5 comments about The Man Who Invented Fidel: Castro, Cuba, and Herbert L. Matthews of The New York Times.

1. Found it to be a light and enjoyable read of Cuba of the Fifties and Sixties and the United States reactions to what was taking place there. Specifically Batista, Fidel, Revolution and Communism. The story about NY Times journalist Herbert Matthews and his relationship with Fidel, who Anthony DePalma uses to help you relive that experience make the story much more real then your normal run of the mill book on Fidel and his rise to power.



2. Now that it seems likely Castro's regime is finally waltzing through its twilight years in Cuba, this book provides a timely look back at how it all started. It seems reports of his death were greatly exaggerated - back in 1957. That's the year he returned to the Oriente District of Cuba with the ragtag band of revolutionaries he had rallied to the cause of Cuban liberation. For months, everyone in Cuba assumed that he and his entire little brigade had been wiped out by Batista's soldiers as they patrolled that densely wooded part of Cuba's southern coast.
   
   However this book isn't really about Castro. It's about Herbert Matthews, the New York Times reporter who hiked into those woods, got an interview with Castro, and brought out the news that Castro was actually alive and well. It's about how Castro made such an impression on Matthews during that brief interview, that Matthews forever after championed and defended Castro to the American public, denying all the growing suspicions that Castro might turn out to be, not a liberator, but a Communist dictator.
   
   I had hoped that this book might shed some light on how Castro's presumed idealism (if indeed it ever existed) morphed into just another raw exercise of power. But there is no psychological analysis here. There isn't much insight into how yet another revolution turned into tyranny - other than DePalma's observations that Castro was always flexible, looking for the better chance to consolidate his power. You'll have to look to other books for deeper answers to why so many revolutions fail, if in fact such answers exist anywhere.
   
   This book stays more exclusively with Matthews. It tracks his dogged belief in Castro's overall good intentions. And it follows the public's reaction to Matthews' reporting - from initial enthusiastic acceptance of Matthew's heroic view of Castro, to repudiation and even revilement.
   
   DePalma's writing tends to be plain and reportorial, although he does get in the occasional telling turn-of-phrase - as for example when he compares Matthews to a piñata that so many delighted in bashing for America's failed forecasting of Castro's intentions. Generally though, DePalma just writes good clear sentences that make for easy reading. In a relatively short time, this book will arc you the whole way from Castro's rebel retreat, through the Bay of Pigs, and on to the more recent stand-off between the U.S. and Cuba.



3. It takes a lot of fortitude for a New York Times writer to tackle this subject, one certain to cast the Times in a less than shimmering light. Author Anthony DePalma notes that in his acknowledgments when he says that "Bill Keller, executive editor,...winced when he heard that I was writing about [Herbert L.] Matthews after so many unflattering books about the newspaper were being published but encouraged me anyway." What DePalma reveals - through some magnificent research and writing - is a situation far more complex than one reporter's "self-confessed passion for underdogs," which made him "easily won over by those he covered, regardless of their politics."
   
   Matthews is pegged as the first of a long line of individuals taken in by Fidel Castro, who - as DePalma perfectly notes - "was capable of constantly reinventing himself and creating myths about his persona and his beliefs...he had become a political chameleon who could bedevil both friends and enemies."
   
   DePalma's tour de force chapter is the penultimate one entitled "A Cordial Witness." I have passages flagged on almost every other page. One standout is this one: "Che understood the value of Matthews' bias from the outset, as had Castro, because both men were masters of propaganda and manipulators of image. They were far more perceptive in this regard than Matthews. They exploited Matthews' bias while he never accepted the notion that his writing had created a skewed picture of reality that, for a time, had become reality itself."
   
   Mr. DePalma does a fantastic job synthesizing original material from the Matthews Library at Columbia University (Matthews kept every scrap of paper he had ever scribbled on), the New York Times files (which reveal deep concerns about Matthews' partisanship throughout his long career), FBI files about Matthews (DePalma filed a request under the Freedom of Information act), and recollections from Matthews' son and daughter which included the big surprise of a last unpublished manuscript - in longhand - in the possession of Priscilla Matthews.
   
