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5 comments about The Heart of a Woman.

1. The heart of a woman was not an easy read for me, i just couldn't get into it, it did not grab my attention.



2. I have just finished The Heart of a Woman and I could not put it down once I started it. Angelou lays bare for all of her readers her heart, her life and her truth. What an amazing life she has lived. I read some reviews that criticized her for her honesty in regards to whites during the 60s. It was the 60s, racial barriers where still up strong and bared anyone of color from living the lives they so richly deserved, why should she be criticized for this? Would it be better that she lied and said how wonderful life was for blacks in this country during that time? It wasn't and that is the point that she is making in this book. That is the point that she is making as an African American woman, called to the forefront in the battle of discrimination.
   I had to look on the cover to see when she wrote this book, it was 1981, how sad that in 26yrs we still see white America carrying the flag of superiority! I am truly glad that Angelou is still walking this earth to see that though the gains for civil rights are slow coming they are coming,regardless of what her criticizers are saying. Because if they are criticizing her for telling it like it was, then there is still a long path to journey to get us beyond the need for civil rights.
   If you want to know what the 60's Civil Rights movement & Aparthied in South Africa was about this book will give you an accurate picture of one womans involvement. Two thumbs up for Angelou!



3. Another slice of Maya Angleou's memoir, The Heart of a Woman, brings you through her hardships of raising her son Guy in California and continues during her move to New York City, her stint in the Harlem Writers guild, her intimate involvement in the Civil Rights movement, her marriage to South African Freedom Fighter, Vusumzi Make and subsequent move to Egypt, Ghana and ultimate divorce. A book that will speak to men and women on all levels, The Heart of a Woman is truly a phenomenal read.



4. i was so excited to get this book. it arrived fast and was in good condition. thank you



5. Maya has such an impeccable method of penning and conveying her prose!! This was a wonderful installment in her biographical sequence(s). I recommend this book to ALL (those mature and aged enough to handle the sometimes-explicit subject matter) because it brings so many pieces of American history together in such a uniquely stated manner!

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1 comments about The Huntress: The True Saga of Dottie and Brandi Thorson, Modern Day Bounty Hunters.

1. According to the foreword, author Christopher Keane got a call from Dottie Thorson one day. She said she had a story and she wanted him to tell it. Keane was familiar with Thorson, for he had written a book about her husband, legendary bounty hunter Ralph Thorson, back in the 70's ("The Hunter" which was later made into a movie). Keane heard Thorson out and this book is the result.

   Being a bounty hunter, Ralph Thorson had a dangerous life with many enemies. But one enemy couldn't let go. And as a result, Ralph Thorson lost his life. Thorson left his wife and daughter with nothing more than a stack of bills and no means to pay them. No means except one: bounty hunting. Though reluctant, Dottie and Brandi Thorson had no choice but to take up the family trade.

   After breaking into a business that isn't looking for women, the mother-daughter bounty hunting team makes quite a name for themselves. Along the way they struggle with Myrna Factor, a family friend dying of cancer caused by heroin addiction, and Robin, a bail jumper whom is placed in Dottie's custody. But the real struggle comes in the form of the elusive Q.D. Reese, who killed Ralph Thorson and is starting to kill others. And they know he won't stop until he finishes them off.

   "The Huntress" is a fairly gripping book that does justice to a "true story." There is action, suspense, love, friendship, hatred, hurt, and even humor. But some of what the book has, it could go without. Keane's over-dramatic writing of the enemy Q.D. Reese is both silly and unnecessary. And in an attempt to give the character an edge, he resorts to vulgar language which only turns you off as a reader. Despite this, it was still a good book. But it was way too intelligent to be brought down by these silly failings.

   Any negative things about the book are often forgotten during key moments. As Brandi and Dottie get closer to catching Ralph's killer, things really heat up. There is a very captivating scene full of suspense near the end. And often times the beautiful relationship of the mother and daughter is illustrated perfectly. However, negativity reappears in those parts where Keane rushes a scene or doesn't let the reader in on the meaning behind cryptic dialogue.

   All in all, "The Huntress" was quick, fun read. And the characters are incredibly likable. It is definitely worth a try. In fact, I find myself hoping that the TV series does well enough that they make a series of novels. I would like to read more exploits of the family bounty hunters.

5 comments about Betrayal: The Story of Aldrich Ames, an American Spy.

1. This is a very readable book on Espionage and especially demonstrates the weaknesses in our Counter-Intelligence system.

   The CIA takes the heat in this book but this story demonstrates an inherint weakness in our security within ALL agencies involved in dealing with sensitive issues.

