5 comments about Waist-High in the World.

1. Facing chronic disease myself, I've turned to books like this for information, comfort, challenge and ideas. Nancy Mairs is the best I've found for writing honestly about what it means for people (women in particular) to face chronic, degenerative illness. She writes from her personal experience, but I see myself in her struggles. A book to read and re-read.



2. Nancy Mairs writes about the human condition with humor, compassion, and ruthless honesty. This is a book of personal reflections about disability, embodiment, marriage, religion, and lots of other things, but fundamentally about the possibility of honestly acknowledging all the pain and confusion in our lives and at the same time--within that pain and confusion--living fully, gratefully, joyously.
   
   Wow. What a gift. Thank you, Nancy Mairs.
   
   This book and "Ordinary Time" are my favorites by Mairs.



3. Nancy Mairs is painfully, startlingly brave. Her book is something I recommend, not just for people with MS but people, period. She reminds me of just how powerful telling the truth can really be. We all need this book!



4. Reviewer: robert dorroh from Sonora, CA United States Nancy Mairs, with devastating honesty, chronicles life as a cripple (her choice of word) in poignant essays in "Waist High in the World."

   Beset with multiple sclerosis and bouts with clinical and situational depression, she offsets these stumbling blocks with joy, candor, eloquence, and cultural and political insights. It is a book for everybody, not just the disabled, for it challenges our fears, cultural hangups and citizenship: "The more perspectives that can be brought to bear on human experience, even from the slant of a wheelchair or a hospital bed, or through the ears of a blind person or the fingers of someone who is deaf, the richer that experience becomes." She attacks the stereotype that cripples must be passive and unfailingly polite in a culture that doesn't want to deal with them: "Beyond cheerfulness and patience, people don't expect much of a cripple's character."

   Pondering her husband and caretaker George's battle with cancer, she offers a balanced look at suicide in the face of his death. Though she has attempted suicide "more than once," she questions the right-to-die movement, which extolls "rational" suicide: "Since hopelessness is a distinctive symptom of depression, which is an emotional disorder, actions carried out in a despairing state seem to me intrinsically irrational. This last time I clung to shreds of reason, which saved me." Still, she sees suicide as a possibility: "I want to be the one in charge of my life, including its end."

   Why should society pay for the misfortunes of others? people ask. Because it's what human beings do: take care of one another, Mairs says, adding that it's the government's role to ensure that its citizens are entitled to the pursuit of happiness. Mairs notes that the abled-bodied should aim to preserve the dignity of the disabled. This takes in seeing them as sexual beings: ... "The general assumption, even among those who might be expected to know better, is that people with disabilities are out of the sexual running."

   As a paraplegic, I admire her advocacy on my behalf. I admire her more, however, for her willingness to work toward the betterment of our society through a rare and gifted intelligence.




5. I had to read this book for one of my women's study's classes nearly 7 years ago. It has been too long to remember much of the detail but what I do remember is the depth of the impression that was left upon me. It is a very difficult task to look at someone's life, through their eyes, and experience their total destruction of being...slow....poignant...and startlingly real.
   
   As we discussed this book in class, one of the girls ran out in tears, later coming back and disclosing that she, too, suffered from MS, making the book that much real and impressionable for me.

5 comments about A Three Dog Life.

1. Change is something most people loathe, because that which is familiar is more comfortable. Author Abigail Thomas learns to live with change following an auto-pedestrian accident involving her husband Rich which has a tremendous impact on her life. Rich miraculously survives the accident, but his thinking is modified. He no longer retains the past or carries the future. His thoughts and life are only in the present tense. Thomas realizes she cannot care for him alone due to his permanent brain trauma and he becomes a resident of a care facility. This requires Thomas to move from their New York condo to a home close by the facility. Despite the pathos, the book is filled with incredible humor. Conversations with Rich are often laced with poetic foolishness bordering on E.S.P. Thomas' descriptions of her coping mechanisms are spot-on with respect to surviving as a weekend caretaker in the midst of loss. She takes a cue from the arctic nomads who say the coldest night is a "three-dog night," and titles the book "Three Dog Life" because naps and snuggles with her three dogs provide great solace and comfort.



2. Life is not perfect. Tragedy can strike at any minute. How do you handle it when it happens to you? Thomas faces her tragedy with grace and poise. After her husband is injured in a horrific accident, Thomas begins the seemingly unending cycle of hospitals, doctors, and emergency calls. Eventually, Thomas realizes that, while Rich's life may remain in a state of limbo, her life must go on. She manages to find a balance between the wife she continues to be, and the woman who must now find meaning in her life -- on her own terms. She finds comfort with friends, family, and above all else her dogs. This is truly a story of love, loss, and ultimately - healing.
   