   This is an excellent book, surely the best I've read this year.



4. It is very important reading for those that need evidence of the power of the US media and its ability to influence history. Always current reading!



5. Correspondent in Spain,
   
   Veteran New York Times correspondent Anthony DePalma has written a history book that could not be better timed for the future - the future of Cuba and the future of U.S. relations with the island nation 90 miles to the south of Key West, Fla., as well, perhaps, for the future of journalism.
   
   Anyone with any interest in Fidel Castro, or how honest correspondents view their roles in history as well as purpose, should buy this book. Anyone with any interest in Fidel's brother, Raul's, history in the making of modern Cuba, or U.S. attitudes toward Fidel - which even at the State Department changed from admiration to suspicion to outright attempts to remove him from power, killing him if possible - should read this book about The New York Times correspondent who was the first to report Castro's survival in the Sierra Maestra and how and why his personal attitudes helped shape those of some in government as well as in the American public.
   
   What happened to Matthews is an object lesson in what happens when correspondents believe they are the only ones who truly know what is happening, or who is causing it to happen, or why it is happening. Castro, according to the book, appears to be an early master at selectively providing access to "favorable" reporters and using that relationship to shape his "message." That the messages contained outright lies to shape opinion in his favor did not appear to revive all journalists' best tool - a healthy dose of suspicion about the motives of the one providing the access, and the message.
   
   DePalma appropriately mentions modern reporters who have publicly been "burned" by their own egos or desires to burnish their public image with interviews or access, as well as felt the pressure of their employers to get information no one else has - singling out the recent cases at his own newspaper of Jason Blair and Judith Miller - and even the readers' lack of skepticism in what they read or hear from "trusted sources."
   
   But he notes that, despite his own belief, Herbert L. Matthews did not actually invent Fidel Castro. And, in fact, there were forces at work jealous or angry of Matthews' access and real journalistic coup - "scoop," in the old vernacular - of being the first to interview the young rebel before the ouster of Fulgencio Batista, the dictator favored by the U.S. government prior to Castro's successful taking of power.
   
   About the only flaw I could note in the excellent study presented almost as an adventure novel, or a modern tragedy, is the omission - either deliberate or by chance - of the pertinent fact that Matthews had personal enemies in Cuba prior to his interview with Castro. Matthews first gained notoriety covering Benito Mussolini's war in Abbysinia, during which he politically and publicly admired Italian Fascism; next, he gained notoriety covering The Spanish Civil War, in which he ultimately supported - as did Ernest Hemingway, his friend - the dying Spanish Republic, which lost the war to Generalisimo Francisco Franco.
   
   In Spain at the same time, and writing a book that was extremely supportive and understanding of Franco's invasion from Morroco to protect and defend the Catholic Church's influence and the monarchy from the increasingly left-leaning democratically elected Spainish government, was H.E. Knoblaugh - a correspondent for The Associated Press.
   
   Knoblaugh became eventually FBI Special Agent in Charge in Havana, Cuba. It was, in fact, Knoblaugh who kept "tabs" on his former acquaintances and rivals Matthews and Hemingway. It was Knoblaugh, then, who sent memos to FBI director J. Edgar Hoover about the activities of both men, as well as "profiles" of their personalities and behavior.
   
   If Matthews (and Hemingway) injected too much personal opinion in his articles - Matthews was, technically, an editorial writer for his newspaper by the time he went to Cuba, not an "objective" journalist - Knoblaugh appeared to eagerly and easily pass off whatever outlandish story he heard that fit his opinion as fact.
   
   So there you had it: Matthews, writing in the vein of other correspondents who became famous for their adventures, such as Richard Harding Davis (who covered the Spanish-American War), James Creelman (who personally, according to himself, led the charge up El Caney in the same war for William Randolph Hearst) and Januarius MacGahan, the "Liberator of Bulgaria," and Knoblaugh, trying to paint Matthews as "a Red" for supporting the overthrow of a U.S.-friendly dictator.
   
