5 comments about But Enough About Me: A Jersey Girl's Unlikely Adventures Among the Absurdly Famous.

1. I picked this book up because of the cover. I loved seeing 80's hair do and I read the back to find it amusing enough to buy. I never really knew who Jancee Dunn was before I read her book.
   
   I enjoyed the quick read and liked how it bounced between her family and her work, it is a story of someone my age(36) and it mirrored experiences of coming of age during the 80's and early 90's. I loved it.
   
   Heartwarming and honest



2. I loved this book! I loved the throwbacks to old fashion, Jersey-Hair, and general 90's quips. I laughed a lot. The pieces on celebrities were like a bonus of reading a trashy tabloid inside a novel. It was unlike what I normally read, it was refreshing and very enjoyable!!



3. You do not need to be from Jersey to love this book. Anyone who spent their adolescence cultivating a thin, fragile veneer of coolness to cover an inner dork will relate to Jancee. I did not want this book to end. I can't wait for the follow-up on the rest of Jancee's life. Funny, touching, and entirely real. (Just like a true Jersey girl!)



4. I waited a while before I purchased this book. It was definitly worth the wait



5. I am from New Jersey so I was thrilled to read a memoir about "one of my own" become as successful as Jancee has become in the world of reporting. Once I got my hands on it I loved the New Jersyisms as well as the wonderful writing of her life as a writer. This book is perfect for anyone who is down in the dumps and needs a good laugh. Jancee knows how to deliver :)

5 comments about I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story.

1. This book is a ruse.
   
   The title of the book implies a love story for a woman who died in Baghdad. The reality is this book is the woman's death is used as a catalyst for the author to express his views about the Iraq war. Over 75% of the book is about him and less than 25% of the book is about her. Bottomline is Hastings is quite self-centered and he uses much of this book to tell you how good of a guy he is. The sad part is Ms. Parhamovich is more interesting.
   
   Now, I have no problem if this author does not like the Iraq war. If this is the case, then write an honest book about your political views and title it as such. But, the reality is this man used a dishonest tactic to express his politics.
   
   If someone ever decides to write a book about Ms. Parhamovich, let me know. Her boyfriend did a terrible job.



2. I teach high school history. This book gives an awesome over view of the war in Iraq. Giving heartfelt dipictions of the social consequences of war. I would encourage all to read.



3. This book's title is very misleading. It should of been titled I Lost Myself In Baghdad. He talks about himself and very little about Ms. Parhamovich. I wonder how her family feels about his vague reference to her.



4. The tragedy of losing someone as close to you as your first love is unimaginably painfull. It is made even more grueling if it is under the conditions that his fiance passed away in. There are those reading this book that forget that message. I am not one of those individuals. Thank you for sharing your story with the world. Nothing could ever bring her back but maybe telling her story will make you whole.



5. I was compelled to read this book after an Air America segment about it. I was expecting not a love story exactly, but an accurate account of events.
   
   Instead I got a story of a journalist in Iraq who thinks he is in "love" with an amazing woman who had priorities that showed that her career equaled her personal life. What kind of person would leave a prestigious, satisfying job at a progressive media network in NYC to work for an impotent organization (although she did not know it at the time).
   
   Andi loved this guy enough to follow him to Baghdad, and he paints a picture of her that makes me wonder: Did he love her nearly as much as he obviously loves himself? Michael portrays her to be a needy, neurotic girl who thought HE was out of her league. I looked for the evidence that he really loved her, but did not find it. The whole story is about him. If he REALLY loved her, he would have kept better track of her itinerary.
   
   Not to condemn, but take responsibility: Andi went to Iraq to be near MIKE. And Mike is now selling a book "about the relationship" when it is really about HIM and his stories. She went to do something that mattered regardless of the compensation.
   
   This book exploits her. It us 85% Michael and at MOST 10% Andi.
   
   I hope we all learn her REAL story.

5 comments about Almost There.

1. I love this book. While her first, Are you Somebody, was so full of darkness, this is full of hope. It is a book about redemption. She is not there yet, but almost there. She writes BEAUTIFULLY. A real wordsmith. The way she writes alone makes it worthwhile. I am in my 30s and male, and I found that I could relate to the themes she raises. They really are universal.



2. Yes, ma'am, this `analyze my life and then tell-all' book seems like the sort of fare on which Oprah could chew for several shows. It was ready-made for her book club and would have instantly been embraced by her angst-loving fan base, but somehow it stayed outside that sort of recognition. But that's not a cheap shot, I mean it, this is a book for those who like the sort of reading material common in Oprah's book club. So Oprah readers, go get this!
   
