No comments about The Man Who Wasn't Maigret (Charnwood Large Print Library Series).

2 comments about The Butchers, the Baker: The World War II Memoir of a United States Army Air Corps Soldier Captured by the Japanese in the Philippines [LARGE PRINT].

1. I have known Victor Mapes all my life. He is my Grandfathers brother. Until reading this book I had no idea of the events he had witnessed. It was very enlightening. Victor expired the evening of Tuesday August 12, 2003 at the Old Soldiers home in Washington, D.C. He was interred at Arlington Cemetery on September 3rd, 2003. We will all miss him very much.



2. This book told an incredible story of the treatment Vic Mapes received while a POW. It made me appreciate even more the people who serve and protect our country. I was fortunate enough to meet Vic while he was living at the Soldiers Home in DC. I also attended his funeral after he passed away. This memoir preserves the memory of a real life action hero. I would recommend it to everyone.

3 comments about With My Soul Amongst Lions (Ulverscroft Large Print Series).

1. This story reveals the coruption and selfishness of the human race and highlight the work and lives of The Adamsons, truly amazing people that fought so selflessly for Lions and the African Wildlife



2. Gareth Patterson is a saint! He is doing what needs to be done concerning the lions. Humanity is a cancer and that cancer is destroying everything in it's path. Buy this book and jump on the band wagon to save the lions!

   ALSO: One of the major problems we face is misinformation. One example is Jennifer Henderson's review of Gareth's book "Last of the Free." The book does not begin with Batian's murder, but end's with it. And in the book, Furaha nor any of her cubs get executed! What is wrong with people? I really wish people would read these books prior to writing reviews!

   One last thing: If you buy these books and enjoy them, please do your part to help the Tuli Lion Trust.

   Here is an idea. If you live in the Tuli area, become a vegetarian! It is the meat industry and cattle ranching that is the bane of lions today. If we can put the meat industry out of business we can save the lions... and some nice cows as well!




3. Gareth Patterson is not a saint as others may think. He is simply a man obsessed by his own experience of his life with lions...and who can blame him for that?? Certainly his courage to follow that obsession knows no bounds but as in most obsessive personalities he is almost totally unable to see other viewpoints ..... to the point where his own and the lives of the lions he has habituated so totally are sometimes at risk. It's a simple biological maxim that if we interfere we change the reality!!! We cant even observe an electron without affecting its behaviour so how are we to weave in and out of lions' lives without often horrendous
   repercussions. The truth is ...we cannot. Gareth Patterson is that wonderful individual...a self righteous 'eco warrior' who sees one rule for his views and another for everyone else. Yes he has a wonderful heart and I admire him greatly....but to try and read his clumsy and inarticulate 'writing' is painful in the extreme. Get a ghost writer to help make the basis of his observations readable and more engaging and maybe we have something which can do a better job for the critters.
   But I fear Gareth may simply be too self absorbed to see the bigger picture.
   
   Of course it's his right to do what he wants in regard to writing but I was disappointed in the extreme with this clumsy short-sighted book

No comments about Diary of an Optimist (Reminiscence).

No comments about Return to "Sunset House": The Continuatio of "Beauty for Ashes".

1 comments about Call the Midwife.

1. I picked up this book in the London airport on a whim: I was pregnant and it took place in London-- a perfect souvenir. I was immediately drawn into this young midwife's story of her experiences in the poor areas of London during the 1950s. Since she wrote her memoir years later, the insight of an older woman adds a deeper layer to the book that really makes it a treasure. I lent this to my mother upon returning from our trip and haven't seen it since-- it's one of those rare books that will be passed around until it's well worn.

5 comments about Old Man in a Baseball Cap: A Memoir of World War II.

1. Well written in an easy to read, intelligent style. Reminds me of the clarity of Hemmingway's the Old Man and the Sea. Whether embellished or not, the stories transfer to the reader the feelings these young men must have had to go into the meatgrinder week after week. There is a gentle humor surrounding the constant tragedy that was WWII for them. Was a nice follow-up read to Ambrose's book on the 15th Air Corps.



2. The audio version is the only way to go. Do not listen if you are easily offended by frank talk of the things young men do when they have resigned themselves to unpleasant circumstances. Rochlin is NOT an exemplar of Brokaw's "Greatest Generation." He and his comrades at arms were decidedly human.
   Rochlin acknowledges that men of his generation were discouraged from talking about traumatic experiences. He also acknowledges that his memories are factually suspect. While current opinion seems to hold listening in higher esteem than talking, Rochlin maintains that sharing one's stories is a gift to others. It's too bad they didn't give WWII combat veterans a "transition debrief" before they sent them home. Many of them suffered from post traumatic stress for decades and their loved ones never knew exactly what had happened to them. A chance to talk to someone about their experiences might have helped many combat veterans and there might be a better understanding of what that war was really like.



3. OLD MAN IN A BASEBALL CAP is a quick and easy read due, no doubt, to the late Fred Rochlin's monologue style which he developed after attending a workshop with the incomparable Spalding Grey. After performing a number of his wartime monologues live, they were collected and published in this rather short book.
   