   DePalma's book is, ultimately, a warning to journalists of the future - even if your coverage is subjective, so that you gain a name among your readers, remember a cardinal rule that should survive all debate about the value, falicy or noble attempt at "objectivity": the story isn't about you.

5 comments about You Have To Stand For Something, Or You'll For Anything.

1. This woman can not write, her book has no substance, there is basically nothing to review. What is interesting is how much weight she has lost from then to now. Star claims she has not had a gastric bypass......... could have fooled me. My friend tommy met her, he said she is rude and smelly. She is the most annoying person on the view. who did she screw to get on the view?



2. Star Jones is an inspiration. Her bravery and courage, I'll call it "bravage," is the standard to which every American should hold themselves (and possibly some Canadians). In this book she chronicles her struggles with IBS, HPV, lycanthropy, fear of elves, crossing guard's elbow and having been born without humility. For the first time really, we see that Star's not just fabulous in fur, she's fabulous in print. If I could get my arms around her, I'd hug her. Star's spirit cannot be held down by her lack of any discernable talent! Bravo!



3. It is unclear what and why the author writes. She obviously has nothing of importance or substance to impart, and her personality is uninteresting by all standards. Most people overcome stronger adversities in life and they do it with infinite more grace. Why the author feels her life is more remarkable than others is really mind-boggling. Reading this book is a waste of time and buying it is a waste of money. There is really no message in this book and the author, despite her much self-praised legal training, fails to build any minimal argument on any of her potluck of topics.
   Simplistic, at best; merely stupid.



4. The first two chapters were extremely boring. She talks about a white lady who wants her black friend buried in the white cemetery. The lady stands for something, Star says. She also talks about her mom, who got pregnant with Star, then dumped her off on a crew of some very obliging relatives in North Carolina while she finished college at Rutgers University. Once graduated, and having obtained a "good" job she reclaims 6 year old Star and they live in the projects along with Star's new baby sister (who had not been dumped off on relatives). While living in the projects, little kids run back and forth across the street to the store, unsupervised. When Star is eight years old, she sees a little boy hit by a truck and killed. She's proud when her mom is arrested at a sit-in on the street to protest the lack of a light signal. Later, her mom marries and Star says that at first, her mom and her husband both have "low-paying" jobs. What happened to the "good" job? And if it's such a good job, why are they living in the projects?
   
   The rest is basically a brag-fest. Her whole family has done nothing but praise her to the skies her entire life, so that's why she's brimming with supreme self-confidence. So why is she writing this book? Well, to tell you that you too can be a diva. Star gives fashion lessons (but for full-figured women only - and she hates that term but adores her 42DD's) - wear a chiffon duster over your clothes, and never ride in a white limo because they are tacky, a black Mercedes limo is the best, but if you have to, a Cadillac will do. A red SUV will also display you to the best advantage. Star's role model is Erica Kane from the soap opera All My Children, which says something about her priorities.
   
   I do have one question. Star says she is disappointed one Christmas because her dad (who lives in NC) promised her a stereo. Her mom, seeing that no stereo is about to materialize, runs out in the middle of the night to purchase one for her with money that they don't really have. This would be about 1974 - before 24 hour Walmarts and KMarts. So where did she find this stereo in the middle of the night?
   
   But most of the book is about how great and wonderful Star is, and if you ever do anything to hurt her or make her mad, she'll never forget it. And she doesn't care who doesn't like her because her step-daddy told her she is fine!
   
   I think Star is leaving out a lot she doesn't want us to know.



5. I read this book before Star was popular I don't recall The View even being on the air or at least I wasn't watching it. But as an aspiring attorney I was compelled to read this book. I enjoyed it greatly; I understand why she was such a successful lawyer. In a day and age where "anything goes." The title of this book is excellent. It's a good read and gives you great insight into her life, before the glitz and glam. Great read and inspiration to someone that wants to "be somebody."

No comments about Walking on the Edge of the World.

No comments about In the Company of Others.

1 comments about Newspaper Days: Mencken's Autobiography: 1899-1906 (Buncombe Collection).

