5 comments about American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their ... Press Large Print Nonfiction Series).

1. Susan Cheever has written a short book on the lives of the famed New England transcendentalists who were in the vanguard of the literary renaissance of nineteenth century America. The book is not profound but makes for good bedtime reading.
   The less than 300 page book focuses on the literary geniuses who lived in Concord west of Boston in the mid-nineteenth century:
   1. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the father of the transcendentalist movement in America. Emerson (1803-1882) left he Unitarian pulpit due to his unorthodox views even for that liberal denomination. He was a great essayists and orator who travled widely in America and abroad. His great friend Thoreau may have been in love with Emerson's wife Lidian. Emerson died with alzheimer's disease. He was a relatively wealthy man who aided many of his poorer transcendentalists. He believed in Nature and the divine in each human being as preferable to belief in the God of the Bible. His work was influenced by such writers as Thomas Carlyle and philosophers such as Immanuel Kant who believed in the moral imperative.
   Emerson was sometimes called the "American Plato".
   2. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is famous for "Walden" reporting on his life near Walden Pond in a cabin owned by his friend Emerson. Thoreau was a Harvard graduate, a naturalist and an opponent of slavery. He was friendly with the mad abolitionist John Brown. Throreau was jailed for failure to pay his taxes. He condemned the Mexican War as a land grab which would add slave states to the Union. Thoreau never married; he and his older brother John were in love with the same woman who dumped both of them! He died of TB at a young age.
   3. Margaret Fuller died at age 50 being drowned in a shipwreck near Fire Island. She had returned to America with her Italian lover and her baby. Margaret was an early feminist who may have had affairs with both Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Her book on the life of women in the nineteenth century has become a classic. She was the probable model for the character of Hester Prynne in the Hawthorne classic "The Scarlet Letter."
   She was brilliant, beautiful and a woman living before her time!
   4. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)was born in Salem site of the infamous witchcraft trials of the seventeenth century.
   Hawthorne married Sophie Peabody one of the famed women rights and abolitionists sisters. In his early married life he lived in the Old Manse owned by Emerson. He was involved in politics supporting his Bowdoin college friend Franklin Pierce. After Democratic candidate Pierce was sworn in as the 14th president his friend Hawthorne was appointed as US Consul in Liverpool. Hawthorne had a happy marriage and loved his two children. he did have an amorous interest in the fetching Margaret Fuller.
   Hawthorne is best known for his novels "The House of the Seven Gables,"; "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Marble Faun." His novel "The Blithedale Romance" is a roman a clef based on the months he lived at the utopian experimental Brook Farm. The character of "Zenobia" in that work is also a picture of Margaret Fuller. Hawthorne could be cold and reclusive but is one of our first great authors. Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is dedicated to Hawthorne in token of their friendship.
   5. Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) was the tomboy daughter of the eccentric Bronson Alcott who established the utopian community of "Fruitlands." Alcott grew up in a poor family which was often supported by friends most notably Ralph Waldon Emerson. Louisa May served as a nurse in the Civil War writing "Hospital Sketches" of her time in New York nursing Union wounded. She contracted mercury poisoning and died a few days after her father in 1888. She is best known for the immortal "Little Women."
   Cheever reports on her love for the transcendentalists and their friends. She tells us how she enjoys their work and relates stories of the visits she and her family have made to Concord.
   This book is not a scholarly dissection of the works of these New England intellectuals. It is one woman's loving account of the personal lives of these New England geniuses.



2. Ms. Cheever makes you want to read...or perhaps reread and understand for the first time...the works of writers who shaped American thought and history.



3. AMERICAN BLOOMSBURY is a study of the "genius cluster" centered in Concord, Massachusetts, 1835 - 1888, beginning with the arrival of Ralph Waldo Emerson and ending with the death of the last of the neighborhood's classic writers in the neighborhood. With the inheritance from a short-lived first wife from a wealthy family, Emerson largely supported friends like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, the Alcott family and Margaret Fuller as they launched their careers. They shared Transcendentalism and a passion for intellectual pursuit. As in most close-knit communities, they had their intrigues, jealousies and fall-outs. The hope and beauty of a New England spring day is reflected in their early ambitions and again in their salutes to one another at the end of their lives. The themes they drew on, the events they witnessed at home and abroad, and the impact of the Civil War articulate the greater American experience of the 19th century.
   
   Though I'm very familiar with the writers' works, I hadn't studied their lives closely and this was a good general introduction, often full of surprises. Cheever vividly evokes the personages and setting with a storyteller's skill. I did not realize how fully she developed them until I felt the pang of loss as their mortality set in. This is by no means exhaustive biography or history; in fact, Cheever moves through it rather breathlessly. Her style is intended for a very general audience, not an academic one.
   
