5 comments about Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me.

1. Marlon Brando's memoir reads like a breezy conversation thanks to the assistant (if not outright ghostwriter) Robert Lindsay, who was able to compile this material after who knows how much dribble. Brando was undeniably one of the greats, a brilliant craftsman and innovator on the stage and screen. After his cult of personality had been established with `Streetcar,' `On the Waterfront,' and `The Wild One,' Brando drifted to smaller projects, which Hollywood was quick to dismiss. However, during this time Brando performed in Burn! by Pontecervo, which he cites as his greatest performance. I would argue `Last Tango in Paris,' wherein Bertolucci really let Brando's improvisational talent flourish. This memoir is undeniably fluff; he even admits he agreed to do it for the money alone, but it's entertaining fluff. You get to learn about his peculiar politics which include: a visceral support for Zionism, support for the civil rights movement, opposition to the war in Vietnam, and extreme activism to support Native Americans. Brando was a devoted and complex individual. He admits that he enjoyed having affairs, that he often took projects for money, that he was often depressed, lonely, and hot-tempered. What also emerges here is a portrait of an artist trying to gain independence in an inauthentic industry; perhaps he was one of the few who refused to let it ever beat him.



2. Marlon Brando was the greatest and most versatile actor ever to grace the stage or screen, but he was also a great human being whose heaviness of heart over the suffering of others in the world drove him to do what he could to alleviate that suffering and to shed light on inhumanity and social injustice.
   
   In reading "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me" by Marlon Brando (with Robert Lindsey), my emotions ran the gamut. I laughed. I cried. I longed for Marlon's presence among us once again. I felt some anger that this person - this wonderful man who gave us so much - this man who stood by the convictions of his heart to help others and who changed the lives of many for the better was scorned and criticized for his activities on behalf of those living in misery and despairing among us in the world. People called him "radical" and otherwise labeled him. And, he felt their contempt and was affected by it. How unfair it was. While so many people merely paid lip service to such causes, Marlon actually did something to bring about positive change and peoples' lives were changed positively as a direct result of this. So, if this was "radical," then I would wish to be so honorably labeled, myself.
   
   Marlon's seemed a painful and lonely childhood filled with abandonment, insecurity, and heartache. He was a prankster - a fact that reminds me of something I learned years ago when I was in nursing school about children whose needs are not met in life - that they are the "clowns" or pranksters in a group, laughing on the outside, but crying on the inside. Marlon said he had difficulty trusting women until very late in his life and that this was the reason he had multiple relationships simultaneously. If one woman left or rejected him, the pain would be more bearable, knowing there were still others. He would not have to feel so alone and abandoned and rejected as he had at times during his childhood like when his nanny left him and when his mother whom he loved so much was not emotionally available to him due to her dependence on alcohol.
   
   As for Marlon's relationship with the public, it is apparent that society held Marlon Brando to its own unattainable expectations. This is a shameful societal legacy. No person on earth remains who they were at twenty years old when they are fifty or seventy or eighty. People praised Marlon when he was meeting their personal expectations of him. But, then, when he did what was natural by growing older (and wiser, more seasoned, and more socially responsible) and some people felt he was no longer meeting their personal expectations, they became contemptuous or indifferent toward and about him. Marlon discussed this with Lawrence Grobel in Grobel's book, "Conversations With Brando." Marlon talked about how he was received when he had a new hit film out compared to when he did not. He said something to the effect that he could "see it in the eyes of the airline hostesses" and other people how, when he had a new hit film out, he received a "full thirty-two teeth" greeting and that when he did not have a new hit film out, they would talk to him like he was a has-been. This is so ridiculous to me. It seems the memories of some are as short as the last breath they took - either that or perhaps they have not actually reviewed the incomparable and timeless work of Marlon Brando. Moreover, he worked up until the end of his life and still played his roles to an exemplary standard.
   
   Having said that, there is definitely no shortage of love, respect, and admiration for Marlon Brando in the world of movies and among other artists, among his fans, and among those whose lives he helped bring improvement to over the years through his activism, his kindness, and his friendship. This is not to mention the love for him expressed by his children in interviews since his passing.
   
   There was no better actor that ever lived and no film better than those Marlon made - and there were so many: "On The Waterfront" and "The Godfather" both bringing Marlon Brando Academy Awards, "One-Eyed Jacks," a masterpiece in which Marlon acted and which he directed, "Mutiny On The Bounty," among the best films of all time, in my opinion; "Last Tango In Paris" in which Marlon allowed us into his private pain and thoughts and which contained a gutwrenching monologue by Marlon over the body of his character's dead wife; "Apocalypse Now," a film in which Marlon performs a beautiful recitation of T.S. Eliot's, "The Hollow Men," and in which he plays a role that is truly heart-stopping; "A Streetcar Named Desire," in the role of Stanley Kowalski which he acted in such a way that there would be no other that came after him that could come close to matching his performance; "Burn," a film whose subject became somewhat a reality on the set, causing Marlon to take a stand, "The Young Lions" a dramatic and moving film and one of my favorites, "Julius Caesar" in which Marlon proved himself a consummate Shakespearean actor; "The Men," "The Fugitive Kind," "The Wild One," "The Appaloosa," and, so many others.
   