1. It's great to see that much of Mencken's work is still available to the common people. It shouldn't be isolated in Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library, and/or Johns Hopkins' University.

   The H.L.Mencken room at the Pratt, has been called "the cradle of 20th Century literature." Alistair Cooke, said it exists..."for the comfort of sinners and the astonishment of the virtuous."

   As you can see, the author of "Newspaper Days: 1899-1906", was regarded as an iconoclast during his lifetime, and is still celebrated for fresh, refreshing views and commentary. H.L. Mencken was, above all else, a critic.

   Mencken wrote his autobiography in three separate volumes cumulatively known, in the world of journalism and literature, as the "Days Books". In addition to the work under consideration here: "Newspaper Days", the other two are "Happy Days: 1880-1892", and "Heathen Days: 1890-1936." As the title suggest, this book looks at H.L. Mencken's life from 1899, when at 19 he began his half-century career in journalism - at the now defunct Baltimore Morning Herald - through his move to the local newspaper of record: The Baltimore Evening Sun. This relationship with the Sun Papers (there was also a Morning Sun) lasted until 1950, when H.L.M. retired from the board of parent A.S. Abell Company.

   It was apparent, even this early in the career of "the irreverent Mr. Mencken", that his niche was writing opinion and criticism; some of it shocking to the establishment; all of it entertaining.

   Don't let the early period under discussion in this book (1899-1906) lead anyone to believe that the material is dated or old fashioned. Au contraire, Mencken is indeed talking of events which occured a long time ago, but evey word is perfect for the job it is called upon to do. His diction and syntax are all-important.

   After all, the reason for remembering and reading a critic of an earlier time, like Mencken, is not the issues he wrote about, but the manner in which he said what he said. It is the WAY he said it -- he was a stylist.

   A great man. A great book. Enjoy!

5 comments about William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives.

1. Great book; very objective, almost a love feast of fascinating Buckley quotes, but also very critical. I recommend Mr. Judis' biography of William F. Buckley, Jr. as a great way to understand the course of American conservatism in the last century, going strong into this one.



2. I just really like Buckley and have ever since I saw him on one of those 60-minute type programs back in the early '90s. This book provides some interesting information about him from interviews with friends and family, etc. In general, it is quite poorly written and a little boring, relying entirely on the subject's inherently interesting life rather than on the author's skill. Buckley fans will enjoy. Biography fans will yawn.



3. It's been ages since I read this book, but WFB's death yesterday has got me browsing through books by or about Buckley, and I was reminded how much I liked Judis's book. It's a pleasure (and seemingly so unusual nowadays) to get to read someone writing respectfully about someone with whom he strongly disagrees, whether it's the leftist Judis writing about Buckley, or Buckley himself writing moving obituaries of those on the left.
   
   From the perspective of a WFB fan who finds hagiographies tiresome, this book was a real treat, and I recommend it highly.



4. I couldn't disagree more with cxlxmx's review of this book. John Judis has written a remarkably interesting book about one of the most important figures in the history of modern conservatism. It would be fair to say that William F. Buckley was the most important figure in the political history of the Right, as he provided an intellectual infrastructure for right wing thought.
   
   I read this book as part of a seminar I took in graduate school during the 90s, and fully expected to dislike William F. Buckley, given my own liberal politics. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Buckley played an important role in attempting to discredit the more crackpot elements within the Right, in particular, the John Birch Society. I was so intrigued by this idea, that I ended up writing my M.A. thesis on the Birch Society. This book was the original inspiration for my research.
   
   Judis gives a fair and fascinating account of a very interesting and misunderstood figure. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I believe it is an excellent source for understanding how Conservatives captured control of the federal government during the Reagan years and maintained their grip on power into the present day.



5. Buckley as Mephistopheles conniving for the soul of America - from enfant terrible' of the CIA's creature, the "Conservative Movement" - to old conjurer too pooped to Pope over the sinister Neocon realm he created.
   
   "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." -- John Milton

5 comments about Hunter: The Strange and Savage Life of Hunter S. Thompson.