   The book is not perfect. Although she moves from 1835 to the last death, of Louisa May Alcott who is only a child at the outset, Cheever chooses to order her information around themes or events in their lives, which do not necessarily flow chronologically. She kind of swirls around and around as she moves through the 19th century. In one chapter, even one paragraph, she may bounce back and forth between several years. The coming of the railroad is experienced more than once, though from slightly different perspectives. Poor Margaret Fuller drowns at least 3 times. Sometimes you are left asking, now when exactly is this happening? Her chapters are quite short, 3 - 5 pages, which makes for a rather breakneck pace through the facts. She provides a time line, plenty of research notes and citations and an extensive bibliography at the back of the book that help answer questions that may arise.



4. This book has a lot to recommend it as an introduction to several brilliant individuals whose lives crossed paths in Concord, Massachusetts between about 1840 and 1870. It is an enjoyable, easy read -- with very short chapters that are organized around themes and encounters rather than strict chronology. The book brings these characters to life, reading between the lines of letters, books and journals to capture their unspoken thoughts and feelings for each other. It shows how the lives and thoughts of these thinkers, who rarely mention one another or acknowledge their debts to each other in their published works, are deeply intertwined. It also makes a serious effort to take them out of "ancient" history and show how their concerns and conceptions are not so far away from our own.
   
   It is this concern, however, to show the relevance of the lives of people like Thoreau, Emerson, Fuller, Hawthorne, Bronson and Louisa Alcott, that also accounts for several of the major weaknesses of the book. Ms. Cheever tries so hard to show that these individuals are just like us that the book reads almost like tabloid journalism -- especially in the first several chapters. I was reminded several times as I read the book of Goethe's maxim that "no one is a hero to his valet" -- that from a certain perspective even the most distinctive individuals look like ordinary folk who have passions and drives and needs and just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Only rarely does the book give a hint at what makes these individuals remarkable -- although the author is obviously fascinated by them, her descriptions of them make them seem just like peculiar and idiosyncratic folk with a sense of grandeur and peculiar ideas that made them stand out against the norm but not much more. I never got a clear sense from the book of how the ideas of these thinkers connect with their lives, and the book never gives a clear sense of what their ideas were beyond very superficial descriptions. The account of Emerson suggests again and again that apart from being charismatic and a clever writer, his most important contribution was to have inherited enough money from his first marriage to enable him to be generous with the others and create a community around him. I never saw any indication that Cheever had any idea how powerful and radical Emerson's thought really was. (Her suggestion that Thoreau and the rest of the transcendentalists were leeches on Emerson is one of many examples where Cheever chooses which of the many existing rumors to believe and report as if it were fact rather than making sure it is -- at least in the case of Thoreau, this rumor is clearly false -- as Walter Harding has shown in his excellent biography, Thoreau was very careful not to owe anything and worked hard in his father's pencil factory or later in life at surveying or even manual labor to take care of his needs, and even made sure to pay rent when he was living in his parents' house as a boarder, and had agreed with Emerson to do work around the house in exchange for room and board when he lived with him).
   
   Part of the problem is that Ms. Cheever can't seem to decide whether she wants to write a tabloid style expose of the love lives of the Concord geniuses, or a popular history, or a personal account of her own fascination with that history. In the last half of the book Ms. Cheever figures more and more prominently in the book -- her personal feelings and responses to the history begin to overwhelm that history. For example, she can have no sympathy whatsoever for (and no clear understanding of) the Concord thinkers' admiration for John Brown -- because she cannot understand why they would have seen him as anything else than what she sees him to be: a cold-hearted murderer, whose passionate ideals led to outrageous and insane actions. In the end, I think that the best way to describe this book is not as a genuine history, but as an imaginative attempt to tell the story of these characters that Ms. Cheever had come to love in a way that made sense of them to her. While there is value in such an approach, it should not be mistaken for an accurate history. As other reviewers note, she invents a great deal and reads a great deal into things that may not be there (e.g. Alcott's admiration for Thoreau and Emerson is read as her having fallen in love with her teacher and her father's friend). The book is also in need of some serious editing -- there are several parenthetical points or asides or statements of fact irrelevant to the paragraphs or chapters in which they are included. Several words are misused consistently throughout ("insure" is used when she means "ensure," for example).
   
   I did enjoy reading this book quite a bit -- I'd read Emerson and Thoreau and read biographies of both, but had never read an account of all the remarkable people whose lives connected in Concord. It is a quick and easy read -- and gives a valuable shorthand version of the period that I will definitely want to flesh out by reading some of the other biographies and history that she relied upon and mentions in her notes at the end. Ms. Cheever obviously cares about the people she writes about -- and it would be hard to walk away from this volume without likewise caring.



5. Ah! This was a delightful book with historical significance! I had no idea of the literary talent concentrated in Concord, MA during an important time in our nation's history--the 1840-60's+. Susan Cleever wrote an entertaining "story" about our most prominent storytellers.

1 comments about Survival of Jan Little (Ulverscroft Large Print).