   People seemed obsessed with Marlon's weight in his later years. I remember seeing him in "The Freshman" and thinking how good it would feel to be hugged by him then. I also remember thinking that he was such a handsome man with the same beautiful eyes, smile, and sense of humor. He was still Marlon - a sexy, beautiful, inspiring, sensitive man with a wonderfully expressive face and a brilliant mind - a beautiful soul - and among the most interesting people in the world, in my opinion. I would have loved to know him and to have spent time with him - listening to his ideas and theories about life and working with him on projects. I always thought his ideas and projects were inventive, creative, and often workable. One of the things that I was absolutely amazed to hear in a documentary about Marlon was someone talking about Marlon's idea to use the very cold sea water hundreds of feet below sea level and pumping it up to cool buildings above sea level. The person being interviewed said that this idea was actually put into use to air condition hotels in tropical places - and with an approximate energy savings of two-thirds. It amazes me every time I think about it.
   
   Regarding "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," Marlon chose not to write about his children. I respect that. I think it would have been fine if he had written about his children, but I think that his love and his protective nature when it came to his children precluded his succumbing to any public pressure to subject his children to such scrutiny and exposure. It was obvious to anyone who knew anything about Marlon as a father that he stood by his children, anguished deeply over them, and made all of the sacrifices that a father whose children mean everything to him would make whenever his children were in crisis. In a documentary I once saw, Marlon's children spoke of him. Their love for their father was obvious and his love for them was obvious in their words as they spoke about the kind of father he was. Marlon, who had endured a difficult relationship with his own father obviously wanted to be a different kind of father to his own children - a gentler, more emotionally connected, and loving father - also a father with a great sense of humor and a playfulness about him.
   
   Marlon writes about his father, his mother, and his sisters in this book. And, this book's title is so fitting when one reads how, despite his mother's struggles with her alcoholism, she still gave him so much, including his love of nature and his love of music and theatre. Marlon loved his mother beyond her problems and he took care of her as best he could, even during his younger years when he should have been the one being taken care of. He loved deeply and he grieved deeply and this was evident when he lost his mother, a woman he said "taught me how to die." Marlon also speaks lovingly of his sisters who seemed to have somehow given him a little of the approval, acceptance, and reassurances about himself that he was not receiving elsewhere in his childhood. In particular, in this book, he includes an inscription on the back of a photograph of him written by one of his sisters that said, "Bud - and is he a grand boy! Sweet and funny, idealistic and oh, so young." As for Marlon's relationship with his father, it seemed Marlon spent much of his life seeking his father's approval because his father was always so disapproving and critical of him. I was so pleased to realize through Marlon's words that he had come to terms with regard to he and his father's relationship and that there seemed to be some healing, forgiveness, and understanding on Marlon's part, not only of his father, but also of himself, in the latter part of his life.
   
   Mere words are inadequate to express the way I feel about Marlon Brando. I love him. I miss him. My heart was broken when I learned of his passing and I still feel it now. If, but for the certainty I feel that Marlon is now in a place of complete peace and wholeness, I would wish for his presence back here among us again.
   
   As for "Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me," I highly recommend this book. It is a book I literally could not put down once I started reading it. It is a very well written and poignant story of the life of a beautiful person who left his mark on the art of acting and on the world in so many ways.



3. This is terrific book!
   
   What an interesting fellow Marlon Brando was!
   
   The only thing about this book that I wish was different is that it's one of those celebrity autobiographies that is written "with" someone.
   In this case, the cover of the book indicates the title and then below it: "With Robert Lindsey."
   
   It's not that Lindsey isn't a good writer; he's a very good writer. It's just that it would be great to read a book actually written by Brando himself, that is to say, without anyone assisting him. It's always hard to know how much the "with-author" contributes to an autobiography. Was Lindsey's contribution minimal or significant? Did he work from a written-out narrative Brando gave him; or perhaps only an outline? Or did Lindsey work with no words but rather tapes of conversation with Brando?
   
   Lest anyone think that Brando wasn't a good writer, the book quotes various letters Brando wrote during his life, many of them to one or both of his parents. In these letters, we see that Brando is, if not a professionally polished writer, certainly an extremely interesting, quick-witter, engaging writer. Enough so that he could have carried the writing of this book on his own.
   
   Another clue as to Brando's "way with words" can be seen in a 1991 book called "Conversations With Brando." This is a series of interviews Brando did with Playboy interviewer Lawrence Grobel back in the late 1970s, early 1980s. What we see, *in Brando's own words,* is, again, a very witty, vert insightful, very erudite communicator.
   
   Lindsey, however, as talented a writer as he is, can't reproduce Brando's communicative energy. It would be inappropriate if he even tried: such energy being unique to the person who possesses it.
   
   It would therefore behoove any reader seriously interested, or even casually interested, in this fascinating individual, Marlon Brando, to read "Songs My Mother Taught Me" in conjunction with the aforementioned "Conversations With Brando."
   
   What a life! What a talent! What a view of the world! I would have enjoyed writing to Brando, telling him how valuable his work has been to all of us.
   