   I applaud Thomas for her ability to stand by her husband under such devastating circumstances. Her memoir is honest and thought provoking -- sharing her feelings of fear, self-reproach, and even happiness. Her love for Rich is evident in her writing. A Three Dog Life is a true love story and a joy to read.



3. A friend handed me this book while I was visiting her home...someone had given it to her. She wasn't interested because she thought it was about dogs. I did too. I would not have read it had I known that it's not a dog book. I'm so glad I didn't know its topic, because I would have missed out on a deeply emotional account of the author's experience of her husband's TBI. A very fast read. Poignant, courageous, thought provoking.



4. I read an excerpt of this book in O Magazine and was intrigued, so I ordered the free sample for my Kindle - was intrigued some more - and finally ended up buying the full Kindle edition. I'm almost done reading it, and I think this may be the first book I've read as a Kindle book that I also want to purchase in hard-copy form - just to HAVE. This is a keeper, a book I will remember long after putting it down. Where has Abagail Thomas been hiding and why is this my first introduction to her?!
   
   This is a tough topic - the traumatic brain injury her husband sustains and the author's adjustment to life after that event - yet Thomas handles it without unnecessary self-pity or pathos. I've read books of a similar vein that are gut-wrenching to read, others that are so lofty and inspiring they depress me - how can I ever measure up to such perfect humanity as expressed in those books. Thomas's book is the perfect treatment of this very difficult chapter of her life. She is able to speak the very emotions and mixed feelings and mixed up thoughts that any one would experience in that situation - I find myself reading and thinking YES, this is exactly how I would feel, it's exactly how conflicted and guilty and torn I would feel.
   
   I think I will be taking this book off my shelf many times over the years to re-read. Sitting down with this book feels like sitting down with the author for a long talk over coffee. A very difficult talk, granted, but it reads as one of those memorably discussions you had with a good friend at the end of a very difficult period.
   
   I look forward to finding other Abagail Thomas books.



5. A beautifully written story of loss and survival. Anyone who loves someone and who also loves dogs will understand and be heartened by this book.

5 comments about Profiles in Courage for Our Time.

1. On page 3 C Kennedy defines "courage" as "sacrificing their own future, and that of their families, to do what they believed was right for our country". I think it is hypocrisy to apply it to Edmund G Ross (supported a President against Congress), or Gerald R Ford (covered up a President who was virtually impeached). Both can be said to have obstructed justice and the lawful popular will. So why was James Florio added to this list? Neither Florio or Ford have suffered from their actions; losing an election isn't a sacrifice, its part of political life.

   When Florio ran for Governor in 1989 he promised not to raise the sales and income taxes. He not only reneged, he extended the sales tax to items previously exempt! The authors take a perverse pride in these actions, but cannot (or dare not) explain why. It is regressive and reactionary to have a sales tax so much higher than the income tax.

   Florio was a Congressman from Camden NJ, a once important industrial city that is now a stripped junker of a city. Page 72 shows another dishonest statement about NJ. The Colony of NJ was controlled by the large landowners, then the railroads and other powerful corporations. What Governor has NOT been a servant of the Corporations since the Civil War?

   A Quindlen uses an anecdote (p.72) to justify Florio's law, but never mentions the special interest forces and the money used to pay for this law. She does admit the most objectionable feature was the confiscation of legally owned guns. The Federal Constitution forbids ex post facto laws! The rejection by the courts underlines the lack of democracy in NJ. Judges were never popularly elected since NJ was a Colony. The loss of the Senate and Assembly in 1991 seemed mainly due to the sales and income tax increases. This was the correct political response.

   A Quindlen does an incompetent job in writing of the history of gun prohibition (p.76-77). Those "opinion polls" merely reflect the wishes of those who paid for the desired results. The referendums held in Massachusetts and California overwhelmingly rejected gun prohibition. Since 1987 thirty-three states passed "right to carry" laws. Page 78 lists the latest tactic of gun prohibitionists: present it as a police safety measure. They use politically appointed police chiefs; some do it for the money.

   On page 80 Quindlen finally tells of the Florio taxes His "skill at taking his case to the people" (p.81) failed miserably once Florio had to talk about a subject most people were familiar with. his defeat by a rich dilettante shows the efficiency of political machines in running a scandal-free candidate (just like Woodrow Wilson). The loss of "grass roots" by "Hands Across NJ" shows what happens to a politically naive movement that lacks a competent cadre of leaders.

   Florio's "sour grapes" comments on "the influence of money in the process" recalls similar whines from Bill Bradley, whose Senate law started to tax Social Security. The failure of Whitman to act on campaign promises is not new (p.86); she was the latest puppet of the Republican machine.