1. In the 1950's Jan meets Harry Little - a jungle adventurer. Having always dreamed of living on a homestead, she accepts his offer of marriage & heads off into the jungles of Mexico with Harry & her daughter Rebecca. Jan is partially blind & although she can make out shapes & shades, her eyesight is bad enough to be registered blind. Unfortunately for Jan this is not her only disability, she is also partially deaf & needs the use of a hearing aid.

   When civilisation starts to encroach on their isolated existence, they decide to head into the Amazon. They live there for a number of years - their only contact with the outside world is the cargo men who bring supplies & letters up the river. Rebecca grows up to love their jungle existence & Jan learns to live in a harsh environment with her disabilities. Both of them learn how to endure Harry's temper & biblical like preaching.

   This book makes compulsive reading as Jan is stretched to the limits of human endurance. Her courage & will to survive against all odds is overwhelming.

5 comments about Open Wide the Freedom Gates: A Memoir.

1. A leader of profound courage & excellence is explained by her own words and features her lifelong attention to human dignity. You can't miss this window into the Civil Rights struggle of the century.



2. If you'd like to gain an appreciation for a female perspective of the civil rights movement, this is a book for you. I was born in 1957 and came of age during a time when the equal rights struggle for all Americans came to the fore---people of color, gays & lesbians, female--were trying to gain a voice in society. Ms. Height speaks plainly of her involvement in projects that brought about fundamental changes in society. She relates her stories about change as it really happens: one person at a time, one family at a time, one small community at a time. Read and learn !



3. This book was fascinating, full of events that occurred in a time I lived through but never was aware of. It is like Dorothy Height was there behind the scenes connecting the dots of events and interweaving the people who were in the headlines. She has the gift of knowing the importance of bringing people of all kinds together and the skill to accomplish it. She never gave up when she was told not to do something because that is not how things have always been done or it is too risky.
   
   I learned the term "Cotton Curtain"and about the bravery of a group of black and white women who conceived of and carried out the Wednesdays in Mississippi Project in 1964. "The specific goals of the project were to establish lines of communication among women of goodwill across regional and racial lines, to observe the COFO student projects and discuss them with local Mississippi women, and to lend a "ministry of presence" as witnesses to encourage compassion and reconciliation."
   
   In talking with Fannie Lou Hamer, and knowing of the Heifer Project, Dorothy Height thought of the idea of setting up a pig bank in Mississippi. That idea was turned into a program with the advice of an Iowa farmer and the assistance of the Prentiss Institute. The National Council of Negro Women purchased 45 pigs. "Participating families were trained to care for pigs, to establish cooperatives, and to work together to improve the community's nutrition and health. Each participating family signed a "pig agreement", promising not to sell the pigs and to bring back two piglets from each litter to deposit in the bank."
   
   Dorothy Height has never stopped working on the problem of racism. "Our young people ask why we have to keep trying to solve the problem of racism. Other people move on to other problems, but if you're black, you don't have that option. Your options are clear and limited:you either give up and go into drugs, or you work on racism for the rest of your life. In our society every setp African Americans take is seen in political terms...."
   
   The recounting of the huge effort to buy the present home of The National Centers for African American Women at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue is inspiring and again speaks to Dorothy Height's tenacity. I am looking forward to visiting that building and the Bethune Museum and Archives to pay respect and honor for a life so well lived.



4. This book is great for American history buffs interested in reading an account of the civil rights struggle. Instead of being a memoir elaborating on her personal experience, Miss Height instead delivers an account of her witness of history. A public experience. I am sorry Miss Height merely "sratches the surface" and fails to elaborate when she tells the reader about her relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr. and other prominent leaders during the civil rights struggle. This book is void of any mention of intimate relationships with family or friends. In the last few pages of the book, Miss Height unsuccessfully attempts to compensate for this lack of forthcoming throughtout book by briefly telling the reader that she was close to her family and she had some friends throughout her life she loved like family.



5. Dorothy Height's accounts in this book are nothing short of massive inspiration and how to peacefully create social change and equality during the Civil Rights movement.
   
   Her focus on creating new ways to reach people, pull together and band with others who also want to see equal rights in the most positive manner spans decades of tireless service.
   
   I grew up and personally witnessed the "race riots" happening in public schools in the 1960's and vividly remember the unfair treatment of men and women of color, as well as how difficult it was during this era for people to move forward in the face of massive racial, sexual and gender stereotype.
   
   We owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Height's service. This book would make for excellent reading in schools to serve as an inspiration of what can be done, even when it seems impossible.
   
   Deserves 10 stars as a memoir for leadership, inspiration, determination and the courage to make a lasting difference in America.
   
   Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE and Know Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Wholeness, Radiance & Supreme Confidence

5 comments about My Father's Daughter: A Memoir.