   For an interesting and insightful obituary of Marlon Brando, see http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/jul2004/bran-j03.shtml
   
   The obituary begins with these words: "Perhaps the greatest American actor of his generation ..." and ends as follows: "He will be remembered as a charismatic performer, an independent and uncompromising figure and a genuine rebel."
   
   Hopefully, our collective future will keep Marlon Brando's joy for living alive & well and as uncompromising as ever.



4. I am a die hard Marlon Brando fan. So I had to get this book. Oh, it is an incredible autobiography. Mr. Brando shares his life story with his fans. I enjoyed hearing his opinions on everything. And he shares his wonderful views on everything. But, out of respect for his children and ex-wives he doesn't mention them. I respect him even more for that. If you love Marlon Brando you should most definitely get his autobiography.



5. This book is an opportunity to "hear" Brando, in his own words, on his life and loves, his relationships with his siblings and parents. It sweeps away some of the mystery that surrounded him because he was portrayed by the media as reclusive and difficult. And perhaps he was BUT the book shows gentle humor and deep and abiding friendships as well as strong opinions that sometimes left jaws dropping. However, not may people are willing to put their reputation on the line for something they believe in. Brando was more than willing to be controversial to make a point.

5 comments about The Last Tsar: The Life and Death of Nicholas II (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. This was a great book written during the time that the Romanov bones had been uncovered. It gives an interesting portrayl of Nicholas and Alexandra. Most interesting of all is the love story between Nicholas and his former mistress, Mathilde Kschessinka, who years later would meet a woman claiming to be the daughter of the Tsar (Anna Anderson) and she would recognize her as his daughter because of the 'Emperor's look'.
   
   It is somewhat dated however. Since this book has been published, Russian and American scientists have argued passionately amonst themselves as to whether the remains of Grand Duchess Marie or Anastasia are missing. Then the bones were tested for DNA and proved a match and then they were compared with the tissue of Anna Anderson 'proving' she was not a Romanov. However, these tests are not as valid today as they were then. For more on that, visit my website: http://www.geocities.com/anastasiagrandduchess/
   In 1998, the bones were interred in the Cathedral of Saint Paul, although the Russian Orthodox Church rejected the authenticity of the remains.



2. With Radzinsky the art comes before the history and that's why this is my favourite addition to the "Romanov canon". This is not to overlook how thrilling in terms of new material "The Last Tsar" was when it was first translated and published (the "Yurovsky Note" comes to mind), and all those lovely until then unknown archive sources. These opened up new avenues of thought and allowed Radzinsky to theorise in a way I found compelling. Except, how much of it could be trusted?
   
   This is the problem with this subject in total. It's an epoch in recent history in the process of being re-constructed, after 70 years of communism in effect shut Russian imperial history down. A detailed picture of imperial Russia at the end of empire is in the process of being written. But in Radzinsky's account I caught the flavour of the times and that's more important to me than measuring his facts, weighing his sources. Most serious readers on this subject know enough in 2006 to discount the more imaginative flights in this book, and for everyone else it's a glorious, rackety, heart-rending read.



3. The history is all there in detail. Very interesting, particuarly if you are into tzar history like I am. However, the book is really hard to read. It usually takes me no longer than a week to read a book, but this one actually took me almost 2 months.



4. I absolutely loved this book. Once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. This was the first biography about Tsar Nicholas II that I had ever read. It gives excellent background information about the country, its history and the politics, so even if you're not at all familiar with Russian history/politics, you can still follow. Excellent purchase!!



5. A man is sitting at a book-covered table in the Central State Archive of the October (1917) Revolution in Moscow. The surviving diaries of the last imperial family of Russia are there, unclassified at last. Reading them, his thoughts carrying him back and forth in time, the man is moved when he finds pressed flowers in the journals of the tsar's daughters: "Souvenirs of a destroyed life".
   
   Edvard Radzinsky is that haunted man, sitting at a table strewn with memories of a broken dynasty. "The Last Tsar" is the product of his research and his sadness. A playwright, Raszinsky is well-qualified to explore the human depths of the lives of Tsar Nicholas II, his family, and the others who were part of their doomed world.
   
   The book gained a great deal of publicity when it was first released here for its sensational assertion that two of the family may have escaped execution on that terrible night in 1918. And this work of popular history merits the attention. This book is likely to become the definitive work on the last years of Tsar Nicholas II and his family.
   
   Rarely is a work of history so beautifully written, so thoroughly researched, and so permeated with emotion and insight. A great debt is owed to the translator for her lyrical and poetic voice while retaining a sense of historical authority.
   
   Radzinsky's attitudes and feelings are juxtaposed with those of the two main characters of the story-- Tsar Nicholas and his queen, Alexandra. The inclusion of the author's feelings is unorthodox in a historical work however, in this case, it's a success and it offers a perspective that is both personal and realistic.
   
   The tone of the book is conversational rather than scholarly. It is not difficult to imagine Radzinsky weeping as he sits at the table covered with diaries, though he does not say he did. Certainly, the depth and honesty of his feelings are so evident that we find it difficult to hold back tears ourselves as the tragedy of the Romanov family unfolds.
   
   Radzinsky has a deep respect for the dead Tsar and his wife, but he clearly loves those children. They are the classic innocence, doomed by the destruction of their grand and insulated world.
   