2. This book is a compilation of short biographies of the winners of the Profile in Courage Award. It is a group effort, being the work of numerous historians and writers. I found these stories inspiring because many of them illuminate political leaders who took actions they knew would be detrimental to their careers. Yes, most of the award winners have been on the liberal side, but personally I find that a healthy antidote to the sort of "leadership" the mainstream media prefers to applaud these days. And don't forget good old Gerald Ford, whose biography (by Bob Woodward, no less) eloquently makes his case for his pardoning of Richard Nixon. Many readers will disagree with some of the choices for the awards and with some of the conclusions of the authors of these biographies. Nevertheless Profiles in Courage For Our Time is an inspiring effort meant to remind us of the highest qualities we should expect from our leadership.



3. The "profiles" in this update to JFK's classic, are varied in both their subjects and their presentation. These accounts are not uniform in quality. Most stirring are those with a personal flavor such as Bob Woodward's profile of Gerald Ford, wherein we see a hidden profile of Woodward as well. However, others seem either too detached or tediously narrative, such as Michael Daly's "The Irish Peacemakers" which outlines the alphabet soup of the political/religious strife in Ireland, but does little to connect the overall themes of courage to anything outside the situation.
   
   It is a good read, but not all the selections hold interest. I'd recommend particular excerpts for good classroom reading. I also commend the acknowledgement of politicians, leaders, and activists on both local and global levels.



4. During our time one lonley man steped up to the plate to take on polotics and america as we know it. If you are intrested into polotics or Amercian history this book has it all and maby if you read it you might become class President just like I did.



5. President John F. Kennedy:
   
   John F. Kennedy said "US will never start a war. We do not want war. We do not expect war. This generation of Americans has had enough - more than enough - of hate and expression".
   
   JFK profile of courage was a suggestion of massive reform: 1. Major tax reform starting with the cutting of taxes which benefited low-income households 2. The revision of the capital gains laws would free capital investment and encourage economic growth. 3. The removal of tax privileges that favored mineral companies, such as, oil 4. A migration from a floating currency back too the gold standard, as means to control inflation and deflation and the printing of debt free money. 5. The dismantling of the Federal Reserve 6. Tighter budgets policies to be implemented that significantly reducing military spending. 7. Accepting the conclusion, South Vietnam war was their war and affective immediately the withdrawal of US troops from the region.
   
   JFK wrote in his book, "In whatever arena of life one may meet the challenge of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience-the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men-each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient-they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this, each man must look into his soul."
   
   Carl Elliott:
   
   Congressman Carl Elliott from Alabama fought for equal opportunity in education and was redistricted out of his congressional seat in retaliation for his principled stand.
   
   "Elliott fought for equal opportunity in education and was redistricted out of his congressional seat in retaliation for his principled stand.
   
   What Elliot cared about was "seeing that folks got what they deserved, good or bad; seeing that the less fortunate weren't denied at least the same opportunity to get an education, earn a decent income, have a home and raise a family as people who happened to be in better circumstances."
   
   Elliott believe the Congressman should not just look out for himself and profit from monies from special interest groups, but that the Congressman should "mind the store" and hear what the American people's problem were.
   
   In 1958 Elliot and Senator Lister Hill were key champions of the $900 million National Defense Education Act, known as the Hill-Elliott Act. 40,000 grant-in-aid college scholarships were proposed with the aim of producing scientist, engineers, mathematicians, and linguist.
   
   Elliot realized that if he took the wrong stand on race, he would be out of office. "White Southerners in Congress were under ferocious pressure to take their stand with the segregationist of Dixie." Elliot did not side with the segregationist telling one reporter, "Anybody who had a grain of sense knew that blacks had to be given their rights. The question was, how were we going to do it. Then the question locally was, what can we do and still live with our own particular situation?" Elliot helped sponsored and get ratified the aid-to-education bill and received strong opposition from racist Alabaman groups. Elliot disliked when Freedom riders and other civil right workers were attacked in Birmingham and Montgomery and felt repelled by the violence. By 1963, Elliot and new governor George Wallace were at different sides of the fence; Wallace publicly calling for segregation now and Elliot saying, "George, don't piss on my leg". Later Wallace would stand defiantly in the door of the University of Alabama in "a vain effort to forestall the Kennedy's administration plan to enforce the law ensuring integration". Elliot public spoke against JFKs assumption that the civil rights laws would calm racial turbulence believing the civil right laws were "too much to soon, and hoped the Wallace madness would pass away, having faith less confrontational steps toward integration could then be taken". In 1964, the civil right law was passed under the Johnson administration. Elliot believed the law was the law and it should be obeyed. In 1965, after "bloody Sunday" in Selma, state troopers and a civilian posse lead by Sheriff Jim Clark attacked civil rights demonstrators and Lyndon Johnson sent a bill to congress that ensured that black Americans could vote.
   