1. I thought I'd read it all, seen it all and heard everything there was hear or know about F.S. but, curiously enough, I never bought this book! It was given to me at a time in my life when I had stopped reading about all the celebrities I had ever wanted to. The day before yesterday I found this book in the place I had put it years ago, next to all the other books about F.S. that I had read through the years. The books fill the space between Ava Gardner's, "Ava, My Story" and Mia Farrow's, "What Falls Away." I cannot thank Tina Sinatra enough for sharing her world with her father with us and Jeff Coplon for co-writing. This is the definitive book on Frank Sinatra, the man. Tina takes you on her journey and journal of loving memories about her relationship with her father over many years. From his final months as the husband of Nancy Barbato Sinatra until his death at age 82, Tina rode the F.S. rollercoaster which was her father's life. Through it all, the highs, the lows, the failed marriages F.S. remained loyal, respectful, loving, caring and protective of his first and only family. Then came Barbara Marx. If Leona Helmsley was the "Queen of Mean" this, then, was her adoring protege. How Tina, Nancy Frankie, Jr. or Nancy, Sr. tolerated this wretched individual is beyond comprehension, however, they respected her as the wife of their father. Respect was absolute in the real Sinatra family and he taught his family well. It was because of Barbara that Tina, Nancy or Frankie, Jr. did not have the opportunity of being with him in the final moments of his life. His children were everything to him and he garnered their esteem by never smothering them, never being judgmental and by always trying to be there when any of them needed him. As complex as he was, he was a pretty darned good father. To see him through Tina's eyes is to know who he really was when the glitz and the glitter were stripped away. This is a must read for any true Sinatra fan.



2. Not a big fan of Sinatra's, however this book was highly recommended so went online and rolled the die. VERY impressed. A big fan of biographies in general, however I've certainly plowed through my share of mind-numbing tributes with clear issues of partiality. Was a bit wary with Tina (daughter) doing the narrative, however was favorably impressed. She's clearly a "daddy's girl", yet at the same time gave a brutally honest depiction of her father and his relationships. Wish she would've devoted a few more pages on his fall-out with the Kennedy's, however. Overall one of the best books I've read in quite a few years. I'm a fan.



3. I recently learned of this book by Tina Sinatra about her late father. When I read it, I felt very sad. I have been a fan of Frank Sinatra for well over 50 years. My father used to sing Sinatra songs to me and I will never forget it. Tina has used her father, the "Chairman of the Board," a very private man, to try to fix herself.
   
   As for her comments about Barbara Sinatra: Tina had favorable comments regarding her other two stepmothers, Ava and Mia. During those years, not only was Tina young and impressionable, but she did not have to go through the death of her father with those women. Having lost both of my parents, I know the experience can be horrible; and many times people look for someone to blame. I believe Tina is taking out her grief on Barbara. When a loved one dies, it is not a glorious scene as in a scripted movie. Frank Sinatra loved Barbara; she was his choice. His kids couldn't take it. They look back fondly on the ones who didn't stay with him. Barbara "stuck with him" (as the other two did not) for over two decades, even with three very spoiled stepchildren. She was there for him in his twilight.
   
   Frank Sinatra worked a lifetime to create a persona, and he become a beloved American institution. Tina, in her selfish quest, has attempted to smudge his reputation and negate his life's work. Frank Sinatra will always be an icon to me and to many millions of fans. I would recommend this book to no one.



4. This book was a quick and easy read that sweeps past the professional details and gets at the story from the point of view of Frank Sinatra's immediate family. Tina Sinatra gives a loving account of the private man, presented as a bundle of conflicts - a man who loved both the pretty motherly wife and the sultry movie stars, who dearly loved his children but often from a great distance. The tomcat in need of a home-cooked meal, who relished family holidays.
   
   Tina reveals the agony of the visits from Frank, with the buildup preceding those visits to the inevitable let-down when the time came to leave. She details the genesis of her adult relationship with her father, a relationship which became very close and loving.
   
   One suspects that the purpose of this book was go get to what was REALLY bugging Tina Sinatra...enter, Barbara Marx. The last half of this memoir is devoted to the tense ups and downs of the relationship between the Sinatra children and Frank's controlling, grabby wife. The saga of Barbara's greed begins with her making a sweep of the valuables of the recently deceased Sinatra grandmother, and it goes downhill from there. The reader truly gets a sense of the isolation and helplessness that the increasingly feeble Frank must have felt as he was bullied time and again to amend his will, prenup, and his wife's considerable allowance.
   
   Did Tina air a little too much laundry here? Maybe so, but this reader got the sense that this memoir, written within two years of Frank's passing, comes from a place of deep grief and sorrow for not only the loss but for the last painful years of Frank's life, a life possibly shortened by the antics of the manipulative Barbara.
   