   In the early 90s, exhumation of what is assumed to be the family's grave revealed only nine skeletons. Although the accepted number of victims has always been put at eleven. Even more recently, two bodies were found nearby to the execution site and burial site that some experts believe to be the missing bodies.
   
   The book and the forensic examination raise again the persistant belief that not only the Princess Anastasia, but also the Tsar Evitch Alexi, heir to the Russian throne may have survived the execution. However, these most recent exhumations near the main burial pit appear to show that neither Alexi nor Anastasia survived.
   
   One of the participants in the execution later wrote that Alexi and his four sisters remained alive after the shooting had stopped.
   
   "This had amazed the Commandant", he wrote, "since we had aimed straight for the heart. It was also surprising that the bullets from the revolvers bounced off for some reason and ricocheted, jumping around the room like hail."
   
   That night, the children were wearing clothing into which the family diamonds had been sewn. Seeing that the bullets had not done its jobs, the killers decided to finish off the children with bayonets. A strong, although essentially circumstantial case, is presented that Alexi and Anastasia may, in fact, have survived.
   
   This conclusion appears to have been recently overturned by the finding of the two bodies near the main burial site.
   
   "The Last Tsar" was written as the Soviet Union, the author's homeland itself, was collapsing. The two Russian Revolutions, those of 1917 and 1989, are often intertwined in the book. In the lonely archives and libraries of a dying country, Radzinsky fell into a no-man's land of historical whirlwinds where huge and incomprehensible became understandable. He offers insights into the character of Russian history where, ". . . great and terrible events. . . are usually due to someone's stupidity or laziness," and to the apparently cyclical nature of history.
   
   "Oh, our bitter, bitter revolution," he writes.
   
   This is a book about processes. The tragedy of a family, the drama of a world turned upside down and the mechanics of research and writing are among the subjects.
   
   Radzinsky's superb use of diaries and letters, his simple straightforward arguments and his penetrating thought-provoking style combined to make a very entertaining and convincing book.

5 comments about Shattered Love: A Memoir.

1. Las vivencias de este gran actor contadas en primera persona. Incluye bonitas fotos en blanco y negro.



2. I waited four decades to read the real truth about a childhood heart-throb. Now, I regret that the book was ever written. I "loved" Richard Chamberlain as Dr. James Kildare from the time I was five years old. (For three consecutive Halloweens, I made door-to-door "housecalls", dressed as my hero.) It tortured me when I had to wait from the time the program went "off the air" until he portrayed Hamlet. I remember very well as I watched Hamlet how I got a sense of something drastically "wrong" but was too young to put into words what I "felt." The older I got, the more I failed to understand why he hadn't married. After I aged and understood the concept of what I surmised, I really believed it to be the reason he hadn't married and had a family. Then, just before the book was published, I saw a tabloid showing him and Martin which confirmed my thoughts. When I started reading the book, I kept wishing the words I did not really want to see would be magically eradicated from the paper. Ofcourse that did not happen. For the first time I just viewed The THORN BIRDS." (...back in 2003 when I first read the book and wrote this review, which I kept "on hold" -- but the review kept "coming back to haunt me" when I looked at papers on my desk. If I had put it onto Amazon, I would have been one of the first ones to review the book. I just hoped the whole thing would "go away!") For two decades, I had wanted to see the movie, but for seventeen years, we did not have television reception. He was a wonderful actor, but his personal life has much to be desired. Chamberlain is an eloquent writer, well versed, sophisticated, and intellectual, but I am sorry he ever wrote this work. I was tiring of his father being "blamed" for being the "root of all evil." It was a feeble attempt at spiritualism. He had some interesting points, but this topic was overdone. His blatant, irresponsible drug episode LOST ME FOREVER! Lastly, there seems to be a parallel (see page 64) during one of his Dr. Kildare, episodes when he states that the character Gloria Swanson played "... becomes acquainted with a much younger female patient and the two become friends..." was that a foreshadowing of a relationship yet to pass-- that of him and "young" Martin? With regard to Swanson as an actress, he continues on page 65 "... her playing was never as full again, and she knew it. I don't know when I've felt so bad for a person. I knew this performance, coming near the end of her legendary career, was probably one of this actress' last." -- not too unlike THIS BOOK being one of Richard Chamberlain's final performances. Richard Chamerlain, the good actor, whose life could be considered a bad play.



3. This book was an inside personal look of a gifted actor! Richard Chamberlain is a wonderful actor and stole my heart in The Thorn Birds. It was a great read!



4. I am a huge Thorn Birds fan and remember how popular Shogun was while growing up in the early 1980s. I bought the book believing it was going to focus on when and why Richard Chamberlain "came out of the closet" recently (and finally) to the public. Instead, most of the book focuses on his career and his spiritual journey through the years. He mentions his long-term boyfriend but there is a lot of spiritual mumbo-jumbo (hence the title of the book). A good read if you know very little about his career.



5. Although Richard Chamberlain was well past his prime by the time I discovered his TV miniseries work (such as The Thorn Birds), I always admired him. He was the appitomy of the handsome prince on a white horse, and still is for so many women. I always knew he was gay, and at age 69 he finally came out not too long ago. It wasn't exactly a surprise, it had been whispered about for years, but it didn't seem to affect his career in a negative light, even in his prime when he was denying it.
   