1. I purchased this book keep my HST collection as complete as possible. I've owned it for 3 years and have never finished reading it. I gave it 2 stars out of generosity. Get Paul Perry's book if you can, it's a 6 star book with 5 being the best.



2. My goodness what is this world coming too. This book simply is the greatest. After watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, I simply had to devour all information I could find on this amazing man, Hunter S. Thompson.

   I am so pleased to have found this informative work of art on such a legendary American figure.

   Thank you E. Jean! Please never stop authoring books, you are wonderful.

   I just hope this book is re-released so others can enjoy it as much as I have.




3. If you have the misfortune of reading this book do yourself a favor and skip the fictional chapters, they are total rubbish. If E Jean Carroll is "the female answer to Hunter Thompson" than I'm the Queen of England. Her awful attempt at copying Thompsons style comes across as sophmoric and trite. I too recomend Paul Perrys book over this one.



4. I have to take issue with the other reviewer who called Carroll's attempt at a bio on the un-dooable 'trite'... bollocks.
   Yes she tries to emulate her mentor, no it's not as good as Hunter himself. But, the blow by blow accounts arent what one would call lies, as that's what Hunter does best, politics aside. This is a fantastic little book of insights, many of the stories already exist in one form or another, and it's nice to have them in one little compendium. The real stories of his adventures far outweigh the stories told about him, anyway.



5. If you really feel the need to buy this, do so. But send it to me with a pair of scissors before you read it. I will send back an abridged edition, far superior to the original. This way you can avoid the disappointment I felt....... I will even return the scissors.

1 comments about In Their Shoes.

1. The author has lived a long life. She is very well rounded. I wanted to know more about her experience being a black woman and the other cultures. I guess I will have to get my hands on a copy of Soul Sister.

4 comments about Margaret Fuller, Wandering Pilgrim.

1. Murray analyzes Margaret Fuller's achievements as "America's first full-fledged intellectual woman," from child prodigy to crusading journalist to revolutionary agent in Italy, always struggling to make sense of the world around her and her own divided nature. Careful consideration of this Romantic woman writer's "gender / sex identity crisis" makes the book an original contribution to Fuller scholarship and brings us as readers face to face with a conflicted soul, never able to resolve all the contradictions of her mind and body. I recommend this biography to anyone with a serious interest in women's and gender studies.



2. Murray's study of the 19th century American feminist author and intellectual Margaret Fuller ,a creative,richly talented,conflicted, even bedeviled New England Romantic, is nothing short of brilliant. Murray weaves into the warp and woof of her complex Fuller tapestry a blend of criticism, history, literature, psychology, religion and theology, which together yield a finely nuanced picture of a brilliant but profoundly troubled woman who struggled valiantly though unsuccessfully to break free from the constaints of her strict puritanical upbringing and the oppression of a domineering father. Some may wonder whether anything worthwhile can be added to our understanding of Margaret Fuller after the publication of Prof. Capper's second volume. The answer: an emphatic "Yes". Murray's "Wandering Pilgrim" deserves a distinguished place alongside Capper's and the best of the other scholarly volumes on Fuller. A long time birthing, it should stand well the test of time. Murray's controversial interpretation of Fuller will not win acceptance by all Fuller scholars, but they can ill afford to ignore her. Her provocative biography is a must-read .



3. Margaret Fuller for Everyone
   
   Margaret Fuller, Wandering Pilgrim manages to be both a page-turning
   read and a richly dense one. The clear narrative will please and
   inform readers who know little about Fuller, a fascinating nineteenth-
   century author and thinker; at the same time, Murray's extensive
   research and careful analysis will be invaluable to scholars of both
   American literature and women's studies. The book balances
   psychological, historical, and literary background in a wonderfully
   successful attempt to explain the life and achievements of the complex
   woman who made a pioneering case for American women in her classic
   Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845). Even as Murray astutely
   prepares us for the ending of Fuller's life, we keep reading to find
   out both what will happen, and why.