   I can relate to this memoir as I watch my own once happy-go-lucky father subjected to endless conflict and pain at the hands of his miserable and unstable wife - even following his heart attack last year. I watch as his fire goes out, spark by spark. And judging by some of the reviews on here, I am not alone. It is my hope that Tina found some much-needed peace since writing this book.



5. I had read this book quite a few years ago and liked it a lot. Knowing my dad is a big Sinatra fan, I thought he would enjoy a copy for Father's Day. He really enjoyed it. Here is a touching but warts and all memoir of a father who wasn't always around, at least in person, by a loving daughter. Quite a bit of 'insider' information on Frank Sinatra and some great pictures that I hadn't seen before. Very interesting to note that in Tina's opinion, the love of Frank's life was not Ava, but Tina's mother. I also wasn't aware of how controlling Barbara Sinatra was in the last years of Frank's life - what a shame. Overall a great read, just wish it had been a longer book!

5 comments about Peter Jennings: A Reporter's Life (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series).

1. When ABC newsman Peter Jennings died from lung cancer in 2005, he left a void in the industry that has yet to be filled. Along with the likes of Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, Jennings helped revolutionize television news, sitting on both sides of the desk, transforming the genre from a 15-minute afterthought to a major component of network broadcasting.
   
   The editors of PETER JENNINGS: A REPORTER'S LIFE, including his wife, have collected the thoughts and memories of scores of family, friends and colleagues who are universal in their praise and turned these stories into an oral biography. It seems as if Jennings was almost predisposed to the profession. As the son of one of Canada's most respected radio broadcasters, he got an early start, hosting his own children's show as a nine-year-old. Formal education held little interest for Jennings; these days he might have been diagnosed with ADD. His success, despite dropping out of high school, was truly remarkable.
   
   Jennings was just 26 when he was handed the anchor assignment for ABC News in 1965, a job to which he admitted he was not suited at the time. He earned his stripes by going out into the field --- far, far afield to Europe and the Middle East where he thrived on the exotic surroundings and the action.
   
   The entries in A REPORTER'S LIFE reveal a man in a hurry, ever curious and always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even when that meant putting himself in harm's way. Jennings was no "Scud-stud," a term used to describe reporters who made a name for themselves during the first war in Iraq; he didn't even like to fly. But he impressed everyone, from his sound men to heads of state, with his ability to soak up information and present it to his audience.
   
   When he stepped down as an active reporter to once again take over the anchor desk for ABC News, he brought that same restlessness with him. He was a demanding boss, always expecting the reporters to do the same thorough job he did. But his humanity was always evident. During the coverage on 9/11, he wanted the audience to see the devastation of the World Trade Center rather than in-studio shots of him. And he was never afraid to defer to experts or admit he did not know every issue involved.
   
   Many of those interviewed said that Jennings never wanted to be the center of attention, which made his on-air revelation of his illness all the more conflicting. For him, it served as an abject lesson, another chance to educate his viewers.
   
   The format of A REPORTER'S LIFE both works and doesn't work. Since it's not a straightforward biography, it appears choppy at times, a series of mini-monologues interspersed with Jennings's own words. It is also understandably biased; you won't find too many speaking ill of him. On the other hand, these are the people who knew Jennings best, and the book serves as their final chance to pay him tribute.
   
   --- Reviewed by Ron Kaplan



2. If you loved Peter Jennings you will love this book. It was written in an innovative style by way of an amalgam interviews with his colleagues. If you are looking for dirt on Peter skip this book, but if you want to relive the hundreds of wonderful hours you spent with him on your TV, this book does the trick. Your memory might also be jogged when you read the many adjectives describing him in the book: charming, distinctive, exuberant, thoughtful, reflective, gracious, caring, sincere, whimsical, questioning, authentic, direct, gentle of spirit, warm, great sense of humor, intelligent.
   
   I loved the insight many of the contributors gave, as well as the quotes from Peter: "He connected with every person he met. He didn't use them." "He had this life force that seemed to surround him--his enthusiasms, his boundless energy and curiosity. He was one of those people that was just a great sense of nirvana to be around." "And when he was faced with the actual test, he instantly did the right thing." Peter: "Be spare, be precise, take your time, and don't say too much. Let each work carry the weight of the story....communicate in a concise way."
   
   Peter would ask, "What are we going to do today what will distinguish us?" He despised predictability, mediocrity of any kind, laziness." "Listening to Peter was...riveting." Peter WAS riveting, and so is this book!
   
   Bill Kizorek, CEO, Two Parrot Productions



3. I was never a regular viewer of Peter Jennings' news broadcast or any of his documentaries, but now I wish I was.
   
   This book pointed out all the great time, effort and blood, sweat and tears that Peter Jennings put into all segments of his broadcast and documentaries. He did not take his anchor position lightly and wanted all viewers to share his same passion and understanding of the subjects he was speaking.
   
   It also went into great depth to speak of the man that none of us saw on his nightly newscasts. One who was such a humanitarian and lover off people from all different walks of life.
   