   I have always admired people who have overcome terrible obsticles or battled tremendous odds to overcome things. This book was a spiritual journey as much as it was a biography, telling of his rough childhood in an alcoholic home to his sexuality to his success as an actor. I think a majority of people picked up his book not because they wanted to read about his accomplishments in life, but about The Dirt on Hollywood. Who did he have to sleep with or preform for to get those plumb roles? But, he doesn't say. He's a gentleman. He doesn't even see his being gay as a polical issue, it's just another fascet of his personality. Maybe that's the whole point, right?

5 comments about Clemente: The Passion And Grace of Baseball's Last Hero.

1. David Maraniss continues to amaze me with his gift of writing biographies to break down legends into real men with conflicts, faults and warts but never leaves out what it is essential to the man's character that makes them legends. He did it with Lombardi and now, Clemente. Some called Clemente, a prophet, and while Maraniss makes it clear that while Clemente was not deity he was a man that touched everyone who knew him with his grace, passion and pride. A legend, a hero and a man like no other.



2. David Maraniss' work "Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero" is a book worthy of its subject. He explains that he means "Hero" in the best and most noble of definitions, and not at all the "hero" that is tossed around so casually about the next twenty-year old wide receiver with a 4.3 second forty.
   
   As a lifelong baseball fan and amateur historian I note two "golden ages" of baseball. One began when George Herman Ruth was traded to the Yankees and gave up pitching, and the next was ushered in when Jack Roosevelt Robinson came into major league baseball like a comet. Ruth and Robinson are baseball icons, and Robinson definitely meets even the most restrictive definition of "Hero", but Maraniss makes a case that Clemente may have been as heroic as any.
   
   I have been on a tear the last few years reading baseball biographies: Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, Aaron, Williams, Berra, Walter Johnson, Koufax and I'm glad I had the other books to compare. Most biographies spend considerable detail on the baseball career of their subject. "Clemente" has an almost superficial description of "Momen's" career, except for his MVP year of 1966 and the Pirates World Series Championships of 1960 and 1971. There is due credit given to Clemente's spectacular right field play - he was arguably the greatest right-fielder in history. His throwing arm was so legendary that the book opens with a description of a game in modern-day San Juan. When a young player releases a laser-beam throw from the right-field corner the old men in the stands, previously barely paying attention to the game, immediately begin comparing the throw to those made by Clemente over three decades ago. Ted Williams said of Willie Mays that the All-Star game was made for him. The same could be said of Clemente and Gold Gloves. Although Clemente was killed tragically at age 38, he was one of the first dozen players to collect 3,000 hits. His .317 lifetime batting average was only exceeded by his All-Star average of .324 and his World Series average of .362. Clemente defined "clutch".
   
   Maraniss makes the point that great as Roberto was as a player, it was as a man and role model and leader, especially for latino players, that "The Great Clemente" excelled. Clemente's disdain for baseball writers (who can blame him when they routinely did things such as spell his responses phonetically to emphasize his hispanic-ness) was a contrast to the great love and time and devotion he lavished on the smallest fellow human who crossed his path.
   
   The final fifth of the book would make a superb movie - Maraniss meticulously chronicles the "perfect storm" that convened to rob the world and his family of Roberto Clemente: the earthquake in Nicaragua, a country with a particular bond to Clemente (although he remains the consummate baseball hero to all latin fans). The world-wide relief effort with a particularly passionate interest in San Juan, led by Clemente. The corruption of the Somoza family ruling Nicarague, which was corrupt all the time, but made all the worst in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster as Somoza officers diverted planeloads of relief into private Somoza warehouses. The FAA nightmare that was the pitiful little man who tried to run an air freight business while skirting regulations left and right. The last-minute pilot replacement who probably was unsafe to walk, much less fly an unbalanced, overloaded plane of relief goods to Nicaragua.
   
   Clemente was already a baseball hero at the time of his death. The circumstances of his death elevated him to a pantheon of Heroes with few equals in world history.
   
   Well done, Mr. Maraniss. You have chosen a noble, Heroic subject, and you have done justice to the Man and brought us, Momen's fans, a glimpse into his passion and grace.



3. i have been a roberto clemente fan since before his heroic efforts in the 1971 world series. the book clearly highlighted his humanitarian efforts, and his love and devotion to his family and his homeland. i guess i was looking for more "pure baseball" info on this. such as what he did to improve in the years from his youth to hall of fame player. any particular advice, exercises, strategy , etc. there just wasn't any of that in here. this is my personal disappointment with the book.
   
   the book dwelt on, and repeatedly emphasized the racism of the time, and the double racism against clemente, being black and hispanic. while i admired his struggle, and the struggle of minorities , and the brave help they received from open-minded/thoughtful white people ( who also risked retribution from the racist/closed-minded establishment), i personally was looking for more baseball.



4. This is the worst book i have ever read, right behind A Concise History of China. There is no plot and the book sucks.