   I don't know if I was supposed to, exactly, but I found this book gloomy, and mostly only liked the rare parts where Irish Times writer Nuala O'Faolain wasn't speaking so personally. Her reports on the state of Northern Ireland, her experiences in America (page 195, " 'America' was always the word for promise." Boy have I ever heard that before...) the compare and contrast moments that dealt with Ireland in relation to other places she's been, these were a lot more likely to hold my interest, I found, than her oft-murky forays into her own allegedly bleak childhood, her controversial romantic life, or her stark realizations at her own failings, failures, and foibles.
   
   Still there's something endearing about a woman whose best mate is her dog, Molly, and whose singlemost passion in life seems to be her readiness to delve into self-deprecation as if it is also her salvation.
   
   I don't regret reading Almost There, but I don't plan on seeking out any of Nuala O'Faolain's other published books, either.



3. I could really relate to her life's reflections in relation to her own personal experiences as well as her perspective on universal family situations. Nuala's frank proclamation revealing her loneliness was quite powerful. The fact that she read this book on CD herself with wit and prose makes me want others to listen to her gift of gab.



4. first off i want to say i shouldn't complain too much as i bought an autographed hard copy of this book for just $1.00 . Thank God for small favors . to begin with i really was enjoying this book in the beginning and too quick to imagine myself buying her first memoir .
   
   what bothered me the most was her having an illicit affair with a man who even she described as not being educated, nor really a " looker " . yet time and again she would drive miles, hours, and pay for their trysts .
   he'd bring hard candy ....lol.
   like, didn't she wonder why she never heard nor saw this gink on holidays such as xmas . not even a card ? I think she knew in her deepest being. she's just the type of woman for some reason needs to be exploited as that's all she feels she truly deserves . it was sickening .
   
   she's lucky to have found someone who cares . but, i didn't give a damn about her during this entire fiasco of a book . she saw the inside of more motels then " the gideon bible " .
   
   my advice to her ...go back to column writing . she ought be ashamed to have her siblings read this as well as everybody else .
   
   i don't believe in bookburning ..but, i'm tempted .



5. This is my first book by this author and thus have nothing else to compare this memoir to. My first impression was her honesty, with herself and with others: her alcoholic mother, her own drinking (a bottle of wine a night), her relationship failures both with men and women, and her regrets in life. Had she been an American publishing this book it would have been a sensation, but alas, because she is Irish and Catholic and an unknown in the US, the book made little waves here.
   
   She mentions her first book "Are You Somebody" a lot in this memoir and this seems to be a sequel. It's the book that shot her to fame, which brought her interviews in the more progressive US Northeast where many Irish live. She ponders her success almost to the point of insanity, rather than enjoying her success for her efforts. It's that typical Catholic guilt feeling.
   
   Her honesty with her seemingly gay relationship had me at first stumped. I almost stopped reading after her first mention of her ex-partner leaving her, but I overcame that after I continued her chapter. Then I realized that subject is just too tabu in the US. So I congratulate her for bringing that subject out in the open.
   
   Her candor of her first book caused some heartache to others in her life, others who may have hurt her in the past. Was she trying to get even with them by publishing the events as they happened according to her? She's honest and covers the other person's point of view, which was a courageous act. Most people who write memoirs mention the people who hurt them, but few take the time to ask themselves why they hurt them, or the reasons for the behavior. Different people, different perspectives, says Nuala. Who's right?
   
   It's definitely not an easy read or one that one laughs out loud reading. It's one more of the "Damn, that hurt!" reaction that, after more thought, allows the reader to gain greater respect for the author, and allows the readers to look deeper into themselves.

2 comments about Means of Transit: A Slightly Embellished Memoir.

1. Teresa Miller has given us a rare jewel in the form of an incredible memoir. Ms. Miller's insight and wisdom would have been enough to keep me turning the pages of her book, but the addition of her sense of humor totally hooked me. Her journey is one many of us can relate to - we can see ourselves in her dreams and relate to her struggles and triumphs. I especially enjoyed the way she headed sections with quotes - they made me eager to read the text that followed and discover how she connected the dots. Do yourself a favor and curl up with this lovely book!



2. I live in Arkansas, in the heartland of America, and I remember a favorite aunt's favorite warning ("Now don't you story to me!") when my imagination took one too many means of transit during our visits! So I loved taking Teresa Miller's journey with her through those times and with those people. But this book is not just for those of us who recognize these people and places; it is for all people everywhere who have journeyed through their own heart's strange and wonderful landscapes. It is beautifully and poignantly written. I recommend it highly.

5 comments about Chechnya Diary: A War Correspondent's Story of Surviving the War in Chechnya.

1. Until I read 'Chechnya Diary' I was willing to accept what seemed to be conventional wisdom about the conflict in Chechnya--i.e., just another incidence of Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. Mr. Goltz provides another view: i.e., an effort (at least initally) to restore to a displaced people the homeland of which they were deprived by the Stalinst regime. I also found it refreshing to read something by a journalist who is willing to acknowledge that his presence may have an impact on the turn of events. All in all, I think this is a most enlightening book and, like Mr. Goltz's 'Azerbaijan Diary', a terrific adventure story.