   This book kept my attention and made me feel sad that I did not pay closer attention to his newscast while he was still with us.



4. This book is purchased for our Book Club for next year's books. Several of our members had read it to be sure it was okay. It was difficult to purchase - first we had to wait till it was published (you know how THat goes!) and then the price was exhorbitant (that was overcome) and finally it joined the other books we purchased for the Club. Oh, and say, did I mention that this is a book for next year's selections? and that it will be much like "saving it for dessert?" I haven't read it yet either - just scanned through it, and therefore I know it to be the "icing on the cake."



5. Peter Jennings was taken from us at the pinnacle of his
   career. He shaped the news in many areas like the
   ABC Nightly News. The book provides many specifics about
   his life and career. There are memorable pictures
   contained throughout the book. i.e.
   o The Miss Canada Pageant of 1965
   o various political conventions
   o the Munich Olympics
   o the Clinton Presidential Inaugural of 1997
   o a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991
   
   The acquisition would be perfect for persons interested
   in journalism, politics and government.

2 comments about A Passion for Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor (G K Hall Large Print Book Series).

1. Being very good at what he does, Donald Spoto, manages to provide readers with an accurate, in depth, and yet entertaining look at the life of Elizabeth Taylor, both on and off screen. Naturally, he starts with the early childhood, because at the age of nine Taylor was already bona fide child-actor. Then, as a heroine, i.e. Talyor, grows up, the discussion focuses mainly on men in her life, her first love (Monty Cliff) and her first marriage...and then, another marriage... and then another marriage, and another... It is hard to keep track at times! However, Spoto also shows Taylor's ability to stay true to her friends, inspite of many-many traumas and ugly gossips that have always surrounded her public persona. The only downside of this book is that narration stops somehere in a "Taylor/Jackson" period. Since Spoto already opened up a candid discussion of Taylor's health and other life problems, I think readers would like to know more about the on-going life battles, that their favorite female star presently has to fight. Also, it would be nice, if he mentioned Taylor's contribution to the fight with AIDS more extensively. In other words, Spoto should be planning on another revised edition of this otherwise lovely book.



2. I really enjoyed this book by Donald Spoto. He went extremely in-depth regarding the life of Elizabeth Taylor. He tells about her childhood to her many marriages and movies. If you would like to get a good look into the life of Elizabeth Taylor, this biography is a excellent choice.

5 comments about Grayson.

1. A sweet story for any age. True, and the information given is stunning. Imagine swimming with a whale! Would be good to read aloud to a 9-12 year old, but I cry everytime with joy at the ending.



2. While listening to this tale as an audiobook, I was surprised to be sitting at the edge of my recliner! For a very simple premise, Lynne Cox crafted a plot with a lot of excitement.
   
   I was touched by the sense of communion between the human swimmer and the baby whale, each of them vulnerable and exposed.
   
   The communication and intelligence of the whales in this story, plus a mega-pod of dophins, made me think of the line, "Goodbye, and thanks for all the fish!" the title of Douglas Adams' fourth book in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. (Where Wonko the scientist posits that dolphins were the actual creators of planet Earth.)
   
   I now own Grayson in an audio format and as a hardcover book, and I consider it a treasure.



3. Grayson, by Lynne Cox is a wonderful concise book with lots to say. There are three different story threads running through it. The smaller thread is about a girl athlete with lots of will and determination, and the second is a nature story about the sea animals in southern California and the third thread is the most moving. It is an inspirational story about a girl tiring to help a young baby whale finds its mother. It is a story for all ages. I'm 38 and I loved it, bought one for my 1st edition collection, and I bought another for my younger ten-year-old sister.



4. The book grayson, a true life story of a then seventeen year old woman who encounters a baby gray whale in the Pacific near Long Beach, is a story that is poetically and so beautifully told it will linger, I guarantee, in the mind of the reader for a long time, if not forever. This book, about interspecies communication is so beautifully written that I have nothing but admiration for the writer and her exquisite sensitivity. It is a story that is deeply philosophical in nature as the writer describes metaphorically her maintenance of personal positivity and her own soul desire to communicate with this whale and its lost mother. Can we communicate non verbally, with each other, with other species? Read this book and ponder deeply. I recommend this and hope you love it as much as I did and do!



5. Reading "Grayson" is ....like Ms. Cox's 'Swimming to Antarctica" so wordy and stretched that the reader may give up before finishing. I did finish Grayson because I wanted to know the ending. I had even thought, when first reading, that I would give this book to my daughter who teaches Reading to fifth graders. But....I decided against it for the reason that I know they would love the first but really get bogged down before the final page. It's a great story but could have been condensed into perhaps 10 pages.

5 comments about Unwise Passions: A True Story of a Remarkable Woman-And the First Great Scandal of Eighteenth-Century America (Thorndike Press Large Print American History Series).