5. A lot of baseball biographies start off with a lot of solid information and stories, but then taper off as the subject's life goes on and they move out of the spotlight. With Roberto Clemente there is no tapering as his life was tragically cut short. This is a biography that soars above most similar kinds of books, and reveals a baseball player who wasn't all about himself, but who cared about other people with a depth of passion that isn't usually seen among today's entitled athletes.
   
   My one complaint is that I would have liked more baseball stories and stats! There are enough to keep the baseball fan inside me at bay, but not enough to leave me fully satisfied.

5 comments about Martha Washington: An American Life.

1. Martha Washington by Patricia Brady is a very detailed and in informative book about the life of our first first lady. Martha's was named after her grandmother, her great-grandmother and possibly even her great-great-grandmother. She was born to Frances Jones Dandridge and John Dandridge in 1731. Even though her parents were wealthy, Martha learned how to pluck fowl, can vegetables, garden, cook varieties of food, clean a household, dance and read. As well as all of the customary good manners of the day. This young lady grew into a very beautiful young women. Martha married Daniel Curtis, a very rich man, a couple weeks before her 19th birthday on May 15, 1750 and had four children with Daniel, Frances, John and Martha. Mrs. Curtis lost both Daniel and Martha shortly after birth. Martha was very happy with Daniel threw out their marriage, but Daniel was very much her senior, nine years older than her and died July 8, 1757 after only six years of happy marriage. The widow was now in a very prominent position, rich, young, beautiful, running her own plantations without any pesky relatives in her way. Then a new man came into her life: Colonel George Washington. George Washington was one year her senior and the two fell passionately in love with each other. They were married on January 6, 1759. The book goes on to explain how threw out their marriage it was Martha's job to be George's supporter, his emotional stability. Every winter threw the Revolutionary War, Martha would come from her safe, comfortable home in Mount Vernon to live with George in the winter camp. Her coming was a signal for other wives to join their husbands. Then after the war, Martha lived happily with George for only a short time. He was constantly called away to whatever business the new country needed him for. She felt that George and herself had given eight years of their lives to America and should be left comfortably in retirement. She actually didn't want George to become president, but went along anyways when he did. By now, her daughter had died of a terrible seizure and her son was also dead. Though her son, John, had married and had four children before he died. Martha was mortified when she realized that she had outlived all of her children. She and George ended up adopting two of their grand-children. They came home after George's second term on March 15, 1797. George Washington died in two years December 18, 1797. Martha tried to spend the rest of her life as peacefully as possible. She took care of her beloved grand-children until her death on May 22,1802. Where she was surrounded by family and was in her late seventies. This is a very detailed and informative book, it sometimes goes of on detours and talked about George Washington as much as it talked about Martha Washington. I think this book is fine for people who enjoy over informative books that often sidetrack and talks about other things than the main topic.
   
   
   I think that this book is very detailed and over informative. It constantly had long lists of items that Martha's husbands bought her, things like chairs and spoons. The book also goes into unneeded detail about Martha's family. It talked about Martha's great-aunt and uncle Unity and William Dandridge. Which as far as I can tell, had no impact on Martha's life at all, other than being a distant relative that she probably never met. The book also went into great detail about a infatuation George Washington had before and even after his marriage on a lady named Sally Cary Fairfax. I could see how this could be use in a biography about George Washington, but this book is a biography on Martha Washington.
   
   
   This book isn't very exciting. Maybe because it is a biography, but this book doesn't elaborate the greater events in Martha's life. The book talks more about the housing and packing that Martha did to go to winter camp, then what she did at the camps. Martha's greater accomplishments should of had more attention than what her husbands bought her and what packing she did. This way the book would focus more on Martha than anything else. All in all, I'll repeat, this book is fine for people who enjoy over informative books that often sidetrack and talks about other things than the main topic.
   
   
   
   
   written by C. Shipman



2. Rather than write a summary of the book, I would like to just cover a few main points. This was a wonderful book! While some may complain of too much detail, I found the descriptions of day -to-day life fascinating. Many times I felt like I was right there with Martha and George. I felt that this book made Martha into a "real" woman, completely relatable, not just some stuffy old historical figure(that barely gets a mention in History class). She and her husband were people of character that deserve the admiration of all Americans. This book deepened my admiration for her.



3. Martha was the best partly because she was the first- but she really set the best example of making the best of situations that were at times FAR from ideal.
   
   She loved her husband so much, as was so dedicated to his well-being she sacrificed her own happiness on many occasions to be with her husband- sometimes at the risk to her own health.
   
   This biography shows what Martha's daily life was like, shedding light on her life before she married George Washington, and giving depth into her character and how it determined her decisions regarding how she conducted herself as the very first First Lady. This is SO worth reading-and a great intro into Revolutionary War characters and events that created her motivations while being First Lady and how to conduct herself.
   
   Less than 300 pages, I found it woefully short, but VERY readable! If you are into the Revolution, this is a book to add to your library.



4. This look at the life of Martha Washington was very interesting. She really seems to be a woman lost to history by her legendary husband's very large shadow but this book gives a look at her strength and intelligence and also at the time in which they lived. A must read for any woman with an interest in American History.