   Elliot decided to run for governor. Elliot's enemies, including the Ku Klux Klan scrawled, "never, never, never". Martin Luther came out for Flowers hurting Elliots chances for governor recalls Elliot, "I didn't stand a ghost chance after that day." Elliot found himself a half million dollars in debt. Elliot's political career came to an end, "I had pretty much become a political ... untouchable and I know that had to hard for my children to see, no matter how much they believed in me and the things I stood for."

5 comments about Johnny Cash: The Biography.

1. While he was never one of my favorite recording artists I simply could not resist the lure of "Johnny Cash: The Biography". Certainly anyone with an interest in the history of American popular music cannot deny that Johnny Cash would have to rank as one of the most fascinating figures of the past fifty years. He was the real deal who sang about life experiences that just about all of us could relate to. Author Michael Streissguth, who had previously penned "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of A Masterpiece" offers up an intimate portrait of this highly enigmatic artist who was beloved by generations of Americans. Americans had come to admire the man who had seemingly seen and done it all!
   I enjoyed "Johnny Cash: The Biography" for a couple of reasons. First of all, I had never read about Johnny's childhood nor was I aware of the circumstances that led him to Sam Phillip's Memphis Recording Service back in 1955. As a student of American popular music this book certainly helped to fill some missing pieces of the puzzle for me. Likewise, I appreciated learning more about Johnny Cash's entire recording career including his move to Columbia records in 1958 as well as his somewhat improbable but ultimately successful tenure at Rick Rubin's American Recordings label towards the end of his life. Understanding the kinds of material Johnny Cash was interested in recording helped to give me some real insight into the soul of this legendary performer. But "Johnny Cash: The Biography" covers so much more ground than simply his recording career. Michael Streissguth delves into much of Cash's personal life as well. His was a life of peaks and valleys, success and failure, personal torture and remarkable success. You will learn about his first marriage to Vivian and about his 40 year marriage to legendary country music pioneer June Carter. Pulling no punches, the auther presents heartbreaking accounts of Johnny's lifelong addiction to pills and the ramifications this had for both his family life and for his career as well. On a much more positive note, Streissguth also recalls the deeply religious and tender side of Johnny Cash that most folks rarely saw as presented through the eyes of his children and those who worked alongside him over the years. Indeed, it is hard to deny that Johnny Cash was an extremely complex individual.
   "Johnny Cash: The Biography" is an entertaining and well-written book that most readers will certainly enjoy. Those who are interested in the history of country music in particular or in the history of American popular music in general are sure to garner lots of new information from this one. This is a book that managed to hold my interest from cover to cover. Highly recommended!



2. Michael is an excellent writer. He leaves no stone unturned. I personally know how much research, time and many many miles went into this book.
   I have met with Michael a few times, and am amazed at how much he does know about Dad. He actualy told me about many things I DIDN'T KNOW!!
   
   This book is excellent. Thanks again Michael.
   xoxox Kathy



3. In classical literature, it was the Greeks who first expounded the tale of the hero with a tragic flaw. Aristotle wrote, that "[a] man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." In Michael Streissguth's "Johnny Cash: The Biography," we examine the life of a man, not a myth, who exemplified the Aristotelian morality play.
   
   Michael Streissguth is obviously a fan of Johnny Cash, the author of "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece" and, like Marshall Grants, I Was There When It Happened: My Life with Johnny Cash" he seeks to praise while still giving an unvarnished account of the folk legend's struggles with addiction and the vagaries of a music career.
   
   In fact, Marshall Grant's book is quoted extensively. Where Grant is abrupt, even harsh, in his description of Johnny Cash's addictions, Streissguth is gentle. Where Grant describes Johnny Cash as a stumbling addict, chemically prevented from seeing the impact of his weaknesses on his family and friends, Streissguth portrays a man all too aware of "the root of his own downfall."
   
   Still, Streissguth does his best to soften the harsh realities of Cash's lifestyle and dependencies. It's not until page 217 that we learn of affairs Cash had in the 70's and 80's. And, even then, only in the most oblique of references.
   
   Streissguth is even forced to admit that the saintly June Carter-Cash is not above struggling with demons of her own; on page 218 he talks about "June's demands for the spotlight and her sensational spending that had become legendary..." Streissguth refuses to go the whole way and describe June's own struggles with addiction. Streissguth gingerly describes an entire Cash clan that fought addiction in one form or another.
   
   Despite all of these negatives, Streissguth gives the best illustrations of the true artist that Johnny Cash was. His descriptions of Cash's relationship with Rick Rubin are the finest I've ever read. They show how Johnny Cash's music rang true with an audience outside of the Nashville circuit. When you get to this phase of Cash's career, you would do well to read it while listening to "The Legend of Johnny Cash" - especially "Rusty Cage" and "I've Been Everywhere."
   