2. Chechnya Diary isn't your typical book about war. For one thing, it reads more like an adventure or a novel than straight history. It's also much more philosophical than I would have expected. The book begins with the quote, "The observer affects the observed," and boy is that statement ever borne out as the story unfolds.

   Author Thomas Goltz sneaks into the country to cover the war, and ends up in a small town called Samashki, where he depends on the hospitality of a man named Hussein. Ostensibly there to record the fighting, Goltz soon becomes intimately involved, raising many tough questions about journalistic ethics and the effects of media war coverage.

   The book really picks up steam in the second half, as Goltz returns to Chechnya to discover the damage his participation has caused, and tries to rectify it.

   It's a thought-provoking book that provides background on the Chechnyan war but also goes far beyond that to dwell on how our shallow media culture affects our understanding of world events (and beyond that, how media coverage actually determines the course of those events as they play out). Goltz is a likable narrator who doesn't shy away from implicating himself when it comes to the sticky moral questions. He brings to life real Chechnyans in such vivid fashion that you'll remember them every time you hear about Chechnya in the news.

   I had tears in my eyes as I finished the book. Highly recommended.




3. This book is a sign Goltz has matured since writing "Requiem" and "AZ Diary", and has found his niche. This is to say, maybe he's realized he isn't much for political synthesis or history. He has obviously done a lot of good and original thinking about journalistic ethics in wartime and the "Hawthorne effect"--these are the reasons you want to read this book.
   
   There are a lot of books, historical and journalistic, in several languages, on Chechnya and this is the least exciting and informative of the ten or so of those I've read.
   
   "Allah's Mountains", "Chechnya--Tombstone of Russian Power" and "Chechnya--A Short, Victorious War" are more interesting and written by less self-obsessed authors.



4. I'll state straight away that I count myself a an old and loyal friend of Thomas Goltz, and I'm a journalist too, so my five stars should perhaps seen in that context. But I believe they are well deserved, not least for the personal bravery the author displayed in getting the story. For me, this book's particular value is that for once it strips away the shield that we reporters feel necessary to arm ourselves with to protect ourselves from emotional involvement with the subjects of our reportage. This is the first time I read the account of someone who has faced up to naked realities of this situation. The result is a rare and compelling tale of the relationship between the interviewer and the interviewed, and set against a backdrop that shows how both sides behave and above all feel when trapped in forces outside their control.



5. This is the true story about the struggle the people of Chechnya are going through - a region I know little about. It is written through the eyes of a war correspondent - an occupation I know little about. Goltz brings some understanding to the layman with a direct, no-nonsense writing style that will capture your attention and send your senses reeling through sorrow, joy, dispair, hope and more. A must read for anyone who wants to gain some knowledge of the on-going struggle of Chechnya without wading through a dull textbook.

4 comments about Living It Up With National Review: A Memoir.

1. Living It Up At National Review is a memoir by Priscilla L. Buckley, who spent forty-three years as an editor at National Review. The exploits of her brother William F. Buckley among many other "brilliant but highly combustible" characters come alive in this engaging and folksy collection of true tales of daily life amid a national icon of conservatism. An index allows for quick reference in this highly readable and enjoyable reflection on the highs, lows, and weirdness present in the author's remarkable and vivacious working life.



2. Living It Up At National Review is a memoir by Priscilla L. Buckley, who spent forty-three years as an editor at National Review. The exploits of her brother William F. Buckley among many other "brilliant but highly combustible" characters come alive in this engaging and folksy collection of true tales of daily life amid a national icon of conservatism. An index allows for quick reference in this highly readable and enjoyable reflection on the highs, lows, and weirdness present in the author's remarkable and vivacious working life.



3. Living It Up At National Review is a memoir by Priscilla L. Buckley, who spent forty-three years as an editor at National Review. The exploits of her brother William F. Buckley among many other "brilliant but highly combustible" characters come alive in this engaging and folksy collection of true tales of daily life amid a national icon of conservatism. An index allows for quick reference in this highly readable and enjoyable reflection on the highs, lows, and weirdness present in the author's remarkable and vivacious working life.



4. What will we do when the Buckley clan is gone? First John Wayne, then Ronald Reagan, now the Buckleys, WFB and his sister, Priscilla gradually recede from our consciousness, followed ineluctably in time by Paul Harvey we tearfully conclude. Giants all. This book is to be cherished, as with brother Bill's memoir of last year ("And Miles Gone By"), like a strand of hair from a saint; to be pulled out every now and then and pressed to one's heart in longing remembrance of the grandeur that humankind can produce so resplendently every now and again in individuals(as opposed to collectively). Read the book and weep, but with a smile on one's face mirroring the same that radiantly graced it's author's lo these many years.