5. I thought this book was pretty well written. The author did a nice job telling the story of not only Martha but the Washington family without getting bogged down by too many details. I also learned a lot about day to day colonial life. The reason I give it 4 stars is because the author let her dislike of Thomas Jefferson show through. She mentioned that Jefferson didn't really think much of Martha but then later in the book took one paragragh and really threw Jefferson 'under the bus' so to speak. I found the paragraph out of charactor for the whole book and wondered why the editor kept it in.

1 comments about The Boys of Pointe du Hoc LP: Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion.

1. I enjoyed this book very much. Before reading the book, I was only generally familiar with the Army Rangers discussed, and I did not realize the connection between them and with Ronald Reagan, the "Greatest Generation" and Peggy Noonan. I recommend the book highly. It is a quick, easy and very enjoyable, informative read.

5 comments about The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island.

1. This book chronicles the life of Linda Greenlaw, the author, during a lobster fishing season. Living on a small island off the coast of Maine, the author allows us into her downeast life. We learn some great information on the lobster fishing industry, as well as the lifestyles of the residents of Isle Au Haut.
   
   Some funny anecdotes and a glimpse into life off the coast of Maine make up this short, quick read, book. Being a resident of Maine, myself, I always like to read authors from here. I have yet to be disappointed.



2. I bought and read this book because my Grandfather, Asbury Arthur [Bob] Gray, was borned in Stonington, Maine; just behind the Opera house on Highland Avenue. His Aunt Millie's stove is still on displayed in the General Store and when I walked through the town for the very first time back in 2001, there were people who looked strangely like my Grandfather all over the place. He was a dear old man, with terrific story telling capabilities, many about the sea since he, like Linda Greenlaw, come from a long line of fishermen. There were tales of exploration, and of terror (like the Great Storm of 1873 where his Grandfather, James H Gray, and the crew of the DH Webb survived by hiding out in the Bay of Chaluer, off the coast of the Prince Edward Islands), and of family (although he lost his mother when he was only 10 and was forced to move to Bath and work in the Iron Works because his Dad and his two brothers were at sea). This book is every bit as good as a conversation with Grandpa Gray, the humor and the charm shines right on through. So does the boredom and the chowder... Thank you Linda for letting us share your little island and your great big hospitality! I enjoyed it immensely.



3. I laughed alot! Anyone who has ever lived in a small town will relate to this book. If not you will wish you lived in a small town just for the comedy of it! Linda is a good writer. If you have red any of her other books you already know this! I highly recommend this book!



4. In her debut memoir, The Hungry Ocean, Greenlaw recounted a monthlong swordfishing expedition off the coast of Newfoundland and discussed what it takes to be the world's only female swordfish boat captain. In this second memoir, Greenlaw confronts the joys and perils of living at home. Over forty, with her biological clock ticking, she returns to Isle au Haut, the tiny Maine island that is her birthplace. With hopes of reaffirming ties to her parents and starting a family of her own, she invests in a lobster-fishing business because it is a much "safer" career than swordfishing. But lobsters are scarce, and eligible men are even more elusive. Greenlaw writes about island life with the same plainspoken lyricism and self- effacing humor that elevated her first book to bestselling status. In the middle of the book, she begins to address her fear of loneliness and old age without a spouse or children, as well as the loss of her mother to cancer and the quickly dwindling island population. Unfortunately, she bails out before fully developing any of these compelling themes.



5. The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw is just the sort of work that completely captivates me. For the most part, I find my life quite interesting, do find my life quite interesting and have been fortunate enough to do a lot of the things I wanted to do, and it is turning into a relatively long run, when all is said and done. One of the pleasures I get out of life is learning of other people, their experiences; both exciting, earth shaking, and yes, mundane. Hey, I know about me; I want to know about others. Ms. Greenlaw, by any standard is an interesting person! Her accomplishments are really a bit breath taking as told in the story of her time spent as professional fisherman in her work, The Hungry Ocean.
   
   It this autobiographical work we see a more calm, less dangerous (well, sort of) aspect of here life as she introduces us to her native island, a small hunk of rock off the coast of Maine. She has stopped being a Captain of a commercial fishing boat and has taken up lobster trapping, usually with a crew of one, her father. We get a very nice insight to island life; the closeness, harshness, realities of a very hard way of making a living. We also get a close up view of a way of life that may not be with us much longer. Chronicles such as this are a wonderful way to preserve a history of life in these far reaches of our country. This is something that should not be lost to future generations, even if they can only read about them.
   
   As far as I was concerned, this work was very well written. Granted, it does not have the polish of a "professional" writer, and granted, you may find a few flaws in grammar and syntax here and there, but who really cares? Her story is told in her own words, much as you would hear it if you sat and talked with her for a bit. I find this much more pleasing to the eye, ear and mind than many of the professionally written "autobiographies as told to." Her small village is absolutely infested with interesting characters, she is quite good at descriptive writing and you get a true feel of what it is like at the place and time of which she writes. I take this work to be an oral history, if nothing more, but a wonderful history and quite well done. I cannot imagine anyone with an ounce of imagination, of curiosity of how others live, or wanting to know of things they have not done themselves, being bored with this work. I actually read it in one setting, and I am a pretty slow reader. I simply could not put the thing down.
   