   Rochlin was a B-24 navigator during WWII and his tale of his war experiences is raw, rather course, not pretty at times, and yet darkly humorous. Rochlin is remarkably frank about his experiences, more than one of which may shock the sensitive reader. This is unlike any other narrative I have ever read about the Second World War: more personal and in many ways far more human.
   
   Whether the events of this monologue are true or not does not really matter; I am sure that Rochlin (like David Sedaris) would say that they are "true enough." They form a story in Rochlin's mind, a narrative that he feels compelled to tell. I for one am more than willing to listen.
   
   Jeremy W. Forstadt



4. An on-line editorial review recommended that this book be placed in public libraries. The only way this could be supported if the recommendation was accompanied with a proviso that it be positioned deep in the Fiction section.
   The book is like a one-man HBO stand-up show that's peppered with foul language, and salted with what may be an occasional truth. In fact, one of the opening points and closing remarks is that the author's mind will make up new historical truths. This book is marketed as a "memoir." But one can't tell where the "show" stops, and the actual facts, if any, from WW II experiences begin.
   I was hoping to add to my insight of what some of our older veterans experienced. Instead, I read a compendium of a stand-up comic's foul-mouthed, crude, and outright vulgar act. While soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines are known - and accepted - for their collective use of hard-core language, the unseemly language in this book appears to be thrown in - shock-jock style - just for effect. Maybe it makes the stage show a little more entertaining. A Junior High School kid with a flashlight under the sheets would love it this book.



5. I found this book for sale in a dollar store and it seemed at first to be an interesting book. Now I understand why it ended up in the dollar store. I have read thousands of books in my life and I pride myself on that fact that no matter how bad, I will finish a book. This book will be my first exception. Not only didn't I finish it, I threw it out. I have 2 sons who look up to WW 2 vets as their heroes and this book will not be in my library. Mr. Rochlin has managed to compile a short collection of "his memories" peppered with vulgar language and over graphic scenes. Many of the vulgarities were misspelled and I wondered if the publisher even proof read it. Maybe he couldn't finish it either. General George S. Patton swore on a regular basis to get his men to understand him better, but reading his words you don't notice the crudeness. You feel that you are reading the man's passion for his work and his soldiers. I did not feel the use of the vulgarity in this book served any purpose other then as shock value. Again, this is America and our soldiers have shed their blood to preserve our freedom of speech. I am just glad that those fine men and women aren't around to read this crap. Go Read Stephen Ambrose's The Wild Blue to cleanse your palette.

4 comments about Confessions of a Beachcomber (Large Print Edition).

1. Under inauspicious circumstances -- failing health -- Banfield arrives on Dunk island off of Australia's northeast coast. But as island lovers everywhere know, more often than not islands have a way of reintroducing vitality to the soul and regenerating failing health. Consider Robert Louis Stevenson! Such was the situation of Banfield when he arrived on Dunk Island.

   Banfield's greatest skill within this book is his journalistic training and keen powers of observation. His descriptions of island birdlife, in particular, present detailed glimpses of behavior and how individual birds interact with the rest of the island. "With the aid of a good telescope and a compact pair of field glasses, birds may be studied and known far more pleasurably than as stark cabinet specimens," he writes. It's no surprise to find out later that Banfield eventually persuaded -- similar to Thoreau and Muir in America -- the Australian government to set aside Dunk Island as a protected wildlife area.

   Banfield also turns his attentions to other island life, such as the coral reef and fishes surrounding the island, and including Aboriginals living on Dunk Island. While sounding condescending now, nearly a century later, his observations offer interesting insights into times past.

   Banfield's book reminded me of a non-political, "Desert Solitaire"-esque Edward Abbey turning his attention to a tropical island, in that the location is both a background and a source of detailed information. I enjoyed reading about the behavior of all island life and appreciated Banfield's obvious patience and skills as an observor. Being an island aficionado myself, I felt like I was enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of some of my favorite places revisited.

   Overall, an excellent book to add to your library, whether travel, island, bird, or environmentally related.




2. Under inauspicious circumstances -- failing health -- Banfield arrives on Dunk island off of Australia's northeast coast. But as island lovers everywhere know, more often than not islands have a way of reintroducing vitality to the soul and regenerating failing health. Consider Robert Louis Stevenson! Such was the situation of Banfield when he arrived on Dunk Island.

   Banfield's greatest skill within this book is his journalistic training and keen powers of observation. His descriptions of island birdlife, in particular, present detailed glimpses of behavior and how individual birds interact with the rest of the island. "With the aid of a good telescope and a compact pair of field glasses, birds may be studied and known far more pleasurably than as stark cabinet specimens," he writes. It's no surprise to find out later that Banfield eventually persuaded -- similar to Thoreau and Muir in America -- the Australian government to set aside Dunk Island as a protected wildlife area.