   Johnny Cash was simply an honest man among ordinary men. Who among us doesn't have a tragic flaw? For the vast majority of us simply struggling to get by day-to-day, Cash provides the anthem for our lives.



4. I bought this after reading the first chapter in Google Books. And I was disappointed.
   
   It has a strong start, discussing Cash's childhood without descending into the morass of pseudo-psychoanalysis so many biographies use today. But as another reviewer points out, this doesn't really go anywhere; he had a very difficult childhood, something I can relate to myself, but by the next chapter you're left wondering exactly what this has to do with anything.
   
   It goes fairly well up until his career takes off, at which point the author spends most of the book describing Cash's ever-present drug problems and their effect on the people around him. Yes, he was an addict, and based on the description of his childhood it's pretty easy to see why. I also know there was a human being in there too... yet from reading this I never got a feel for him.
   
   Cash never really seemed to hit bottom--or maybe he did, I just can't tell from reading this. The turning points in his life often seem to be covered in a paragraph or two, while page after page are devoted to drug-related stories and events.
   
   It feels loose and disjointed: vignettes from the people around him, the vague passage of time their only coherence. I kept wondering about obvious things which were never answered--like how did he spend his time when he wasn't writing songs? Like there's a story about him driving a tractor into a lake during a drug episode, and his "exotic animal farm" is mentioned when an ostrich broke his ribs... ok, but why? I feel these stories were often used merely to add interest for people with short attention spans and to add "drama".
   
   It seems the book's real intent is to dispell the myths about him (and get good reviews by playing the political correctness game) but it adds almost nothing of its own. And the most ironic part has to be when the author mentions something about the drug-obsessed media.



5. The book was in perfect condition. It was on my doorstep a day before the expected delivery date. I was very pleased! :-)

5 comments about Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life.

1. I must admit; I didn't get very far, but this book is a self serving pack of lies by an apologist for the intransigence of the Arab world. For example, she refers to the "forced migration" of 1948 without ever mentioning that the ones doing the forcing were Arabs who promised their people that if they would get out they would "push the Jews into the sea". Nor does she mention the origin of the name "Palestinian" (hint: it is a Hebrew name).
   
   The saddest thing about the Arab world is that 1000 years ago they had the most advanced civilization on earth, and entirely due to problems of their own making they now preside over one giant hell hole.
   
   But if she came out and admitted this the Hashemite family would be in danger of losing their position of privilege in Transjordan.
   
   I would recommend that anyone who reads this book should also read "Warrior" by Ariel Sharon. At least he knows the history of Israel, Syria, and Egypt.



2. Here is a glimpse into Middle East history from someone who was there! My own family members have enjoyed reading it as much as I have; I think shall too!



3. Leap of Faith is interesting from the young all American becomes Queen standpoint. It really is amazing that a fairly regular young American woman gains the attention of the King of Jordan and becomes Queen.
   
   It is too bad she was not willing to be more real in her telling of a great story.
   
   The book ends up preaching about Queen Noor's view of the political world and quickly becomes tiresome and boring.
   
   It could have been a very exciting story given her exciting life but she had to go preach to us instead.



4. Unfortunately the autobiography is boring and somewhat distant and impersonal. Actually, overall the writing is uninspired and quite frankly, flat. Queen Noor, obviously a beautiful, intelligent, well-educated woman uses the book as a platform for spouting some pretty blatant untruths about the modern history of the Middle East. I guess I should have expected that, but it was disappointing nonetheless. I might have gritted my teeth and gotten past her politics if the love story was interesting. But it wasn't simply because the writing was so unemotional and disconnected. As I read the book, it was as if I could hear someone speaking in a monotone voice and it was almost sleep-inducing.



5. This biography is not great literature. It's centered in the most complex and violent regions of our times but rarely scratches the surface. Noor's diplomacy in describing people and events - always the high road, even in the midst of deceit and betrayal - is maddeningly constant and obscures rather than reveals. So what's to like about the book? It's an extraordinary story of a young western woman who embraces the east: it's people, culture, religion and thought. It's the story of her love for King Hussein, who in a world of the powerful, is largeless powerless but for his integrity in the struggle for peace. Her perspective, is that of the Palestinian Arab. Their voice needs to be heard. This book is a thoughtful start.

5 comments about The Fixer (Transaction Large Print Books).

1. Sounds alot like a newer version of the book of Job. How lucky we are to live in the USA, but make no mistake our justice system is FAR from perfect. Like alot of Russian literature it is depressing but worth the read.