4. Wandering Pilgrim is an excellent study of one of America's most important and neglected literary figures. Murray writes of Margaret Fuller with compassion, complexity and professionalism. Her account of Fuller -- a bold and brilliant woman who enthralled both Emerson and Hawthorne, who used her as a model for Hester Prynne - is a lively and original reading of this memorable woman.

5 comments about Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red-State, White-Ass, and Blue-Suit America.

1. I really loved the wit, sarcasm and charm of this book. Harmon took an idea I always thought would be good and actually did it...he infiltrates the Republican party by becoming one! He meets with bigots, young advocates, Southerners, and also makes a mockery of the Governator (Arrrrrrnold!). While he obviously takes a stand against the GOP, he also rips of the Democrats' way of doing things. It's fairly liberal but not "commie" as some of the GOPers might call it. Definitely a read for liberals, Democrats, independents, leftists, communists, progressives and so forth!



2. I think it's fine to satirize people to whom you consider yourself superior, as Harmon Leon does in this book. But I think he's chosen a misleading title here, one that is unintentionally ironic as it shows just how deep his hatred of the Republican "other" runs while it refers to a book that was intended to actually increase understanding of the other and overcome hate.
   
   "Black Like Me," which "Republican Like Me" references, was the story of a white man in the South who posed as a black man so that he could better understand other people's points of view. The result is enlightening (for its time): all his prejudices about blacks are turned on their head, as are his assumptions about white benevolence.
   
   Leon's purpose is the opposite. Where John Howard Griffin (the author of Black Like Me) posed as something he was not in a region dominated by people like him, Leon poses as something he is not in a region dominated by people UNlike him. The results are unsurprisingly unenlightening: all his prejudices about Republicans are confirmed. If he wanted to walk in Griffin's footsteps, he would have posed as a Republican in the Blue States, and thus embark on a self-education about how "his" people are unfair to others.
   
   Essentially, Leon's book is a hatchet job on people he hates, where Griffin's book was an attempt to overcome hatred. Hatchet jobs have their place -- this book is funny, no question, and will no doubt be read and enjoyed by many people who already agree with everything Leon thinks and are looking for someone to confirm their views and avoid challenging them. But that doesn't change the fact that it was a bad move for Leon to compare his book to one that actually sought (and succeeded, to some degree) in improving understanding and repairing strained social relations in our country. Leon's book does not profit by this comparison.



3. Republican Like Me: Infiltrating Red States, White Ass, and Blue Suits is sooooooo obviously satire. Satire means a literary work in which vice or folly is attacked through inrony, derision, or wit.
   
   Even the title is a satirical off of the John Howard Griffin book, Black Like Me. You'd have to be a complete idiot to think the two books would be the same in approach. Look at the cover!
   It's a naked guy with a flag covering his privates. It's meant to be humor and satire. Do you get it now?
   
   In Republican LIke Me, Leon takes a partisan turn as he goes under cover to see what makes conservatives tick. If you like humor mixed with edgy writing and politics, this book will keep you laughing and scratching your head at the same time.
   
   Remember, it's satire!



4. I need my Al Franken and Michael Moore to be a little younger and edgier, so I thought this might be the guy. He's pretty funny and cool, but I think his stuff would translate better to television or film. Not that he's a bad writer--I giggled out loud a few times while reading this on a plane, especially when he's describing the job he did dressing up as Uncle Sam for a tax company. But the whole time I was laughing because I was imagining how the scene must have looked.
   
   The first chapter on meeting white supremacists at Appleby's is pretty funny--Appleby's antiseptic atmosphere of simulated family togetherness seems like the perfect setting for meeting white supremacists who just look like office guys, soccer moms, and dumpy college students. The chapter on volunteering for Arnold's governor campaign was also pretty funny. He really shows how the people who work for Republicans at the grass-roots are just pathetic and lame losers who are pissed because they'll never get laid, like mini Karl Roves or something. Then again, most fascists are just "little men," as Wilhelm Reich called them.



5. I drive big rig trucks across this great nation and have alot of free time to read. I can tell you this is an amazingly funny book about real american culture AND I've seen it all! Buy this one next time you go on a vacation or a business trip. You'll laugh out loud from front to back cover.