   Banfield also turns his attentions to other island life, such as the coral reef and fishes surrounding the island, and including Aboriginals living on Dunk Island. While sounding condescending now, nearly a century later, his observations offer interesting insights into times past.

   Banfield's book reminded me of a non-political, "Desert Solitaire"-esque Edward Abbey turning his attention to a tropical island, in that the location is both a background and a source of detailed information. I enjoyed reading about the behavior of all island life and appreciated Banfield's obvious patience and skills as an observor. Being an island aficionado myself, I felt like I was enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of some of my favorite places revisited.

   Overall, an excellent book to add to your library, whether travel, island, bird, or environmentally related.




3. The Confessions Of A Beachcomber is the fascinating autobiography of a man who left a high-stress, dead-end career to live the simple live of a beachcomber on Dunk Island off the northern coast of Queensland, Australia. An avowed disciple of Thoreau, Banfield sough as simple a life as possible and maintained that life on his tropical island for twenty-five years. He involved himself in observing the flora, fauna, and aborigines of the island, and through the publication of The Confessions Of A Beachcomber became one of Australia's highly regarded literary figures. Now available to an American readership through this Dixon-Price edition, The Confessions Of A Beachcomber is especially recommended reading for any one who has ever felt like chucking so-called "modern life" and return to a simpler, more basic existence in harmony with the environment and all that nature has to offer the contemplative life.



4. Ah the island life...a wonderful memoir of a more nostalgic time. Great read.

5 comments about The Best That I Can Be.

1. I was expecting much more from this book



2. I grew up hearing and reading about Rafer Johnson all of my life. Track was never a sport I paid much attention to before Johnson. He made it bigger than life for me, as Tiger Woods does for golf. A few years ago I was introduced to Rafer and was stunned to find him remarkably shy and guarded, very much unlike the dynamic man I saw as an athlete. I could tell that he was warm, but very, very careful. It wasn't until I read THE BEST THAT I CAN BE that I understood the man, that I understood how much one's background can flavor an entire lifetime. This book not only gave me his remarkable story, it left me with an insight that I carry with me everyday.



3. It was nice to learn about what has happened to Rafer Johnson over the years. The Best That I Can Be was a wonderful reminder of a marvelous athlete and competitor from years past plus an added bonus of hearing Rafer's incessant optimism and enthusiam. Gold Medalists come and go but few do so with the class and human decency that Johnson has displayed over a long period of time. If ever one is looking for a role model who demonstrated overcoming adversity with a smile on his face, it was Rafer Johnson. I only wished I had read this sooner.



4. I was so glad to learn that you've finally come out with a book, Rafer! I have always been fascinated with your decathalon vs CK YANG, and wish that there could be more films and pictures (book) just on the 1960 Decathalon, alone! I remember old tv ads with you in them years past and your roles in TARZAN movies. I knew from watching you that you would always be my life's role model! The "new" generation we live in today has so much technology and modern tech toys; but something "REAL BIG" is lacking! True greatness and love of (SPORT) for the love of it, from your heart, and not big money! Men were real men then, and athletes were real athletes! I have always dreamed of meeting you in person oneday! You and Ethiopia's ABBEE BIKILA were, are and always be two of my all-time favorite role models and athletes, forever! Sure wish that more could be done and written(pictures and films) of 1960 Olympics, especially the decathalon and marathon! You're truly a "great" man, and a "fine" american athlete of our time and the 20th century! write more books soon!



5. Rafer Johnson, to me, exemplifies the perfect American athlete. Besides winning the 1960 Rome Olympics Decathlon in record points, he also won gols at the 1955 Pan American Games and took silver medal at Melbourne, AUS Olympic Decathlon! Rafer was known for promoting special olympics, and won numerous awards for sportsmanship over the years! Mr Johnson was one of those few in every million or so that truly set and still sets the standard of what being a true American, athlete and humanitarian is all about!!!!!!!!!! Rafer excelled in high school in football, averaging 17 yards a carry, batted .400 in baseball, averaged 17 points a game in basketball and averaged over 9 yards a carry in football while in high school. But Rafer's specialty was track and field. Going to UCLA, Rafer was offered a scholarship to play football but his real love was track and field. His high school coach took him to a decathlon meet near where 2 time decathlon winner Bob Mathias lived in Tulare, CA. Rafer told his coach:"gee coach, I could have beaten most of those guys there"! Rafer took on and beat such greats in the 50's as Russian decathlon whiz Vasily Kuznyetsov and fellow UCLA teammate and later his arch rival in '60 Rome Olympics CK Yang. Mr Johnson was flag bearer for USA Team in '60 games and also lit the torch at '84 Olympics in Los Angeles Games. Mr Johnson also acted and has done much in his lifetime promoting great charatible events and things for America's youth and good sportsmanship!!! Rafer Johnson is about the best example, to me, of an American, a true American and sportsman. A real leader, sportsman and humanitarian now and always!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has always and will continue to always inspire my life and millions of others the world over now and forevermore!

No comments about Benny Hill Story (Transaction Large Print Books).