2. Humor, adventure, philosophy, and torture, all in a compact little novel. Christian and want to remember the most recent dark side of the Church? Jump right in! Jewish and want to see why "the elder brother" has seemed so annoying to the rest of the world? Take a walk with Yacov Bok. Secular? This story is still for you -- you can't escape. Not for the faint of heart, but then, life in the 20th (now 21st) century never was.



3. As a child I saw the film adaptation of 'The Fixer', starring Alan Bates. It must have left an impression on me since I reflexively snatched up a secondhand copy of the novel when I saw it. As with other material by Malamud, it is extremely well written. And its depiction of life in a Russian prison circa 1910 is very detailed and, unsurprisingly, horrific. But what really sets the novel apart is how it shows the triumph of the human spirit beyond even the most impossible obstacles. Thankfully the author does not do this at the expense of demonizing all Russians, although clearly at the time anti-semitism was rampant. In the end the reader is left exhausted yet uplifted.
   
   
   Bottom line: although at times a painful and depressing read, The Fixer shines in its championing of the human spirit. Strongly recommended.



4. malamud is an excellent writer. he stoicly captures something that is undefined, but really reflects for me suburban life in jersey and nyc in the sixties (even though this is a book about russia). i liked this book for the humanity it places on the face of suffering at the hands of injustice; how despite all the beatings and deprivations, the character holds on to his essential jewishness. but the book is more than being jewish (which in many ways i am [don't tell this to my orthodox friends)), it is about standing by principles of honesty, integrity, patience, tolerance, and all the other virtues that make life living worthwhile despite whatever else society may say or act.



5. What a difficult book to read, and, I can only imagine, to write. We start with the injustice of poverty and lack of opportunity in the shtetl and move almost directly into a variety of unjust accusations leveled against Yakov Bok, who has become a scapegoat for all the imagined evil deeds of all the Jews in Russia.
   
   Bok leaves the shtetl with hopes of a better life in Kiev. At first, things look up for him. Serendipity finds him a good job, and he is able to afford some books, and even put away some money. The catch is that he has to live in a district from which Jews are forbidden from living. All goes well, although Bok is not a popular figure, until a young boy is found murdered in a cave nearby.
   
   The police show up at his door, arrest him, and summarily throw him in prison. Things go from bad to worse as he is forced to submit to increasingly cruel and dehumanizing treatment, not least of which is having to repeatedly listen to the many crimes he is supposed to have committed. But he steadfastly declares his innocence, and it is this that is supposed to make him one literature's greatest heroes. I'm not so sure about this, but certainly he is a strong character.
   
   His strength almost makes this book harder to read, though. I found myself almost wishing he would confess, even though I knew he was innocent, just so the horribleness would end. But he and I both knew that confessing to a crime that he didn't commit wouldn't help at all, either his own dignity, or the plight of the Jews in Russia. So we endured together until the trial, to which Bok is on his way at the end of the book. At first I was disappointed that we don't fight out what happens at the trial, but then I realized that the result of the trial isn't the point of the book. It's the persecution and the strength that it reveals that really matter.

5 comments about The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea.

1. This book is amazing. Sebastian Junger went to a great deal of effort to write this book. It is historically accurate and all people and places are real. The only piece I have trouble with is after Andrea Gail is no longer heard from. Anything regarding what happened on the boat after that is guessing even if it is fairly accurate. The actual name of the storm was Hurricane Gloria and to those of us who lived through it it makes more sense to think of it that way.



2. I watched the movie of this book before I read the book itself, and I have to say that the movie has taken some liberties with the story and the book is still better than the movie despite its great storm special effects. Nobody can say exactly what happened to the swordboat Andrea Gail but this book does a credible job of describing what probably happened based on knowledge of swordfish fishermen, the fishing industry, the ocean, storm behaviour and the rescue services involved.
   
   Having read this book I now feel I know a lot more about swordfish and the fishing industry than I ever believed I would. I also feel I've been given a reasonable education in storm and wave behaviour around the Grand Banks and northern fishing waters. You have to have some patience with this book as the Storm of the title doesn't really start to play a part in its story till half way through the book. Up till then everything is mostly background material about the fishing industry. However, even if you know nothing about the sea, this book covers so many topics in so much depth that it keeps you moving along till the tragedies and triumphs of the storm and its human costs are played out. A recommended read if you like your stories factually based but not debased to the point of being "based on a true story".



3. This book is very vivid in its descriptions of the storm and the activities leading up to it. The author has done an excellent job of making the reader feel that he/she is involved in the action. Very exciting and emotional read.