1. I got the book at my local library and just completed it. Mr. Crawford is good writer. I like that the chapters are short and the story line keeps moving.
   
   I see that he has a new book coming out on Jefferson's last years. The research from this book probably helped on the new one since the Randolph and Jefferson familes were related (cousins married cousins) and Jefferson's son-in-laws were also politicians. I really appreciated the family tree even though the larger family lines aren't complete.
   
   The main story line was not really resolved for me unless we are to believe Nancy's response to Jack in their later years. Did Nancy deliberately abort with her cousin's "medicine" or did she really miscarry? Was Nancy really pregnant by Theodorick who died before she delivered and not his brother Richard? How could Nancy go about in society as she "increased" without any censorship and why didn't any of her relatives, especially her sister who lived in the same house, know about the pregnancy?
   
   Some characters appear for only a few paragraphs yet interest me to find out more about them in other biographies or histories. I was surprised to see that President Adams was not liked and Jefferson was extremely political. Crawford shows the political parties switched platforms over time so current parties cannot claim ownership of ideas. I will be interested in reading more books about the early founders, politicians and other Americans. This taste of early years in congress was very interesting.



2. The title is a little misleading, but this is still a great biography of Anne Cary Morris. The "scandal" is dealt with in several chapters and the remaining story tells of the disfunctional family of which she was a part of. It left me looking for more information about the remaining "cast of characters."



3. I enjoy historical fiction and historical fact, but I found this book to be quite dull. The writing was not engaging, as the style seemed antiquated to me. I think I was expecting more of a modern interpretation of the story. Instead, this book reads like a Victorian gossip column. In short, neither the story nor the "scandal" was intriguing to me, not even as simple history. Apparently enjoyable by some, but it just wasn't what I expected.



4. I read a lot of biography and historical fiction and I was intrigued by the reviews of this book so I bought it. The print is large, there are many reproductions of paintings, and it's a rather quick read, but it's "pretty good" as far as historical biography goes. It was interesting to read a thumbnail sketch of the rise and fall of the Virginia tobacco farmers, and it was also a fun task to try and keep track of all of the Randalph's as they inter-married! The main problem that keeps the book from being truly wonderful is that the scandal and the main characters aren't very compelling to begin with and the author doesn't do much to infuse the story with any urgency. There a few points where I found myself wondering what would happen next, but for the most part I was simply mildly entertained and when I was finished I felt I'd read a decent book that further illuminated a period in American history for a me and also educated me about Nancy Randolph and her kinsmen.



5. ....though 215 years later we still have a reasonable doubt as to who was guilty of unwisdom [I know that's not really a word, but it works]. This fine book is available at the John Marshall House, in Richmond, as it should be, sheved with its direct competition, "Scandal at Bizarre", by Cynthia Kierner.
   
   The basic facts are simple, though the implications are still in debate...on October 1, 1792, Richard Randolph, his wife Judith, and wife's sister Nancy, travelled to the home of their cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Harrison. Nancy had been gaining weight, and not feeling well. Further, it had been said that she and Richard had been showing more affection for each other than was proper. Anyway, during the night, Nancy screamed in pain, footsteps were heard on the steps, and, the next morning, the Harrison slaves started telling stories of a dead white baby in the woodpile, though no body was ever produced.....Richard was accused, first merely thru gossip, of having impregnated Nancy, and aborted the child....in April, 1793, Richard was put on trial for murder....somehow he managed to hire a "dream team" defense of John Marshall, Patrick Henry, and Alexander Campbell, and got off. But, his reputation, as well as Nancy's, was ruined....
   
   Nancy stayed on at Bizarre, even after Richard died in 1796. Judith, and Richard's brother Jack, later known as "John Randolph of Roanoke" made her life hell. After she left Bizarre, no decent person, especially the other Randolphs, would associate with her...she moved to New York, and found redemption in the person of legendary financier and Federalist politician Gouverneur Morris. She bore Morris a son, was a fine wife and mother, and withstood every challenge from Morris' family, and the ever present, ever evil, John Randolph of Roanoke.
   
   This is a great story, well told. [Could have used an index, though]. I've reviewed Dr. Crawford before ["Twilight at Monticello"], and he was five stars there, too. Super portrait of Jack--a drunken, dope addict, insane, brilliant, evil, eloquent, master user of people. Dr. Crawford does not find Jefferson guilty by association---thank you. Two small holes could easily have been filled in...Nancy and Judith's stepmother married Dr. John Brockenbrough...we are not told that he built a mansion on Clay street that in time was known as the "Gray House", but is now and forever some of the most sacred ground on earth..."The White House of the Confederacy". We are told that Mollie and David Meade built a house and combined their names to call it "Moldavia"---we might have liked to know that John Allan raised his stepson there---Edgar Allan Poe. All in all, an excellent book...superb glimpse of Virginia history, and social conditions. Along with Dr. Kierner's telling of the same tale, highly recommended.