   I felt this book was well written and recommend it to anyone who wants to try and understand how this could have happened.




2. "Betrayal" is the perfect book for readers interested in espionage but rusty on their Cold War history. It's also a welcome change to fans of Current Events and True Crime books tired of the mediocre research and rampant overwriting endemic to each genre. The authors wisely stick to the case at hand and introduce background only as it pertains to Aldrich Ames. In this way they avoid the odious True Crime approach of devoting multiple chapters to the family tree and childhood of their subject. Better still, the writers do not take undue authority by stating what motivated Ames; rather, they present aspects of the spy's life, such as alcoholism and a faltering marriage, as evidence of what made him tick. Not only do the authors practice good journalism, they respect their readers enough to avoid padding out the book with meandering anecdotes in lieu of characterization. Instead of slogging through forty pages about Ames's high school grades, the reader gets four or five pages of concise and useful detail on U.S.-Soviet relations of importance to this case. It's a shame this book is out of print. It's lean style, respect for relevancy, and use of on-the-record sources make it the most credible study of Aldrich Ames and an enjoyable read years after its release. On a final note, this book should be available second-hand in a normal size format and for less than five dollars. Look around. If you actually found this review it will be worth your time.



3. I picked up Betrayal on a whim and although I was initially just casually interested, I was surprised how engaging the book was from first sentence to last.
   
   I learned a lot about how this bureacracy worked during the time of Aldrich Ames' treason. I was amazed that hardly anyone was even fired even if they were an incompetent, lazy, dissatisfied, alcoholic misfit like Ames was. Even though Ames wasn't very good at his job, he still expected to be promoted. Amazingly, he was, even into some very sensitive areas where he could do the most damage. Ames' dissatisfaction with his job and the agency was one of the reasons he began working for the "other spy company", the KGB. He thought that all the spy games were meaningless.
   
   Some interesting moral situations are brought up such as when a Soviet diplomat is entrapped by making him look like he is traitor to his country, when he isn't, so that he would be forced to spy for the US. Soviets who betrayed their corrupt country were praised as heroes in the US, but were executed in the USSR. It brings up questions of how loyal you should be to your country. Also, the CIA is supposed to be devious in another country, but expected to be totally honest when dealing with US government. Lastly, defectors can't be considered honest or sincere, they could still be spies. I can see how someone could end up morally warped after awhile.
   
   The CIA didn't want to face the reality that they had a mole in their own camp working against them, so the investigation took years to pinpoint Ames. One guy did think so, but it was generally viewed as too paranoid a viewpoint, even in this place where people are paid to be paranoid. But eventually the paranoid proved to be right, which is heartening for all us paranoids out there.
   
   The CIA looks like a bumbling bureacracy in this book, but the FBI's investigation of Ames was sometimes brilliant, sometimes bumbling. There is some amusing comments about how the two agencies don't like each other, won't share information, and live in different cultures. The Budweiser-drinking FBI is considered to be a notch below the CIA, which is filled with Bordeaux-drinking Yalies.
   
   There is some talk at the end that maybe we should get rid of the CIA and split it up into other bureacracies. But its just talk; I've never heard of a bureacracy ever being killed off, usually it keeps growing even after such damage as the Ames incident. --The government gravy train must roll on until the whole nation implodes! There is some interesting criticism in this section about how the CIA intelligence is often worthless. Reminds me of all the intelligence about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction.



4. The book is far far far ... far away from the truth. So far, that this book is complete non-sense. By the way, the reality is much more excited than the book.
   The biggest crime of the former FBI Director Freeh is that he lies the society. The uninformed society does not have the possibility to protect itself. This is big crime. An excellent example is the killing of the CIA Director William Colby. Freeh preferred to kill Colby, instead to charge him officially. The FBI stories of Ames and Colby are far far... far away form the truth. (If you are interested to read the real story, read the memoirs of Dekov at the Web, Google Groups, Search, "Dekov, Colby".) The society is the loser. The society will pay big money. The society will give victims. This is very dangerous criminal activity against the American people. The persons who praise the Director Freeh will pay the price, too. Their children will die, as the whole nation. The USA Senate must accept a special law, forcing the FBI to say the truth. The truth is the only chance for salvation of the American nation. And the most important - Freeh must go into the jail, as killer of the American nation.



5. Step by step we are moving to the truth.
   The fiction is banal. Hence - one star for the book. The reality is amazing. Hence - 5 stars for the next book on the Ames-Colby case. The next book will be based on Dekov's memoirs.

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