4. The book ably reconstructs the terrifying facts, feelings and tragedy of the fishing boat Andrea Gail and her six-man crew, which disappeared during a killing storm of mythic proportions. Tragically, the bodies were never found, so nobody survived to tell the story. The book weaves a compelling patchwork around the sinking itself--the ship's colourful crew, their manic drives, lives and backgrounds. There are fascinating details of meterology, navigation and commercial fishing. We peer into the physics of rogue waves, the horrifying physiology of drowning, the agonies of search and rescue. We feel the adrenal charge of risk-fishing, the frailty of humans pitted against Nature, the lash of wind, the brine, the towering waves, the violent pitch and toss of the sea, told with the crackling force and energy of a first novel. The writing is tight, plain, elegant and restrained. Junger is ever the journalist, always tethered to his materials, never sensational, never indulging himself, or setting free the novelist. Perhaps his stern, disciplined self-control is his greatest triumph. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would gladly read it again.



5. Junger recounts the relentless ferocity of the Storm of the Century that hit North America's eastern seaboard during 1991. This is a breath-taking, riveting tale of human courage in the face of the most devastating forces of nature.

5 comments about The Million Dollar Mermaid (Biography).

1. I started out in admiration of how tough Esther Williams was. But I kept waiting for her to start having a decent personal life. At first, I thought how sad it was that people were unfeeling and cruel with her. (How is it that every single man she meets, btw, with a few barely mentioned exceptions, are cold, heartless and entirely self-absorbed? An LA thing?) But by the time she started having affairs of her own and marrying the domineering Lamas (she knew what she was getting herself into) I lost all respect or sympathy for her. Even so, I can't help liking her somehow and wishing things had been different. She seems like a friend that lets you down and yet you still want to like her.
   In a way, it seems like something is missing...almost like you never completely can know or understand her.
   I did find it very interesting to hear stories about life within MGM.



2. I found this book fascinating from cover to cover. The glimpse into the world of MGM at its grandest is wonderful, and Esther herself is never dull. A page turner for movie fans. I agree with other reviews that Esther can come off badly in her "Do you know who I am?" attitude--it reads like she got really full of herself somewhere down the road. Plus, what kind of person stays married to a man who won't allow you to have a relationship with your own children? Sorry--there's no excuse. But this is a review of the book itself, not of the person, and it's a good read.



3. I was looking for something to read while traveling, and remembered hearing some positive comments about this book. It was a really great to read about Hollywood back in it's golden age, with it's "larger than life" productions and actors.



4. For more than a decade the splashy, aquatic escapist entertainment of MGM's Esther Williams' films delighted devoted fans, and kept MGM "afloat." This wonderfully gossipy autobiography proves that Williams was just as sassy, smart and independent off-screen as on. Her memoirs of romances with Jeff Chandler, Victor Mature and Fernando Lamas keep the pages turning and the night lights on! And, wait until she pulls back the loin-cloth of Johnny Weissmuller's to reveal a whole news aspect of filmdom's "Tarzan!"



5. I bought this on sale and was very pleasantly surprised. The stories are fascinating and there are even some profound insights about the mistakes people make. I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (Walker Large Print Books).

1. I found myself laughing aloud one minute and welling with tears the next. This readable collection of thoughts on being Christian is compelling and inviting. It stretches the imagination of what could be and helps to expose some deeply guarded pharisaical practices in church culture. It will be offensive to some who are used to reading "Christian" books.



2. I must say that I am most troubled in my spirit that so many people gave this book a five star rating. I wonder if this guy has ever even picked up a Bible. The only reason I gave it one star is because I could not give it zero.
   
   All I can really say about the book is that the god portrayed in it is not the God of the Bible. When I first began to read, I was impressed with the fact that Donald Miller has actually felt conviction for his sin and I was truly encouraged. Though after continuing on, I realized that it was not a conviction that produced a true repentance which leads to life, but just an emotional and romantic "poor me" story which unfortunately leads to death.
   
   What shocks and concerns me is that someone who hates God as much as Donald Miller does can actually call himself a Christian. This is our fault brothers. This is our fault for being so complacent. If we don't take a stand against this type of humanistic nonsense, this is the "Christianity" that we can expect to keep seeing.
   
   Filled with non-historical half-truths, this is just another postmodern, psychological self-help book which prostitutes Christian terminology to its own demise.
   
   It's time to wake up.



3. This is one of the most profound books on spirituality I have ever come across. For those who are questioning your faith and feel there is nothing in Christiandom that can help you find the answers to why you feel so miserable, why things don't seem to be going your way, this is the book for you. It has no answers, per say, but it does tell of one man's quest to find the living God and some of the revelations he came to while on that quest. A must have for any Christian library.