5 comments about Yo Soy la Hija de Mi Padre: Una Vida Sin Secretos.

1. This book is her own autobiographical sketch from the viewpoint of a daughter of an immigrant, journalist and social commentator; she puts together her whole as a person and brings the reader down to the conclusion that as an individual we are what are parents shaped us to be. As a reporter she documents and researches her family roots that she thought she knew until her fathers best friend gives her fathers box of secrets, then and there she realizes that she really didn't know who her father really was. From that point on she goes through a chilling journey of discovering her own roots and eventhough she doesn't find all the correct answers , every step of the way she discovers more about herself and how important family values are for the individual. This is my own conclusion from her readings, we are who we are do to our predessesors.



2. Atrapa tu atencion y te lleva sin esfuerzo a traves de una historia que no queres que termine por diferente y culturalmente interesante; con situaciones que a veces te podes identificar. A pesar de algunos errores de redaccion, fue un placer leerlo en espanol.



3. Story of a woman's pursuit of her father's previous life before marriage to her mother, and consequent discovery of his secrets and his whole side of her family.



4. Esta es una de las autobiografias mas sorprendentes y al mismo tiempo encantadoras porque describe la historia de amor de sus papas como muy linda. Sufrida por parte de los dos, porque tuvieron que dejarlo todo y vivir en un lugar y en otro, cuidandose y protegiendo a sus hijas y mantiendolas alejadas de su propia familia.



5. self serving and extremely boring. i still can't figure out why i was given this book as a present.... maybe they are not really my friend!

5 comments about Kinfolks: Falling Off the Family Tree - The Search for My Melungeon Ancestors.

1. I had never heard the word 'Melungeon' before, so I had to go look it up on the web. It appears that no body else really knows what a Melungeon is either. Therefore, what a great thing to go searching for. You can find it if you wish. (662 people claimed to be Melungeon in the 2,000 census).
   
   Ms. Alther's search among her family roots lead her to about as confused a family as, as, as, well most families. The particularly amusing aspect of her family, especially among the older members is the refusal to admit even the slightest possibility that there might be a small percentage of African American blood running through their veins.
   
   Ms. Adler is able to take her investigation into the upper bounds of comedy. She reports a church sign, 'What did Noah do with the woodpeckers.' Upon her father finding out that he might have some Indian blood he tells a fund raiser who calls, 'Sorry, but I'm Cherokee, and I need to give my money to my own people.' I'm going to try to remember that line.



2. Well written, easy reading. But if you are looking for the history of the Melungeons, take this book very lightly. Borders on "Cultural Genocide". As with the works of Brent Kennedy and Elizabeth Hirschman, a very poor attempt at rewritting the history of the Melungeons.



3. This was a great book. It is styled like an autobiography and tells the tale of the authors childhood through adult years, focusing on family, culture, and the things she learned about her family through the years.



4. Lisa (LYE-ZA) Alther's latest, Kinfolks, falling off the family tree, is irresistible!
   
   Kinfolks is the most humorous and entertaining book I have read in years! (And I've probably read 15,000 in my lifetime of 81 years.) It also introduces you to a very interesting woman who is unafraid to reveal her weaknesses and foibles. She is also a marvelous role model of openness and self-effacement for the young as well as a reassurance for all senior citizens.
   
   Do not be fooled this is only about ancestors or genes. The genealogy and DNA searches provide the structure for very wise and unhurtful humor--a very rare quality.
   
   Most Americans no longer live where they grew up. What they gained by living among strangers, what they lost by uprooting, and what they may profit from by accepting ALL their roots, traits, and history are hilariously illustrated.
   
   The Melungeons, interesting as they may be, only provide a vehicle for Alther's search for more self-knowledge by a very gifted writer. The writing draws one on as Alther reminds us of cogent points through artful means: she contrasts northeast Appalachia church message boards' weekly quotes with Vermont bumper stickers to give us insights into two very different responses to extremes of the Appalachians. She teases her family who seem recognizably familiar, and she tantalizes us with the potential of what DNA may one day tell us about ourselves and others.



5. Lisa Alther hasn't lost her sense of humour or her keen insight into human nature. This is a great book and I learned a lot about history of the Southeast of which I knew nothing before reading this. I found it very interesting and I also loved learning more about Lisa's life as she is a favorite author of mine.

1 comments about All in the Day's Work: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.

1. Miss Tarbell played a major role in the fall of the industry-titans, like Rockefeller and o

1 comments about American Prophet: The Life and Work of Carey McWilliams.

1. Applause for author Peter Richardson for his prodigous research and enlightening prose. Carey McWilliams, possibly more than any other person, influenced hot button social and governance issues in California and America during the mid-1900s. If one really wants to know what a multi-talented activist can achieve, "American Prophet" is a must read!