   All in all it was well done. We all have a tale to tell, each of us. Thank goodness there are individuals like Ms. Greenlaw who has the ability to tell theirs. Hope to hear more from this author in the future.
   
   D. Blankenship
   The Ozarks

No comments about Sophia Loren (Charnwood Library).

5 comments about A Coach's Life (Random House Large Print (Hardcover)).

1. "A Coach's Life" details the interesting facts of Dean Smith's story - from his childhood memories to his first coaching job to reaching the pinnacle of his career (winning the NCAA titles in 1982 and 1993). Along the way, you meet many people who enriched Dean's life and who, in turn, were enriched by him...there's Michael Jordan, of course, but Dean also reveals details of his relationships with a number of his players, associates and opponents, including John Thompson, James Worthy, and Frank McGuire, to name a few.

   To his credit, he avoids speaking negatively about others. It seems that he was operating under the axiom, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." This would explain the virtual omission of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski - glaring by its absence. So be warned - those looking for a mud-slinging expose' will be disappointed.

   But that's OK - Dean showed that he didn't have to write a "tell-all" in order to write a good book. It's just a story of a simple Kansas boy who found a way to make a difference in people's lives. And what's wrong with that?

   Rating: 4 stars.




2. college basketball's greatest coach chronicles his life and details the philosophy and principles which governed his life and his approach to basketball. after reading the book you will understand why many consider him not only the greatest college basketball coach,but an even greater man.



3. Dean Smith is now known as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. I choose to read this memoir because I have a love for sports. Also, I have a deep passion for college sports because of the atmosphere at every college game I go to. Dean Smith coached one of my favorite colleges in the nation The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
   Dean Smith was just a regular boy that grew up in Topeka, Kansas. His father, Alfred Smith, was a teacher at Emporia High and also the coach of the basketball, football, and track and field teams. His mother, Vesta Edwards, taught all levels, from elementary to college students. She was also the church organist. Life was hard for Dean he lived in a two-bedroom house with one bathroom. He lived with his parents and his sister Joan. They also cared for his Grandmother Edwards who moved in with them when she was seventy-two.
   Dean went to college at The University of Kansas. He spent his first year playing freshman football and basketball and selling football programs at the home football games. Nowadays if you are a freshman in basketball and/or football you weren't able to play until you became a sophomore. He played basketball under the legendary Forrest C. "Phog" Allen. He had the utmost respect for him "It was impossible to play for those men and not learn something. (pg. 24)"
   Dean Smith would start coaching University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels in 1961. Dean has created some of the best known coaching strategies of all time; he started the idea of huddling up at the foul line before every foul shot and the "tired signal" that his players would use to tell him when they needed a rest. He used the tired signal because he thought they best knew how long they could stay in for. Smith coached 36 teams at North Carolina and made it to eleven final four's and won two NCAA National Championships. He coached some of the greatest basketball players of all time such as, Michael Jordan (now known as the greatest basketball player of all-time), James Worthy and Vince Carter.
   This is one of my favorite books of all-time that I have read. North Carolina is one of my favorite colleges already and Dean Smith is a very famous person from UNC so it basically was perfect for me. Plus to add on to that I have a deep passion for sports and college basketball is one of my favorites. Dean throughout his career has learned a lot from some very smart people but the thing that I think he has learned the most is that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything.



4. The book "A Coach's Life" written by Dean Smith, is a life story of one the best coaches to have ever stepped on the hardwood. This book starts off talking about Dean's childhood. He tells stories of himself as an athlete, playing football, baseball and basketball.
   As a senior, Dean coached the incoming freshman football players the plays. Dean Smith was then offered a head coaching position at Air Force. After the years at Air Force, Dean Smith was offered an assistant coaching position under Frank McGuire. It wasn't long until Dean Smith became coach in 1960-1961.
   
   From then on Dean went on to become one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in college basketball. Dean Smith won 879 wins, has gone to 11 Final Fours, and has won two national championships. Dean Smith went on to coach some of the best players who have played the game of basketball.
   The book is structured very well. It starts off by talking about where he comes from, his schooling, his athletic background, then his coaching career and then his overall thoughts on the game and his life.
   
   My overall evaluation is that this is a decent book. I loved the book, but keeping interest in the book would be difficult if you are not interested in basketball or coaching basketball. I have been involved with basketball for almost my entire life, so that it why I enjoyed the book so much. North Carolina has been my favorite college basketball team for as long as I remember.



5. 26 Jun 2005
   
   Dean Smith wrote a very good book. Humble, and self-effacing. Very worthwhile read. There is a reason why so many people respects him, including Michael Jordan who calls him "Coach" and Phil Jackson "Phil". Aren't that many people with this kind of integrity around any more.

1 comments about Fifty Famous People (Large Print Edition).

1. Educational and entertaining short stories about famous people of the world history:
   
   "One of the best things to be said of the stories in this volume is that, although they are not biographical, they are about real persons who actually lived and performed their parts in the great drama of the world's history. Some of these persons were more famous than others, yet all have left enduring "footprints on the sands of time" and their names will not cease to be remembered. In each of the stories there is a basis of truth and an ethical lesson which cannot fail to have a wholesome influence..." (James Baldwin)