4. When I read Don Miller's thoughts on human personality and relationship, it is not exaggerating to rate them as powerful as those of C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoffer and Francis Schaeffer. But to run an apple-to-apple comparison, I would pick Lewis in this case for a comparison study, because Miller is not a minister. While Lewis is excellent in using illustrations and allegories to get his points across which might be ambiguous and challenging to understand, particularly when one is not familiar with the literatures he used as references, Miller, while equally personal, sharp and hilarious, is surprisingly and impressively much more articulate in conveying and in the presentation of his observation and analysis from his own experience and interaction with his acquaintances. He nails it when he speaks about human depravity, loneliness, and money (somewhat naïve, but still worth pondering),
   
   "I remember a particular midnight, three weeks into our stay, walking into a meadow surrounded by thick aspens and above me all that glorious heaven glowing, and I felt like I was part of it, what with the trees clapping hands and me feeling like I was floating there beneath the endlessness, I looked up so long I felt like I was in space. Light. No money and no anxiety" (p.199).
   
   "When I was in love, I hardly thought of myself. When I was in love, there was somebody in the world who was more important than me. I think being in love is an opposite of loneliness, but not the opposite. There are other things I now crave when I am lonely, like community, like friendship, like family. [The words alone, lonely and loneliness] say that we are human; they are like the words `hunger' and `thirst.' But they are not words about the body, they are words about the soul.
   
   When you live on your own for a long time, however, your personality changes because you go so much into yourself you lose the ability to be social, to understand what is and isn't normal behavior. There is an entire world inside yourself, and if you let yourself, you can get so deep inside it you will forget the way to the surface...the soul needs to interact with other people to be healthy.
   
   And what is sad, what is very sad, is that we are proud people, and because we have sensitive egos and so many of us live our lives in front of our televisions (I might add Internet, blogs, computers, and video games), not having to deal with real people who might hurt us or offend us, we float along on our couches like astronauts moving aimlessly through the Milky Way, hardly interacting with other human beings at all" (p.151-152, 154, 172).
   
   With this said, however, Miller's theology, which I consider as a close representation of the theology of the emergent church, is shallow, if not faulty. It is a humanistic, anthropocentric theology, where the gospel has been turned into a social gospel, and Christianity as a means to turn the world into an utopia at the expense of neglecting the fundamental issues of sin, the attributes of God; particularly the justice and holiness and glory of God, the authority of Scriptures and the cross of Jesus Christ, the latter being the linchpin of the gospel. He did so by eliminating these and substituting them with a false notion of the love of God, which is common in the emergent camp (the name Brian McLaren usually pops up when the word "emergent" is mentioned).
   
   One might challenge my statement about Miller's theology and accuse it as if I were beating a dead horse considering the sub-title of the book is "Non-religious thoughts on Christian Spirituality." However, this sub-title both sounds like an oxymoron and is inconsistent with what Miller actually does. How can one write about Christian Spirituality without being religious? These two are inseparable. Moreover, despite "non-religious" claim, he does talk about the Bible, God, Jesus Christ, prayer and love. How can one write about these altogether and not be religious? Impossible. Perhaps Miller is trying not to scare anyone away by not giving a religious impression on his book, but it doesn't work. If it is Christian, then it must be religious. He tries not to sound religious but he can't help sounding religious as he discusses Christianity, yet ironically, by violating this non-religious claim by writing religiously anyway about Christianity, he doesn't present Christianity rightly as the Bible teaches, but a heavily diluted version of it, so thoroughly diluted that it barely resembles orthodox Christianity that the Bible teaches. From this perspective, this book is a mess. Though Miller does an excellent job in describing the problems with humanity as well as with the so-called fundamentalist Christianity, but sadly he does not go to the bottom of them, that the true gospel points out and the remedy thereof. Consider for examples,
   
   "Loneliness is something that happens to us, but I think it is something we can move ourselves out of. I think a person who is lonely should dig into a community, give himself to a community, humble himself before his friends, initiate community, teach people to care for each other. Jesus does not want us floating through space or sitting in front of our televisions. Jesus wants us interacting, eating together, laughing together, praying together. Loneliness is something that came with the Fall. If loving other people is a bit of heaven then certainly isolation is a bit of hell, and to that degree, here on earth, we decide in which state we would like to live.
   
   ... I should have people around bugging me and getting under my skin because without people I could not grow in God, and I could not grow as a human. We are born into families,... and we are needy at first as children because God wants us together, living among one another, not hiding ourselves under logs like fungus. You are not a fungus... you are human, and you need other people in your life in order to be healthy" (p. 173).
   
   Just like Lewis, Miller is a great writer-psychiatrist-philosopher, but a horrible theologian. My suggestion is to read Miller with caution, disregard his views on theology, learn from his analysis on humanity and combine it with John Piper's Desiring God.



5. This is a book well worth reading. It is appropriate for late teens and early twenties since it covers life in a university. It has a great spiritual depth and we have used is as the basis of study in a small group of men. I recommend it highly.

No comments about Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (Thorndike Press Large Print Core Series).