No comments about Oliver Goldsmith (Large Print Edition): A Biography.

5 comments about John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography By The Boston Globe Reporters Who Know Him Best.

1. I enjoyed this book. I agree with other reviewers that it was a bit dry in places and seemed to sail along at a fairly quick pace. It gives a broad view of Kerry's childhood, education at Yale University, service in Vietnam, and then goes into quite a bit of detail about his Senate Career and then race for the White House. A great book for any student of Political Science or just anyone interested in learning about a person who has led an amazing life.



2. This book attempts to accurately portray the life of John Kerry, which it does wonderfully.



3. As with other readers at Amazon.com I wanted a quick introduction to Kerry. I knew essentially nothing about him other than what is in the news. So I bought the Douglas Brinkley book "Tour of Duty" about Kerry in Vietnam and the present book. When I got the two books, it seemed that the current book is a little less biased and shorter 400 pages versus 500 pages for the Vietnam book, so I read it first. I have still not read the other book as of today. I just read "Tony Blair' by Philip Stephens and in many ways that is quite a different story and unusual story. Kerry has had a stronger relationship with the military because of his experiences in Vietnam and later working in the US Senate. Few politicians can claim live fire combat as can Kerry. That seems to have set a certain tone in his life.
   
   In any case this is definitely a well researched and written biography by three reporters from his home state - reporters from the Boston Globe. They claim to have double and triple checker their sources. According to the preface, the story started off as a series of seven installments in the Globe in the summer of 2003. The paper, being located in Kerry's home state, wanted to publish a comprehensive series of stories on Kerry. According to Martin Baron, the Editor of the Boston Globe who has written the preface, the stories were immediately attacked by the Kerry Campaign. Later the campaign acknowledged that it was largely an accurate portrayal. That series has been expanded by the three writers into this present book. All three had covered Kerry (Mooney since 1977) and had previously written detailed stories on the candidate even back to the time when he was an assistant DA in Middlesex County. So by any reasonable standard the authors are well qualified and it shows in the book. Kerry did not help with the writing of the book and declined recent interviews. Overall I would call the book neutral in tone - just good reporting and writing. In addition to the roughly 400 pages of text there are 30 pages of notes.
   
   As a book I found it to be engrossing and I was able to quickly run through the 400 pages. My attention was continually held. It is a page turner but not strongly so.
   
   Kerry comes from an interesting background where his father's side of the family is second generation from Austria while his mother is related to the Forbes and Winthrops, the latter having a history dating back to almost the start of the Massachusetts colony (John Forbes Kerry). There is a family tree in the book going back three generations. His father was in the foreign service and has in fact acted as a sort of consultant to John Kerry; he did not pass away until 2000. Because of various foreign service postings such as Berlin, Norway, etc. by his father, Kerry traveled around Europe as a child and attended a school in Switzerland. There he was exposed to more European languages and culture than the average young American boy. But other than that he seemed to live a relatively normal youth including playing in a rock band. He did not inherit large amounts of money or a large trust. In fact one relative paid for his tuition at St.Paul's prep school near Boston.
   
   The book covers his youth, education at Yale, his marriages (not much time spent on his personal life), the swift boats in Vietnam, his medals in Vietnam, and then his career back in the US after Vietnam. From there we follow his race for Lieutenant Governor, Senator, his fight for re-election against Governor Weld in 1996. The latter was a very difficult campaign that Kerry managed to win only by 7% riding on the coattails of Bill Clinton, but he did win against a very tough opponent.
   
   Without trying to show bias one way or the other, Kerry comes across as a strong individual that has faced death many times serving his country with honor in Vietnam, a war that killed some of his friends. In politics he made many strong political alliances in the past to win elections - such as with Mayor Flynn of Boston. In the senate he took on unpopular issues such as Nicaragua and was partially responsible for directing investigators to look into the illegal activities of Ollie North and others. For that he was vilified as being somehow weak or soft on communism in the press, but eventually he was proven to be correct. Kerry does not come across in the book as an elitist or someone with a personality problem. He is ambitious and has been interested in politics since his youth - but I think that would be expected from a US Senator. In any case this book gives a lot of information on Kerry in an entertaining and a compelling read. You will not be disappointed.
   
   Excellent book that is well researched and written. Five stars.



4. John Kerry has had some real accomplishments, and the book lists those. He's not perfect -- if nothing else, he's long focussed on the presidency as an end goal, not a means to an end -- and the book reports on that, too.



5. This book is mostly balanced, but strongly accuses Kerry of being an elite oppertunist. What person with political ambition isn't? You kind of have to be. But they go overboard.
   Other than that, this book is a highly informative read. The prose is a bit dry, borrowed from their newspaper chronicles largely, and can be laborious to get through. It is the content that makes it worth while, even if they try to steer you at times.
   
   The fairest attempt to portray the great John Kerry.