprise. There was no new information - everything in the book was well known. Instead of poor writing, I've got to conclude that Hefner has no sexual secrets. Yet, he does write of secret sexual relationships, but he won't share because these concern others. It is not himself he is protecting. Unlike Nixon, Hefner destroyed the tapes by tossing them into the Pacific Ocean. I wonder: Is this disposal contrary to EPA regulations? Can Hefner be fined? Shall we hire the Titanic team to recover the tapes?
   
   One big inference emerged from reading: the Barbie Benton and Karen Christy conflict. Like everything else in this autobiography, this is a well known urban tale. Hefner was sleeping with both of these women with whom he claimed to dearly love. Reading between the lines, the authors suggest that Barbie and Karen were grossly insensitive to Hefner's sexual needs. He needed both of them, but neither could accept sharing him with another woman. Hefner was emotionally devastated, but eventually recovered. Today, Hefner has finally found a girlfriend who is willing to share him with two other women. If Barbie was willing to regularly share him with others, I wonder if they would be married today?
   
   I don't know if this little book was worth the money to read. Nevertheless, I found it to be a hoot.

No comments about Big Russ & Me: Father and Son--Lessons of Life.